Road Trips Archives | The Driven

Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and also edits and founded the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid web sites. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review, and owns a Tesla Model 3.

Model Y Performance road trip: A breathtaking solution to a noisy and dirty world

The Model Y Performance may look just like the RWD version, but its bigger battery and extra motor deliver a breathtaking ride. But it comes at a price.

4 min

Australia’s accelerating EV transition: Four years ago, I had to charge at the rubbish tip

When I drove my EV from Melbourne to Sydney four years ago, I had to charge at a rubbish trip. This week, en route to Fully Charged, I realised how much the network has developed.

14 min

“Atto Gal’s” epic electric adventure from Perth to Sydney and back in a BYD EV

The remarkable story of the history-making first crossing (and double crossing!) of Australia in a BYD Atto 3 electric SUV.

3 min

Beware of Yaris Drivers: Rear-ended BYD electric SUV and its 4,300km solar odyssey

A newly bought - and newly rear-ended - BYD Atto 3 electric SUV completes 4,300kms journey visiting solar clients in the Sunshine State.

4 min

Tesla Model 3 tows boat 3200km on epic road trip costing half the price of diesel

Have EVs killed the road trip? Absolutely not! We towed a boat on a 3,200km return trip from Sydney to Tasmania, towing a boat - at half the cost of diesel.

7 min

An absolute hoot: Kicking ICE on an electric Livewire road trip

This all-electric ride was every single bit as fun as an ICE ride, with slightly longer breaks and spending less than $10 on electricity, instead of $150 on petrol.

6 min

Electric road trips in UK: Cleaner than fossil fuels, and plenty of charging options

EVs are easy on the highway and fun on hilly and windy roads, and they are also really good on the narrow country lanes that dominate the UK road map.

2 min

Instant torque and no noise: How an EV convert fell in love with his Model Y

I love driving our Model Y - the instant torque and the lack of noise - and what this means in practice.

8 min

Planning a long-distance EV trip? Key tips for the Land of the Slow Transition

In the first days of the internal combustion engine, drivers had to carry two-gallon tins of fuel. Now, EV road trippers need to have both a Plan A and Plan B in place.

4 min

Another sorry tale of broken EV chargers and unrealistic range expectations

Headwinds, inclines, an extra passenger and busted fast-chargers. Why we had to rely on a diesel powered tilt-truck to get our BYD Atto 3 extended range back home.

Road Trips