Homecoming

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 Just like all good things, the Grand Tour has ended, and so it seems appropriate to summarise. Here is the accumulated info from the dashboard:

Even though my friend Paul got his Tesla 4 years ago, it still feels like we are early EV adopters. The charging infrastructure is still being built, and what is there is not reliable enough. However, touring around Europe in an EV is a totally practical proposition, and pretty much stress free, provided you do some planning in advance and take a relatively conservative approach. 

  • Get the apps and cards you need before you travel. The Shell Recharge app and card were the best.
  • Make sure you know where the chargers are (on or off motorway).
  • Not all chargers work how they should. 
  • Keep enough charge in the battery in case things don’t work out.
  • Get a good data roaming plan for your phone in case you need the apps!

Overall we got 3.1 m/kWh which is not surprising considering most of the miles were on the highway, and we limited our speed to 75mph. Interestingly, the weather on the last stint was awful, very heavy rain, and we got the worst efficiency of the whole trip (only about 2.6 m/kWh). I am not sure why, but it certainly was not speed related as we went more slowly than normal. Some research is needed!

Addendum
I did some research, and yes, it is true that EVs are less efficient in the rain! And the harder it rains, or to be accurate the more standing water there is on the road, the less efficient they are. The reason is that the tyres have to push the water out of the way in order to grip the road. All cars are less efficient in the rain, not just EVs, but when you focus on the efficiency, you notice it more!


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