Lands’ End to John O’Groats using the Shell Fuel and EV card

Significant progress has been made with the EV infrastructure in the UK. The number of available public chargers has increased by 30% year on year, making it more practical than ever before for you to switch to electric. Although you may still have doubts about the affordability and capability of electric vehicles, it’s undeniable that they’ll be key for decarbonisation.    

Previously, we’ve considered how long it would take to travel from Lands’ End to John O’Groats in an electric vehicle and how much this trip would cost. Now we’ve launched our new EV charge cards, we decided a reanalysis was necessary to see if this journey is now easier and cheaper than it was in 2023.

The route from Land’s End to John O’Groats

In our first two tests, we used the Citroën ë-Relay as our example vehicle, but as more advanced models have entered the EV market it’s time for a change. So this time, we have chosen the Volkswagen ID.Buzz Cargo which offers a driving range of 256 miles, making it a far more practical choice for long-distance journeys.

However, with superior technology comes a superior price and you would need to invest £59,000 for one of these vehicles. To make the cost slightly more affordable, you can apply for a Plug-in Vehicle Grant which gives a £5,000 discount for a range of large electric vans, including the Volkswagen ID. Buzz Cargo.  

For this journey, we’ll aim to choose public chargers which accept our new Shell Fuel and EV card wherever possible. This card provides access to the Shell Recharge network, so there are over 20,000 public charge points across the UK to choose from. Plus, you can check the availability of specific chargers via the Shell sitemap. To maintain optimum performance, EVs should be kept between 20-80% charge, so we have adapted our route accordingly to ensure our vehicle remains within this sweet spot.

We last analysed the journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats in an EV back in February 2023 and we’re pleased to say that some progress has been made. Back then, this trip took 18 hours and 6 stops but, as EVs now have a longer range, we’ve managed to shave off one stop and reach the end destination in around 17 and a half hours.

• Starting in Lands’ End (TR19 7AA) with a full charge, you would drive 197 miles to the first Shell Recharge point on this route which is just off the M5 at the Cribbs Causeway in Bristol (BS10 7TG).
  
  
• From there, you’ll travel 128 miles to the Shell Recharge point in the picturesque village of Barthomley (CW2 5PS).
  
  
• The next stop is 152 miles away at Kingstown Broadway in Carlisle (CA3 0HA) where you can recharge your EV with an Ionity charger and pay using our Shell Fuel and EV card. This is also the perfect spot to stay overnight and recharge your own batteries after a long day driving.
  
  
• It’s then another 140 miles to the penultimate stop at the Triangle in Perth (PH1 3GA) where you have 6 Ionity chargers to choose from.
  
  
• As we enter rural Scotland, charge points become less accessible, so unfortunately our Shell Fuel and EV card cannot be used at the penultimate charging point which is 143 miles away in Tain (IV19 1EH). However, you can pop into the Tesco Superstore to refuel your body for the final leg of the journey.
  
  
• After this quick stop, there’s only 86 miles to go until you reach John O’Groats where you can explore your scenic surrounds and then use the Osprey Charging point (KW1 4YX), which is part of the Shell Recharge network, when you’re ready to go back home.

We estimated that you would need to spend 30 minutes at each stop to recharge. However, the total time of 17 hours does not factor in delays due to traffic or waiting time for the chargers, so in reality it could take longer.  

Nevertheless, it’s clear that EVs have come a long way since our initial test in 2021 which took almost 22 hours and required 8 stops! As the technology continues to be developed, we’re confident that this journey will become even easier for EV drivers in the next 12 months and beyond.

Required overnight stay

By law, a standard day of driving for an HGV driver is 9 hours and they must take at least one 45-minute break every 4.5 hours. Whilst there are no specific legal requirements for other drivers, we have limited driving time to 9 hours per day, so one overnight stay is necessary. The cost of a hotel therefore needs to be considered. It’s important to note that even drivers in a diesel vehicle would have to stop overnight so there is no price difference for EV drivers.

We would choose to stop at the Premier Inn Carlisle M6 J44 which is conveniently located at the midway point of this route and is just round the corner from the third EV charging point. With prices starting from just £53 a night, it’s both affordable and practical for drivers undergoing this long-distance journey.

Cost of travelling from Lands’ End to John O’Groats

So that we could travel from Lands’ End to John O’Groats as efficiently as possible, we chose rapid chargers that can recharge an EV in 30 minutes. Although these chargers will save drivers a considerable amount of time, they come at a premium rate, around £19 per charge. The total charging cost is around £95 which is still far cheaper than a full tank of fuel.

EV vs diesel

With one overnight stay and low charging costs, you can save money by completing this journey in an EV rather than a diesel vehicle.

The total costs for this trip when compared to a diesel vehicle are:

However, the need to stop frequently to recharge will slow you down. Until the driving range and recharging speed of EVs catches up with diesel vehicles, long distance trips like this will take longer.

EV charge cards

Our EV charge cards make long-distance trips like this easier. You’ll no longer need to download multiple mobile apps to pay at different charge points. These are often complicated and unreliable to use, so our EV charge cards offer a convenient solution.

Although all rapid charging stations must now accept contactless bank cards, an EV charge card makes recharging even simpler as all transactions can be viewed on one invoice. You can even use our EV charge card for petrol and diesel to ease the transition to electric.

Apply for one of our EV charge cards

Matt Dodds Head of Strategic Sales and Partnerships With over 14 years of experience across two of the leading fuel card companies in the UK, Matt Dodds joined RFC Edenred to help lead the development of products to support our customer's move to EV and other alternative fuels, a transition he feels passionately about.