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Expensive charging abroad

Posted 10/09/2024 by Terje Bjørnstad

Everyone knows that it is more expensive to charge along the road than at your own wall charger. But is it also more expensive to charge abroad? Here are some fresh numbers!

Nettavisen has written about Michelle Fjeldberg from Drammen who was on a car holiday with his family in Germany. Charging prices there were significantly higher than in Norway. Although the family eventually found out which stations they had to steer clear of, their total charging expenses ended up being NOK 4000 for 2500 km. It is more expensive than what it would have cost to drive a fossil car.

We have just arrived in the south of France after driving three days across Europe – 2747km to be exact. Our charging costs were "only" NOK 2398 - quite a bit less than what the family from Drammen had to pay. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that charging along the road costs more than you might think.

It pays to plan the trip

One of our advantages was that we drove on familiar roads. We know well which charging stations are good. "Good" charging stations are not only about price, but also about availability. A family on holiday probably doesn't mind paying extra to avoid having to take detours, or charging in a deserted field with no service offer. Increased charging costs can also be incurred if you charge via a 3rd party app that mediates charging for "all" stations. The advantage is that you can charge from unknown electricity companies, but the price can be more expensive.

I recommend planning ahead, although it can spoil the impulsiveness of a road trip. One of the joys of a car holiday is being able to drive where you want, when you want. But remember that there can be a long distance between chargers - especially fast chargers. It may also happen that the charger does not work on your car, even if the app shows that it should. We have also discovered several times that charging posts have been replaced by a different brand with different IDs than what the app shows. Not only should you know if there is a charger where you are going - you should also know at least one alternative. Then you also get the opportunity to prioritize price.

Crazy charging prices?

What to say about charging prices of NOK 11 and 12 per kW-hour?

On our trip, we mainly used Tesla Superchargers - all were also open to brands other than Tesla. Converted to Norwegian kroner, charging prices per kW hour were as follows:

4,69 in Sweden average between Kungälv and Löddeköpinge
3,25 in Denmark Middelfart.
4,75 in Germany average between Kaltenkirchen, Northeim-Nord, Reiskirchen and Herbolzheim
3,78 in France, Montélimar

A couple of days earlier we had charged at the Tesla Supercharger, Brokelandsheia in Norway for 4,15 per kW-hour. Tesla is not significantly more expensive abroad, and the prices are as expected.

Stated prices

In Nettavisen's article, Ionity was referred to as a "reasonable" alternative at NOK 7,80 per kW-hour. Reasonable compared to other stations that demanded NOK 11 and 12 for one kW-hour. According to the Ionity app, 1 kWh currently costs 6,80 euros - or NOK 8,05 at today's rate in Germany (Bruchsal and Nörten-Hardenberg). In France, the stated price is 0,6017 euros. It fits well with what we had to pay. Converted to Norwegian kroner, charging prices at Ionity were NOK 7,00 both at Lyon and in Narbonne.

In comparison, one kW-hour in Norway (Ionity Brokelandsheia) costs NOK 5,40. The prices in Germany and France are therefore higher, but not exorbitant compared to what you usually have to pay to charge along the road in Norway as well. One kW-hour at refill og Connect costs NOK 5,99.

During long-term stays in France without a home charger, we are dependent on charging on external chargers. The prices here are as follows:

6,32 Lidl (mediated via Plugsharing)
6,32 Allego (mediated via Electromaps)
5,80 Electra (7,00 between 14:00-19:00)

Stated charging prices may be "from prices". French Electra, for example, offers a lower price outside "prime time", which may also be common with other electricity suppliers. As mentioned, it can be more expensive to charge via an app from a 3rd party supplier (intermediary). On random samples from well-known charging points, I can see that "my" intermediaries operate with slightly higher prices than the electricity companies themselves state, but I am unsure whether this is because the prices are not updated or whether there are real mark-ups.

2016 Toyota Auris 1,8 VVT-i Hybrid Active S.

outlander phev — Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Hybrid

Price examples

Number of km: 2737

Car 1 – Toyota Auris hybrid

Petrol consumption 100-120 km/h: 0,55 litres/10km
Amount of fuel: 137 litres
Fuel cost: NOK 3013 *)

Car 2 – Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV hybrid

Petrol consumption 100-120 km/h: 0,75 litres/10km
Amount of petrol: 205 litres
Fuel cost: NOK 4089 *)

*) Petrol cost is calculated according to petrol prices in the countries we have driven through and distributed according to the number of miles traveled in each country.

Car 3 – Tesla Model 3

Power consumption 100-130 km/h: 19,7 kWh/100 km
Amount of electricity: 540,7 kWh
Fuel cost: NOK 2398

Conclusion

It is cheaper to drive an electric car than a fossil car through Europe, provided you have a favorable charging agreement. In our case it was Tesla. Car owners with a charging agreement with Ionity can charge more cheaply than "street customers". If we had charged at Ionity as a "straight customer", the charging costs would have been about as high as if we had driven a Toyota Auris hybrid. For us, who cross Europe 4 times a year, we would have our annual charging costs increased by approx. NOK 4000. It is significant.

Advice 1: Charging agreement can provide price advantages.
Advice 2: Use the electricity companies' own app if possible.
Advice 3: Avoid charging when electricity is most expensive.

Electra charging station with charging prices and the option to pay by bank card (not tested). Once the person, car and payment details have been registered in the app, you can "Autocharge".

