Only since last autumn, several new charging stations have appeared along the main routes down through Europe. Driving an electric car is easier than ever. But it pays to plan your trip in advance instead of traveling on luck and piety.
Choose a good route
If you are going to drive through Germany, there are not that many route options to choose from. Autobahn 7 takes you from Denmark through almost all of Germany to Italy and Austria. Those going to France and Spain can either take Autobahn 1 towards Luxembourg after Hamburg, or follow Autobahn 7 down and take Autobahn 5 towards Frankfurt, Mulhouse and Basel. Both options take about the same amount of time, but the Autobahn 1 to Luxembourg does not have the same coverage of charging stations. If you choose that route with an electric car to Europe, you should plot the charging stations in advance. Along the Autobahn 7 and 5, on the other hand, the charging stations are close all the way. Several new charging stations have appeared since we drove there last autumn.
With an electric car to Europe, it is an advantage to have many charging stations along the way. One less problem. Where there are long distances between the charging stations, queues can easily form during the holiday season.
Ferry or Sweden?
It is not only about what is most effective, but also what one prefers. Last year we traveled with a dog, and chose to drive through Sweden. Now we took the Colorline from Larvik to Hirtshals, with an overnight stay in a hotel before we went on early the next morning. In low season, the crossing takes 3 hours and 55 minutes, with arrival no later than 1 hour before departure. On the trip you can enjoy a good buffet with food and drink - and a view of the fjord, or snooze in good recliners.
All roads meet in Kolding - whether you choose to drive via Sweden, or take the ferry from Larvik. If you look at the time consumption between Oslo and Kolding, the two alternatives can be compared in the following way:
Option 1. Ferry Larvik-Hirtshals
Drive Oslo-Larvik: 1,5 hours
Waiting in Larvik: 1,5 hours
Crossing: 4,0 hours
Driving time Hirtshals-Kolding: 2,5 – 3,5 hours
Charge/rest time: 0,5 hours (1 quick charge)
Total: 10,0 – 11,0 hours
Option 2: Drive through Sweden
Driving time Oslo-Kolding: 9,0 – 10,5 hours
Charge/rest time: 1,5 hours (3 quick charges)
Total: 10,5 – 12,0 hours
Both options make up a one-day stage and with an electric car they are also roughly the same price. Remember that you get a discount over the Øresund Bridge and the Storebælt Bridge with a toll tag from Fremtind.
We had a great trip over to Hirtshals - with our own table at the very front of the bow. A fantastic buffet with good food, snacks and all types of beverages for only NOK 299 per person (every day outside the season) - and greeted by friendly crew during the entire crossing.
Charging preparations
You should have all the charging apps installed in connection with a valid bank card before you set off. Also check that the apps have not logged you out, so you don't have to mess with passwords at the charging station. Many people experience problems registering on a charging app abroad. When I recently tried to install an app from a French charging company, I couldn't register because I didn't have a French mobile number. Nor are all solutions that accept Norwegian bank cards when you are abroad.
Charging companies and intermediaries
Of course, you don't travel abroad with an app from just one charging agent. I also recently tested an app from plug surfing – the first time at a French charging post from Eng. It didn't work well. The map in the app showed that I was at the correct charging post, but when I was going to charge, I received a message that I was not at the charging post after all. The IDs in the app also did not match what was written on the bars. plug surfing showed data for charging posts that were previously some distance away at the same rest area - but which had now been removed!
A common mistake
A reviewer claims that half of the charging points on the map in plug surfing is wrong. This probably also applies to other intermediaries. I have experienced the same type of problem with Fortum Charge and Drive at a popular Norwegian charging station. In both Germany and France, new chargers have recently arrived from charging companies I have never heard of before. It must be a challenge for the companies that provide charging contacts to keep up to date. We still need the intermediaries, because some charging stations do not have their own app offer. I also like moderator apps that allow for comments - for example electromaps og plugshare.
Need both
If you are on the move a lot, you should ensure that you have access to apps from international charging companies - not just intermediaries - both because the charging companies' own apps provide increased security (fewer errors) and because charging there can be cheaper. It may still be worth paying a little extra to be able to use an unknown charging station there er, instead of having to drive to another location just to charge from a well-known charging company.
Pay by bank card?
Although there is an EU requirement that it should be possible to pay for charging with a bank card, it is probably a long time before such solutions can be trusted. I have tried with normal cards at new charging stations in France, without success. The card is registered, but the authorization fails (time-out). My French bank card doesn't work either. I think it will take a long time before we can pay by bank card. *)
First charging customer?
Based on reviews from users, you should therefore not trust the app from plug surfing. But today I found a new charging station nearby that only existed on the map plug surfing. I went there - and sure enough - outside a local hotel two brand new 300kW charging posts were ready. They were set up last week. I chatted with the owner who was delighted to see that "his" charging station was listed on the map in a general app.
Book a hotel
I recommend booking a hotel room before you travel. We have experienced that good hotels along the road are filled up regardless of the season - either by tourists or business travelers. Finding suitable hotels requires a lot of research in advance. You can use Google Maps to find out the driving time based on the desired date and time. It is important to arrive at the hotel in good time before the reception closes for the evening. Use the booking apps to check reviews from previous guests. There are hotels that you should just drive past.
Live near the road or go into the nearest village?
It may be easier to get a place at hotels located a few kilometers off the motorway. Moreover, hotels in the villages offer more charm than the road hotels. We still prefer to stay close to the road in hotels for road users - often with chargers and parking facilities right outside. It is an indescribable feeling of happiness to see the lights of the hotel in the distance after a long day on the road in pouring rain and know that we have a room there waiting for us.
Customs and use on motorways
Germans don't like someone "occupying" a field. It doesn't matter how fast you drive, there is always someone who drives faster. If you are being overtaken by other cars, you are expected to pull over to the right if possible. It is perhaps more about custom and courtesy than about rules. It also increases the capacity of the road.
Remember "Rettungsgasse" in queues, where the cars in the left lane keep to the left and the cars in the middle lane stay to the right in their lane before stopping so that the emergency vehicles can pass freely.
On French motorways around Lyon, motorists are encouraged to regard the middle lane as a safety zone which is used to overtake or let other cars pass.
French motorways have a speed limit of 130 km/h and speed cameras have been set up along all motorways. They are small and hard to spot - and flash for the slightest infringement. If you drive a Norwegian car, it is not certain that you will receive any reminders in the post. I myself have been waiting for months - and still haven't received a letter 😉
🙂 Smiley face
- Tesla Supercharger – more than ever
- IONITY – a friend in need
- The crew at Colorline SuperSpeed
- Montra Skaga Hotel, Hirtshals
- Hotel Pfefferhôhe, Alsfeld
- VINCI aires et services
🙁 Surfing
- Fortum Charge and Drive cut foreign chargers.
- Plugsurfing with a twist in its data.
- And while you are in Germany, you can enjoy fine classics like these.
Q8 has recently installed fast chargers in Sweden and Denmark with bank card payment - and they work! Just look for Q8 with charging symbol. When will other gas stations follow, think?
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