Author: Tom Druitt

It seems like only yesterday we were enjoying a drink in the garden of the Eiffel Tower Mercure Hotel having completed (in at least one case, by the skin of our teeth!) the London to Paris EV Rally. And what fun it was! However, remarkably, it’s now the middle of March already and only just over three months until we get to do it all over again… with a difference! Dates this year will be 22-24 June.

The London to Brighton EV Rally was born out of a conversation Bill and I had about The Big Lemon’s electric buses and how much fun it would be to put them to the test and see which ones were better (whatever that means!). London to Brighton seemed like a good challenge, and then we thought it would even more fun to invite other vehicles and see how different ones compare.

Of course, with all manner of different vehicles came all manner of different people, and this is where the magic really started happening! People with similar interests came together around the event, creating new partnerships, exploring new business opportunities, and making new friends.

For me, the event was a fun hobby, an excuse to have a good time with nice people while being able to call it ‘work’ (it wasn’t!). I love that it started a life of its own, and together we created a community, this community.

After the London to Paris rally last year, Bill, Harrison and I had a good chat about the future of the rally, and how we wanted to take it forward. Out of these conversations a few themes emerged. Bill and Harrison were keen to focus on building the London to Brighton event, while I was keen to develop the international event.

So this is what we’ve done. With their incredible event planning and networking capabilities, Bill and Harrison have been busy once again planning a bigger and better London to Brighton event, with an exciting range of partners, participants, and exhibitors, and the event on Brighton seafront this year looks like it’s going to be the best yet. And I’ve been busy planning the international event, which will this year be to Geneva!

Bill and Harrison have rebranded the London to Brighton event to be consistent with their agency Current PR and we will run the two events as separate entities working together. I am keen to run the international event as a collaboration within the EV community and have set up a Community Interest Company International EV Rally Club CIC as the vehicle (‘scuse the pun!) to facilitate that. I am looking for members of the community who would like to help organise the international event so if you have some expertise or free time I would love to hear from you!

The London to Brighton event will be stage 1 of the London to Geneva event, with stage two being Brighton to Paris, and stage three Paris to Geneva.

The original idea for the rally was to demonstrate and celebrate the rapid development of electric vehicles and renewable energy technology and of course to have fun at the same time! I hope we have done that over the last three years (probably more on the vehicle side than the energy side), but I’m also aware that the rally will mean different things to different people and everyone’s reasons for coming will be slightly different. It’s for this reason I would love to involve more people in the planning and organising, so we can create something that is fully reflective of the community.

So what’s the plan for Geneva? Here is a brief outline:

Friday 21 June: central London location (TBC): traditional pre-rally get-together to meet participants and enjoy a drink and a chat together.

Saturday 22 June: take part in the official London to Brighton EV Rally (Stage 1 of the London to Geneva EV Rally). Enjoy the E-Village expo at the Finish Line on Brighton seafront, and the Awards Ceremony and after party, and stay the night in Brighton.

Sunday 23 June: Meet up on Brighton seafront at 7am, have a cuppa and a catchup and prepare for Stage 2. Depart 8am, head to Newhaven ferry, take the 9.30 ferry to Dieppe and continue from there to Paris. The Stage 2 Finish Line will be given to you in the morning before we depart Brighton, and there will be a social event in the evening (though not too late!) with our friends at FFAUVE, the French Federation of Electric Vehicle User Associations.

Monday 24 June: Meet up back at the Stage 2 Finish Line, (which is also the Stage 3 Start Line!) at 7am, and when we’re ready head off towards Geneva! Participants will be free to go any way they want, but also have the option of travelling together along a designated route – off motorway – to see the best of the scenery along the way. The final destination is the shore of Lake Geneva, by the Jet d’Eau, a 140m plume of water that rises out of the lake creating a striking symbol of the city.

As always, there will be prizes, and London to Geneva participants get to have two sets of prize-giving, one in Brighton and another in Geneva! Prizes in Geneva will be awarded for the:

• Furthest distance on a single charge
• Range achievement closest to official WLTP range
• Quickest charge of +50%
• Fastest time (total time driving or charging)
• Lowest amount of energy used in total
• Cheapest trip charge cost
• Cheapest vehicle to complete
• Most efficient retrofit/self-build
• Most efficient vehicle overall

The aim of the prizes is to offer a number of different ways that participants can excel in different types of vehicles, whilst also answering the big questions that budding EV owners want to know, and help to dispel some of the myths.

And what about cost? As always, entry costs are kept to the bare minimum and will remain the same as last year, £60 for London to Brighton, £20 extra for each stage after that, and £1 membership of the EV Rally Club. However we are offering members of the community – you – a 30% discount up until the end of April.

Participants will be responsible for their own charging costs, tolls, ferries and hotels, but we are working to reduce costs for participants as much as possible. We are actively seeking ‘in-kind’ sponsorship such as discounted charging and hotels, and are offering attractive promotional opportunities for relevant businesses.

A new way of doing business?

Finally, I would like to say a word about a personal aim of mine, something I have been thinking about for a number of years. We are taught that businesses need to be ‘competitive’ to thrive, and our commercial system encourages it. If you want to succeed, the story goes, you have to offer consumers the best product or service, at the cheapest price; whilst also offering staff the most competitive packages and shareholders the best returns.

To do all these things at the same time, of course, is impossible, and it inevitably leads to a highly stressed environment where people are pulled in different directions and constantly pressured to do more with less, with the stakes of success or failure ever rising. It’s no wonder most of the western world is stressed and tired most of the time, and increasingly reliant on coffee, medication, ready meals and alcohol simply to get through the day.

However, it doesn’t have to be like this. What if businesses were no longer ultra-competitive high-stress environments but instead collaborative spaces full of purpose, creativity and passion? Can an organisation run effectively without a hierarchy?

Many people have tackled this question before, and there are some great examples of co-operative societies, charities and social enterprises providing goods and services in a different way, and also some very innovative businesses that operate without a formal hierarchy. But can an event be effectively organised by a community of people with different skillsets and backgrounds, where each person does what they want, when they want and as much – or as little – as they like to contribute to the ultimate team effort? We’re about to find out!

Please get in touch if you’d like to be involved – even if you can’t join in the rally this year I’d love to hear from you if you’re interested in the business model or would like to take part in a future rally and think you may have something to offer!

Have fun

Tom

Tom Druitt is Co-Founder of the London to Brighton EV Rally and Founder of the EV Rally Club. He can occasionally be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linked In.

EV Rally Club: 22-24 June 2024

The London to Geneva EV Rally will be the fourth event in a series kicked off by Brighton chums Bill Murray and Tom Druitt with the very first London to Brighton EV Rally in 2021.

Rising EV star Harrison Hughes joined the team in 2022, and launched specialist EV PR consultancy Current PR with Bill later that year. Following a hugely successful London to Brighton to Paris event in 2023, the team have decided to branch out.

Bill and Harrison will take the London to Brighton event forward and build a series of industry events around it in conjunction with Current PR; and Tom will develop the international events, with a view to building a community of EV and renewables enthusiasts with an interest in testing the limits of the technology through a series of international rallies. It is proposed to call this community the International EV Rally Club (EV Rally Club for short!)

The first club event will be the London to Geneva EV Rally, 22-24 June 2024, with the first stage being the original London to Brighton EV Rally. Participants in the international event will take part in all aspects of the London to Brighton event, and then continue onwards for two further stages, Brighton to Paris and Paris to Geneva.

The EV Rally Club and international event will be based on the same values of innovation, inclusiveness and fun as the rally so far, with the aim of testing the limits and pushing the boundaries of the technology, both the vehicles and the infrastructure; and building a community of like-minded people to share ideas, contacts and experiences.

Why Geneva?

Following London to Paris in 2023, Geneva was chosen because it’s a key international city in the heart of Europe, and a sensible distance from Paris, enabling us to re-live the London to Paris event and add an exciting new stage. Geneva is the European seat of the United Nations, the birthplace of the Geneva Convention and international symbol of peace and unity, things the world needs a lot of right now.

Join the club!

The EV Rally Club is open to all. You don’t need to be an EV owner, you don’t need to be a die-hard enthusiast, and you don’t even need to take part in the rally – all you need is an interest in EVs, renewables or just green tech in general… and £1.

The Club will be a space for people to meet like-minded folk from the UK, Europe and around the world, interested in EVs and advancements in technology to support the transition to a more sustainable world. The Club will organise an annual international rally event to demonstrate and celebrate the progress in electric vehicles and the infrastructure to support them.

Through pushing the boundaries of the rally each year we aim to put the vehicles and the infrastructure to the test, looking to find out exactly what works well, and what doesn’t – yet! The rally will be fun, but realistic. It’ll be an adventure, things will go wrong, infrastructure will fail and at times you’ll wish you’d stayed at home. But most of all it’ll be exciting, you’ll get to meet many wonderful people and you’ll make memories that’ll last a lifetime.

To join the club please complete the form below:

Sponsors

The Rally is a wonderful place to meet people and create new relationships, both personally and for your business, and we invite businesses working in relevant industries to consider sponsoring the Rally. Packages are incredibly affordable, offering businesses large and small the opportunity to showcase their products and services to an interested audience and generate a lot of positive publicity at the same time.

For information on sponsorship opportunities, or to enter a corporate team in the rally itself, please email tom@evrally.com or complete the form below:

London to Paris Electric Vehicle Rally Organisers Announce Full Results

Organisers of the London to Paris Electric Vehicle Rally have announced the results of last weekend’s event, which incorporated the London to Brighton EV Rally as the first stage, before participants took their vehicles over the channel to complete Stage 2: Dieppe to Paris. The event was sponsored by electricity generator EDF, accessibility specialist Motability and electric vehicle maker BYD; and delivered by specialist agency Current PR in partnership with The Big Lemon bus company and supported by Fully Charged.

Teams were free to choose their own routes, and challenged to make the journey using as little energy as possible. Awards were given for the most efficient vehicles in each category, with a special ceremony on Brighton seafront sponsored by solar vehicle charging company, 3ti. There were eight categories, including self-built vehicles and, for the first time, a Hydrogen Fuel Cell category.

Vehicle efficiencies were recorded either directly from the vehicle’s own mile/kWh report, or by a calculation based on the vehicle’s start and finish status reports and charging records.  Only vehicles completing the stage and accurately recording their results were included in the Table, and the results are as follows:

			Miles per kWh
Class	Vehicle Make	Vehicle Model	London to Brighton	Dieppe to Paris
City Car	BMW	i3 42kWh		5.3
City Car	Volkswagen	eGolf	5.4
City Car	Nissan	Leaf Tekna	5.2
City Car	Nissan	Leaf	4.5	4.4
City Car	Nissan	Leaf	4.2
Motorbike	Zero	S	10.4
Saloon Car	Hyundai	Ioniq Premium	6.2	5.7
Saloon Car	Kia	EV6	6.2
Saloon Car	Tesla	Model 3 LR	5.6
Saloon Car	Mg	Zs	5.6	4.7
Saloon Car	Vw	Id3	5.6	5.4
Saloon Car	Volkswagen	ID3	5.4	5.4
Saloon Car	Tesla	Model 3 LR	5.1	4.3
Saloon Car	Tesla	Model 3	5.0
Saloon Car	Kia	Nero 4	4.9	4.9
Saloon Car	Hyundai	Ioniq5	4.8
Saloon Car	BMW	i3S	4.7
Saloon Car	Kia EV6	Kia EV6	4.6
Saloon Car	Volkswagen	ID.3	4.4	4.7
Saloon Car	Tesla	M3LR	4.4
Saloon Car	Vauxhall	Mokka	4.3
Saloon Car	Tesla	Model 3	4.1	5.6
Saloon Car	Tesla	Model Y	4.1
Saloon Car	MG	MG5 LR	3.7	4.5
Saloon Car	Kia	EV6	3.6
Saloon Car	Polestar	2	3.5	3.3
Saloon Car	Tesla	Model 3 LR	3.4	2.6
Saloon Car	Tesla	S 90D	3.2
Self-build	Land Rover	Series 3 109	n/a	n/a
SUV	Kia	Niro 2	5.9
SUV	Kia	Niro 1	5.7	5.1
SUV	MG	ZS Mk1	5.7
SUV	Tesla	Model Y LR	4.8	3.7
SUV	Nissan	Ariya	4.6
SUV	Hyundai	Ioniq 5 Namsan	4.3
SUV	BYD	Atto 3	4.0
SUV	MG	ZS	4.0
SUV	Mercedes	EQA	3.9
SUV	Volkswagen	Id.4	3.4
SUV	Maxus	MIFA 9	1.2
Van	VW	ID Buzz	3.7	3.9
Van	Maxus	E Deliver 9	2.6
Bus	Higer	Steed	1.0	1.1
Hydrogen	Riversimple	Rasa	n/a	n/a

 Following an EV and renewable energy expo on Brighton Seafront and the Awards Ceremony for the London to Brighton stage, participants took the overnight ferry to Dieppe where they were given a Police escort and a very warm welcome by Normandie Tourism before setting off to Paris.

Chief Adjudicator for the Results, John Bickerton said, “This was a remarkable effort of endurance and a real stress test for the charging grid. One competitor drove from Scotland to Paris on a single charge, and the overall winner showed confidence and crossed the finish line at the Eiffel Tower with only 3% left in their battery. All in all a wonderful weekend and a great spirit between the family of competitors.” 

Rally Co-founders Bill Murray and Tom Druitt said “The aim of the rally is to demonstrate and celebrate the incredible innovations in electric vehicles and renewable energy, and help encourage the transition away from fossil fuels to a more sustainable future. We’d like to thank all rally participants for being such good sports and helping to push the boundaries by showing just what electric vehicles can achieve; and most of all our Chief Organiser Harrison Hughes, our wonderful team, and all our sponsors and partners without whom it would not have been possible.”

The Big Lemon London to Brighton Electric Vehicle Rally, sponsored by EDF, returned to Brighton on Saturday 25 June for a highly successful second year!

Following the phenomenal feedback of the inaugural event in September 2021, the second London to Brighton Electric Vehicle Rally took place on Saturday 25 June, and was a resounding success. Organised in partnership with electric bus company The Big Lemon and sponsored by EDF, Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity, the second annual event left Parliament Square shortly after 8am to cover the  59 miles to Brighton Beach. All participants stopped at Ifield College, Crawley for a breakfast and team photo before continuing to Brighton’s Palace Pier and the finish line on Madeira Drive.

Seventy different electric vehicles lined the seafront yesterday as the rally entries arrived on Madeira Drive. The event saw solar- powered cars, self-builds, e-bikes and even an electric plane following the route to the city. It is the second time the rally has been held, after last year’s event was called an “unprecedented success”.

Tom Druitt , one of the event organisers stated  “The rally was a fantastic day and a huge success. Participants and spectators all had a great time and we enjoyed wonderful support from our sponsors EDF, JLC Group, the RAC, University of Brighton, Hendy Group, the Fully Charged Show and 3ti. We had a fabulous launch event in London on the banks of the Thames, and a brilliant welcome by Ifield Community College in Crawley where we had a pit-stop at half time. Madeira Drive hosted everything from solar car parking, solar cars, EDF’s renewable technologies and even a flyby from a Nebo Pipistrel electric plane – the only one in existence in the UK.

