EV vs ICE #1,300 Mile Euro Trip - Part 6 - The Big Summary

[@andrewhiggins8873]

If you count the depreciation the old banger wins everytime

[@markbennett2170]

If the Volvo is a banger, then I love bangers 100%

[@vulcanvoyager]

A.It's not a banger and B.Never mind the depreciation, even if it held it's value, what about the cost of the EV in the first place

[@andrewhiggins8873]

@@markbennett2170 well thats why i drive an old banger

[@arcadeuk]

The only way prices are going to go on that V70 R is up now (until the UK make Euro 7 mandatory everywhere eventually 🙄)

[@markburton8303]

do you know how much that old banger was when it was new? And how many people could afford one?

[@PeterMitchell-s5t]

I couldnt give a toss about the cost! If the ev cost was a fiver, i still wouldnt have the ev. The volvo v70r t5 was the best car you could have took, for a petrol head! A £5k volvo. Or a £120k ev? The volvo and £115k in my pocket please😊

[@robblack7560]

That drive in an EV would have done my head in.

[@PeterMitchell-s5t]

@@robblack7560 absolutely, no engine sound. EVs have no soul, unlike ICE cars, that's why we love them.

[@largesmallgarden7648]

Volvo was the best car Geoff

[@chrism8705]

Taking in the beauty without noise is the future you wouldn't like noise in a Forrest ice is dead

[@nsweeney3970]

Or another way to look at it, a £5k Volvo and a nicer, bigger house that you wouldn’t have been able to afford if you spunked £120k on an EV that was worth £30k after 3 years.

[@storkythepunk]

Lee only got there cheaper because his electric was subsidised, and that is only there to tempt drivers to change over, at which point the subsidies will end, and it will naturally be more expensive, just like cheap diesel.

[@psprog]

Unfair! Lee charged using massively subsidised Porsche discount. Normal folk don't have £120k Porsches!!

[@chrisduffill5248]

Tesla also have a subbed network , so not so …..

[@kadmow]

(add in the depreciation, and value that per mile...)

[@davidhumphreys9938]

VW have similar discounts

[@grantrandall1674]

You don't need £120k to benefit from the tech. You get better everyday practical performance of economy and better range from Ioniq6 for 50k new or under 30k used. Still pretty fast but maybe missing the Taycan frippery!

[@grantrandall1674]

Anyone can find ways of discount Ind charging. Eg open Tesla are always cheaper and have further discount schemes. Octopus electroverse also worth a look. EV users who charge at home may never need away charging unless they travel as well or just pay the odd hit on public charging. A car with a real world range of 250 miles can clearly do about 120 miles each way from home without further charging for £8 of low night energy charging. So no big deal if the odd public charge costs £40!

[@joaquimmeira2203]

It's not a win for the EV because the government makes no contribution towards petrol and diesel cars, that is not fair competition.

[@BRMCaptChaos]

It’s not the Govt, it’s us as taxpayers. 😮

[@lozcb1]

Agreed , take away the subsidy and it will be a lot closer , eventually the subsidy will be removed anyway , just another heat pump /solar panel ruse for EV ,

[@Glyn.Davies]

What about the huge subsidies the oil industry gets?

[@FreeFlyerUk]

​@@Glyn.Davies. That's irrelevant, it's not passed on to the customer.

[@brendanpells912]

Quite the reverse, fuel duty and VAT artificially inflate the cost of petrol and diesel. EV drivers seem to take some perverse delight in being tax-dodgers, like it's a badge of honour.

[@lindavolk9958]

I think Geoff purposely bought a gas guzzler to give Lee a chance. 😉 It's no fun if there's no competition, right? At any rate, it doesn't matter how well the EV does I prefer being able to go where and when I want! 🥰

[@nicholashardy8735]

Id pay £100 to arrive 8 hours earlier, 8 hours that means you arrive over 2 days to get food and drink when you want rather than after they're shut

[@mrgrumpy771]

so true. time is money and £100 for 7 hours difference is worth it

[@KingLoftiVII]

To be fair, if he wasn't such a spanner he'd have only been 4 hrs behind him max really, no offence obvs, he's a nice fella

[@markburton8303]

lol Absolutely, so why drive? It'll cost less for a plane ticket.

[@PercyPruneMHDOIFandBars]

The electricity Lee used was actually subsidised by Porsche. At one point, when Geoff nearly took Lees card, he said, he'd have to pay full price! How much extra would that have been?

[@leslie19611]

Not subsidised, it's a subscription service which is part of the deal when buying the car. Most charging networks have a subscription service that gives you a discount when you charge.

[@bdonc9601]

Lee has a Porsche card - which he said is subsidised.

[@leslie19611]

@bdonc9601 how do you imagine porsche gives their customers this discount? They don't just do it out of the goodness of their hearts, they pay the charging networks with money that came from their customers

[@peterbartlett4082]

Was this card used on the previous encounters? Because I thought one of the issues then was the cost of charging.

[@arcadeuk]

@@peterbartlett4082 One of the problems you will see on Lee's previously videos was a lack of working subsidised chargers in the UK. In France they have many nuclear power stations and have enough surplus power to sell it to the rest of the world cheap. In the UK the country is run by morons who are forcing up our energy prices by trying to run the entire country off unreliable windmills

[@vampishsage3704]

Thanks for the video guys. So the takeaway from this trip is to spend £120000 on a car and then only drive it in continental Europe. They're dead convenient these new fangled EV's, eh?

[@matthewgodwin3050]

They're not even newfangled. Battery operated cars were available over 100 years ago. They were rubbish then, and they're rubbish now. The only difference between a Baker Electric and a Tesla is that the Baker Electric was cheaper to charge, had a better range, it had even panel gaps and a quality paint job, a proper interior, and it wasn't prone to catching fire. The owner of the Baker company wasn't a compulsive liar either. Nor did he come up with half baked wacky ideas like autopilot or the ridiculous hyperloop.

[@andyinuk2172]

Hi Geoff i do it for about €145 on a run to tarragona, secret is fill up at tescos in dover the a quick fill at a supermarket in southern france ,once in spain fill up again in cheap spanish diesel, about 1.35 per L.... Job done, No matter what it was a great series of videos, and i pleased for Lee, hes finally learned how to use his milk float.... Oh and Geoff likes Cucumbers 😂

[@Live-life-1]

Good and impartial summary. Cucumbers are overrated, unless your A.C. is broken. Frozen cucumber on a stick lasts longer than ice cream and when it drips it doesn't need as much cleaning!!😂 As for the next trip... I hesitate to wish it on you both but given Lee's new found knowledge maybe a rerun of the north south run would be a suitable challenge. To keep it interesting I think there are 2 options: 1 you need to finish your beloved 850 tdi and use that... or 2. Let Matt decide what car he can loan you from his most excellent stable and run with that..... just a thought, sorry.😂 Oh, mitigation... Morag has to choose and provide Lee's car!! 🤔

[@twig3288]

The Taycan depreciation over 13 hours is probably more than €114 The Volvo probably appreciated by €290

[@Sp_75-76]

lot of probables there

[@simonlester5389]

Lee saying you Disproved that E'V's are for long road trips, Lee you had to add a total of 7 hours to your journey that's basically a whole day. EV's are not the future unless you want to take forever getting anywhere

[@BusbyTreeSurgery]

time is money even in a 21ton truck two drivers can get the unit from Calais to the docks for morocco in 24 hrs ish just cant do this when factoring in charging time.

[@boogboog8097]

You have glimpsed the truth "they" don't want you going anywhere.

[@Sp_75-76]

Try and be sensible the actual charges were between 20 and 40 minutes, and during that time he stopped for lunch or have a cr*p because of the state of his stomach. Geoff on the other hand being a tough traveller, said he did not need to stop for a lunch, or breaks and at one point decided to change into his shorts, whilst draughting behind a lorry. The bloke is a menace on the road, driving whilst tired and doing stupid things to save 10 minutes

[@simonlester5389]

Add to this both you Geoff & Lee said it's better than flying, 1 that's ok if you can drive and I definitely wish I could and 2 you only factored in the cost from Calais but negotiated the cost of getting to Dover & the cost of the Ferry, To cap it yes the scenery etc is fantastic but you have to factor in the overall costs & time. In the case of cost & time Id still go petrol/diesel over EV all day long. Remember time is precious

[@matthewgodwin3050]

@@Sp_75-76 If it takes you 10 minutes to remove your trousers, then you're obviously a little inept, aren't you?

[@CrazyInWeston]

Even before Brexit when we WERE IN THE EU, you needed passports to enter France from the UK. Also, you drove through most of France on a Sunday so there was lots of less traffic, mainly lorries, plus in France, there are tolls to use the motorways, even the French avoid it to take the back roads where there arent any. As for prices, the entire world was hit by huge inflation from the covid pandemic and in Europe by the war in Ukraine. Its not all roses in Europe either.

[@jamesm90]

Of course you needed a passport to get into an EU country that's not an issue. You now can only stay for 90 days a year where as you could live or work anywhere in the EU beforehand. Enjoy your removal of privilege and import duties.

[@ducthman4737]

Petrol is taxed through the roof and EV electricity is subsidised. Just wait until EV electricity gets taxed the same way. And no freedom on the road in the EU because you are followed by road cameras all the way + they know where you mobile phone is 24/7.

[@TackyStump]

Not just your phone, they know exactly where your car is for most cars produced now, they are tracked by the tech fitted and it will probably say so in the EULA that everyone accepts but nobody reads!

[@davidjames3787]

A possible reason why reason why the charging network might be better in France than in the UK is that France has greater generating capacity, primarily because it has many more nuclear power stations. This might also partly explain why recharging in France is cheaper too.

[@AC-um2mk]

They make enough electricity they export it to the UK!!!

[@davidjames3787]

@@AC-um2mk Yes, you're correct. I believe they also export electricity to Germany.

[@bigupsurrey]

The motorways are better in France because nobody uses them. They are expensive to use , the locals use the local roads. And who buys fuel on a motorway service station!? Also Lee didn’t mention how much he spent on service station food while he was waiting to charge. Great videos tho 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@G-ra-ha-m]

It's a shame they are sooo expensive, even for cars, but add in a campervan and they are astronomical. I'd use them far more, as would others I guess, if they were affordable.

[@annebeignatborde1832]

They do use them but this took place on a Sunday and the following day used to be a bank holiday and a lot of French take it off anyway. Plus that route is less busy than the one going down the West side of France. They are expensive but allow you to cut off hours of driving on long distances.

[@Sp_75-76]

Watch it again, Lee was never waiting for the car to charge, apart from the fact that the Porsche GPS told him to charge to 70% but he chose - as he invariably does - to charge to 91 or 99% I can’t remember witch

[@matthewgodwin3050]

@@Sp_75-76 Why do EVangelists get so butt hurt when someone shows the reality of poor charging infrastructure? I'm a petrol head, and I will always drive a petrol car. However, I'm happy to concede that on this one single occasion, the high performance petrol car with lousy mpg cost £100 more to fuel over 1300 miles than the heavily subsidised EV using a clever navigation device to tilt the game in it's favour. Because it did. I don't feel the need to talk bullshit or search for tenuous loopholes in order to twist the result. The reason why so many chargers were available in France, is because EV sales are pitifully low, so there's no demand for them.

[@matthewgodwin3050]

@@Sp_75-76 Why do all EVangelists have such a poor grasp of the English language? "Witch" is actually spelt 'which' within in the context you were using it. Petrol and diesel car owners can all read and write properly, and use spelling and grammar correctly. Why can't EV owners? Is it because you have to be stupid to waste good money on an inferior product that's unfit for purpose and very prone to catching fire?

