I’m an EV driver – I can’t even use air-conditioning without my battery being drained, the car will be the death of me
AN EV driver has revealed his vehicle “will be the death of him” and said he can’t even use the air-conditioning without draining the battery.
Frustrated Lee, known as The MacMaster on YouTube, took to his channel to share the ordeal while driving his full-electric Porsche Taycan.
The £87,980 sports car boasts a 93kWh battery with 285 miles of range – and can reach a speed of up to 155mph.
Despite its high performance, the driver had a range anxiety scare when he tried to switch the air conditioning on.
He said: “My electric car will be the death of me! These vehicles have devastating consequences!
“Everywhere you look there’s an advert or a commercial trying to push you into making your next new car an EV well maybe it’s time to question why!”
With about 67 per cent of battery left, the self-declared EV sceptic drove the vehicle to the nearest charging station.
Lee then decided to switch on the AC to see how much battery can the Porsche hold.
On the video he said: “I’ve got 67 per cent of battery because I’ve turned the air conditioning off.
“A lot of evangelists will say: ‘well don’t your air conditioning, open the window’. I don’t want to do that.”
But things went south when the range started to plummet once he put the air conditioning on.
The climate control in an EV is the feature that uses the most energy and consumes driver range the quickest.
If drivers keep the AC on it can wipe up to 7.5 miles of range per hour, according to car experts.
Despite the high drain risk, the driver decided to try it on.
Footage shows how after a few minutes the range goes from 168 to 156 miles when he puts the AC on.
He slammed: “So you can see just how much power is being taken from the air conditioning.”
The motorist then hits the road with 107 miles of range and 45 per cent of battery left.
Heading to the nearest charging station he said: “The big question though is how much is it going to cost me to charge and how much would it cost me in a diesel.
“Probably is not going to be cheaper than a petrol or diesel, but here we go.”
Rubbishing EV charging points, he claimed rainy weather can be the worst time to plug your vehicle – as not all stations have the right infrastructure.
Once he arrives at the station, the car enthusiast proceeds to plug in the vehicle and waits until it charges.
He claims he paid 69p per kilowatt to charge 215 miles of range with 89 per cent of battery – which came at total of £39.44.
The video has now gained more than 40,000 views with thousands of likes from fellow motorists.
It comes as the same EV owner previously revealed he was almost stranded on the motorway because its charge went down when he wasn’t even driving it.
Lee, known as The MacMaster on YouTube, needed to drive his electric Porsche Taycan from Heathrow Airport to Mansfield.