Solo Liverpool-to-Belfast trip dispels electric range fears for first time EV driver

A 20-year-old Newtownabbey woman has spoken about overcoming her uncertainty of electric vehicles after successfully completing a solo journey from Liverpool to Belfast in an electric MAXUS van despite never having driven or charged an EV before.

Erin McCrea, who works across several areas of her family’s commercial vehicle dealership business, McCrea MAXUS, was tasked with collecting a MAXUS eDELIVER 5 in Liverpool and delivering it to the MAXUS show-stand at the Balmoral Show in May. The journey involved driving through England and Scotland, solo, before boarding the ferry home to Northern Ireland; a trip Erin admits initially felt daunting.

“I’ll be honest, I was pretty nervous before setting off,” she said. “I’d never driven an electric vehicle long-distance before and I’d never even charged one myself. I think like most people, my biggest fear was ending up marooned on the motorway with no battery left and no idea what to do next. I honestly thought I might end up stranded somewhere.”

Before leaving Liverpool, Erin carefully planned her route and researched charging points along the way. However, she said her concerns quickly began to disappear once the journey started. “There were far more charging stations available than I expected,” she explained.

“I think people sometimes imagine there are only a handful dotted around, but that wasn’t the case at all. My first stop was at a motorway service station on the M6 where there were rows of rapid chargers available.”

Erin completed two charging stops during the journey, including a second near Cairnryan before boarding the ferry home. “I’d been worried I’d arrive somewhere and have to queue for ages or struggle to figure out how everything worked,” she said. “But it was actually really straightforward.”

Despite feelings of anxiety ahead of the drive, Erin said she quickly became comfortable behind the wheel of the MAXUS eDELIVER 5. “The van itself was lovely to drive,” she said. “It was smooth, quiet and very comfortable, especially for such a long journey. The controls and dashboard felt intuitive straight away and charging the van was much easier than I expected because the vehicle shows you everything you need to know.”

Erin believes many people across Northern Ireland probably share the same concerns she had before setting off. “EVs still aren’t something you see everywhere here yet, so naturally people don’t always know what to expect,” she said. “But having completed the journey myself, I realise I’d probably worried about it far too much. After a couple of hours, it all just started to feel normal.”

The MAXUS eDELIVER 5 formed part of the MAXUS display at this year’s Balmoral Show, where visitors had the opportunity to explore the latest developments in electric commercial vehicles.