James May likes a broad spectrum of cars, from modern-day supercars to classics, cult icons, cheap hatchbacks, and electric vehicles. Indeed, he has owned six EVs over the years but during a recent interview, admitted that he is still not convinced by them.
The Grand Tour host most recently took delivery of the updated Tesla Model 3, having previously owned a Model S and two Toyota Mirai hydrogen models. While there are some things that he loves about EVs, including the silent running, he believes they continue to be held back by charging.
While there are many more chargers dotted around the UK than there used to be, May thinks there needs to be many more of them. That doesn’t mean hundreds of thousands but millions. With this in mind, he says that automakers are fitting EVs with increasingly large battery packs as an acknowledgment that there aren’t enough chargers. Were an automaker to release an EV with 150 miles (242 km) of range that can be recharged in 1 minute through an expansive charging network, he would love to own one.
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May later reiterates the point that it is current battery technology and chargers that are holding back EVs. He believes that powering a car with an electric motor is the best way given how much simpler it is than a complex internal combustion engine.
The presenter made his comments during a fascinating podcast with The Intercooler presented by automotive journalists Dan Prosser and Andrew Frankel which is worth watching in its entirety. At one stage in the podcast, they wonder if there will ever be a collectible electric vehicle, noting how mechanically similar they are to one another and comparing them to boring digital watches. In addition to speaking about EVs, the trio discusses May’s early career as a journalist as well as his stint on Top Gear and The Grand Tour.