Driving my BMW iX2 from Scotland to England - how did it go?

[@sussexbikerpillion]

People don’t like change Brian. And it’s a very impatient world we live in. Given me confidence to try our first long trip at the end of month. 👍👍

[@AutoEV]

Good. Let us know how you get on! Once you’ve done it it’s no different to using an ICE car on the same journey.

[@tarbat]

As an EV driver your words "hope the chargers are empty and working" sums up my experience. Its not range anxiety nowadays, but charger availability anxiety.

[@AutoEV]

I’d agree. We like to see it from all sides, and having broken chargers is becoming a commonplace concern rather than actually making it to the chargers in the first place!

[@enyaq_gorm]

I just did a trip on my Škoda Enyaq channel. Kidderminster to Livingston, 295 miles. My enyaq could have done it without stopping but the real world of traffic jams meant it took 7 hours. I needed 2 toilet stops plus needed food after the first 5 hours. The car shows me where all the chargers are and which ones were available to use. ABRP is good for planning too.

[@colinpryor5875]

Looking at the ix2 for my next company car, this video has now convinced me that this is the right one for me. Thanks for another great review 👍

[@TEX360]

Very familiar when Brian found the tap point wasnt clear, and the screen was broken. But the canopy looks a blessing. We've driven from west london to glasgow a few times and its been smooth sailing once past the niggles. Thanks for the encouraging videos

[@timick8281]

Great video, I like watching a non click bait sensible take on electric vehicles .👍

[@IanStill-od1ej]

A very nice review of a real journey with all the potential issues for EV charging and journey management. As a Jaguar I-PACE (remember them?) driver Its also very refreshing to see that the BMW range is not any better than the Jag even considering the age of the I-PACE battery technology. Having driven the BMW I would also say that the I-PACE has better performance and handling. I also prefer the infotainment and sat-nav, which is not something most people think about Jaguar. But an excellent review Brian , lets have more like this!

[@AutoEV]

Now interestingly I’ve also done this journey in an I-Pace and can concur with your views. It’s still one of my absolute favourite EVs. Can you imagine how good it would be if Jaguar had continued to develop it? Either way, it’s a brilliant car and as you say, has the same range as the iX2 and better performance. Second hand bargain now! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Really appreciate it.

[@j.williamkay2771]

Interesting! We’ve had an I-Pace for 5 years now and have done Norway to UK (about 5500km per trip) twice. No problems range wise, though one trip was on 18 inch wheels and the other on 22 inch (loaner car while mine was getting warranty repairs done). From this video, I feel like the 22 inch i-pace and iX2 are pretty comparable. Even more interestingly, I’ve been looking at the iX2 as a potential replacement for the I-Pace down the road. Tighter rear space is a downside - on the few occasions we do have passengers they are adults. Enjoyed the video very much, and can confirm the same experience - long journeys are not only doable, but I find myself arriving more relaxed than before, too.

[@patryksobanski473]

We han an I-pace for 3,5 years. It drives great and has a beautiful, classy interior. However, it consumes 20 % more than Ev6 awd and 10 % more than ix 50. Moreover, our car had spent 7 months in the service. Regarding ix2, I do not get this car: apart from a bmw badge, does not offer anything special.

[@davidkramrisch]

Brian. Great calming non click bait video. SWARCO chargers at Tebay at 64p/kwh. I use them and so do lots of others. 2 dual bay 150kw units southbound situated at far end of Tesla chargers. 6 dual bay 150kw units northbound in their own car park. Contactless only at present, but availability shown on SWARCO app.

[@enyaq_gorm]

The bmw seems to be slow at charging. Does it not pre heat the battery when heading for chargers? I find that really speeds things up on the enyaq. I never get much less than 130 kW on a stop on a long distance trip.

[@robinhoward6447]

I enjoyed your video Bryan, thank you. I have used the MFG chargers near Standish on a few occasions and never got anywhere near 150kw. I totally agree that it is a faff with the charging bays too. A very realistic review of everyday use of an EV!

