Man spent 24 hours driving his electric car as far as he can while only using free EV chargers

Back in 2015, the UK installed free EV chargers to help alleviate concerns about the lack of infrastructure for electric vehicles, which meant that you could, in theory, drive around the country at no cost.

The best things in life are free. Fact. Especially in this economy.

But does that ring true when it comes to EV charging? Is it entirely possible to charge for free and reap the rewards of choosing an electric vehicle?

Well, that’s the ethos of YouTuber Efficient Alex, as he tried to live up to his name by seeing how far he can go on free EV charging in one full day of driving.

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Man finds all the free EV chargers left in the UK

Nowadays, the Nissan Leaf can hit over 300 miles in one charge, despite being one of the cheapest EVs in America.

But the first-generation Leaf was one of the earliest EVs on the market and struggled to hold its own over 100 miles.

So, getting to public access charging points is imperative.

That’s the case for Efficient Alex, whose YouTube channel is centred around getting the most out of his cheap electric car.

It just happens that he lives near one of the limited free EV chargers in the country, and this sparked the idea of how far he can travel in one go.

In a recent upload, the man took his Nissan Leaf out on a 100 percent battery and went off charger-hopping.

The route was calculated using the Zapmap App, which cross-references free locations, and he set off with a goal of getting to a hotel for the night several hundred miles away.

But it wasn’t going to be so straightforward.

A small battery meant free charging was a war on many fronts

Unfortunately, the Nissan Leaf had its limitations, and in cold weather, its range was limited to around 80 miles on a full charge.

This meant that his first stop was needed after just two hours, and that turned out to be a disaster.

As many other of the 1.7 million battery-powered car users on the road also like not spending money, the two limited free EV chargers were occupied.

This meant he waited for nearly two hours to get a chance to use the ports, and only filled up another eight percent, as he only had minutes left in his parking spot.

Then it was on to the next stop. Over an hour later, it was time to charge again, and luckily enough, his next stop had a free slot. Here, the slow-rate chargers topped him up from 17 percent back up to 82 percent.

With a healthy range, he set off on the way again.

Next, he limped over the line to the next charger at an undisclosed pub on two percent. This third stop was a quick top-up, and he chose to hop along to his hotel 60 miles down the road.

However, this is where the second disaster struck, as despite it being labeled as free on the app, the hotel confirmed that the free EV chargers are no longer in operation.

All in all, he only got 147.5 miles on free energy – which is roughly half of what the new Leafs can get in a full charge.

In comparison, one Canadian man running the same challenge with a Kia Soul managed to travel through Canadian provinces Alberta and British Columbia, in a 341-mile run, charging just three times.

If Alex were running the same challenge with a 2026 Nissan Leaf, it’s quite likely that he could have gotten substantially further, possibly all the way through the UK.

Still, for a small town car, or even a modern plug-in hybrid, these free ports could be a lifesaver if you’re lucky enough to find one without a queue.

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