Around the world in 80 days (well across Europe in a day or two in an Electric Vehicle)

Having taken delivery of a new VW ID. Buzz a couple of months ago it has now completed its first big trip. I felt compelled to write something about the experience given the amount of column inches devoted to the subject in the popular press.

Perhaps not unsurprisingly I was somewhat apprehensive about embarking on 2,000 km round trip from the Farnham in the UK to Helmstedt in Lower Saxony (a town that used to be on the old border between West and East Germany) to spend Christmas with family. This is a trip we have done many times before; most recently always in a VW Caravelle diesel which had something close to a 500 mile range on a full tank. It involves crossing parts of France, Belgium and the Netherlands before braving the autobahn.

Working in the clean / climate tech sector I naturally have a keen interest in Electric Vehicles (EVs) and was a very early adopter. In addition to the ID. Buzz there is also a Volvo XC40 Recharge in the family (the successor to two Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicles - PHEVs - a V60 and XC60). Neither of our two fully electric cars has ventured far beyond their circa 200 mile range in the past and only ever in the UK. So a long trip across the continent was always going to be an interesting test. One hears of EV owners saying they have driven all over Europe and not had any issues, usually caveated by something along the lines of 'you just need to plan ahead and adopt a more flexible approach'.

I'm very much a planner (albeit often disillusioned) and tried to do some homework. I had already downloaded a few obvious apps for EV route planning (notably Zap Map and Plugsurfing) plus a few proprietary apps for different charging networks (Pod Point, ShellRecharge and BP Pulse) that I had thought might be useful in the UK. I then tried looking on the internet to see if there were any recommended websites for planning longer distance trips across Europe. Unfortunately I didn't find anything terribly helpful. Google Maps (my go to route planner) does enable you to include EV charging options on a particular route. However, my point on a 'flexible approach' really is critical to the experience. There are almost too many options. The ID. Buzz itself does have a fairly comprehensive navigation system which, crucially, takes into account the range of the vehicle and the time it takes to charge at different locations. Plugsufring and some of the proprietary apps also have navigation features. However, I'm a grumpy 55 year old man that needs reading glasses. Why do I have to do everything on a tiny mobile phone screen or while sitting in the car?!

I meet a huge number of clean tech focused VCs, most of whom hate hardware / deep tech and prefer investing in software based solutions. If ever there was a gap in the market it is for EV charging infrastructure aggregation and route planning tools. Here's why....

Despite best endeavours to be prepared, I wasn't! Having downloaded the Tesla and Ionity apps (and added payment details linked to my credit card) I thought I had a good chance of being able to get to our overnight stop near to Dusseldorf (we would normally do the trip in one day, but due to various engagements couldn't leave home until around midday). My initial goal was to recharge at the Eurotunnel in Folkestone. Thank goodness Tesla opened up its network to all. I had done my homework and knew there was a reasonably good chance I would upset some Tesla drivers. In its wisdom VW decided to put its charge point on the opposite side to Tesla and because Tesla originally only ever intended its chargers to be used with Teslas the short charging cable and configuration is such that a car with its charging port in a different spot has to use up effectively two charging spots. Mindful of this I managed to park in a non-EV spot adjacent to the Tesla superchargers meaning I wouldn't take out two Tesla spaces. All of the non-Tesla chargers were in the process of being replaced (or not) and were effectively out of use. Luckily the Tesla already tethered to the charger I wanted to use was just finishing. One of the aspects of driving an EV is undoubtedly the camaraderie of owners as they navigate the ups and downs of long distance EV travel - so I had a very nice chat with the Dutch gentleman on his way back to Amsterdam (he reckoned he would need one more charge to get home). Suffice to say the Tesla app is really excellent and the chargers are genuinely fast. Having gone to the loo, had something to eat and charged up to 80% (all EVs charge much slower the closer the get to being fully charged and all the recommendations are to charge only to 80% - beware of having to pay extra if you go over a time limit - this is done to encourage users to be thoughtful and not hog a charging bay others may need). Interestingly while at Folkestone another non-Tesla came along and was able to park in the bay intended for the charger I was using and he could then use the adjacent charger which again prevented a Tesla driver from using it, but at least he didn't also take up two spots. Now that Tesla has opened its network to others perhaps it might reconsider the length of cable as I observe other networks have done, adding flexibility irrespective of where a vehicle's charging port is located.

