Lessons from a Birmingham to Plymouth Road Trip
Planning a long drive in an electric vehicle (EV) takes a little more thought than a traditional petrol or diesel journey — especially when it comes to charging stops. While the UK’s EV infrastructure has improved massively, not all motorway service stations are equal when it comes to charger availability, speed, and reliability.
On a recent journey from Birmingham down the M5 to Plymouth, I discovered just how varied the charging experience can be — and why having a reliable home EV charger is still the smartest way to stay in control of your charging costs and convenience.
The Journey: A Lesson in Charger Planning
I set off from Birmingham in my BMW iX3, planning a straightforward strategy:
Drive to Taunton or Exeter, enjoy some lunch, give the battery a healthy top-up, and then continue to Plymouth with enough range to make it back to Brum the next day.
Simple, right? Not quite.
Unexpected Detour
As Mike Tyson famously said:
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
In my case, the “punch” came when the motorway closed between Junctions 8 and 9. After a long detour, we decided to stop at the Gordano services near Bristol — a large, busy location where you’d expect plenty of charging options.
Reality Check at Gordano Services
Surprisingly, Gordano had only two CCS chargers, and one of them was out of order. That left a growing queue of frustrated EV drivers waiting their turn. Meanwhile, the Tesla chargers? Plentiful and completely operational — but useless unless you’re driving a Tesla.
Lesson learned: don’t assume big service stations have better EV charging facilities.
Sedgemoor Services: Slow and Steady
Our next stop was Sedgemoor services, where there were more chargers available — but they were capped at just 26kW. That meant painfully slow charging times compared to rapid chargers elsewhere. We grabbed a coffee, topped up a little, and pushed on.
Exeter: EV Heaven
Finally, we reached Exeter services, where the charging experience was completely different:
- Plenty of chargers available
- Speeds up to 150kW+
- Added 18kWh in just 12 minutes
A smooth, stress-free top-up — exactly what every EV driver hopes for.
The Takeaway: Plan Ahead
The UK’s EV charging infrastructure has come a long way, but as my trip proved, not all service stations are equal. When planning long journeys from Birmingham or anywhere in the West Midlands, keep these tips in mind:
- Check charger availability in advance using apps like Zap-Map or PlugShare
- Avoid bottleneck locations with limited rapid chargers (e.g. Gordano… for now!)
- Have a backup plan for alternative stops
- Charge at home whenever possible to save money and reduce stress
Why a Home EV Charger is Still the Best Solution
While public charging is useful on long trips, home EV charging is faster, cheaper, and far more convenient for everyday driving. With an off-peak energy tariff, you can pay as little as 7p per kWh — compared to up to 85p per kWh at some public rapid chargers.
At Brum-E, we install high-quality home EV chargers across Birmingham and the West Midlands — and we can get you up and running in just 7 days.
- Fast, local installation
- Transparent pricing from £999
- Save money on every charge
- Reliable aftercare and support
