Elio drove to Alicante by EV in two days
Our colleague Elio Zoda already went on holiday with his EV. He drove 500 km to Germany before, and 900 km to Haute Provence. He liked that so much that this time he chose to drive 1950 km to Alicante, Spain. Although he was a bit worried about the charging network in Spain... How did his 100% electric journey go? You can read about it here.
Destination : Alicante (Spain) Outward distance : 1950 km Total distance travelled: 4800 km Travel time: 2 days (with an overnight in Bordeaux on the outward journey and an overnight in Barcelona on the return journey) Vehicle: Volvo C40 EV Normal Range WLTP range: 435 km Number of charging stops: 10 Total cost of charging: +/- 250 euro
Elio was taking a family trip to Spain with his partner and 12-year-old son Joé. As the only driver on board, Elio was behind the wheel of his Volvo C40 EV. ‘I have had this vehicle for 15 months now. I chose it because it is a Google Car that allows you to charge super fast. During the trip, I used Google and the Shell Recharge card app a lot,’ he explains.
Comfort and entertainment
In preparation for his trip, Elio researched online about the network for fast and superfast charging. This allowed him to find out how fast his vehicle could charge. He also attached great importance to comfort for his family: a roller blind for the panoramic roof, tablet and smartphone holders, travel sickness medication for his son, loose-fitting clothes, pillows and plaids to make everyone comfortable... To pass the time, our colleague had made some fun playlists and planned small games for the whole family. ‘Our favourite game is to find vehicle with the same last three numbers or letters. The first one to find five got to pick the restaurant for the evening.’
Welcome breaks
Along the way, Elio and his family stopped about 10 times. Every two hours, they took a break and recharged for 15 to 20 minutes until they were 80% charged again. In France, there was no waiting time on the outward journey. On the return journey, Elio only had to wait 15 minutes twice. ‘It's best not to travel on weekend days as it can get busy at the charging stations. I really noticed a big difference between Monday and Friday. From Friday, there are more travelers and it gets busier at the fast chargers.’
This long trip really made Elio realise that these short stops every two hours are beneficial. ‘You really have to see recharging time as rest: stretching, going to the toilet, having a drink or something to eat, cleaning the windscreen, stretching your legs for a while, playing games with the family.... I arrived at my destination without too much fatigue.’
The Spanish challenge
‘In France, the charging network is impeccable, but in Spain it's a different story,’ says Elio. Before leaving, he had some concerns about this, and those concerns proved well-founded. ‘There are very few charging stations and superchargers in Spain. Moreover, you have to get off the motorway to recharge. Except in the big cities, it is difficult to find chargers that work. Often they are damaged or don't work.’ In France, Elio only started looking for a charging station at 20% battery, while in Spain he was already worried when he had 40% left. ‘At one point I had to touch 17 charging stations before I found one that worked. I only had 4% of my battery left. What a stress!’
Definitely worth repeating
‘Despite this anecdote, my family and I enjoyed the trip,’ says Elio. ‘The Volvo C40 EV is very comfortable, especially thanks to Auto-Pilot. It accelerates and brakes by itself, recognises lane changes and so on. However, I think a vehicle with a longer range would have made the journey even more comfortable.’ Although our colleague feels that Spain is not yet ready for the full EV experience, he knows that anything is possible with a little organisation. The family is already making plans to return next spring. Again with the EV.
Elio's travel tips
- Start with short trips of 400 or 500 km to get used to the charging requirements of your EV.
- Travel during the week, that way you avoid waiting times at charging points.
- Be flexible and plan alternatives for unexpected situations, such as when chargers are not working or there are long queues.
- Use charging moments to relax for a while.
- Take several charging cards with you and find out in advance which charging points you can go to.