Ionity's charging agreement

By paying a fixed monthly amount, you can recharge at reduced prices. Passport Motion: NOK 65/month and 3,80 per kWh.
Passport Express: NOK 136/month and 3,00 per kWh. In Germany, Ionity's monthly price is roughly the same as in Norway, but the kW hours cost respectively 5,80 and 4,60, i.e. 1,5 times more than in Norway. See Ionity

Update 07.10.2024/XNUMX/XNUMX – Cash with a Norwegian bank card

After charging for several weeks with Electra (French electricity company), I was forced to pay by bank card because the app showed "server error". So far, Electra has been the cheapest company in our local area. Prices are €0,49 per kWh outside prime time. But if you pay by card, the price is €0,59. Fair enough - and when I had charged 59,7 kWh it read NOK 410 on the display. Absolutely correct. But when I checked the account, I saw that a fee of €15 had also been deducted so that the kWh price would have been NOK 9,96! Fortunately, the fee was refunded after a couple of days. Later, in Germany paying by bank card resulted in me being charged €45 before I started charging. Later I had the excess amount refunded.

See

expensive charging — To Europe with an electric car in 2023

Nettavisen: Michelle was shocked by high prices when she charged her electric car on holiday in Germany

The petrol stations take charge of the charging

Posted 10/06/2024 by Terje Bjørnstad

Recently I had a completely new experience in connection with charging. I turned into a gas station, stopped at a charging post, "covered" the card and inserted the connector. So simple - so brilliant!

OKQ8 station on Rasta Håby in Munkedal, Sweden, is one of the company's 100 fast charging stations where you can "cover" the bank card. At our station, the charging posts were placed clearly visible in front of the entrance to the service building - not hidden away out of sight. It was all like refueling a fossil car. Why haven't any petrol stations figured this out before?

As easy as filling up with gas

It is of course nothing new to find charging stations near a petrol station. This is often done, but few petrol companies have thrown themselves into the battle to capture their own charging customers. They have let other operators operate charging stations in the station area. If they, like OKQ8, had set up their own chargers in front of the entrance to the service building, they would not only have been able to hijack customers from other charging operators - they could have been visited by nye customers who want charging to be as easy as filling up with petrol.

Charging operators can be divided into the following 3 groups:

Car manufacturers (Tesla, Ionity, Free2Move)
Power companies (Fortum, More, Kople, ABB)
Gas stations (Circle K, Uno-X, YX, Shell)

In addition, people can use general charging solutions from 3rd party operators who provide charging contacts for several operators. These are offered as member benefits through Electric car association, – as well as free through Elton, Fortum Charge & Drive, Plugshare, Plugsurfing with more.

French TotalEnergies

It looks like the petrol companies (energy companies) are in the process of strengthening their position on the charging market. The French energy company Total has installed new chargers at its stations along the main roads in France. In a few weeks, they have kicked out other operators in favor of their own charging stations - clearly visible and with card readers to be in line with new EU regulations.

Uno-X and YX

Here at home, Uno-X and YX have started to set up charging stations where, among other things, you can pay with a bank card. Norwegian oil companies are unlikely to benefit from kicking other operators out of their stations, but will probably be able to place their own charging sockets closer to the entrance to the service building where the fuel pumps are also located. It is also important to secure the card terminals against skimming and vandalism.

Circle K

Circle K have not yet managed to tighten their grip on their own charging stations. Many connect Circle K w/ Tesla og IONITY. They were early on in offering charging from other operators. In addition, they have their own chargers that are operated with the app Circle K Charge or by scanning a QR code, but no card readers. Unfortunately, the app works so poorly that the charging service appears useless to many *).

The 3rd party apps are struggling

On my way through France, Germany, Denmark and Sweden, I have seen new charging stations and that existing charging stations have gained new operators. A quick review of the charging apps unfortunately shows that many of the changes have not been updated on the maps. In several places where we have stopped to charge, I have seen that the IDs on new charging contacts do not match what the apps show. If you discover a new charging station, it is therefore not certain that it can be found on your app.

False security

Payment by card seems safer than an app, but can also give false security. Twice in the last few days I have tried to pay with local and international payment cards at French charging stations. They read the cards, but the reverse control doesn't work. Perhaps the card reader is mounted for visibility - to satisfy any EU inspectors?

Ideally, you should be able to pay at the register at the petrol station when the card readers are not working - in the same way as when you fill up with petrol and diesel. It is probably the next step in development - and a service that only petrol stations can provide. Hope they see the possibilities.

Fast charging with OKQ8

With 100 stations, OKQ8 is the largest in Sweden for super fast charging from 150 kW and up. The charge can be paid by bank card (Visa and Mastercard). The power supplier Skellefteå Kraft produces 100% renewable electricity based on wind and hydropower, as well as bioenergy. We have previously written about charging problems in Sweden. If you are driving in Sweden this summer, OKQ8 with a charging symbol are good places to take charging breaks.

*) What's wrong with Circle K Charge?

On the App Store has Circle K Charge received 135 feedbacks with an average score of 2,1 stars out of a possible 5. A search of the latest user comments clearly shows that this is by no means a good app. The expression "useless" is repeated frequently. We have installed the app on 2 mobile phones. On one, the map works, but all functions related to payment and login constantly fail with the message “We are experiencing technical problems. Please try again later." A good app would be able to provide a more in-depth description of what is wrong. On one of our other mobile phones, logging in works, but we have to pay by invoice - not card - and can't find any way to change this.

See

OKQ8.se

With an electric car to Europe this summer?

