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Who’s bringing the horse - no - EV to France?

fits

I think there will be lots of us bringing EVs to France this summer. We are going to the Dordogne region in the ID.3 Tour. I’m hoping to rely on Ionity mostly. Probably through the VW wecharge system but not sure yet

Any tips welcome. ( As long as it’s not buy a Tesla 😀)

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browne_rob5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122003214#Comment_122003214

I noticed the Tesla chargers in Rennes Alma are now open to non Tesla's also so 14 fast chargers in total now. Will stop here on the way down too.

Heroditas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122003087#Comment_122003087

Yep, that's the one we used last year. Really good set-up and the shopping centre was class. We could easily have spent the whole day there!

crisco10

ELectra fast chargers àre great. Regularly 150kw ++, reasonable rate of 49c per kwh and you can prebook spot.

Love the one in Rennes, beside massive shopping centre with lego store and McDonald's playground.

Heroditas

We registered with Chargemap last year and found it great to use. Used both it an ABRP to plan routes and they both threw out the same charging locations and predicted the charge % to within approx 1% of each other.

Bit different this year. Last year we went from Cherbourg to Carnac in an id4 and charged once in Rennes on the way down and at a service station near Mont Saint Michel on the way back, interspersed with one charge on Carnac seafront midway through the trip. This year we're going to La Palmyre so two charges required each way. Still charging in Rennes and then the second charge tbd. Looking forward to it though. It was so easy last year.

talla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002085#Comment_122002085

Just a heads up, Eurocamp specifically restrict EV charging from their mobiles.

prawnsambo

ABRP (A better route planner) is very good for planning trips in advance and will set up charging stops for you based on what way you want to charge (lots of short stops, long stops etc.). Also will do stops based on preferred chargers. You can then send the whole thing to Google Maps.

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002648#Comment_122002648

The plug on the Tesla granny lead can be swapped out for a Schuko plug so safe enough there. But because our holiday host gave us a lightweight extension reel to reach a socket, I restricted charging to 6A anyway.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002648#Comment_122002648

I brought my granny charger with me, and bought the Schuko adaptor for it when I did my road trip to Lithuania and never used it once…. Waste of space with the benefit of hindsight!! But would I bring it again if doing the same trip? