Climate crisis: How easy is it to drive from London to COP26 in Glasgow using an electric car?

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It was at my first charging stop that I realised driving an electric car from London to Glasgow might not be as straightforward as I had thought.

It wasn’t just the broken charger. Nor the queue for the ones that worked. But it was the warning by more seasoned electric drivers that this wasn’t unusual.

I had started in Westminster feeling upbeat about my challenge.

I was driving a Kia e-Niro, a family SUV with a range of about 275 miles. With the map telling me it was 400 miles to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow city centre, I reckoned two charges should see me through.

Sales of electric cars are accelerating – one in 10 new cars so far this year has been powered by a battery.

Many will have bought an electric because of the climate credentials.

Cars account for the equivalent of 68 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year in the UK, around 13% of the country’s total emissions.

So switching away from fossil fuel cars is a critical step towards net-zero.

Whatever the reason for buying an electric car, they are great to drive. Quiet too.

So the journey to my first charging stop at Norton Crane Services on the M6 Toll was a breeze.

That’s where reality hit home. Only three of the four rapid charging points were working – nowhere near enough for the number of electric vehicles wanting a top-up.

Some people gave up, but I stuck it out. Even when I got to the front of the queue it took several attempts for the car and charger to talk to each other and for the electrons to flow.