Posted 28/04/2024 by Terje Bjørnstad

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

From our trip last fall, I boasted that I could use the charging app and charging chip from Fortum Charge & Drive at my local French charging stations. Today, Fortum Charge & Drive no longer works outside of Scandinavia. On the continent their app is worthless. The same applies to Elton's app.

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.

Charging in tropical rain and storm surge - Narbonne

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.

After a long day on the road, it's good to arrive at a pre-booked room

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.

Parked above this nice Volkswagen in Soltau, Germany.

*) Update 08.06.2024

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?

See

The petrol stations take charge of the charging

Scammed via QR code on charging post

Posted 05/01/2024 by Terje Bjørnstad

At a charging station in Loiret, France, it was recently discovered that someone had pasted a fake QR code over the real QR code, leading users to a fake payment service.

No one reacted

The victims in this case experienced paying without receiving any electricity. Unfortunately, it happens all too often that apps and charging services do not work. It is actually so common that many do not react. They go to the next charging post - or drive on to the next charging point. That is what the victims of the fraud in France did. Most people who experience this will think:

- Does this apply to everyone, or just me? Maybe it's the wrong chip, the wrong app, the wrong password, the wrong phone, the wrong car, or maybe just a temporary error on the charging post?

The fraudsters in France had ensured that only small amounts were withdrawn, the size of what normal charging sessions cost. This contributed to no one reacting. Therefore, the fraud could continue over time.

A new skimming method?

Charging stations with QR open up a new type of fraud. If you end up on a payment page, no one raises an eyebrow that a bank ID is required, which can give fraudsters the opportunity to withdraw larger amounts. This type of fraud is similar to the skimming of cards that were previously used at ATM terminals, but is easier to carry out. Furthermore, there are now far more charging stations than ATMs. It will only be a matter of time before this appears in Norway.

Card terminals and skimming

In Norway, a requirement applies that charging stations ordered after 1 July 2023 must be able to accept card payments. I am not sure whether payment solutions via QR code apply as card payment. I'm not sure about one either physical card payment with a card reader or "tagging" will be more secure than QR. Unfortunately, the location of many charging stations provides good working conditions for a new generation of "skimmers". While the payment terminals for fuel pumps is well protected under cover in supervised places, located the charging stations often off the beaten track - often with little visibility from the outside.

Be critical of the site

Before using the QR code, you should check that the information on the charging post looks real. Check that the QR code leads you to a page that can be linked to the charging company or a known payment service such as Nets, Vipps or PayPal. I myself have stood at a Spanish charging station and paid via Net's payment solution with a bank ID. I wouldn't have dared to pay if I didn't recognize the payment image from Nets.

- Doesn't everyone use an app, then?

Use of a QR code – or bank card when the time comes – are solutions that do not require a valid app to be installed for the charging point in question. If you stand at the charging station without an app, it will be faster to scan the QR code than to install the app. If you are in one of our neighboring countries, it may be that the app does not accept Norwegian bank cards, or that you cannot be verified as Norwegian bank ID from abroad.

An app or chip with pre-stored payment information is probably more secure than QR codes and card readers. Unfortunately, the app and chip do not always work as expected. Most people have probably ended up in such a situation. It happened to me a couple of days ago.

The QR code can be good to have

A perfectly normal evening - dark and cold at a busy charging station from Wed. The app from Fortum Charge & Go showed the post I was standing at, but the chip didn't work. Wrong piece? I tried to start charging from the app instead, but the IDs on the contacts did not match those listed in the app. Wrong app? If I remember correctly, there was another charging company here before - that is, before Wed took over. Okay, so I went into the app from instead Wed, which showed correct IDs on the contacts - except the one I was standing in front of - the only one available. The pole had two sides - one side was out of order - fault in terminal? - while the display on the other side showed that everything should be ok. Nevertheless, no contacts on the bar were shown in the app. Error in the app? The last solution could then have been to use the QR code as at Wed gives access to a solution with Vipps. I chose instead to drive on to the next charging station.

My point is that the solution of scanning a QR code can be good to have when other solutions fail. Then you are irritated and a little impatient - exactly what the scammers want - helped by the fact that errors can always occur at charging stations.

See

Midilibre.fr – Attention à l'arnaque au QR Code

The best highway?

Posted 22/10/2023 by Terje Bjørnstad

motorway — On the highway. Photo: lembit/Depositphotos.com

If you are going to drive through Europe, motorways apply. I have rolled the dice over motorways through 6 different countries - and have chosen a winner!

A freeway, is a freeway, is a…

We had a nice trip this time too. Three days on the motorway went like a dream, thanks to the motorways, the service offers along the road and the other road users. The motorways do not only consist of vei, but is also an international "community" that supplies everything that road travelers from all corners of Europe need on their journey. That's why I think that if you've seen one motorway, you've seen them all.

But are all roads equally good?

We have driven the AP7 in Spain from Barcelona to France. Then A9, A7, A6 and A36 via Lyon to Alsace, Bundesautobahn 5 and 7 through Germany via Hanover to Denmark, then E45 and E20 over the Øresund Bridge and E6 through Sweden to Oslo.

Road standard

The roads in Spain and France are part of Vinci Autoroutes. In Spain the motorways are tolled and free, while it cost €80 to drive through France. The road standard in Spain is good, but some sections of the road seem undersized in relation to the speed limit of 120 km/h. In France, the road standard is excellent and can easily withstand 130 km/h.