[@hubber150]

Well, take the subsidies from the charging. How much more would of cost? On the brexit point, you can't really judge the success of it because the government refused to enact it properly and make the most of it.

[@djtaylorutube]

Which part of leaving the EU do you think has not happened?

[@yoof01]

Brexit hasn’t been exploited out of pure politeness, there was so much faff on the border with Ireland, why? If the EU want to be so protective of their internal market that they need to put border checks there, well let them be the idiots to cock up the Good Friday Agreement, but we should have full unadulterated sovereign control of what goes on in NI, NO half in half out. And that’s just one example of us tying ourselves in knots to help them out with their problem. We were entitled to a complete no-strings attached exit, and yet we have so many obligations to this self-appointed bunch of losers it’s stopped us acting freely. No French fishing licenses for our waters until they stop the small boats, time to play like we mean it.

[@stephenbirchall941]

I think there are no subsidies for the cost of electricity at superchargers.

[@15bit62]

@@djtaylorutube The part where the EU caved-in and gave the UK all the benefits of membership without any of the obligations. Like the brexit crowd promised would happen.

[@15bit62]

@@stephenbirchall941 His per kWh price is subsidised by Porsche. Which is of course just rolled into the price of the car.

[@VXGaming]

Time is money, 7 hours behind plus another 7 hours behind back. If Geoff used a modern car like Lee it would've did it cheaper, Petrol and Diesel would've got double the mpg which would get you under the 170.

[@truebrit3670]

So how long does it take you to earn the money to fill your car up? Isn't that wasted time? What £80 to fill up, average what £15/hr nett. 5.5hours work to fill up? My EV costs £2 to fill up. I earn more than that on a loo break. And my EV charges when I'm in bed. So you waste 5.5 hours and what 15 minutes to refuel. I have a jump, a kip and a good dump and my EV is fully charged. Carry on moaning. It's quite amusing. Even Lee has turned. 😂😂😂

[@VXGaming]

@@truebrit3670 Cant pass time in bed charging while driving to places though. Lee was 7 hours behind so in reality I could leave 6-7 hours after he's left and still arrive before him. Then if we go fuel costs like I said in a modern car you'll get 60mpg easy which gets to about the same or less cost than Lee got. And if you want to get more into cost how much was Lee's car vs a standard car today? 80k vs 20k?

[@truebrit3670]

@VXGaming true but the comment is about wasting time. Have you ever worked our how long it takes to work to fill your car each year?

[@robertbroughton9327]

Lee only was that far behind because of the amount of toilet stops on the 1st day due to him not being good on boats. If you watched the 1st part of the journey, so if you take that time off of the road trip, it would have been a lot closer time wise

[@VXGaming]

@@truebrit3670 Could probably work that out for you, If I go with my experience then about 5 minutes "maybe less but we'll just round it up" a week x52. 5x10, 50 minsx5 4hrs 10mins plus 10 mins so 4hrs 20mins. No joke it came out at 420 but that's my petrol car that does 40mpg no matter how I drive it, if it was diesel than you could probably knock out an hour or two for them.

[@paulineprice9534]

Agree with Lee and Geoff, it's all about choice and fairness. We all know the govt will continue to punish anyone who drives an ICE and will drive petrol and diesels off the road.

[@chrism8705]

If everyone was EV in blighty it would only be 0.6 of a difference it's the planes and ships that cause more harm

[@ibrstellar1080]

@@chrism8705 Especially the ones spraying chemtrails.

[@chrism8705]

@@ibrstellar1080 lol don't you think the pilots might notice sprayers on the plane if you want to put chemicals about on the QT what about reservoirs much easier

[@truebrit3670]

@chrism8705 the reduction in air pollution would save the NHS billions. That's why they are pushing EVs.

[@truebrit3670]

@chrism8705 someone at the airports might notice the truck delivering the chemicals too 🤣🤣

[@chrisratcliffe1736]

Part of the reason for the lack of congestion is the UK has half the land mass of France but a similar population!

[@hannahtimson2526]

Which since 2021 has been going up over a million new people a year

[@RichardKingADI]

@@hannahtimson2526 People risking their lives and spending their life-savings to escape from Europe to the UK!!

[@hannahtimson2526]

@@RichardKingADI So UK leaving Europe in your eyes is working out well as the people want to come here too..... UK is literally falling apart one pot hole at a time... Im a teacher the classroom ceiling fell through 3mths ago ,, kids come to me claiming parents are skint and don't feed them properly... Yes its all going so well isn't it

[@RichardKingADI]

@@hannahtimson2526 I didn't say that.... I sometimes think the UK might even be 'finished' - but Brexit has very little to do with it. If a nation has the spirit, AND the right leadership, t almost anything can be achieved. We lack both leadership and a sense of national pride, and therefore resemble a rudderless ship, circling the plug-hole of history. Rejoining the EU won't save us.

[@hannahtimson2526]

@@RichardKingADI Dammmm,,,, i can't argue any of your comment.... We are led by the W E forum and who wins the election cannot change that

[@rakido7388]

So now you know, a £120,000 Porsche is cheaper than a £1000 Volvo :-D There is a chap near me who regularly posts things like 'I charged my Tesla from my own solar power, and it didn't cost anything.' Yeah. Tell the nice ladies and gentlemen that you have a detached house with a detached garage, with many solar panels and multiple Tesla powerwalls, how much did all that cost?

[@gilleyb1900]

Yes twats like that boil my piss, its all free except for 20-30k investment.

[@rosen9425]

The last idiot isn't born yet we know that. They seem to be multiplying even 🙄

[@alanthomson1227]

Yes the solar panels and Tesla batteries probably cost more than my car .

[@lezbarker2673]

Time wasted on an EV is just ridiculous plus the subsidies that will go soon means that you won Geoff. EV’s are a joke.