[@mikebrueton6716]

Great video. A nice calming relaxing drive, you know your driving an ev

[@AutoEV]

Glad you enjoyed

[@andie9762]

Wow. A huge difference between charging at home and using the charging networks.

[@AutoEV]

There really is. The gap has widened considerably over the years.

[@sutchak]

Great video, as always. Just curious why you are using your mobile for navigation and not the BMW navigation system?

[@AutoEV]

Purely habit. I tend to always have Apple CarPlay on for Spotify, so usually default to Google Maps for my navigation. Used it for years.

[@NickTruelsen]

Great video, well presented and informative. Perhaps an addition to go with our i3s

[@AutoEV]

Good choice!

[@peterhare2234]

Enjoyed the video. Thank you. Without being picky the charging costs are per kWh not kW. Regards Peter

[@kevingannon1136]

Love these types of video showing the “can’t go anywhere in an EV crowd” some facts !Loved your GV60 video am thinking of replacing my leased Tesla next year with one !

[@donaldjackson6659]

Hi Brian. Enjoy your videos. As an electrical guy with an ev I feel your viewers need to be clear on charging where you tend to confuse with the wrong units. Let me explain. If you have consumed 45.5 kWhr of energy and travelled 150 miles it has been at a rate of 3.3 miles for each kWhr . To recharge at a charging power rate of 100kW would take 0.455 hours. Hope you enjoy the next car.

[@christineburns5246]

Motor Fuels Group (MFG) own and operate filling stations all over country and they have been rolling out charging hubs like this on their forecourts for about five years. If you use an Octopus Electroverse RFID card or other agency card like that then you avoid the credit card reserve charge and only pay once a month for all your charging. Second, the charging power you can get is mainly controlled by the car. Many cars don’t charge at the advertised rate throughout the charge curve and a lot depends on the conditioning of the battery when you start. However, some chargers ration the energy available between stalls, especially if the site itself has a power constraint from the grid. I doubt there was a megawatt feed to that site. Again, some chargers ration networks have big batteries on site to supplement the incoming feed. They charge steadily from the supply so that the pumps can deliver more than the feed itself can supply.

[@oliverkentish9468]

You got my thumbs-up when you called out the naysayers' piffle. 🙂

[@SueC56]

Enjoyed the video. Thx

[@kcebliks]

Would have been interesting to use the BMW inbuilt sat nav and set the route with that. I have an Ix1 and when you get to 40 miles left it says low on charge and gives you a list of nearby chargers to go to (which is what iX2 did when you were coming to your first stop). You can also put the route in on your phone and send it to the car.

[@fastfreddy19641]

Great video with some useful information.

[@AutoEV]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@davidkramrisch]

Brian. What apps and discounts do you use? Electroverse? Tesla? OVO Charge? ChargeFinder? IONITY? GRIDSERVE? Fastned? For example you used the IONITY app…. Did you get a monthly subs so to be able to charge at the cheaper rate ? Let us know if you would please as EV drivers I’ve found are a savvy lot who like to get best charging at good value for money….

[@appkazoo5925]

I find it amazing that people complained that you knew where the chargers are on a long journey you do regularly. That's an obvious point. Many of people's long journeys are to & from places they know well so you will know where to stop. We travel from Essex to Lancashire and back a number of times per year. Exactly halfway is Gridserve at Grantham so we always stop there. 12 x 350kW chargers and we've never seen more than 4 in use whenever we arrive.

[@davidthomas8662]

One thing I will say,you stopped at wigan and Banbury,now you've paid instavolt carry prices , Preston is near wigan,Banbury also have tesla way cheaper once you quickly subscribe open to all ev half the price what you will have paid

[@AutoEV]

That’s interesting. I didn’t know the Banbury Tesla ones were open to all. I may use them on my next trip if I need to stop around there again, so thank you for that.