In Germany, on the other hand, the maintenance of the roads seems to have been neglected for many years. They are simply so bad that I was afraid that the tires would be destroyed. Road works are taking place "all over the place" and they are unlikely to be finished for several decades. Dilapidated 4-lane roads with tight on-ramps and exits bear little resemblance to what one would expect from class A motorways.

The roads in Sweden receive top scores - not only for the road standard, but also for how they are laid out in the landscape. The roads in Denmark are surrounded by vegetation and earth embankments. Although the standard is good, it is boring that you cannot follow the surrounding landscape.

The Øresund Bridge. Photo: hansenn/Depositphotos.com — The Great Belt Bridge. Photo: hansenn/Depositphotos.com

Service offer

You should not need to leave the motorway system to refuel, charge, top up air, eat or visit a toilet. In Germany, you are continuously notified of how far it is both to the next and subsequent service station. In France we paid tolls, but in return could use very good and safe service points along the road, including good toilets. Since Spain no longer charges tolls, we are unsure whether the service offer in Spain will be maintained. We experience that Circle K charges to use the toilets in Denmark and Sweden. The rest areas are centered around Circle K and Q8 stations. In Sweden, the Swedish Transport Administration has established nice rest areas with free toilets.

Charging options

Had we made the same journey 4 months ago, we would have argued that France was not suitable for electric cars. Today the situation is completely different. All the charging stations we have visited - Tesla and others - have been established during the last 4 months - several with the option to pay by bank card. The Tesla chargers are located outside the motorway system. Although they are cheaper, we preferred fast chargers located within the toll booths.

We had expected that the development of charging stations in Germany would have progressed further. We found older chargers that could barely cover the demand on a normal weekday in October. In both France and Germany, service points with charging stations were marked from the road with their own charging symbols. Signage of charging stations was not as well implemented in the Nordic countries. It is important that there are signs for the charging stations along the road, so you don't have to search on a screen while driving. In Sweden, it was possible to observe the charging stations from the motorway in several places.

Driving culture

On the continent, you are expected to keep to the right on motorways and use the lanes on the left for overtaking. In Germany, you are expected to pull over to the right - if possible - if you are overtaken by another vehicle. That way you undoubtedly get more cars through the motorway at the same time - especially on sections with free speed.

In France, many people drive in "jerks and nibbles". They give full throttle when they "throw" the car out to drive past - and reduce speed just as suddenly after they have pulled in to the right. Both parts create unrest in the traffic picture, and inhibit the flow of traffic.

In the Nordic countries, the principle of lining up on the right is not followed as strictly. In Norway, many people choose to drive in the left lane over long distances, despite the fact that the traffic behind wants to pass. Seen from Norwegian eyes, this is normal - "the road is free for all". Seen with continental eyes, on the other hand, it seems arrogant that one motorist chooses to block other road users from passing, and I can clearly see how this inhibits the capacity of the motorway. Danes and Swedes are generally better at changing lanes without disrupting the flow of traffic.

On German motorways we saw several times grown men in expensive fast cars driving at "free speed", closely followed by young people in older cars. It was clear they were racing. Shouldn't adults show responsibility towards the youngest road users?

Country	ES	FR	DE	DK	SE	DO NOT
Road standard
Service offer
Charging options
Driving culture
Total	17	21	13	18	22	18

Sweden wins on good roads and skilled drivers. France ends up in 2nd place. We love the motorways and the new charging stations, but many French drivers have trouble keeping the flow. Norway and Denmark end up in shared 3rd place. The Danes have a better driving culture than the Norwegians, but lose something at hidden and poorly signposted service stations and the charging options along the road are not quite on par with Norway. Spain comes in second last place due to few charging options. Germany is beautiful, especially to the south, but the roads are worn and some Germans drive recklessly fast. All the accidents we saw on the road happened in Germany.

A couple of tips

Rescue alley
I don't think anyone can drive through Germany without experiencing a traffic jam. You are then obliged to ensure that emergency vehicles have clear passage. That passage is created between the two lanes furthest to the left, which means that the cars in the left lane lay well to the left before stopping, and that the cars on the right squeeze together towards the right. This worked fine. If there is a queue on the motorway, an emergency vehicle will often pass by.

The bypass north of Gothenburg
As is well known, part of E6 disappeared in the quick clay landslide in Stenungssund north of Gothenburg. If you are coming from the south, traffic will be signposted onto E45 towards Karlstad, with exit at Lilla Edet to E6 at Ljungskile south of Hogstorp. The detour steals neither time nor kilometres, but if you drive an electric car, you should be on your guard as there are no charging options until you get back down to the E6. You can choose to drive north as normal with a local detour around the slide.

Accommodation no. 1. Highway Hotel, Herbolzheim. Source: Google Maps

Accommodation no. 2. Hotel Kryb i ly Kro, Fredricia. Source: Google Maps

See

To Europe with an electric car in 2023

Posted 25/08/2023 by Terje Bjørnstad

I have great respect for the electric car pioneers who went down to Europe ten years ago. It must have been exciting to arrive at the town's only charging station and find that it was out of order. That makes good stories. Many of the stories are still out there online and can scare people away. A lot has happened in the last year alone. Everyone can travel with an electric car in Europe, although not entirely without challenges. It may be a good idea to prepare in advance.