[@powjj]

Plus anyone else who doesn't have a Porsche charge card for subsidised charges don't have the additional cost saving. Should have been done without the charge card

[@truebrit3670]

Biggest joke is mine costs almost nothing to run. Haha. You can have a good laugh at that next week when you work half a day to fill your car up.

[@lezbarker2673]

@@truebrit3670 it costs me $50 a fortnight to fill my 1965 Chrysler Valiant AP6 and I know that’s cheaper than electricity the EV and the time wasted. 😂 you enjoy your plastic car while I’ll enjoy my car that goes up in value $5000 a year. I’m talking Aussie dollars as well.

[@powjj]

@@truebrit3670 well it's great being able to charge at home I'm sure.

[@lezbarker2673]

@@truebrit3670 it’s funny how you people who drive EV’s don’t talk about the cost of tyres the cost of services and the depreciation of your cars which are not selling as second hand cars cause no one wants them. 😊 4 years in the same tyres and they still look new and my car will be 60 years old next year. I can service it myself and worry about no computers or other digital devices frying on me. Also when I drive my old classic car I smile from ear to ear as people wave and point at the car. Kids take photos and old people tell me how they had one when they were young I love it.

[@markbray2988]

It was hardly a level playing ground... Lee had the advantage of subsidised charging costs and Geoff filled up at the most expensive stations in France! At least it was entertaining viewing. Personally, I would rather use twice as much fuel and arrive 6 hours ahead (than own an EV) ... Wait! I do that already 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@supersaabclaire]

You've shown the true extent of what they're trying to achieve Geoff.... no more internal combustion engines 😢

[@darrenchapman4381]

Your right Geoff a decent diesel car is what you need. No stress trying to fill up and the last thing you want when going on hols right. Great content though and look forward to the next in your 850. 👍🏻

[@rocklover7437]

Convert your Volvo to run on half priced LPG the big engine will love it and you have room for a tank and don't forget you have the option to run on petrol .

[@rocklover7437]

Throughout Europe, UTA LPG is available at over 13.300 LPG fuel stations. This puts LPG at the top of the list of alternative fuels in terms of availability. As per UK it,s half the price .So your €290 outlay would be about the same as Lee,s electric costs because the economy is not quite as good running on LPG . Performance drop is not noticeable the bigger the motor .Big difference is LPG is "greener" as far as emissions than petrol or diesel.

[@djtaylorutube]

Had our 850 converted at 112k miles. It's now on 308k miles but LPG around here has all closed down. It's now an hour round trip and 60 miles to fuel up which makes it pointless. Just opportunistic only now. That's the main consideration, it has to be available locally or it's not worth it.

[@rocklover7437]

@@djtaylorutube UK are cutting back on LPG sales and CNG only has 8 pumps in the UK .UK government don't want a viable alternative to electric . Electric equals BB snooping.

[@djtaylorutube]

@@rocklover7437 Carrying a phone allows far more snooping but people seem happy enough to do that.

[@BusbyTreeSurgery]

@@djtaylorutube fill it with calor gas then get a pump to transfer from the bottles.

[@kevinjmercer]

Geoff / Lee.... No-one has mentioned the conspiracy theory yet! After arriving in Calais Geoff, was only monitored by the roadside cameras. Lee was reported on by the Porsche driving systems and I wonder if it reported if he enjoyed his baguette? It may of cost more but the old T5 does not have an additional revenue stream for manufacturer for information gathering!!

[@EverydayLife621]

Thank you both - excellent show(s) over the past few days, looking forward to Lee's food reviews (hopefully) on the way home. I think you have proved this it is possible to do long journies in an EV, BUT only if every thing works for you, e.g. light traffic, warm weather, super rapid charging (the Taycan is one of the few cars that can charge on the 800v system) - so it is 20mins from 0-60% @ 275kw. If you want to do john o'groats to lands end, you should do it together in the Taycan overnight / swapping drivers as you go (not whilst moving - Geoff!! - pants! )- to see if you can beat the EV record:- maybe Porsche will lend you a Taycan 2 again (and reserve you a space at the charging stations on-route, to ensure that you are not delayed waiting for a charge bay)

[@theonlywoody2shoes]

The cost difference of €114, divided by the 7 additional hours it took Lee to catch up, works out around €17 or £14 per hour - and that’s before we consider the costs of tyre wear and mileage depreciation. Even if Porsche are subsidising the charging costs, that’s not going to last because the government will want to replace their dwindling tax revenue as ICE fuel use declines. I’ve just driven to Scotland (~500 miles/800km) at an average of 43.3MPG in my diesel F-Pace. Incredibly comfortable (seat massage frequently engaged) in a total time of 9 hours, including 3 stops totalling under one hour. Adding even a couple of more hours to allow an EV to charge would have made me consider stopping overnight, adding a hotel into the journey costs.

[@k.miller8917]

Really enjoyed your road trip videos. The state of the roads is a fair point. Maybe the fact that England, Scotland & Wales’s has a combined population of about 65 million in a landmass area of 229,000 sq/km. France has a population of about 68 million in a landmass area of 551,600 sq/km, kind of suggests they have a bit more space to build long straight roads. How much did the toll fees cost ? As private companies owning these roads, in partnership with the government, will charge more for fuel & services, hence the locals not using them unless they have too. People here used to complain about paying £5.60 for the Severn crossing, & paying £9.70 for the M6.

[@andylaauk]

If you want to know who is paying for those electrons, ask yourself how petrol is over 2 euros a litre.

[@cornishhh]

France has cheaper electricity because much of it is provided by nuclear power.

[@15bit62]

@@cornishhh I sense you don't understand how the european electricity grid works - all the countries (incl. UK) are integrated, so everyone actually pays very similar rates per kWh.

[@rosen9425]

@@15bit62 That is wrong though. Some countries might pay roughly the same, but far from everyone. Most do not. The only thing we get from an integrated grid is instability and threats of a grid collapse since the energy situation in the EU is ran by mentally retarded people

[@cornishhh]

@@15bit62 But the cost of producing electricity is relatively low in France. This gives someone, somewhere an advantage in the supply.

[@15bit62]

@@cornishhh It does, yes. But because the french network is connected to the networks of all it's neighbours, if NL and DE have excess wind production then the electricity price in france drops. And vice-versa. The local price is still influenced by the local production of course, but it is also strongly affected by neighbouring countries. Basically, everyone in europe pays a surprisingly similar price per kWh all the time, unless there is limited cable capacity to shift the energy around. In that case you get bigger regional differences. The european energy grid is really amazing in how well it works. They don't make a big song and dance about it, and most people are totally oblivious, but it is truly impressive.

[@A-world-of-My-Own]

Cracking trip guys, and very informative and fun. May there be many more European trips with you both.

[@davebrooks43]

France is approx 2.3 times bigger than UK with about same population , so there is going to be a lot more space.There is just too many people living on this island.

[@lint8391]

Yeah but look at the Netherlands. High population density, high number of motorways per square kilometre, compared to England. The lack of investment in the English road infrastructure is shocking, given how much revenue the Government has gotten from motorists over the years.

[@graemescott2245]

Great watch👍just calculated cost for my 2.0L Tiguan diesel 2015 from Calais to Benidorm and came to 182 euro so roughly the same as McMaster😀👍

[@davetaylor812]

France is geographically way larger than the UK so can build roads without all the grief building one here, they also have the needs for such roads. there didn't seem to be "local traffic" nipping on for a few junctions, presumably because the roads are well away from towns.

[@SeismicEvent]

Do it in a diesel in future Geoff and spend the money saved in fuel, on your holiday. Beer, food, and enjoying yourselves. EVs are a constant worry on long journeys looking at stressful Lee charging experiences.

[@robg521]

Last time I drove through France there were 5 of us in a transit van, we rotated the driving, 2 up front navigating and 3 in the back resting and waiting their turn to drive. We went right through France non stop, and got 5 speeding tickets from the cameras. When the tickets came through the owner of the van sent a letter back saying these are the details of the people who were driving, “I have no idea who was driving a what time and where along the journey and which are responsible for which ticket. Please send me a forward facing camera image so that I can identify the driver for each ticket.” He never heard anything back so never paid the tickets,

[@andymuggeridge7588]

Great stuff Geoff. Another win for ICE. Worth the extra to get there earlier and the less stress of knowing you have full flexibility. Suggestion for another trip. Using Eurotunnel so Lee doesn’t have the “I felt ill” excuse😉, you buy a gen1 Porsche Cayenne diesel and race (it’s not a race) Lee in his Taycan to the Porsche museum in Stuttgart which is a fabulous place to go. It’s 475 miles from Calais. Or you buy an old 5 series diesel and you race (it’s not a race) to the BMW museum in Munich (600 miles). Or take in both museums in one trip. Be interesting to see how Germany compares to France and Spain. And on some sections of the German Autobahn there are no speed limits!

[@paulnewman9275]

7hrs is a lifetime,add it up over say the next 5 years pro rata for each journey.....money can't buy you that time back,ever!

[@Sp_75-76]

It wasn’t like for like Geoff never stopped for breaks, or or proper meals, and at one point he even changed into his shorts whilst draughting behind a lorry! How is that sensible. Day one, he was suffering from the crossing, and had a number of Pooh breaks..Most of Lees charges took between 20 - 30 minutes giving him time to have a proper break the rest of the time he was pratting around looking at the shops, squeezing baguettes and the like. And even though the Porsche planned the quickest route / charging he decided - as he always does - to get as near to 100 % as possible

[@markburton8303]

exactly. Which is fly to my destination if it's over a certain time. Comparing which method wasted less time is utter nonsense.

[@paulnewman9275]

Unless like me the drive is part of the holiday , I'm driving to Croatia on Thursday ( try that one in an EV - joke) . Over the years we have seen so many wonderful places we would not have visited if we flew - plus environmentally of course flying is just ridiculous.

[@markburton8303]

@@paulnewman9275 We've been to the Alps twice in our EV on holiday stopping on the way down at interesting places etc etc and it's brilliant. I really don't know what the bother is - well, I do; people get preconceived ideas from channels like that ev carnage bloke. I'm on holiday; stopping every two-three hours is hardly a hardship, wandering round towns, having lunch etc. I've put this trip of theirs into the sat nav of my car to see what the fuss is about, and it says i'll be stopped charging for 3hours 46 mins in total. over 1300 miles. So 6 stops of 38 minutes over 1300 miles. I cant see the fuss tbh. Yep, you'll definitely do it a couple of hours quicker if you are pissing into a lucozade bottle.... There's a guy who drove a small battery (24kWh) Leaf to Greece . He seemed to be having a great time.

[@Sp_75-76]

@@paulnewman9275 just planned a journey in my Tesla standard range 19 hours 35 minutes with 8 stops (3 hours) and 35 minutes euro tunnel cost of charging 47.00, using only Tesla chargers

[@kevinhall7293]

I have done a similar trip in a Range Rover (to Barcelona). Filling up in the UK at Dover, and then only putting in sufficient to get to Spain, would have made a considerable difference to Geoff’s costs. The cost of fuel in France is criminal, especially on the autoroutes.

[@doriangray6985]

I think Geoff you forgot to include the 21pence per mile surcharge that the EV incurred

[@annebeignatborde1832]

Oh, what's that all about?

[@Sp_75-76]

That would have happened in an ICE car.. Had Lee leased his beloved 911 and misjudged his mileage the it would be exactly the same

[@doriangray6985]

@user-yj1gg5pc5r True

[@roderickmacleod6554]

Bloody good video . Geoff , you had the correct car - not the best for MPG, but an enjoyable car. You have driven a different car for every challenge, and to some measure you have always won. This time the win was not cost, it was time . When on holiday, time on the beach/pub/chillng was the measure.