[@exploringwithwheels]

Great video 👍 as a wheelchair user the mfg I can not use as very small parking places and the charger is high up on a curb, When I go on a long journey I have to plan my stops with google to see if I can use them my self.

[@davidpearn5925]

In Melbourne Australia, we have one massive tollway company that issues an e-tag to all account holders and no barriers to stop at.

[@AutoEV]

You can get a toll tag for that road, but you have to apply for it. I have one for France, but not the M6 Toll as its the only toll road on the UK motorway network.

[@simonevans8979]

I have an electric car and do a long journey witn no problems. My bladder range is more limiting than `fuel` range, as is the need for coffee and snack breaks. But admittedly I don't drive to London that often....

[@jonathan-dough]

Agreed, I am on my first EV and it can do over 100 miles on a single charge more than my bladder !

[@redjohn20001]

Would it be possible to do the trip only at Tesla chargers to keep the Tesla guys happy or not? Loved the video.

[@peterthepieeater]

Yes! Tesla Superchargers at Preston and Banbury would have been perfect for this trip. Both open to non-Tesla drivers and ideally positioned. Much cheaper to charge too.

[@e-trippingwithadamgebbett8024]

You can see why people are buying BMW E.V. Keep doing these videos.

[@Mccook68]

Hi Brian. I’m sure you know this but if you use a sat nav based app for charging stops on long journeys it means that your car does not precondition if it has that feature ie car battery prepped for charging means you get the best kw/ph charge speed. You only get the best speed with pre con by using the car’s sat nav for long trips. Does that make sense !?

[@AutoEV]

Yes, it does. But oddly, I got a speed much closer to the stated speed at the InstaVolt ones later that day? Anyway, I do follow what you say, although I always tend to use third party navigation systems. Will try it with my new car to see if it does it with the next long trip.

[@Mccook68]

@@AutoEVyep. I’ve found that too oddly but maybe put it down to air temp rising a bit during the day and the car generally just getting warmer the longer you drive it battery wise. Just swopping my iPace for a Polestar 4 this Wednesday off the back of your P4 review. Keep doing what you do Brian. Enjoying the videos 👋👍

[@mdavid200ify]

I must confess to being surprised by the kWh efficiency figures you have been getting. In the first 12 months for my Tesla 3 RWD, the data shows just over 12000 miles done at an average 4.25 miles per kWh (mixed A road and M'way driving). Granted I drive it in "Chill" mode (slightly reduced acceleration) and with full one-pedal driving (I know you seem to like "coasting" mode on M'Ways), but that is nearly a 33% efficiency gain over the BMW.

[@ipb1966]

Probably worth mentioning that, unless something has changed recently, at those M6 J27 services you must register your reg no in the shop.

[@AutoEV]

Really? I didn't see any signs to say that. If I use them again, I will check.

[@ipb1966]

It’s possibly changed but, facing the shop, the sign was at the right, by the first charger.

[@robsmith1a]

I tend to buy used cars at 5-8 years old and 50k miles. Let someone else take the depreciation hit. Repair costs hardly ever come close to a year's depreciation on a new car and the car I bought 4 years ago has yet to give me a repair bill (I service is annually but I don't include consumables as repairs). I'm in an SLK at the moment. The BMW is way too big for me. I'll be interested to see if you can get something like a Renault 5 as a long term test car and take that to Scotland.

[@appkazoo5925]

Please, please refer to the energy delivered to the battery in kWh and not kW

[@granfersteve3815]

If you had the Skoda you'd have an umbrella in the car always 😉😉

[@RichardAylward-lu1pc]

Try Octopus energy I just charged my vehicle overnight 37 kWh for £2.59

[@Ahm.nae-fou]

Interesting video thanks, however I get frustrated enough waiting the few minutes filling up my ice cars and one will do Glasgow/London on one tank so the charging isn't really a plus for me yet. I have tried electric rental cars but get frustrated will all the settings and beeps. I also get annoyed with all the plastic on modern cars especially on BMW's,so yes I am getting on in years. I'm hoping my current cars see me out as I am losing interest in newer cars generally.