Convenient with large charging stations

We are a husband and wife with a dog who recently went by electric car to our little house not far from Perpignan in France. Although we drive a Tesla, the post is not only about Tesla. Large parts of Tesla's charging network can now also serve other car brands. If you have the opportunity, you should register your car in the Tesla app. Not because it is necessary, but because it is convenient to know that you can arrive at charging stations with over 20 terminals. You rarely have to wait - and if so, hardly more than 5-10 minutes. Other players, such as IONITY, have a good spread, but there are fewer terminals at each location.

Preparations

Apps are an important part of the preparations. It is not as easy to arrange such things when you are standing in front of a charging terminal in a foreign country. If you have the "right" charging chip, you can get through the whole of Europe with one chip or one app. The Electric Vehicle Association and NAF have such chips. I have a chip from Recharge (Fortum Charge & Go) which also covers IONITY and many - to me - completely unknown charging operators in Germany, France and Spain. Not only are the main roads covered, but I can charge locally in our little town too. But just to be safe, you should have multiple options in case the payment solution for one app is down. IONITY and E.ON are good alternatives for the whole of Europe.

If you depend on a well-developed charging network, it is also important to have mapped the travel routes – not just one route, but also be prepared for alternative routes. Our main route went through Hamburg, Hannover and Frankfurt. If we had chosen to drive via Luxembourg to France, the distance between the charging stations would have been greater. No problem for today's electric cars, but I fear that large distances between charging stations create charging queues during the holiday season. By checking the charging map for various operators, you can quickly find the driving routes with the best coverage.

Ferry or Sweden?

Part of the planning is finding out which ferry to take, or whether to drive through Sweden. With the Kielfergen, you start in Germany and can drive across the country in one day, provided you have the time and money to spend almost a day on the boat. DFDS from Oslo arrives in Fredrikshavn around midnight and then you either have to take in an accommodation or bet that the driver has had enough sleep during the voyage. The Larvik-Fredrikshavn ferry departs at 08.00 and 12.00 and arrives after approx. 4 hours. The advantage of ferries is that you don't have to spend as many hours in the car.

Sweden

We chose to drive through Sweden. Do you live in Oslo and start at 8, you can arrive in Southern Denmark at approximately the same time as you would have arrived with the boat that leaves Larvik at 12. Our reason for driving was that we would feel bound by having a "mammadalt" dog on the boat. Also, it feels liberating not to be bound by departure times either. The trip through Sweden went well. We loaded up in Kungälv, but took the lunch break in Falkenberg. Our next stop was Löddeköpinge in Scania. It was very busy at the Tesla station there and you could only charge up to 80%. To make sure we got to the last stop of the day, we chose to top up at E.On right next door while eating ice cream.

Sweden has good charging networks near service centers with easy access from the E6. The charging terminals were clearly visible.

Denmark

Did you know that AutoPass tags also work on the Øresund Bridge and the Storebælt Bridge? We have a toll subscription without a tag, but on the occasion of the trip over the Danish bridges we had found an old AutoPass tag. I optimistically held it up to the windscreen in front of the barrier in the "Biz field" to the Øresund Bridge - but the barrier would not budge. A nice guard came to our rescue and scanned the code on the chip - and found that it was blocked. Fortunately, we were able to pay on the spot and didn't have to back up to choose another hatch - which the cars behind us probably appreciated.

My wife revealed that crossing the Øresund Bridge had been on her "bucket list" for a long time. The bridge is a fantastic piece of construction, but the main road through Zealand and Funen is, in return, terribly boring. The only thing we saw was the road. What the world looked like behind the bushes, we could only guess by studying the map on the screen.

Germany

After spending the night at Comwell Middelfart, we entered Germany. We hadn't booked a hotel in advance, but I had set my sights on a hotel in Herbolzheim just before Freiburg. When we arrived there in the evening, the hotel was unfortunately full. In the last week of the holiday season in Germany, many were out on the same errand. What were we supposed to do? Drive on, or try to find another hotel?

The main roads in Germany are well developed with rest areas and service points, where you can also charge from local - and unknown to me - charging stations, but the large Tesla charging stations are located in places without service facilities. This meant that we stopped more times than we strictly needed - once to charge and once to eat, drink and stretch our legs. If I had wanted, I could have charged at almost all the stations that were located at the service points with the code tag from Recharge, but I noticed that these chargers were widely used by other car brands, so I thought to myself that "you who have a Tesla, can well charge in a quieter place”. What's more, the electricity is cheapest at Tesla. Back home, we will probably make more use of local electricity companies.

Driving at night

With holiday time and full hotels in the border area between Switzerland, Germany and France, we found that we might as well drive on into nocturnal France. Driving at night has several advantages. There are fewer cars - and a greater proportion of steady drivers, so that you can drive efficiently on cruise control. Driving on French motorways costs money. The trip from Mulhouse to the exit just before the border with Spain cost us €80 (NOK 925) but is worth every penny. Not just offers Vinci Autoroutes the best roads, but also good night-time service offers where you can relax before driving on. At night, I think it is important to take breaks at least once an hour to feel the body whether it is safe to continue driving.

In France, as in Germany, you rarely find Tesla chargers at the 24-hour rest areas. In France, we experienced finding brand new chargers in rather secluded places. In the darkness of the night, they became even more secluded, because in many places the street lights are switched off after midnight. A couple of times we had to take detours, and soon found out that when maneuvering in tight urban areas, you have to drive at a snail's pace so that the navigation system has time to update itself. It's an advantage to have two - one to drive and one to scout for hidden charging stations. It's almost like a game - Find the charging station!

toilets

Toilets are important welfare when you are on the road. We were disappointed by the McDonalds along the main thoroughfare. Bad food and wretched sanitary conditions throughout Europe. When we chose a McDonalds restaurant a couple of km outside the motorway system, the quality increased considerably. We are also left with the impression that organized rest areas with joint service offers (Serways and Vinci) generally have good sanitary conditions.

