Summer vacation is just around the corner, and you may want to travel with your electric vehicle this year. Even though the charging network in Europe is growing fast, you should be well prepared for your trip. In this blog post, we give you 5 tips for relaxed travel with the e-car.
Plan your trip
If you plan your trip in advance, you won't have any surprises along the way and will travel more smoothly. Planning your e-car journey can be a lot of fun! Discover the most beautiful places along your route and easily schedule stops at nearby charging stations. Or find a fast-charging location with what's ideal for you and your family in the area. This way, your trip will be more fun and you can make the most of your charging time.
Tip: Here you can find an overview of Allego's fast charging locations in Europe. It's best to use the overview right now to plan your trip. You can filter by country and use the search bar to find charging locations along specific highways using the highway number. You would like to know if there is an AC charging station near the sight you want to visit? Then use our map. You can filter for Allego charging stations only or view all charging stations in the area.
Check your charging cards
Before you leave, check that you have a valid charging card for the country you plan to travel to.
Make sure you can charge with your charging card on the trip and at your destination. We recommend you carry two charging cards: one with broad coverage on your route and one with broad coverage in your destination country. On Allchargecards.com you can find out by country which card gives you over 80% coverage.
If you use Allego's charging stations, you don't have to worry about that. We accept charging cards from over 200 eMSPs across Europe. And you can pay anytime via our Smoov app (by credit or debit card) or contactless at our fast chargers.
For more information about charging cards and where to find the best ones for your trip, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Tip: You can read more about loading costs in our blog post about loading costs. She wants to know more about interoperability and roaming in Europe? Here you will find everything you need to know.
Adjust your driving speed
How quickly you arrive at your destination depends largely on your driving speed. Here's the rule: the faster you go, the faster you get to your destination. Similar to an internal combustion engine, this equation doesn't quite add up for electric cars either. When driving at high speed, the battery of your e-car discharges faster and needs to be recharged more often.
Tip: If you drive at an average speed of 110 km/h on the highway, you won't have to recharge as often and will get to your destination faster and, above all, more relaxed.
The right charging station
Choose the right charging station for the desired duration of your charging stop. If you visit a place of interest and have more time to charge, you can use a normal charging station. If you just want to stretch your legs for a moment, have a cup of coffee and then move on, you should choose an ultrafast charger. Allego's fast charging locations often offer different types of charging stations, so you can find the right charging station for all situations.
To help you find the right charging station, the European Union (EU) has introduced labels for electric vehicles and charging stations. Read more in this blog article.
Pro tip: How fast you can charge doesn't just depend on the type of charging station you use. There are other variables that affect speed when fast charging. Find out about these variables before you set off, for example in our blog post on this topic.
A few more tips from experienced electric car users
We asked 5 questions to experienced electric vehicle users to help you get the most out of your e-car trip. Read about Maarten Hachmang's experience on the road with a small Renault Zoe. Electromobilist Max Wojtynja reports on a memorable trip with an electric car. And British e-car expert The Plugseeker reveals his best tip.
Have a nice vacation!
We hope these tips help you make your summer e-car vacation a great one. Did you know that at all Allego charging stations you charge 100% with electricity from renewable sources? So when charging at our charging stations, you'll reduce your environmental footprint while enjoying a relaxing summer vacation!