[@counterdebate]

Your windows looked foggy around @0:33:00 was you not using AC at this point of the journey to save power?

[@AutoEV]

No, I always have my a/c on, even through winter. Not sure why they were foggy, but I will always run with the HVAC on.

[@counterdebate]

@@AutoEV ok

[@simonevans8979]

Depreciation: My car is five years old and today is worth 5 grand less than I paid for it. Now I also have an old diesel-engined 308 Estate, fully depreciated:. The difference in values is moot. The `clunker` is worth what I paid for it, but needs diesel from a petrol station ALL the time, at £1.39 a litre at todays prices, whereas my leccy car cheap-rate charges from the mains at 7.9p per kilowatt/ hr and usually charges to 80% overnight, good for nearly 200 miles (actually about 180 practical without WLTP guesstimates) and only needs a full charge on those long journeys, so my leccy car only costs me `pennies` to travel locally (and that's only when I use a public charger), otherwise it costs me any proportion of the `5 grand` less mileage adjustment`... Electric is substantially cheaper than diesel with my usage: FACT.

[@arjan2518]

Sorry, it’s 65 p per kWh, not kW.

[@victorvan8426]

Would it be possible to also mention metric numbers like kWh/100km? Maybe as undertitles? Furthermore, I like watching your videos despite that each car you review is "brilliant" ... 😊

[@AutoEV]

Not all. Have you watched my Omoda review? My Tesla Model Y review? The Audi Q8 etron?🤣😉

[@victorvan8426]

@AutoEV ok, true. Still, brilliant reviews... with some metric guidance for us continentals even better!

[@s111nps]

Don’t know why we put up with tolls. We pay enough VED as it is. £8? RIP off Britain. I’ve done several long trips in my Skoda Enyaq, here and in Europe. In France and Germany, no problems, no hassle,sensible cost. Here, different story. It’s still too expensive using public charging. The charging network is improving though,but we have a long way to go yet. Thanks for the content.

[@AutoEV]

Thank you for watching. In fairness, you don’t have to use the M6 toll: it’s just I find it easier and quieter and it cuts out a really busy part of Birmingham, so its a price for convenience, not mandatory.

[@Lewis_Standing]

Would a description as a posh a Kona be fair?

[@simonevans8979]

I regularly run mine down to 5% on a long run... and I dont know whether my route planner is accurate or not! Just plan your route as if you need `alternates`... as I do as a pilot.

[@RichardAylward-lu1pc]

Why not cover the chargers with solar panels ??

[@johnw65uk]

There’s company that is doing this now, it’s a self contained unit and can be installed in a car park in a day. Can’t remember the name but seen them on KZbin.

[@conest5725]

Wow. You certainly pay through the nose for public charging in the UK. In Australia we generally pay AUD$0.65/kW (33.1p) and that is at a 350kW charger. By comparison, 91RON petrol is currently AUD$1.75/litre (89.1p) and 98 RON is AUD$2.00/litre (£1.02). My home electricity is AUD$0.3575 per kW/h. Probably a good thing as the drive from Sydney-Melbourne is around 880km (547 miles) or Sydney-Perth is 3,935km (2445 miles). A lot of people do the first trip but a lot less the second. Our EV charging infrastructure still leaves a lot to be desired but it can still be done relatively easily, it just takes a bit more planning. In the early days of 98RON petrol, I had a car that ran exclusively on it. It too took a LOT of planning for fuel stops in our regional areas when doing a long journey.

[@pauljk5901]

Thanks for another iX2 video. "It's not cold out side, it's 13° "😮 Errr , yea , that is cold. In Australia, that's cold. For the battery, that's cold. At 30° 79% state of charge, my iX2 shows more like 370 km ( 230 miles) My average consumption is 15.9kwh/100 km over 5100 km 30% aprrox at 110km/h ( our max speed) Anyway, just saying.