So having a reasonably good range we boarded the train and were deposited in Calais in short order. From this point on we were winging it. The VW navigation system in the car alerted us that we would not reach our destination without a charge (which we knew) and automatically suggested a charging point (going with the suggestions means that the car can plan ahead and pre-condition the battery ahead of the charge starting). The suggestions are based on theoretical range and I'm not sure take into account things like temperature, time of day, driving style / speed etc. Over the course of the journey I did keep wondering if there was an optimal trade off between speed of driving and the number of stops and time required to recharge - the EV version of the tortoise and the hare. In addition to VW's calculations / recommendations I was also checking the Plugsurfing app (forget Zap Map - it only covers the UK) which in theory contains a more comprehensive list of charging options and even has some useful filters to rule out slow chargers (the filters could be enhanced to add favourite networks or chargers that are located immediately on the motorway or next to toilets / cafes). Some of the proprietary apps have similar functionality and some add in the ability to specify which EV you are driving, but again any estimates will be just that and won't necessarily reflect conditions on the day. The ID. Buzz has pretty much the same drag coefficient as a wardrobe and was loaded up with kids, dogs and luggage. It was reasonably cold with very wet and windy conditions and most of the journey so far was in the dark. So we had to find somewhere to charge in Belgium. The car told us there was a fast charging point somewhere just off the motorway. We followed the directions to a slightly dodgy industrial estate and located what looked like a fairly new charger (with no other cars or anyone else around). This was the first experience of trying to figure out an unknown network. There were no obvious instructions on the charger and searching the internet for a website or an app come up blank. We decided to move on and quickly located another rapid charger at a Totale Energies service station that was also off the beaten track. As I nearly caught pneumonia trying to figure out how to start the charge a Polestar pulled up in the next bay and proceeded to charge in just a few seconds. I eventually managed to get on to the Totale Energies website (no app that I could discern) and after entering my details what seemed like half a dozen times eventually got to the payment section. I have to say that one of the down sides of having a really good bank and very secure app is the need to approve card transactions in my banking app once my card details have been entered to make an online payment. This became a recurring theme - enter card details, get referred to banking app to approve payment, go back to app / website of charging company and find transactions has not gone through. Eventually charging started and once it did it was all very smooth and quick.

We reached our overnight hotel which was chosen because it had an onsite charger - sadly only a 50kW capacity, but in theory this was not a problem because we were staying the night. I was slightly worried that the charge would finish at some ungodly hour and I would need to get up and unplug to avoid 'waiting' charges. Luckily despite another bout of getting freezing cold and wet (no canopy over this charger) I couldn't manage to figure out how to get the charge started / pay. I was very surprised to ring the help line at 11pm and have someone answer in English. Full marks to Allego for the very polite and sympathetic man on the other end of the phone. Sadly he didn't have access to the app I had downloaded to be able to use their machine so we were both equally clueless. In the end I gave up and figured I'd try again in the morning (at least I didn't have to worry about getting up to unplug and move the car in the middle of the night). It was on going to bed that I had the genius idea to check if the Plugsurfing app would allow me to use this charger and pay for it via Plugsurfing (which already had all of my card details). Next morning I tried and sure enough it worked first time. The car was ready for the off after a very long breakfast with a friend that lived in the area.

Back on the road again we knew we would need at least one more charge to reach our destination and located an E.ON charger at a service station on the motorway. In theory this was ideal because we could charge and have a break without an unnecessary detour. In reality it was another very frustrating soaking while trying to get the charger connected and pay. In the end I finally realised that the charger we had chosen was broken (not immediately obvious). Of course the other free charger (there were only two) that had been free when we arrived was now being used by someone else. We waited for them to finish and then connected to that charger. It turned out to be rather slow. We made an executive decision to cut our losses and drive to a nearby Tesla supercharger site. For the second time in two days Tesla was brilliant (go to the app - pick the charger and start charging). Albeit the site was a quite long detour off the motorway and through teatime traffic. On the plus site there were at least a dozen chargers most of which unoccupied and it was located next to a supermarket so we could buy a few things that we needed. We finally arrived at our destination at about 11pm (there was a huge delay due to an accident on the A2 autobahn - anyone familiar with this stretch of road will know it is infamous for the prodigious traffic jams - usually as a result of massive accidents coming about through a combination of bad weather, too many lorries and the uniquely German attitude to the combination of no speed limits and personal responsibility / safety).

