Charging across Europe

[EVsince2016]

Indeed ... and after a brief glimpse at the 'Sweeps' - thank goodness for that! - and just as I'm trying to fine-tune our next trip down to SW France in early April / mid-May.

Current problem is finding a really nice country 'Logis'-type hotel with good restaurant (most important) to replace our fabulous old haunt - the Hostellerie Saint Jacques at Saint-Saud-Lacoussière, now much too far west of Angoulême for our new EV route. We've now tried four different options, but none has yet quite ticked all the boxes.

There seems to be a strange dearth of such places just between the south-east of Angoulême, where we turn off from the N10, down to around Montpon-Ménestérol, which is about as far south for us on our second day (we're too long in the tooth to rush things these days!) I don't think I've missed anything, but anyone who knows the area and who thinks I have, I'd love to hear about it. We're presently having to resort to a small modern 'motel' near Ribérac with a brasserie next door - not our usual choice, but looks tidy enough while we keep looking. EV charging thankfully no longer a concern, as I think we have that sussed - and will be 3/4 of the way along the easy 222km (140mi) stint between the south Poitiers Tesla S/C and a Super-U Powerdot S/C at Pineuilh.

How did your trip go?

My next trip, 5 in the MG5 is coming up and I've started booking a 2026 trip 6 too to a new area and hopefully a 16th country!

 

[rjhfandclf]

How did your trip go?

My next trip, 5 in the MG5 is coming up and I've started booking a 2026 trip 6 too to a new area and hopefully a 16th country!

Got back nearly three weeks ago now - but don't seem to have stopped the usual round of catch-ups (increasingly medical-related as we get older!) since. Found a reasonably good new stopover in Ribérac, which enables us to get to the house a bit earlier on day three. Also found a new 25cent IeCharge right out in the wilds of the Bergerac vineyards ... so there goes about the last Electroverse charge-up. Did the whole 800 miles on just four easy well-planned charges via two each IeCharge and Tesla.*

Bit on my plate still a.t.m, but will try to add some info shortly ... albeit far less exciting and non-adventurous as yours these days!! All designed for an easy life nowadays (celebrated my 80th 'quietly' (!) in France this year!) Look forward to learning about your next trip though.

*BTW, I noticed on the way down, at Poitiers-sud Tesla, that they were installing a number of new V4 pods. They state that these will work for non-Teslas - and even better as they are designed for this with much longer leads. Has anyone tried them? (I understand from blogs that not all is going well with commissioning.)

 

[EVsince2016]

Got back nearly three weeks ago now - but don't seem to have stopped the usual round of catch-ups (increasingly medical-related as we get older!) since. Found a reasonably good new stopover in Ribérac, which enables us to get to the house a bit earlier on day three. Also found a new 25cent IeCharge right out in the wilds of the Bergerac vineyards ... so there goes about the last Electroverse charge-up. Did the whole 800 miles on just four easy well-planned charges via two each IeCharge and Tesla.*

Bit on my plate still a.t.m, but will try to add some info shortly ... albeit far less exciting and non-adventurous as yours these days!! All designed for an easy life nowadays (celebrated my 80th 'quietly' (!) in France this year!) Look forward to learning about your next trip though.

*BTW, I noticed on the way down, at Poitiers-sud Tesla, that they were installing a number of new V4 pods. They state that these will work for non-Teslas - and even better as they are designed for this with much longer leads. Has anyone tried them? (I understand from blogs that not all is going well with commissioning.)

I really hope I'm still doing trips like you at 80!

 

[Archev]

Got back nearly three weeks ago now - but don't seem to have stopped the usual round of catch-ups (increasingly medical-related as we get older!) since. Found a reasonably good new stopover in Ribérac, which enables us to get to the house a bit earlier on day three. Also found a new 25cent IeCharge right out in the wilds of the Bergerac vineyards ... so there goes about the last Electroverse charge-up. Did the whole 800 miles on just four easy well-planned charges via two each IeCharge and Tesla.*

Bit on my plate still a.t.m, but will try to add some info shortly ... albeit far less exciting and non-adventurous as yours these days!! All designed for an easy life nowadays (celebrated my 80th 'quietly' (!) in France this year!) Look forward to learning about your next trip though.

*BTW, I noticed on the way down, at Poitiers-sud Tesla, that they were installing a number of new V4 pods. They state that these will work for non-Teslas - and even better as they are designed for this with much longer leads. Has anyone tried them? (I understand from blogs that not all is going well with commissioning.)

Yes the V4 longer leads are much better. Admittedly I’ve now got the Berlingo with the charge socket on the near side (left) flank. So with the older Tesla chargers I have to reverse up to and over th stop kerb to be close enough.
With the V4 chargers I just reverse in and couple up similar to the Teslas with my socket being just about 500 mm forward of the rear lights where teslas feed

 

[rjhfandclf]

I really hope I'm still doing trips like you at 80!

From what I've read, I'm quite positive you will be!

I should add that I bought a 'cheap' car with purported longer range as my first EV experiment, and with much trepidation after enjoying the ease of an auto Mercedes for many years on long trips. After 18 months, I have to say that (all the silly 'safety' quibbles excepted) overall driving of the 4ER is even easier and less tiring still - particularly in one-pedal mode. It's just the boring preflight checks routine that has to be remembered every time you wriggle in the seat!

