The key thing is the e-Niro with a 64kWh battery has plenty of range, you’ll get a comfortable 200 miles unless you’re caning it in awful weather. Earlier EVs with much smaller batteries, in some cases, could only just reach the next rapid charger and if that was out of action you were stuck. I think you’d have to almost deliberately put yourself in that position with the Niro.
I made a 254 mile round trip on one charge in October, setting off at 90% and getting back with 8%. I’m doing the same journey again this week. Because it’s much colder I definitely plan a brief rapid charge at some point.
The charging infrastructure is.... not what we’d like it to be. You do have to plan ahead and it’s sadly necessary to have backup plans but there are plenty of rapids. You’re rarely that far away from one of the reliable networks such as Instavolt (they’ve done deals with McDonald’s and kfc so expect to see more of them).
As an example, plans for my journey this week this are very slightly more complicated because of COVID. I plan to stop at a BP Pulse charger in Mold that is almost definitely not working, because it’s cheap and I drive past it. My reliable second choice is an Osprey rapid in a pub car park at Ewloe, no detour required, but right now in Wales pubs have to close at 6pm, so that may not be accessible depending on when I set off. My next option will be to take a slightly irritating detour to an instavolt - because it’s highly likely to just work. Under normal circumstances that Osprey charger would be fine, 20 minutes or so would be easy.
Depending on who you ask we’re either still early adopters or we’re the beginning of mainstream. Either way, the charging infrastructure is improving. Instavolt are expanding their offering (all rapids, generally reliable, contactless payment, easy), Gridserve had just opened their fancy flagship services at Braintree, Shell are doing something interesting with a former petrol forecourt in London...
After all that waffle, probably the most useful thing I can say is my job can take me anywhere in the UK (current restrictions not withstanding) and I was happy I could make the e-Niro work for my needs.