During our Christmas break we were able to deploy our 'granny charger' at, very appropriately, grandma's house. Very slow, but much cheaper and a lot less hassle (not least because grandma is picking up the bill).

I reflected over the Christmas break on the experience and concluded that it is probably best to try and plan charging around known / trusted networks and to be flexible. Attempting to plan in advance beyond a certain point only ends in frustration. For our return journey we had a rough idea when / where we would need to stop. I had wanted to try Ionity and was somewhat disappointed when the majority of their charge points were not working at the site we went to. We eventually got one that was working when another car left. We were going to try another service station on the motorway only to find that both chargers were physically damaged (at least I don't waste time trying to get an app / payment to work!). I was beginning to think that the service stations (and back in the UK as well) were deliberately providing a bad experience because they make a lot of money from selling fossil fuels and therefore have a vested interested to give EV drivers a bad experience that they will then relate to others and slow down the transition away from petrol / diesel. Surely that isn't the case?! We found an alternative (again well off the motorway) and again used the Plugsurfing app to connect and pay. We needed another stop and tried one of the smart looking purpose built Fastned charging stations right next to the motorway in Belgium. What a revelation - they had a credit card reader that I could just tap with my card and immediately start charging?! No app, no payment authorisation back and forth. Wow - if only someone else had thought of that simple step? I have subsequently downloaded the Fastned app - it is one of the best apps I have seen. Full marks to these guys - the much bigger players could learn a lot!! We did one more stop at a new TotalEnergies service station and I was pleasantly surprised that having used the website previously and registered my details it worked seamlessly this time.

So one last charge was needed at the Calais side of Eurotunnel which should be enough to get us home. At the French side there were lots of Tesla chargers (and a lot of Teslas using them). Luckily I could opt for what looked like a very new Engie charger. Another app and another hit and miss process of getting my card payment authorised and we were very quickly charging up again. Then on to the train and back home in time for bed.

Some of the transactions are still showing as pending in my banking app so I can't sum up everything just yet. But it looks like (excluding charging at home before the journey started ands then at my mother-in-law's house) we have spent approximately ￡275 on charging and covered around 2,000 km / 1,250 miles. I don't think the cost works out to be vastly different to doing the same journey with a diesel vehicle. The time and faffing around factor do go against EVs, but I think in future we will be much more savvy about the charging decisions. We often do this same trip in the summer and it will be interesting to see if warmer temperatures make a noticeable difference. Also I suspect the next generation of EVs (and the smug Tesla drivers) will make the time aspect much more similar to the ICE experience given ranges approaching 400 miles (at least double the ID. Buzz).

I hope my musing may prove useful to others. Not least any VCs looking for a really quick win when it comes to an aggregated planning / payment app investment that works across all networks / vehicles / countries / payment types and can be used on a large screen. Funnily enough I've been saying that charging infrastructure is key to the transition to EVs for over a decade and I'm still surprised that some of the simplest aspects to solve on the user experience side remain to be addressed. It is good to see the infrastructure side progressing (would love to see Gridserve in Europe) although disappointing that maintaining that infrastructure seems to be such a struggle when it comes to reliability / availability. I imagine demand and supply will become more of an issue in summer when more people are on the road. If you work in the EV charging world or an investor in this type of thing please do get in touch for a chat!

UPDATE:

Thanks to Peter Dunsby for pointing me to A Better Routeplanner and Octopus Electroverse which deal with both advanced planning (it does what it says on the tin) and having a single simple means of payment (and good route planning functionality) respectively. Begs the question how did I not find these / know about them initially. In any event I'm much better prepared for the next big trip.