Taking your electric car on a European road trip has many benefits, ranging from lower fuel costs to reduced environmental impact. But some things could also be perceived as challenging, such as your anxiety regarding reach, charging stations and the need for planning. Therefore, we have put together a simple guide for those of you who are curious to explore a trip through Europe with an EV.
In the past meticulous planning was needed to ensure the road trip connected with the very few public charging stations that were available. Nowadays, as many European countries significantly have expanded the number of charging stations, you have more freedom to go where you want, rather than where the charging stations are. Adding to this, a wide range of apps makes it easy to find the nearest charging station, including apps like:
Even if Type 2 sockets nowadays are EU standard, you could still find the rare exception in some countries. If you do not have the Type 2 socket, you are helped by getting an adapter for your trip. If you have Type 2 connection, it could be good to add a cable for connecting to normal wall sockets, to have as a backup. It could also be good to know that having a longer cable always adds flexibility when connecting at public charging stations as they might not be perfectly designed for your car, distance wise.
While you cannot use your subscription at all charging stations, there are more and more solutions where vendors create collaborations that ensure you as a user could use more public charging stations in other countries. Check with your current vendor and see what options they offer for a European road trip.
While it could be tempting to feel the wind in your hair going down the Autobahn, it could be good to know that your speed impacts your battery consumption and higher speed also means more stops along the way.
Nowadays there are certain social codes that make life easier at public charging stations. It could for instance include not charging more than 80 percent unless you really need to, in order to speed things up for those in que. It could also mean leaving your phone number at the windshield if you leave your car while charging, so those in line behind you can reach you if something happens.
The british car site Carwow has created an index that includes the number of EV charges divided by space and population, the road network as well as how many world heritage sites a country has, and how popular it is among tourists. From this a ranking was created that could give an indication as to where you could take your next EV-trip:
The list should of course be taken with a pinch of salt, but it could offer some guidance. It could also be worth checking out the countries offering the most fast charging stations:
Regardless of where things take you this summer, we hope that you enjoy the ride!
