Charging in France

N

NickJ

Standard Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2022
Messages
19
Reaction score
3
Points
5
Location
Bognor Regis
Driving
MG HS PHEV
I'm sure there are posts on this already but can't find. I'm taking my HS Phev from Cherbourg to Vendee in a few weeks time. Really a little unsure about where/ how to charge the car on the way down / whilst there. It's about 350 miles door to door so expect it won't really use all of an electric charge on hybrid mode. However want to be sure of charging somewhere. Staying on a EuroCamp site. Thinking of getting adaptor for granny charger as well as a new type 2 to type 2 lead.
Any advice/ suggestions?? Many thanks.
 
Check this out
toughleads.co.uk

Tough Leads

Premium extension leads and adaptor made using H07RN-F rubber cable, built to withstand harsh commercial, stage, industrial and construction environments. Extension leads for electric vehicles (EV), stage or theatre lighting, construction sites, caravans and boats. European travel adaptors. 230v...
toughleads.co.uk toughleads.co.uk
 
Just add in the other post I think they do two types of plugs in France which you can look up, you need to contact the camp site to find out the type of plug you needed on there outlets so you can use your granny charger.
 
This is a good free site. You do need to register but it's very easy.

EV charging stations map

Find the nearest charging point, easlit access thoutgh our App or RFID, plan your route and never run out of battery
www.electromaps.com www.electromaps.com
 
In a few camp sites I've used they have a hissy fit when you plug in a 1kw fan heater and sometimes the outlet "trip" if someone uses too much power. Heaven knows what will happen if you try and draw 3.6kwph from it.

Then again just try it and if it trips anything tell them you plugged in the iron :)
 
a1970man said:
In a few camp sites I've used they have a hissy fit when you plug in a 1kw fan heater and sometimes the outlet "trip" if someone uses too much power. Heaven knows what will happen if you try and draw 3.6kwph from it.

Then again just try it and if it trips anything tell them you plugged in the iron :)
Click to expand...
2.2 Kw on granny to to clarify for OP
 
I'm in Apremont, Vendee at the moment, with a door to door run of about 270 miles. If you charge your car up full, drive on Hybrid mode, and have a relatively traffic free journey, you'll have around 20km electric left when you get here.
Your challenge is that even on Type 2 hook ups, the vehicles maximum charge rate is 3.6Kw, so typically around 4 hours from flat, rather than 6hrs on the supplied 3 pin charger.

If you can get access to a mains supply on the camp sites, it needs to be good for supplying 10amps to the Granny charger - check before you use it so you aren't Mr Unpopular having taken out a dozen pitches on the breaker. The standard Euro plug adapter will work, but be sure to spend a bit more on one rated at 16amps and if you need an extension lead, buy one in France also rated at 16amps. You may experience difficulties if there's too many connections in the circuit between supply and the charger - try to minimse the number of adapters you use i.e. straight into the socket rather than via a 2 way or 3 way.

If not, there are quite a few charging points about the area that take Type 2. This is the Vendee Tourism list, which seems to be pretty comprehensive. I guess you might end up charging little and often when shopping or visiting. Où recharger sa voiture électrique en Vendée ?

Also - the newer Lidl's have charging points too.
 
Use ABRP with a filter for fast charging (say 40+kWh) to plan your voyage, so that way you are using the fast charger off your camp site together with the cable off the charger. That way your recharge will be fast and if you have a chargemap RFID, even easier. Have a good trip
 
NickJ said:
I'm sure there are posts on this already but can't find. I'm taking my HS Phev from Cherbourg to Vendee in a few weeks time. Really a little unsure about where/ how to charge the car on the way down / whilst there. It's about 350 miles door to door so expect it won't really use all of an electric charge on hybrid mode. However want to be sure of charging somewhere. Staying on a EuroCamp site. Thinking of getting adaptor for granny charger as well as a new type 2 to type 2 lead.
Any advice/ suggestions?? Many thanks.
Click to expand...
I suggest you have a look at Chargemap.com. From this site you can order a pass card, plan a route, identity charger location/power and availability. It works really well. I use it often.
 
Jomarkh said:
Have you tried Zap-map or ABRP.
Click to expand...
ZapMap only covers the UK!
ChargePoint or Freshmile are good for France.
Both are apps for your phone.
Some love ABRP but I find it is frustrating to use!!
Get a good Schuko to UK adapter, suitable for 10 amps continuous use and take your granny charger for destination charging.
The standard Type 2 cable can be used in Lidl and E.LeClerc for free just like Tesco!
 
Last edited:
Thebiglad said:
You shocked me there Ian ! I haven't seen any freebies yet, but I'm on the look-out now !!!
Click to expand...
Lidl in St. Aubin, Dieppe is free (7Kw AC) as is Lidl in Chartres. Also in Chartres there E.LeClerc just south of the ring road that has free 7Kw AC charging. I use the KiWhi card to access these.
Chateauroux E.LeClerc on the south side has free 50Kw DC charging with Freshmile when the store is open. Costs when closed! The Freshmile card is necessary for this one.
 
Thebiglad said:
You shocked me there Ian ! I haven't seen any freebies yet, but I'm on the look-out now !!!
Click to expand...
All ELeclercs with chargers are free. Just pop into the store and ask for a chargecard at reception. They use type 2 and charge at around 7kwh. An hours shopping usually ensures free travel from home and back for us :)
 
Just to repeat - your car cannot charge at more than 3.6Kw so don't expect super-rapid from higher powered units.
 
Barrie said:
All ELeclercs with chargers are free. Just pop into the store and ask for a chargecard at reception. They use type 2 and charge at around 7kwh. An hours shopping usually ensures free travel from home and back for us :)
Click to expand...
Ours isn't - we need to sign up with an app and have a minimum of 12€ credit at all times - it's the main reason we changed from shopping at E.Leclerc to Intermarché where their chargers do not even need an RFID Card, just rock up and plug in.
 
JohnInFrance said:
Ours isn't - we need to sign up with an app and have a minimum of 12€ credit at all times - it's the main reason we changed from shopping at E.Leclerc to Intermarché where their chargers do not even need an RFID Card, just rock up and plug in.
Click to expand...
Opposite for us John and we only live 150km North of you. Leclercs are free but Intermarche are chargable ? Thats France for you.
 
Support us by becoming a Premium Member

Latest MG EVs video

New EVs from MG: MG S9 & MG9 plus hot topics from the forums
Published
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom