In the past few weeks, drivers of internal combustion-engined vehicles have had the chance to experience range anxiety. Driver shortages had left a few stations running low or – in some cases, empty – and suddenly there’s chaos and panic. Normally associated with electric vehicles, range anxiety left drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles creating huge queues all over the UK.

How much of this ‘range anxiety’ was justified will probably never be known. But, such is human nature, it was inevitable that when people were told not to panic, they did exactly the opposite.

I lost track of the number of social media posts saying words to the effect of ‘EV drivers will be feeling very smug right now’. I also lost track of the number of times people highlighted the wonderfully apt name of the BBC’s man on the scene, Phil McCann, but that’s another story.

But, in truth, a lot of those drivers probably were smug. Shifting from a conventional vehicle to an EV is a big change that often requires planning to avoid range anxiety in the first place. Having made that switch, these people didn’t need to join in with the masses and queue for fuel. They could go about their days, safe in the knowledge that they could ‘fill up’ at their own convenience without waiting in line.

Inevitably, there was a spike in online searches and enquiries about electric vehicles. Who knows when the next wave of interest might be, but I don't think we’ll have to wait very long…

John Challen Editor