Marte headed to Prague for the first time with the EV
Anyone travelling to Prague for a few days quickly thinks of the plane. But with a distance of 870 kilometres, the Czech capital is actually surprisingly close by. So our colleague Marte De Cremer decided to swap the plane for the EV, and drove all-electric to Prague. You can read the report of her trip here.
Destination: Prague Distance one way: 870 km Travel time: 12 hours Vehicle: BMW i4 eDrive35 Range: 430 km Stops: 5
Marte left for a week-long trip to Prague in the first week of July. And for the first time, she would be travelling in an electric vehicle. "We left in my travelling companion's BMW i4 eDrive35," says Marte. "That really is a very comfortable vehicle for long trips."
In preparation, Marte ordered an extra charging card as a back-up. "At ALD Automotive | LeasePlan, I have a Shell Recharge card. But you can very easily order a new card for yourself that allows you to charge abroad, and link it to the same account via the app." In retrospect, that spare card came in handy. "We came across a charging station here and there where my travelling companion's card didn't work. But Shell has a huge network in Europe, so my card did work."
As for the number of charging stations, the travelling duo had nothing to complain about. "Both in Germany and the Czech Republic, we very often came across fast chargers along the motorways. We travelled about 12 hours to Prague, but we made a conscious choice for that long journey time. So we made several short stops where we could get some fresh air, instead of making a few longer stops. And at noon we had an extensive lunch, longer than the loading time we needed."
Since the duo spent most of their time in the city itself, the vehicle was not recharged in Prague. "I did feel that there were fewer charging stations in the city itself than along the highways. But once you are outside the city, the charging network is really adequate. We didn't have to queue anywhere either, even though the summer holidays had already started," Marte says.
According to Marte, the EV trip is already worth repeating. "People are still a bit suspicious, but I am really convinced about electric travel. You drive more quietly and take more breaks, so you arrive at your destination less tired. And you really don't have to fear a lack of charging stations these days," it echoes. "What is important is to plan your journey well in advance via route planners that take charging stations into account. That way you know exactly where and when to charge. That does help to leave on your trip without any headaches. We toyed with the idea of just leaving and seeing along the way where and when we could charge, but I'm glad we didn't do that because otherwise I would have to calculate all the time whether we would make it to the next charging station. With good preparation, you can set off on your trip without any worries," Marte said.
Some tips from Marte:
- Plan your trip in advance so you know roughly where and when you want to load. That way you have to do less maths on the road.
- Don't let the battery of your vehicle get completely empty each time, but plan several short loading stops. That way you get out regularly to stretch your legs and stay fresher.
- Always provide a spare charging pass. I took an extra Shell Recharge pass linked to my current account. That way I could easily recharge abroad too.