[@BalmforthGG]

Nice motor. So quiet and smooth. Why are people so anti EV.

[@richardjohnson5529]

m the car i drive is a Fiat 600e and has a charger search built in to the sat nav, i have not used it yet but is this a good way of finding chargers instead of using a planner?

[@AutoEV]

Yes, it can be, but the inbuilt navigation won't be as accurate as som of the apps as they are constantly updating as new ones come on board. The BMW has the charging stations in its navigation too, but I wanted to use the app.

[@waynekerrr9027]

I dont have emails to catch up on when i stop

[@andyw6026]

What about overnight low rate home charging, I charge at 8.5 per kW from 00:30 to 05:30, so your 47kW at home would have cost you £4!

[@AutoEV]

Like I said, I’m probably not in the most efficient tarrif.

[@markbennett6658]

Sounds like Octopus Go. I’m on that. I was on Agile that was even cheaper. We have solar & battery though but with winter coming and my daughter and boyfriend moving back in Go makes more sense for now. Unfortunately I don’t have the right charger or EV for their Intelligent tariffs but it’s still super cheap motoring if you don’t do many long journeys.

[@simonevans8979]

Question: Why cant I put my car on a train and charge it on a long run..?

[@jonathan-dough]

Brian, you are mixing your units up. The amount of energy you put in your car is kWh, the power of the charger is stated in kW so a 150kW charger at full power for 30 minutes will put 75kWh in your car.

[@ians3328]

Tebay decent charging is only North bound the South bound Tebay is dire Crikey MFG has a roof.

[@AutoEV]

You can get from South to North though. There is an access road under the motorway.

[@ians3328]

@@AutoEV How handy, normally they blockade the service roads between either sides of the services to stop people using it as a junction. Maybe it is because it is a "shop" though the offering at each side is identical.

[@AutoEV]

The hotel is on the Northbound side, so the access road provides access to that from the southbound.

[@richardjohnson5529]

The problem with most EV chargers is they are not visable from mostly A roads as petrol station are.

[@AutoEV]

That is a fair comment.

[@Lyndalewinder]

I'm 68 now so I don't drive above 65 mph on motorways and as I'm petrified of getting a speeding ticket I tend to drive to all the speed limits I can and I get over 300 miles out of a 2022 RWD IONIQ 5 (which doesnt have a heat pump) in summer and probably about 250 miles in winter. For me this is the minimum range I would want out of my EV and I rarely need to charge on the public network. When replacing the IONIQ 5 I will not buy anything which cannot demonstrably do at least that mileage so the likes of the BMW and Megane, no matter how nice they are to drive, would not even figure in the calculation.

[@richardjohnson5529]

Can i ask what do you think is the motivation for most people to buy an EV? i did for environmental reasons but if the practicality of an EV is not as good as an ICE car then why would they buy one?

[@AutoEV]

I think its a very difficult question to answer. Many will do it for the reason you did, but for many it may just be the smoother, quieter way of travelling. That's one of the plus points for me, especially on longer trips this this one. Electric cars won't save the planet, but they ares small way to help. If you can charge at home too then there is a cost saving when it comes to fuel and the running costs are less too.

[@mikadavies660]

I can't get my head around the pathetic complaints. I assume that people who write to complain about knowing the fueling stops, are people that have managed to obtain a driving licence? Thus they can not be window-lickers! So how can they NOT use an app on their phone? Planning a trip is as easy as putting your destination on your car's navigation. The car tells you where to top-up with electric.

[@arjan2518]

Maybe you didn’t get the maximum charging speed beause you didn’t prepare the battery for fast charging.

[@AutoEV]

Didn’t do it before Banbury either, but that was much faster. Who knows?🤷‍♂️

[@arjan2518]

03:36 With my BMW ix1?

[@AutoEV]

I correct my error in the caption.

[@philrobful]

I found there was too much waffle. The video could have been half the length.

