In 2016, I drove Over 1,000 miles From the UK to Barcelona using electric power alone. It was an epic journey, with hard-to-find chargers that caused huge delays, and almost costing me my job. This year, with many improvements to the electric vehicle infrastructure across Europe, I tried it again.
It wasn’t any easier this time. It was an outright blessing.
My journey for 2016 was supposed to be simple. I had taken a Tesla Model S—a car with 300 miles of range per charge—to Barcelona for CNET’s Mobile World Congress Tech Show. I relied on Tesla’s Network Supercharger which recharged the car in about 30 to 40 minutes. I had calculated the distances between the chargers and was confident I could make the trip on time.
I was naive.
Achieving the car’s maximum range was difficult at inefficient highway speeds. None of the superchargers were easy to get to, as most were in the back of commercial hotels on commercial properties far from the highways, which led to long setbacks. I arrived in Barcelona almost 9 hours late. My boss wasn’t happy.
But that all changed. in 2016France had about 15,000 public electric vehicle chargers, but as of December 2022that number has swelled to more than 82,000. And there are plenty of fast chargers located at rest stops on the highway, which means taking your electric car on a long trip is faster and more manageable.
It was easy to find quick charge points with the Shell Recharge app.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
I took a long trip this year in early March to attend Mobile World Congress 2023 again. I drove the Volkswagen ID 5, an all-electric SUV with a range of 314 miles. I set off with a full battery from north London at 4am, used Google Maps to go straight to the departing Channel Tunnel on the UK south coast, hop on the train that would take me under the sea, and exit in Calais, France, about 40 minutes later.
While driving a non-Tesla EV, I had to rely on generic third-party chargers, which I was able to find using the Shell Recharge app. Fortunately, there are plenty of options now, as Ionity, Total, Shell, and others offer 150kW (or higher, in many cases) fast charging that should take the car to 80% in about 30 minutes. Shell Recharge app displays all brands and allows you to pay through the app. (Most chargers do not accept contactless credit cards, instead requiring service-specific ID.)
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Driving a car on a train under the sea is always fun.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
With the app, I found my way to the first Ionity fast charging station, located at a rest stop on the motorway southeast of Calais. This was indeed a huge improvement over my last trip – I didn’t have to drive 20 minutes or more to find a charger behind an Ibis or Mercure hotel. And since it was a break, I was able to get a coffee and a croissant while I charged the car. By the time I finished eating breakfast and stretched my legs, the car was ready to go.
The huge increase in charging stations means that filling up an EV battery has never been so difficult. Seven years ago, I had to plot the exact route to maximize efficiency and avoid getting stuck without electricity. This time, I just steered the car down the highway straight to Barcelona, hopping between fast chargers as needed.
Before hitting the south coast on my way to my destination, I made an overnight stop north of Lyon. I fancy over 15 hours of travel because it was totally unremarkable – which in itself is pretty cool. There was no shortage of chargers, no issues or long waits with chargers, and as a result, no range worries. It was an easy drive, just like it would be in a gas (petrol) car. I was impressed. Even in 2021 in Scotland, I had problems With entire banks of chargers idle for weeks at a time.
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The VW ID 5 was comfortable to drive every mile of my journey.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
The VW ID 5’s engine made it a very comfortable ride – smooth driving, with adaptive cruise control and steering assist to maintain lane position – and highway miles simply sweetened. Even the seats felt supportive for long periods between breaks, and the sound system boomed my playlist.
I arrived in Barcelona early on the third day and stored the car in a downtown car park for the duration of the conference. Before I left, I plotted a route for a fast charger just outside town, which I covered all over while eating breakfast. My way back was a little rustic, and I made my way through France’s Dordogne, where shipping was sure to be difficult.
There are far fewer chargers away from major intercity highways and fewer fast chargers. In the historic village of La Roque-Gageac, there was only one car charging station, but it was out of order. Fortunately, the ID 5’s generous range gave me enough power to get me 30 minutes north for a fast charger outside of Montignac.
Relying on fast chargers, I didn’t have long to get back on the road.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Throughout my entire trip, totaling more than 2,000 miles, this was the only instance when I had to make an adjustment to my cargo route. And given how taxing I found other long-distance EV road trips, that was pretty cool.
Instead of having to constantly monitor the range, I can enjoy the beautiful ride through the southern French countryside. The ID 5 range combined with the number of public chargers in France means I don’t need to plan my route excessively and can instead start charging when I need to.
This was exactly what a road trip should be like – genuinely experiencing the joy of driving and not worrying about the logistics of refueling. I’m encouraged that huge investment in electric vehicle infrastructure across Europe has made long-distance travel more feasible, not just for business trips, but for families trying to avoid spending hours on slow chargers with impatient kids.
Ionity fast chargers were in abundance, and I never had to wait for them to charge.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Had I taken the 2,100-mile trip in a gas-powered car, I would have spent about £409 ($510), based on fuel burn at 35mpg and refueling at 150p a litre. With an EV, I only spent about £308 ($384) on electricity – a significant savings. This was despite the energy crisis in Europe driving up the cost of electricity, and also despite the fact that pay-as-you-go was more expensive than using a charge provider’s subscription plans. In addition, the Shell Recharge app tells me I’ve saved around 450kg of CO2 on my electric-only trip.
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My EV experience was very different from what I found in 2016.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Certainly, there is still room for improvement. Driving in rural areas is more difficult than it is on major highways, and I don’t know why not all chargers accept contactless credit cards (a common problem with charging stations in the US, too). There are a large number of charge operators, and while most of them can use the Shell app (or a similar app called Bonnet), others have not allowed any app payments. Relying on the app also means you need cell service to authorize payments, which may not be available in rural areas (although we had no problems with reception during my trip).
Overall, I’m glad my new attempt at this trek was a success. And I am very pleased with how easy it is to drive zero-emission electric cars in Europe.
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