“The aim of the event is to demonstrate and celebrate the rapid development of electric vehicles and renewable energy technology and have a fun day in the process. We had  some very interesting vehicles in our ‘self-build’ category, and the winners celebrated afterwards with a ceremony and after-party at Elm House, University of Brighton with awards for the most efficient vehicles in each class and for the most innovative and most sustainable designs. Winners included teams from the University of Brighton/JLC, Nebo Air, Brighton & Hove City Council, The Big Lemon and 3Ti solar car park specialists.”

As with last year the Rally recovery partner was the RAC, the only UK breakdown provider to offer van-mounted, lightweight emergency mobile charging systems for EVs. Their expert patrols helped several other entrants with their EV Boost. RAC’s All Wheels Up recovery system can be used to tow an EV safely with all four wheels off the ground.

JLC group, based in Hailsham, East Sussex were the  main VIP sponsor of the event this year and profiled their new electric commercial vehicles along with the incredibly fun NoSmoke 1960s inspired convertible.  JLC group have recently joined forces with University Brighton to produce vehicles together, designed and built in Sussex.

Categories for the rally included:

• E-Bikes
• E-Motorbikes
• City Cars
• Saloon Cars
• SUVs
• Vans
• Self-builds
• Minibuses
• Buses
• Trucks
• Electric Aeroplanes

We would like to thank all the event’s partners and sponsors for their support. Without their help this year’s event would not have been possible.

Our partners include: The Big Lemon CIC, EDF, JLC Group, RAC, Fully Charged, University of Brighton, Current PR, Hendy, 3ti and Drive Electric

Charge your vehicles – following the runaway success of the inaugural event in September 2021, the second London to Brighton Electric Vehicle Rally, sponsored by EDF, will now be going ahead tomorrow, Saturday 25th June 2022. In association with the RAC, JLC Group, 3ti and the University of Brighton the Rally will leave from Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, London at 7.00am and cover 59 miles, before finishing on Brighton Beach. All entries will stop at Ifield College near Crawley for a breakfast and adjudication before continuing to Brighton.

Tom Druitt, Co-founder of the event and CEO of The Big Lemon CIC has big things in store for the day:

“Following the success of our inaugural Rally last year we now have a bigger and better event to look forward to on the 25th June! We will be welcoming 67 different vehicles in 11 different categories – from e-bikes all the way to buses, and all vehicles will be on display on Madeira Drive afterwards.

“The aim of the event is to demonstrate and celebrate the rapid development of electric vehicles and renewable energy technology and have a fun day in the process.

“We have some very interesting vehicles in our ‘self-build’ category, and we will be celebrating afterwards with an awards ceremony and after-party at the University of Brighton, with awards for the most efficient vehicles in each class and for the most innovative and most sustainable designs.”

The team are all incredibly excited to welcome such a diverse and strong display of Electric Vehicles and methods of transportation to the South coast. This year among the self builds there are solar cars and even an electric aircraft following the route to Brighton.

Spectators are invited to join the Rally at the halfway point at Ifield Community College and the finish line at Madeira Drive, Brighton, where all vehicles will be on display and cheered as they cross the finish line.

The E-village on Brighton Beach will encourage visitors to explore the electric way of life, with an array of interactive stands, live music and entertainment and displays from the UK’s leading EV companies, along with an education zone and test track area.

Visitors will have the opportunity to test drive one of The Big Lemon’s electric buses, ride the Volks Railway, drive converted classic cars and have a ride on the Brighton Zip. A children’s electric go-kart track will give the younger visitors the opportunity to get behind the wheel, whilst the Ardingly College sponsored education zone will help answer any questions and learn about the benefits associated with switching to electric.

