Tuesday September 28th – £ 4.46 overnight stay
The weather is much better today and I have three more lessons planned. The pattern of energy consumption is pretty similar to the previous day and is consistent with the type of driving: Lesson 1 reduces my charge to 71%, Lesson 2 to 51% and I end my day at 27%.
I think the Mini’s 29 kWh battery usually lasts for a working day. Two weeks ago I didn’t have a home charger and I relied on the “grandma cord” – a three-prong plug-in charger that is the slowest way to charge. To start with a full charge, I charged up to 50% on a quick charger on the way home. The grandma charger would then fill the car overnight.
It was actually fine, but having a home charger is more convenient and saves a little time. I usually charge for around four hours to charge the Mini. I plug in at the end of today with 27% charge left and have driven 98 miles.
Wednesday September 29th – £ 3.80 nightly fee
Today I have two bookings: a driving test and an evening lesson. We start the day with sunshine and a fully charged battery.
After a leisurely morning, I drive to the first customer for a driving test. Interestingly, after the driving test, the examiner tells me that your EV should be delivered soon. My student is recording a first ticket and soon a new EV driver will be on the road! I return home with 80% battery remaining.
After a break, I go to my evening class. Today has always been battery-saving, but on the drive home I’m reminded of how good all-LED headlights are, with the added benefit of using less power.
I end my day on 49% charge and have ridden 71 miles.
