EV drivers are being urged to plug in and charge up their cars on their driveway this week after a clutch of snow and ice warnings were issued by the Met Office - and more snow, heavy rain and even flooding could be on the way even after those warnings end.
The Met Office has now issued new snow and ice warnings for England and Wales for 6pm on Tuesday, February 3 lasting until 9am on Wednesday, February 4, on top of existing snow warnings in Scotland.
Later this week, the forecaster’s weather maps also predict snow will fall across much of central and northern England on Friday.
At the same time, 76 flood warnings have been issued by the Environment Agency, as have 151 flood alerts covering the time between today and Friday.
The Environment Agency warned: “Coastal flooding is also possible for England’s coasts from Monday to Thursday, with impacts probable on the coasts of the south west of England on Tuesday and Wednesday. Land, roads and properties may flood and there may be travel disruption.”
During times of flooding disruption, heavy snow and possible power cuts linked to the extreme weather, drivers are told to fill up with petrol or diesel if they must travel, in order to be ready to deal with possible travel disruption out on the roads without risking running out of fuel.
The same would apply to EV drivers, who should charge up their cars to be sure they have plenty of power to travel, especially if power cuts may occur.
The RAC explains in its advice on preparing to drive in cold weather: “Check you have plenty of fuel for your journey. It may sound obvious but you would be surprised how many people run out of fuel and with temperatures as low as expected you really don’t want get stranded.
“If you drive an electric car, ensure you have sufficient battery charge for your journey and make a note of charging locations on your route so you can top up the battery if required. Charge Watch is the RAC's initiative that monitors the average cost of charging an electric car so that you get a fair price.”
The Met Office said in its snow warnings: “Outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow will move north over mid and north Wales and northern England on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. Snow accumulations, in the order of 1-3cm will mainly occur above around 200 metres, though the odd cm is possible at lower elevations. There is also a chance of transient freezing rain over higher ground and though the odds of this occurring in any one location is small [it] would increase the ice risk nonetheless.”
It added: “Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.”