Beware of heat wave

In Europe, there is now a heat wave. This can result in shorter ranges, although we didn't notice anything about that since we had the ventilation system on right from the start in Denmark - also for the dog when he had to be alone in the car. A negative experience was that the windscreen cracked a few hours after we arrived. Perhaps it was not very smart to park a car with a cooled compartment in the scorching sun when the thermometer approached 40 degrees.

A positive experience is that the charging chip from Recharge (Fortum Charge & Go) works at the local charging stations here.

Power Dot is available in Spain, France and Belgium, but can be used with a charging chip from Recharge

See

E.ON — Rechargeable roads with induction

nine norway — NIO changes batteries in 3 minutes

Rechargeable roads with induction

Posted 06/03/2022 by Terje Bjørnstad

Many cars now offer wireless charging of mobile phones. If I place my mobile phone over the center console of the Tesla, it charges without physical contact with the power source. It works the same way when I charge the electric toothbrush. It is set up on a charger where you can easily spill water and toothpaste without anything shorting out.

The concept also works for charging electric cars

It is being tested in several places at the moment. In Haakon VIIs gate in Oslo, Norgestaxis has its own wireless charging stations. It is a project in collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover. The cars used are Jaguar I-Pace adapted for induction charging. In Gothenburg, a similar project is run with the Volvo XC-40 Recharge from Cabonline taxi. The project is a collaboration between Volvo Bil, Volvo Car Sörred, Vattenfall, inCharge and Göteborg Energi. The cars included in the program are in use more than 12 hours per day and drive 100 km a year. Not only do you get to test the charging system, but also the Volvos.

Rechargeable roads

Induction charging also opens up possibilities for building rechargeable roads. On Gotland, there is currently a 1,6 km long rechargeable road between the center of Visby and the airport where an electric-powered bus runs regularly. It is a project run by Smartroad Gotland together with the Israeli technology company Electreon. The project is financed by the Swedish Transport Administration. Several countries are studying the experiences from Gotland. A similar project is to be built in Detroit, where Ford is involved. There are many people who are skeptical about rechargeable roads, including how they cope with snow, ice, salt and plowing. So far, the road on Gotland seems to have worked well since it was put into operation in October last year.

Builds little in height

The solution from Electreon is based on copper loops under the road. They only build 8 cm, so no structural changes to the foundation are needed. According to the manufacturer, the electric loops do not pose any risk to people - neither inside the vehicles nor along the road.

Creates green lungs in the cities

Although the technology for rechargeable roads exists, a number of unsolved questions remain with regard to larger developments. How will the developments be financed? Who will pay? - And how should the fee be calculated? One solution is via tolls, where electric cars with induction charging options pay a higher rate than other cars. Currently, rechargeable streets can be a natural part of green, emission-free areas that are being introduced in several cities down in Europe. Then hybrid cars equipped with induction chargers can also be admitted in line with zero-emission vehicles.

Goes a long way on a small battery pack

Rechargeable roads can mean a flourishing of rechargeable hybrid cars and electric cars with small battery packs. Not everyone wants - or can afford - to buy large electric SUVs of 2,5 tonnes - at least not in Southern Europe. Fiat (Stellantis) has a collaboration with Electreon where they test rechargeable roads both on a truck train and an electric Fiat 500. Another thing that speaks for rechargeable roads is that few car owners have their own garage and home charger in the big cities.

No new idea

Many people think that electric cars are a recent invention. The fact is that several car manufacturers built electric cars already in the car's infancy in the 1900th century. Petrol was expensive and pollution was an issue even then. Anders de Lange recently sent me a 1920 paper presenting ideas from the British scientist Archibald Low. Dr. Low researched wireless communication, including TV signals and wireless remote control. He built the first remote-controlled drone in the world. Another of Low's ideas was electric cars that could capture electricity from wireless power fields – a predecessor to today's rechargeable roads (see main image).

I think that Dr. Low's solution would hardly be harmless to the people inside the vehicles - at least not in terms of electromagnetic radiation. What strikes me, however, is how elegant today's cars could have been if electric car technology had taken over in the early 1900th century.

Thumbs up for cigar shaped cars.

Sources

Archibald Low on Wikipedia

Smartroad Gotland

Electron

See

delivery time — Charging complications in Sweden

Temperature control of electric car batteries — Active battery cooling?

NIO changes batteries in 3 minutes

Posted 21/03/2021 by Terje Bjørnstad

3 months ago we wrote about the Chinese car brand NIO, which is shooting up the Chinese sales charts. We then wrote that the brand had no Norwegian representative. Now they have - NIO Norway.

The automobile industry in China has a huge domestic market. So big that Western car manufacturers have established their own factories for the Chinese market, and of course there are many Chinese brands we have barely heard of here at home, which produce cars at high speed to meet domestic demand. China has introduced a "New Energy" program to stimulate the production of zero-emission cars. This has provided good conditions for the development of models that are also interesting for Norway.