[@AutoEV]

Fair point.

[@jaz4280]

Would be great if you can do a shorter videos!

[@AutoEV]

First of all, thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. That is very much appreciated. Now, to your statement. Yes, it is something we hear a lot, and to be fair, I hadn't realised this one would be quite so long - the Megane one was shorter, and in this one, I probably waffle on a bit. But, in my defence, I had a lot to talk about. Now the reason we do longer videos is to be a bit more detailed and get our opinions across to car buyers. The automotive KZbin space is very crowded, so how do we stand apart from the likes of Carwow, Autotrader, Electrifying, etc? We try to be less flamboyant, less "on-the-fence" and give more detailed reviews so that actual car buyers can get all the information they need from our reviews before buying a car. Drag races down runways are very entertaining, but that doesn't help you if you need to know the boot capacity or if the infotainment screen is laggy or not. That's why we go into much more detail, and do longer videos. There is no doubt in my mind that it costs us views and subscribers, but that isn't what we want AutoEV to be about. We want to be a trusted source of information for people who are looking to buy a new or used EV. Hopefully, we achieve that. I want to be clear that I am not knocking your comment, it is a fair one, and one we hear a lot. And we debated long and heard about whether our videos should be shorter. But in the end, we decided to go longer for the reason I explain above. I hope that goes some way to explaining our theory. I'm not saying its the right decision (financially, trust me, it isn't!), but it is what we want AutoEV to be about. Thank you for taking the time to watch even some of our videos, and for obviously providing your feedback. It is all greatly appreciated. Bryan

[@thewalrus1968]

nice to see a channel highlighting cars with huge carbon footprints, horrible depreciation, heavy and damaging to the roads, only 5% recyclable, 95% landfill after 10 years, extremely poor infrastructure, impossible for flat dwellers. I cant wait until renewable fuels are cheap enough.

[@davidthomas8662]

Haha aren't we rather silly wrong way around then . Ev are 95% recyclable you think lorries and vans aren't heavier ? Carbon footprint for an ev will negate withinh 2 years ,while you petrol and diesel continue to spew out emissions their whole life. Stop believing what you read

[@AutoEV]

🤣🙄

[@jaapboode2719]

What a hassle, terrible. Slow software, slow and expensive loading. How much anti-advertising can you put in a video? My Tesla experience. Holland - Switzerland. 820 kilometre, two stops, 25 minutes per stop. No card, just keep the plug nearby, lid opens, charging starts. After 25 minutes, disconnect and drive. On the road continuous information about superchargers, route, etc. etc. Less than 40 Eurocent per kW.

[@AutoEV]

There is no doubt that Tesla are still way ahead of the game when it comes to the charging infrastructure. I do admire them for that. But that being said, my trips are never an issue and I’m probably doing that journey 10 times a year.

[@pauljk5901]

@jaapboode2719 hmmmmm, Tesla No HUD No instrument cluster No radar No sun shade Bland interior and then there's Leon .

[@waynekerrr9027]

EV .. complete waste of time and cash...go petrol guys, unless of course someone gives you one for free, like in this instance

[@AutoEV]

What an awesome comment. Especially in a channel that reviews EVs. Still, thank you for the view, it all helps.

[@waynekerrr9027]

@AutoEV your welcome..glad to help put some money into pockets of the charity cases.

[@Lyndalewinder]

waynekerrr - just need to remove a few letters to get a more appropriate name LOL

[@waynekerrr9027]

@@Lyndalewinder Don't you mean rearrange, rather than remove....or shall I say that again for the people with extra needs

[@AutoEV]

No charity needed here thank you. Perhaps you'd be better off spending it elsewhere.

[@lesvassallo5760]

Could I ask in your experience no it's not fully electric it's a Hybrid would you recommend a BMW X2 HATCHBACK xDrive 25e M Sport X 5dr Auto Looking for a replacement for my 2018 330e Thanks

[@AutoEV]

The new X2? Or previous one?