As with last year our recovery partner is the RAC, the number-one for EV breakdown as it is the only UK breakdown provider to offer van-mounted, lightweight emergency mobile charging systems for EVs. Their expert patrols can use EV Boost to get a flat quickly sorted out or get a severely depleted EV on the move again. If you need a garage, the RAC’s All Wheels Up recovery system can be used to tow an EV safely with all four wheels off the ground.

JLC group, based in Hailsham, East Sussex are a main sponsor of the event this year and will be profiling their new electric commercial vehicles along with the incredibly fun NoSmoke 1960s inspired convertible. They will be hosting a VIP area at the Brighton Zip and will be displaying their latest state of the art commercial vehicles.

Partnered with YouTube sensation “Fully Charged” the rally will start at 7.00am in London. There will be a mid-point stop at Ifield Community College from 8.00am and then the vehicles will be on display on Madeira Drive, Brighton from 10.00am until 4.00pm. The coveted awards ceremony will take place tomorrow, 25th June at Elm House, University of Brighton with awards for participants with the lowest energy consumption and general performance across all categories.

Categories for the rally include:

• E-Bikes
• E-Motorbikes
• City Cars
• Saloon cars
• SUVs
• Vans
• Self-builds
• Minibuses
• Buses
• Trucks
• Electric plane

“We would like to thank all the event’s partners and sponsors for their support, without their help this year’s event would not be possible.”

Bill Harrison, Event Director and Co-Founder

Our partners include: The Big Lemon CIC, EDF, JLC Group, RAC, Fully Charged, University of Brighton, Current PR, Hendy, 3ti and Drive Electric.

We are delighted to be bringing the London to Brighton Electric Vehicle Rally to Brighton & Hove tomorrow, Saturday 18 September, brought to you by The Big Lemon and proudly sponsored by EDF.

The first pure electric vehicle rally in England, the London to Brighton Electric Vehicle Rally is being held to celebrate the rapid development of electric vehicles and renewable energy technology (and to have a lot of fun!)

The event was due to take place in July but was postponed due to rising Covid cases in Brighton & Hove. Fortunately, recent data confirms that Covid cases are now falling in the city, so the event can go ahead.

The event marks the transition of The Big Lemon’s bus fleet to zero-emissions, which began with the launch of the UK’s first solar-powered electric bus in 2017, and will be complete this autumn with the addition of four Higer STEEDs and three Optare Versa EVs, adding to the existing fleet of eight Optare Solo EVs and an electric minibus.

The Rally Finish

Members of the public are being welcomed to watch the vehicles cross the finish line, from 12 noon tomorrow, Saturday 18th September. BBC Radio Sussex Breakfast Show host Allison Ferns will be providing live commentary as the vehicles cross the line.

Sustainability and Inclusivity

The London to Brighton Electric Vehicle Rally is also aiming to raise the bar for sustainable and inclusive events:

• Public Transport category to promote sustainable public transport
• Tiered pricing to make it affordable for everyone
• Free entry for the public on Madeira Drive
• All power generation on site is renewable, with biodiesel generators where necessary
• Zero-emissions electric go-karts for children
• Awards for the least amount of energy consumed in each class
• Keeping the Madeira Drive cycle lane open throughout, to encourage active travel to the event and ensure we do not disrupt active travel in the city during the event.

The event will finish with a Prize-giving ceremony at The Grand with awards for the lowest amount of energy used in each category:

• e-bikes
• e-motorbikes
• city car
• saloon car
• SUV
• van
• minibus
• bus
• truck
• self-built vehicles

and for the public transport category the award will be for the quickest time and the greatest number of different modes .

Covid Safety 

Event organisers have gone to great lengths to create an event that is as Covid-safe as possible with social distancing throughout the event. The EVillage at the Finish Line on Madeira Drive is fully outdoors, and at the prize-giving ceremony numbers have been restricted to 1/3 of the room capacity to enable physical distancing.