Chinese cars at full speed to Norway

For now, it seems that it is Chinese MG, XPeng, BYD and Maxus that have gained a hold on the buyers. The model series DFSK and Seres from Dongeng-Sokon will soon be sold through the Gill/Subaru chain. RøhneSelmer was relevant for a while as a dealer, but seems to have withdrawn. The former luxury car brand Hongqi is in the process of establishing car sales in Norway. NIO is currently the last brand to have a Norwegian representative.

boy es6 — The NIO ES6 is an electric SUV with 4-wheel drive and a large battery pack

NIO Norway

The company was registered earlier this month (March 2021). The general manager is Marius Hayler who until recently was general manager of BC Norway - importer of Jaguar and Land Rover. Considering the success of the Jaguar I-Pace, it's safe to say that Hayler has succeeded in bringing an electric car outsider high up the sales charts. NIO Norway is currently a newly started small company apparently subject to a European umbrella organisation. But NIO Norway is not without importance. According to press reports, it is Norway that has been designated as NIO's first export market. It is currently uncertain how the company will organize marketing, sales and follow-up.

NIO Norway on Facebook

Leading battery technology

Last year, NIO came out with the model ES6. This year, a larger model, the ES8, has been launched. Both can be delivered with either a 70 kw or 100 kw battery – on par with Tesla's largest battery. NIO has announced that it plans to launch a 150 kw "solid state" battery in Q4 2022 for its new self-driving "Tesla-killer" ET7. Car owners with 70 and 100 kW batteries will be able to upgrade their cars with the new super battery. If this is true, NIO will be one of the very first to offer "solid state" battery technology - and the first electric car manufacturer to make it possible to upgrade battery packs.

Battery change in 3 minutes

Many electric car manufacturers have talked about upgrading battery packs - but so far this has been science fiction. NIO has made it possible to change batteries in a short time. In China there are 145 drive-in stations where NIO owners can change the battery pack in 3 minutes! The service is designed as an alternative to fast charging. Instead of waiting 20-30 minutes to charge, you can drive on with a fully charged battery after 3 minutes. According to NIO's own video, everything happens automatically, but in reality some manual work is required. For example, you may not reverse the car yourself into the exchange station. Admittedly, there is one machine which unscrews the battery, but in the video below you can clearly see a man in the background controlling a lever or similar. The switch itself takes 3 minutes, provided there is no one in front of you in the queue - and provided the station has fully charged batteries available. Each station can only have 14 battery packs inside at the same time. In practice, there can sometimes be long waiting times for this service.

Hardly for Norway

Changing batteries "on the go" is hardly something you should do unless you don't leier battery packs. Who wants to replace the battery pack from their new car to continue driving with the battery pack from a 2 year old taxi? Renault is one of the car manufacturers that has come the furthest in offering battery rental. It is available in the rest of Europe, but not in Norway. We prefer to hey - not rent.

Extended service offer in China

Like Tesla, NIO offers free roadside charging via its own charging network. They can build that up in Norway as well. But one of the offers that is unlikely to be implemented in Norway is a mobile charging service where car owners can order charging via one touch of a button regardless of where they are. Then the electricity is supplied from a van - one electric van of course. Another service is "24/7 On-Call Valet Charging", where someone will pick up the car and return it with a fully charged battery. With the well-developed charging networks we have in Norway, it is difficult to see any need for anything other than self-service charging stations.

It will be interesting to follow the development in NIO. Maybe in two years we can buy premium electric cars with "solid state" battery technology and a range of 1000 km?

Facts

NIO ES6 100 kw
Range converted to WLTP: 480-520 km
Range NEDC: 610 km
544 HK
0-100: 4,7 sec.

NIO ES8 100 kw
Range converted to WLTP: 460-500 km
Range NEDC: 580 km
544 HK
0-100: 4,9 sec.

See

electric cars from china — The Chinese are coming!

Can the electric car benefits finance the electric car?

Posted 18/11/2020 by Terje Bjørnstad

If you take into account what you can save by driving an electric car, you can service a higher car loan. Read how much!

-Everything is free. Only car loan to pay.

I chatted with a satisfied Tesla Model 3 owner here the other day. He charged at work. Free. And with no tolls to speak of, only car loans took money from the account. When I was going to finance my own Tesla a couple of days later, the amount of 118 appeared on Tesla's website. It was an accumulated estimate of how much extra debt I could service over the next three years by choosing a Tesla over a fossil car.

A subsidy of the car loan

The idea is interesting. If you take all the financial benefits of driving an electric car, how much extra debt can you service? Be aware that the electric car benefits are assessed and adjusted on an ongoing basis. The advantages of electric cars are mainly linked to electricity prices and tolls. Political changes can therefore affect the calculations drastically.

The rates for tolls are surprising

If you live in Bærum and work in Oslo, you have to pay a total of 66,80 per day to drive a petrol or hybrid car during rush hour. Annually – 47 weeks – is 15. With an electric car, the fee is 698 – a saving of well over 5 just for driving to and from work.

If you live a little further away, for example in Lørenskog, and work at Fornebu, you have to pay 89,60 per day to drive a petrol or hybrid car during rush hour. Annual expense - 47 weeks - is 21. With an electric car, the fee is 056 - a saving of 7.

Far from free to charge

If you have the opportunity to charge for free at work, you have a very good argument for choosing an electric car. It costs money to charge, even if you have your own wall charger. Tesla's Supercharger costs about the same as you would have paid for your own electricity. Charging from other charging stations such as Fortum og Green Contact, gives a cost per kilometer that is as high – or higher – than an equivalent petrol or hybrid car. But such charging stations can be good to have when you're on a trip in areas full of pigs.