[@G-ra-ha-m]

The EU question is interesting: for free travel, outside of dinghies, the EU is not required, just a simple agreement. There's literally no reason why there is not free travel between the UK and the EU. It's purely our punishment.

[@ibrstellar1080]

Brexit was never going to be allowed to happen and even if the entire 99% slave class had voted or it

[@gibfear]

We were never in Schengen and always had to show passports and queue - it's a myth that the queues are down to brexit, it's literally just a different queue!!

[@Denise-vn8wz]

Shows the EU is hurting though. 😊

[@blueband8114]

​@@Denise-vn8wzas are we, very much so.

[@blueband8114]

​@gibfear it will be worse come October= visa system travel.

[@marksmith8663]

Absolutely 👍 brilliant well put together total agree with the conclusion . The Spanish AP-7 used to be a toll road but it causing the town Road along side 334 to clog up . Unlike the UK government. They work for what best for everyone not what lines their pockets even more .

[@andylaauk]

Geoff and Lee are closet remainers, who knew.🤣

[@SteamCrane]

Meanwhile: "Wednesday, the 15th of May, the Gateway Energy Storage Facility in Otay Mesa California erupted into flames." It keeps restarting, still burning. 3 million gallons of water so far, estimate 20 million gallons when they finish.

[@raymondwoods2304]

What about the environmental impact of the two vehicles? Perhaps this should be tried again when Lee's car is the same age as Geoff's is now.

[@annebeignatborde1832]

Do you thin Lee's car will ever attain such a venerable age?

[@MadIIMike]

Well, the third Battery could have a lot of life left by then...

[@williamgeorgefraser]

Did you buy your petrol from Total, Geoff? It's well known it's the most expensive brand in France. Diesel is cheaper than petrol here but you can still get petrol for around €1.85 a litre. As for potholes, we've had massive road relaying here in Lorraine and the only potholes I've come across are a couple on a minor short-cut road through farmland. The roads are just great. I've a 2006 Citroën C4 Turbo diesel coupé. It does 70mpg. Best car I've ever had. And it looks good.

[@dianeshepherd7913]

Thanks for the summary, i think for the next challenge, you both should drive a petrol/diesel or EV to make it equal as the petrol is always going to win. And Lee your not changing your mind somewhat about your EV as you always said electric is not the future, now your saying we should have choice ? Of course we should but the point is the government dont want us to have choice as they put a time when no more petrol/diesel cars would be available to buy, and they have deferred it a little now as people didnt want this, and of course the country is not ready, but they have a huge deal going on with energy companies and the manufacture's of EV cars. Lee are you going to get back into a petrol,? which i feel is the future 😊

[@AC-um2mk]

How about factoring in the cost of replacing the EV battery? Fuel tanks don't wear out but batteries do.

[@BusbyTreeSurgery]

i just had to change a fuel tank on my 95RB44 but i do think it was because it had been left empty for a few years but new used plastic tank with all the gubbings for hookup cost about 60quid so cant complain and saved the planet by getting a tank off a write off.

[@Sp_75-76]

Modern batteries will last 150000 - 200000 miles so if we say 150000 miles at a replacement cost of 15000 that would = an additional 10 p per mile or 130.00 for the trip

[@AC-um2mk]

@@Sp_75-76 Thanks for calculating that but does that account for the fact Lee has a posh Porsche and not a pov brand EV?

[@matthewnirenberg]

@@Sp_75-76 So that's just over 5yrs of my annual driving assuming that 150000 miles is about 350000km. Hardly affordable at 15,000 (assuming its easily replaced without ripping the car apart like some that have "structural integral batteries") - a new fuel tank (incl. pump and filter) and a new starter battery is $2500 all up installed and they last a hell of a lot longer.

[@liamainsworth1023]

I did that drive in 2018 in a vw passat diesel, I didn't fill up in France or use any toll roads whole journey £100

[@Sp_75-76]

How long did that take, a I bet it was more than an additional 7 hours

[@liamainsworth1023]

@Sp_75-76 When I drove back I stopped once for a two hour power nap. So I was back in Manchester just over 24 hours

[@Sp_75-76]

@@liamainsworth1023 another idiot who thinks it is clever to drive two 11 hour stints

[@barryrichards4789]

Great videos from you both. Enjoyed the English banter and the virtual armchair journey. My question is, how much did the tolls in France cost? Just got say youtube is my go to TV entertainment now. Keep up the good work.

[@oldmanonamotorbikeinbucks7604]

How about trying to drive back avoiding Toll Roads...

[@robmorgan5876]

Geoff you did the right thing with the car as you had comfort all the way. We own a 2007 volvo v50 which is so comfortable and safe compared to modern suv s which i find are top heavy and not very comfortable. If you took away all the ev subsidies and power subsidies allowing markets to decide what customers want then you won hands down. Also you were able to relax in the sea!! Evs are only useful for short journeys just look at history when you had trolley buses, milk floats, etc. People should be allowed to choose want they want not be forced into something which they cant afford or want. Cheers from nz

[@dewipritchrd3578]

Population density of France is 117 per km. uk is 278 per km. perhaps that’s the reason roads are less full.

[@tigerlite3]

You’ve always been able to drive anywhere in Europe, three of us drove a J4 Morris van throughout Western Europe and through Eastern Europe behind the Iron Curtain for 6 months even with all the changes in currency, IT WAS FUN , there’s no fun now !

[@GeoffBuysCars]

Great comment. I bet that was a fantastic trip…!

[@RodneyW]

Policy makers have done a brilliant job of managing this. Tax petrol to oblivion. Subsidise electric chargers. Then promote EVs as the cheaper way to travel. Of course, if/when EVs are ubiquitous they will tax EVs too.

