There can be fewer greater demonstrations of devotion than to dedicate a weekend to following your football club across the country. The good news is the average range of an electric car is now over 200 miles, so most games can comfortably be covered on a single charge.
But what if it’s a little further? And what if you’re driving in the depths of winter? As the official Electric Vehicle (EV) sponsor of Fulham FC, we decided to plot a 600-mile round trip to watch Newcastle United versus Fulham in December and find out.
Sneaking out at dawn – when I say sneaking out, I wasn’t defying my parents, I just didn’t want to wake the children – we glided past a few hardcore revellers in zone one of London before setting a steady cruise on the M4 in our fully branded, fully charged Tesla Model Y.
There couldn’t be a more fitting vehicle for our final road trip of the year than this. You’re looking at the smash hit of 2023, Britain’s (and Europe’s) best-selling electric car. The world cannot get enough of the Tesla Model Y.
From the outside at least, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. The aesthetic of this practical five-seater is a little frumpy, a little tech bro bland; but those inoffensive looks have clearly helped it gather mass appeal. Consider it the Coldplay of the car world.
The interior is much more interesting. There are always megatrends in fashion, architecture and, of course, car design and over the last five years, Tesla has been single-handedly responsible for promoting the de-contented, buttonless cabin.
The Model Y’s cabin is dominated by a large 14-inch, centrally mounted touchscreen which controls… everything. From Spotify music to Google maps, turning on the heated steering wheel to opening the charging flap.
There are actual buttons to control the windows and make the car move, but pretty much everything else is all done via this giant tablet. The typeface is small and there is no haptic feedback, so navigating the controls takes a little time to get used to.
Some drivers will find this hugely progressive; others may consider it as shocking as the price of a pint on the Fulham Palace Road. For better or worse, rival carmakers have followed this trend – the same rival car carmakers who originally tried to lambast and discredit the company.
Dynamically, the Model Y is a solid performer, too. As you’d expect, acceleration is strong and seamless, the ride quality is composed and quiet at high speeds and wind noise well suppressed. The steering may be artificial in feel, but the handling gives the Model Y (at least this rear-wheel drive version) a lightness of foot that makes every journey enjoyable.
Another area the incumbents can’t yet match is Tesla’s battery performance, and the Model Y is exemplary. Of course, living your life on high-speed motorways with a Fulham flag fluttering out the window will make a big difference to your range, because wind drag increases in proportion to the square of the speed.
If maths isn’t one of your specialist skills, it’s like saying when one thing goes up, the other thing goes way, way up. Fortunately, we have plenty of tips to help maximise your EV range.
Despite the inclement weather, this entry-level Model Y could have easily managed more than 240 miles between stops. But it was after 190 miles and an excruciating 20 minutes of bladder-related pain that we decided to stop at Moto Ferrybridge. Here, a six bay GRIDSERVE Electric Super Hub took care of charging (this version has a maximum charge rate of 170kW) and we were back on the road after 30 minutes.
Innovation doesn’t just happen in the way the Model Y is presented, but also in the way it is built.
There are ‘over the air’ updates that improve the cars over time, a vertically integrated supply chain that helps make production more immune to geopolitical shocks, and a so-called ‘Giga Press’ process (think die casting) that means it can build cars more like Matchbox models; dramatically reducing costs with a one-piece chassis and body on top.
Newcastle is a gem of a city. Crossing the coat-hanger girder of Tyne Bridge, you are thrust into the city’s Victorian architecture and vast industrial heritage, much of it now sitting within a Clean Air Zone that’s attempting to address the high pollution rates.
Uniquely, the football stadium of St. James’ Park is also bang in the city centre, wedged between a park, the main shopping area and a Bath-worthy bank of Regency style homes. Climbing the concrete steps to level seven of the Leazes Stand, you soon discover that Newcastle craftily houses its away fans three rows down from heaven’s gate, so our voices can’t impact the home chorus and the pitch more closely resembles a Subbuteo mat.
It doesn’t stop Fulham’s faithful from trying. There are nervous fans and calm fans. Fans who think we’ll win. Fans who are certain we’ll lose. Fortunately, Fulham has displayed some dominant home performances over the past few games, notably against West Ham (5-0) and Nottingham Forest (5-0), so there is hope this rich form can continue on the road.
It’s the hope that gets you. After 22 minutes, an in-form Raúl Jiménez appears to audition for a Karate Kid reboot by taking out Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff with a hip to the head. Red card.
Everyone stands up to shout things and be annoyed but it’s a fair decision. If we could have collectively vocalised our thoughts at this moment, I think it would have wearily intoned ‘This is going to be a tough afternoon’.
As it played out, it involved conceding three goals, scoring none and paying one of the world’s richest countries £30 to watch it all happen. Still, the Dickinson’s pie was lush. And as the fictional forward Dani Rojas lucidly expressed, “football is life: there are good bits, there are bad bits, but together we get through it.”
