So I go to grab something to eat to fill the time. And when van man disappears 30 minutes later and we’re finally able to connect to the DC fast charger (having added zero miles while connected to the AC lead), I head to the cafe round the back to grab another bite and while away another half hour. At this rate I’ll be heavier than the battery pack by the time we get to Brum.

recharge and relax

And Birmingham is still a good few hours away. Between Okehampton and our final destination we make another stop just south of Bristol, and another at Gloucester Services to use the 50kW rapid chargers needed to make battery top-up stops bearably brief. Unlike some rivals, the Peugeot e-208 is actually capable of refuelling at 100kW charge points, which can give an 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes, but they’re still rare, and there are none to be found on our route.

But in the case of Gloucester Services, the stopping experience is more incredible than inconvenient. Beautiful to look at and rarely busy, this Waitrose of service stations is a haven from tacky phone accessory shops and burger chains. The food is interesting, and you can eat it inside the huge Scandi-style dining area, or, if the weather’s on your side, next to the mini lake beyond. There’s even a short country walk if you fancy really stretching your legs. It does what service stations should, but often don’t: leaves you feeling rested and relaxed.

french car, british queue

It was less relaxing for Jaguar i-Pace driver Richard, who turned up 30 seconds after us disheartened to find we’d just nabbed the sole 50kW CCS charger. It’s a friendly disappointment though, and after debating whether to wait for us, he decides to carry on to the next available stop.

Carl, driving a BMW i3, is equally friendly. ‘Is yours the pure EV model or the range extender?’ I ask.

‘It’s the range extender,’ says Carl, ‘but I use it like an EV. I did 5500 miles on my last tank of petrol.’ That’s some commitment, given he’s on his way back from London and it only does 60 miles on a full charge.

on a charge to birmingham

From Gloucester it’s a relatively short hop to Birmingham, and our 80 per cent fill means we’ve got no worries about range, nor will we need to recharge overnight. Just as well. It’s dark and cold outside so we’ve got the headlights and heater on. You’d never think twice about the energy they, or the heated seats, might consume if you were driving a conventional car. But driving an EV you become aware of how every action you take might affect your efficiency – while also taking enormous satisfaction from knowing your driving emits no carbon dioxide whatsoever.

Finally, almost 300 miles after setting out from Land’s End, we roll into the centre of Birmingham. On a no-nonsense run in a fully-fuelled diesel with just a quick pit stop to neck a coffee I reckon I could have done the same journey in around five-to-six hours. But with detours in search of photogenic scenery, plus regular stops to charge and a more measured pace, it’s taken all day.

But being forced to stop has made us think more about the journey, and made it feel like a proper road trip. And apart from the need for more frequent stops than you’d make in a petrol or diesel car, and the toll on my body from all the food I’ve scoffed while charging, the e-208 has been an easy companion. But it’s ideal for the city and cruising at 40mph, using its thick wodge of torque to squirt from traffic light to light, and all with almost no noise and fuss. 

the cost of clean air

It feels right at home here in Birmingham, a city that intends to introduce a Clean Air Zone in summer 2021. Older petrol cars and any diesel pre-dating 2015 will be forced to pay a pollution charge. The electric 208 certainly won’t: it doesn’t emit any carbon dioxide or other pollutants when you’re driving it, helping local air quality and insulating owners from the burgeoning ranks of cities taking action against cars. 

I mull this over to the groan of traffic outside my hotel room. Today the e-208 cost about 9p a mile; a comparable petrol car rate would be 16p. And that was refuelling the 208 on expensive commercial chargers at 30p a kilowatt hour, six times what you might pay on a special overnight domestic tariff. Charge your EV at home every few nights, and your ‘fuel’ costs should be about one-third the price of an equivalent petrol car’s. Food for thought.

But forget food, it’s sleep I want after a long day. We’ve got a date with a diesel for stage two of our road trip in the morning.

Read next: Diesel 208 from Birmingham to the Lakes

stress-testing the e-208 with a 300-mile road trip