[@Judge_Dredd]

Not convinced about rejoining the EU, all we need is a Government that actually realises it can have independent thought, laws, policy, and a responsibility to the British Passport Holder that pays all the taxes. Which we've never had since BREXIT.

[@matthewjenkins1161]

Geoff, the first thing you did in Calais was fuel up, though not to full, where as Lee was fully charged when getting on the boat. The vast majority of Lee's win is down to not setting a simple fueling rule. Lee started the challenge with a full charge and you didn't.

[@philipbunker146]

No Lee, you have definitely said previously “EV’s don’t buy one”, this talk of “I’ve always said it’s about choice” is a recent spin on the agenda!

[@tomberan1282]

Enjoyable series of videos, and yes a person should have the choice. As for air travel, any drives 8-10 hours or less, I’ll drive; flying is a complete pain. If you enjoy wide open roads we need to get you to the US, travel west or across Texas; it’s amazing to enter a state to see a road sign with a city over 900 miles away but yet in the same state

[@oldskoolclassic]

How much did all the tolls cost

[@D-ian]

Irrespective of who won and costs, great entertainment- you guys are great and really enjoyed all the vids.

[@vulcanvoyager]

You were effectively buying petrol at motorway prices, would you do that in this country?

[@johhny711]

I love driving from Dublin to London , for the same reasons , I like being in my own cabin , you can divert off the motorway through the beautiful English countryside , you can stop whenever you want , if you are not in a hurry it's the best way to travel , I have done Dublin to Cherbourg to Barcelona and back twice last year , its a great drive .

[@nikskin30]

“Only seven hours” 😂

[@keithdenton8386]

The only cars that stick in the outside lane in France, have UK stickers on them.

[@koolerking440]

So you need add the mileage over charge cost (what does a lease company charge per miles?! Times by 1000). Lee said in one of his latest videos he's already way over his agreed lease mileage.

[@Sp_75-76]

So stupid, that is not on EV issue it is a lease issue

[@koolerking440]

@@Sp_75-76 did I say it was an EV issue?!

[@sourich585]

Many thanks for your vlogs to the both of you,so entertaining cheers,and enjoy your drive home. See how when you are back for a traffic jam,or a pothole all the best Rich

[@MrSkeptik-z5r]

Almost equivalent to a working day wasted charging time, hmm I like my diesel. Great trip guys, Europe has good roads these days, shame about the potholes, cameras and speed bumps in the UK ✌

[@Pitch-Dark-Paranormal]

Work out the time Lee was late x by average speed - then work out the mpg and then work out the price of fuel per mile by the time lateness - as that is the price of time lost instead of fuel. You might find you are still a winner.

[@pcat1378]

You can never get time back You can always make more money

[@mauricewatton9130]

Really great trip guys. Next trip Geoff could you buy Prius or Yaris Hybrid. Interesting to see costs for John o groats to Lands-end.

[@andysmith967]

The UK government encouraged us all to change to diesel then flipped the tax to make diesel more expensive (arseholes). On the continent diesel is quite a bit cheaper than petrol. Why on earth did you use a thirsty petrol volvo rather than your V70 diesel? We have the internet so googling the average price of both would have been a no brainer before you set off! That would have also let you realise that Spain is around 40 cents a litre cheaper than France ... you took a full tank of French petrol into Spain! Sorry mate you completely cocked up on this one.

[@blue-neutrino]

A.W.E.S.O.M.E..!! Friendly, entertaining, plenty of info...and views. Cheers! PS: glad the EV didn't catch on fire on the ferry 😁

[@ccl005jn]

Lee did not win. Even if it cost more for Geoff in fuel , when you factor in how much each vehicle cost in the first place, time saved, anxiety over charging stations that don't work, etc. I'd also venture to guess if Geoff sold that vehicle he'd get his money back and Lee won't.

[@EvilGav]

The assumption is that time is free. 7 hours at minimum wage covers the cost difference in fuel - so if you earn more than minimum wage, the EV is more expensive. As for driving in France, what you have to remember is that France has an actual working public transport system, so travelling long distances is done on the reasonably priced trains and not in cars. Hence, traffic is lower over-all, which means less damage to the roads, which means less road-works.

[@mikeyp685]

that 7 hrs saved is 7 hrs wages missed, and day of wages for someone, so minimum £77 saved at minimum wage, those who work in better jobs could be worth several hundread pounds of lost earnings and more, time is something you cant get back, id rather squeeze and extra days work in before hand, fill my clean euro6 diesel to the brim, and crack on with the journey and enjoy my holiday

[@garyrawson7549]

Geoff another cracking adventure from you two. The milk float did well have to say 😩. So hope you both keep having adventures together. Enjoy the well deserved break while your in Benidorm 👏👏😎😎

[@Calvi36]

Geoff loves huge cucumbers! Great mini- series guys, watched every minute of all the videos.

[@davidmaskew]

The thing i would say is 7 hours of my time is worth the difference in cost to me and it would have only been half the difference with your diesel. It's ts good to see some places have the EV infrastructure in place and working. My next question would be why is our EV infrastructure in the UK so bad in comparison?

[@chuck3354]

There will be no choice, the easiest way to get people out of ICE cars will be to raise fuel costs, as in France

[@AntonHu]

This will likely be reversed when globalist Macron is ousted by Lepen.

[@paulnewman9275]

The plan is to get people out of cars ,EV's are just to best method to achieve that goal .

[@annebeignatborde1832]

​@@paulnewman9275they're going to struggle with people in rural France who often have to travel 30 or 40 kilometres to work. They want to keep their diesel cars.

[@PsychedMedia]

Singapore does that and everyone is ok with it

[@cornishhh]

Diesel is cheaper than petrol in France.

[@vossierebel]

Well done lads!! Great fun... however Geoff - you must count your bonus points for every minute won!! Do it again lads... the fun is great!!

[@GaryWerbisky]

we never had full EU entry, you couldnt legally leave UK or enter without showing your passport. ever. the reason we left the EU was because "there cannot be any democratic choice against EU treaty" we never voted for that, cameron told junker remove that or we will have a vote. we voted for democracy rather than forced undemocratic oppression.

[@davenewbitt]

Geoff won fair and square, on both legs well ahead of schedule, only an extra hundred quid odd, not much. WOnder how much insurance Geoff pays compared to Lee, that will be an interesting factor to add? But Geoff won as he didn't have to wait and sit, worry about charging, and he got extra quality time on arrival, which if traveling with family is more valuable, think the kids and wife would be happier with Geoff. Now you see my Macmaster (in the pay of POrsche EVs) lady and family not only embarrassed to get in an EV, but now they have more time for fun things and life and not charging. This is a total victory for ICE, because ICE is COOL. Better, for productivity, better for relaxing and down time. In the ENd Lee was 6.5 hours behind Geoff, that says it all. I love the new phrase, should have bought a Diesel.

[@robblack7560]

Here in Northern Ireland we have dual citizenship with Ireland so can have two passports (UK + Paddy Port). It gives us the freedom of Europe and we can go anywhere in the EU without the 180-day restrictions while still living in the UK. Win-win.

[@rogereverett9095]

Trying to deciding on what car to take to Portugal at end of summer......well your little trip has made up my mind.....I'll take my 10yr old cayman s !!!!! Potentially slightly better on economy than the volvo but as comfortable and quick as the Tycan. Perfect for the 2 of us and motorbiking gear !!!

[@gj91471]

My Volvo Diesel does 65 mpg

[@gj91471]

Geoff.... Your car is running at a loss of 20 % in fuel economy? Microscopic Air Bubbles in the fuel is the culprit... I have an easy fix.

[@larryjimbob]

I'd love to see it again in a decent diesel car.

[@gj91471]

@@larryjimbob Your Diesel Car will lose 10 % in fuel economy from brand new. 1 out of 6500 fuel additive companies can restore lost fuel economy. Ox-Cetane. 1 ml per gallon of fuel.

[@goldenrod8861]

This is exactly why Geoff chose the wrong Volvo. It was rigged before it even started. Closet EVangelists, the both of them. On a better note, they're both very entertaining.

[@larryjimbob]

@@gj91471 "a decent diesel car"

[@daveberesford4429]

I agree it's all about choice, I will not be told what I can have and what I can't have.

[@jamzergt]

€114 ÷ 7hrs = €16.29..... Would you spend 7hrs in an airport to save €114.....

[@jamzergt]

I don't know why I did the sums in my comment 🤷‍♂️. Although, would you spend €16.29 an hour in the terminal bar? So probably there would be no saving and a headache!

[@bobstrutton9066]

Geoff, you don't need a silly little Citroën to get mpg, my Audi A5 diesel, 190hp, automatic, Berkshire to Cornwall, at speed limits (?) 72mpg ! Also, as in UK, fuel on French autoroutes is daylight robbery. How much was Lee's subsidised by his Porsche fuel card ? Great videos by the way, good to see Lee in better shape, he was destroyed last time.

[@stevelewis8394]

You did this all wrong. Do it again using the N (national) roads rather than the A (autoroute - toll) roads. I'll bet the EV charging stations won't be as plentiful and if Geoff uses a diesel he'll win on both cost and time. Out of interest how much did you pay for the toll charges?

[@sharonjeffery645]

I thoroughly enjoyed this……but……..a better competition would be non subsidised electric supply and a family saloon ev and Geoff in a modern diesel.

[@davidjernigan8161]

Cheaper due to government subsidies which should be done away with since why should the public pay for power for some tosser's EV.

[@whu58]

Geoff, why not do the challenge again from Dover to Benidorm involving say a 8 to10 year old Skoda Superb or Octavia diesel estate car (should get 60+ mpg driving at normal speeds) verses a small to medium size diesel campervan, but this time include all the costs involved e.g toll charges, food, overnight stays, camping aires, hotels, fuel, toilet stops + what you need to do in preparation to the car for driving in continental Europe + paperwork/payment cards etc - Do the trip via `A` roads on the outward journey + motorways (tolls) on the return journey? ............this way we get a truer cost & idea of what`s involved.

[@andylaauk]

When people stop seeing the outside lanes as fast lanes, lane discipline might improve.

[@robblack7560]

Geoff, that beach was a field in 1963, everything ended at the "Old Town", there was nothing, even 2 miles back from the beach, nothing. I was there as a child with mum and dad and have the photos.

[@SeismicEvent]

Yes, similar in the 70s when I first went. Started to build more hotels later on. Now it's somewhat crowded out by them.

[@GeoffBuysCars]

I’d love to see your photos, can you email me?

[@robblack7560]

@@GeoffBuysCars Yes, I have one on my phone I can email, my brother has the others. If you can get to the Hotel Avenida (just a few yards from the prom) that was the last building before the fields.

[@Kim-jw7je]

A car that comes 7(!!!!) hours later is not a win. 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 Lee you proven nothing about EVs. It is still a car nobody wants. Basically useless.

[@donaljamescaddye3805]

I came down the M6 in my Porsche 944 Turbo many moons ago and came to the toll booth - Like you Geoff because my car was a Left hand drive I had to clamber across the car - This was before cards and I threw coins in the basket - barrier didn't lift and traffic built up - A lady came round the corner and asked me what was wrong - She reached into the machine and said "Thats because you put in euros Paddy" I laughed and so did she so I fully understand Geoff

[@ninja12lawbreaker]

If I still lived in London or another of our large cities and my place of work was a few miles away, an electric car would be good. However, people visit the seaside on the weekends and family hundreds of miles away, then its not an option as your only car. I look at ev's as a toy car not a real one like my old Audi S6 which I loved touring Europe in with the family and the dog. You hit the nail on the head about the freedom of a car, We did 11 countries once going to Croatia and back