Cheapest to charge at home

We have just driven 3000 km with the Tesla and charged a total of 600 kwh at various charging stations. It cost us NOK 1. If we had charged everything on our own wall charger, the total would have been 250 (based on current electricity prices). If we had unilaterally relied on Tesla's Supercharger, we would have been charged for approximately NOK 900 (based on our own charging sessions). With Green Contact the best price would have been 1. As a regular "straight customer", the kilometers cost more than it would have cost to have driven with petrol or diesel. Several of our external charging sessions have been unnecessary. We could have charged more at home. A more realistic charging cost will therefore be NOK 740.

New cars use little petrol

If we compare with a new petrol or hybrid car, the average consumption (city and 110 km/h motorway) is between 0,5 and 0,7 liters per mile. With a petrol price of NOK 14,66, we would have had petrol expenses of between NOK 2 and 200 to cover the same distance (3 km). The difference between petrol and electricity will then end up between NOK 078 and 3000. Converted to annual mileage, the savings are as follows:
20 km: NOK 000 – 8
30 km: NOK 000 – 12

Other savings

The annual fee

It is independent of mileage and is paid through the insurance. For petrol and hybrid cars, it is NOK 8,12 per day. Electric cars get away with NOK 0.

Parking

Previously, there was free parking for electric cars in municipal spaces, but several municipalities now charge a fee for electric cars as well. In Oslo, electric cars have to pay to park in resident parking, but the price is much lower than for fossil cars. Electric vans are free.

Service

Service on electric cars is generally cheaper than on fossil cars. But the service prices vary quite a lot between different brands. It is more expensive to service an Audi than a Toyota. It's like comparing a lobster and a canary. Comparison only works when the same model is delivered in both petrol and electric versions. Anyway, who should you compare new electric car brands against - such as Tesla, Polestar, MG, Xpeng and Byd?

Practical calculation examples

Example 1 – Non-peak hours
We have started from our own car use with normal, local driving in Oslo outside of rush hour, occasional driving between other cities in Eastern Norway, as well as a trip to the cabin approximately every 3 weeks. A total of 16000 km a year.

Example 2 – Rush hour in and out of Oslo
Building on example 1, with the addition of driving to and from work between neighboring municipalities and Oslo. Annual km length has been increased to 20000 km.

Example 3 – Rush hour through Oslo
Also builds on example 1. But now the owner lives on one side of Oslo (for example Lørenskog) and works on the other side (for example Fornebu) - and drives during rush hour. Annual km length has been increased to 30.

You can borrow so much more if you choose an electric car rather than a petrol or hybrid car.

Example 1 - Non-peak hours - 16 km





Årlig besparelse
Årsavgift
Drivstoff
Bomavgift
Total


Elbil vs hybridbil
2963
6400
8938
18301


Elbil vs bensinbil
2963
10600
8938
22501

Årlig besparelse	Årsavgift	Drivstoff	Bomavgift	Total
Elbil vs hybridbil	2963	6400	8938	18301
Elbil vs bensinbil	2963	10600	8938	22501

I forhold til hybrid car can the electric car benefits serve an addition to the car loan of 45 over 000 years - or 3 over 75 years. Relative to petrol car can the benefits serve an addition to the car loan of 57 over 000 years - or 3 over 90 years. DnB car loan at 000% cash and 5% nominal interest on Tax deductions for interest expenses are not included in the calculation.

Example 2 – Rush hour in and out of Oslo – 20 km





Årlige besparelse
Årsavgift
Drivstoff
Bomavgift
Total


Elbil vs hybridbil
2963
8000
18996
29959


Elbil vs bensinbil
2963
13300
18996
35259

Årlige besparelse	Årsavgift	Drivstoff	Bomavgift	Total
Elbil vs hybridbil	2963	8000	18996	29959
Elbil vs bensinbil	2963	13300	18996	35259

I forhold til hybrid car can the electric car benefits serve an addition to the car loan of 77 over 000 years - or 3 over 120 years. Relative to petrol car can the benefits serve an addition to the car loan of 93 over 000 years - or 3 over 150 years. DnB car loan at 000% cash and 5% nominal interest on Tax deductions for interest expenses are not included in the calculation.

Example 3 – Rush hour through Oslo – 30 km





Årlig besparelse
Årsavgift
Drivstoff
Bomavgift
Total


Elbil vs hybridbil
2963
12000
22474
37437


Elbil vs bensinbil
2963
20000
22474
45437

Årlig besparelse	Årsavgift	Drivstoff	Bomavgift	Total
Elbil vs hybridbil	2963	12000	22474	37437
Elbil vs bensinbil	2963	20000	22474	45437

I forhold til hybrid car can the electric car benefits serve an addition to the car loan of 100 over 000 years - or 3 over 160 years. Relative to petrol car can the benefits serve an addition to the car loan of 120 over 000 years - or 3 over 190 years. DnB car loan at 000% cash and 5% nominal interest on Tax deductions for interest expenses are not included in the calculation.

Conclusion

The calculations explain why expensive cars such as Tesla, Audi e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQC sell so well. Favorable "green" financing packages with 0% equity have also contributed to the good sales - and that many buyers may have "stretched the rope" a little longer. In any case, the vehicle park has changed considerably. Why buy a Ford Mondeo when the electric car benefits finance the price difference up to the Audi e-tron?

Do not take out a higher loan than you can service - and never more than the car's real sale value!

Sources – costs and car loans

Fjellijn's toll calculator
Skatteetaten.no about traffic tax insurance
DnB car loan calculator