 

[rjhfandclf]

Yes the V4 longer leads are much better. Admittedly I’ve now got the Berlingo with the charge socket on the near side (left) flank. So with the older Tesla chargers I have to reverse up to and over th stop kerb to be close enough.
With the V4 chargers I just reverse in and couple up similar to the Teslas with my socket being just about 500 mm forward of the rear lights where teslas feed

Thanks - that's good to know they do work. In fact, with the MG4 I have no problem with the old chargers as the socket position is identical to Teslas. They are just a silly design as you have to reach through or round the uprights.

 

[siteguru]

The charge port position on the MG4 is still slightly forward vs a Tesla. (On a Tesla it is almost integrated into the rear light cluster). So you still have to jiggle in the bay to make sure a V3 plug will reach and remain in place without there being a lot of pull force from the cable. (Speaking from very recent experience with V3 superchargers at Perth and Aviemore).

 

[Rolfe]

I don't remember having any trouble at Perth. Not like that, anyway. Just really slow charging. (I think Perth may be V2 actually.)

 

[siteguru]

I'm not actually sure what V they are ... V2 and V3 basically look the same visually. (They're 150kW chargers, as are Aviemore). But I did find I had to get as close to the left side of the bay as possible (and hard against the stop) in order for the plug to reach the car without stress.

 

[Rolfe]

I don't remember having to do that, but perhaps I edited it out as the least of my worries that evening. Saw where the chargers were, decided to go back and get a drive-through at the McDonald's and eat it in the car (cursing myself for not having driven through the town and getting a proper fish supper) then nearly got caught by a bus lane camera while doing that. Saved by a kindly bus driver who flagged me down before I passed the camera. Then the bloody charger was giving me about 20 kW. Thinking about getting out and moving to a different unit my knee caught the McDonald's carton and dumped my chips all over the footwell. By the time I'd retrieved that mess the charging speed had gone up to close on 50 kW and I thought I might as well stay where I was, but it was a hassle.

Next time I went to Perth I charged at the Ionity site.

 

[siteguru]

At Perth there are now a bank of DC chargers just down the hill from the Tesla ones. (I can't remember whose they are, but they're not Ionity*). I didn't use them but did take a quick look ... 55p per kWh vs 51p (peak rate) at the Tesla. There are also several destination AC charge points in the same area, some being under cover as I recall.

* Edit: a quick search shows that the Ionity site is off the Inveralmond roundabout - the Tesla etc. are off the Broxden roundabout.

 

[Rolfe]

Ionity was more expensive, but since I didn't need much I wasn't that bothered.

 

[M44LCY]

I'm not actually sure what V they are ... V2 and V3 basically look the same visually. (They're 150kW chargers, as are Aviemore). But I did find I had to get as close to the left side of the bay as possible (and hard against the stop) in order for the plug to reach the car without stress.

V2 has two cables (CCS & the old proprietary Tesla one for Models S and X(?)

V3 looks the same but has only one cable (CSS)

 

[siteguru]

In that case they are V2 at both sites.

 

[Rolfe]

I remember waiting for an Ionity charger at Stafford and a guy ahead of me in the queue reversed into a bay and then stood there stupidly looking at the CCS2 plug in his hand and the proprietary Tesla charging port on his car. Like he couldn't quite believe it. In the end he just gave up and went away and I got the charger. I still puzzle how come he had that car and didn't know about the differences in the plugs.

 

[rjhfandclf]

V2 has two cables (CCS & the old proprietary Tesla one for Models S and X(?)

V3 looks the same but has only one cable (CSS)

Thanks - I'd never have known about V2s! (The only ones I knew of went 'bang'!)

stood there stupidly looking at the CCS2 plug in his hand and the proprietary Tesla charging port on his car.

For me yesterday it was vice-versa. Called in for a brief top-up yesterday at Liphook, Hants (in the most bizarrly-hidden Tesla - tucked within the biggest hotel/resort/country-club ever seen) where without looking I grabbed the first connector I saw, and thought, 'oh - it's only type 2, idiot should have checked!' only find of course it didn't fit either. Then only on replacing did I notice the 2nd CCS tube. As always worked fine through app at 70kWh from 60-75% to get me home easily. Silly me!

NB I only needed this top-up because the QA hospital I had visited the Portsmouth boasted the most appallling 22kW e-Charge units. First day charging attempt took 8 goes and only after setting it charging on the app, then starting on the car too (NOT iSmart!) then locking everything, would the charge stay connected. Otherwise app said it was charging but the car disagreed. The max speed eventually achieved was 2kWh!!! - Completely useless even for the small 'security' top-up to get home easily (260m round trip). Next day, through same routine, got 3.6kWh ... wow! but still not enough. 8 bays 'available' - but mainly full of ICEs and non-charging EVs. Ridiculous ... but in fact a great hospital. Wish we had one like that!

Sorry EVsince2016 have veered completely off-piste once again!

 

[EVsince2016]

Well, anyway, my 5th trip is coming up soon. No new records, no new countries, jut a new route via France visiting more new places.

Adding 2k to my current 10156 miles in the MG5 abroad, but still not expected to reach 1st place this year, maybe in 2026 on trip 6.

This time, none of my stays have a charger as I no longer see the need to restrict myself to the few properties with chargers.

I have already booked my main stays for the 2026 trip, just enroute stops & shuttle to book.

I need to check for chargers nearer the time & my charging apps / cards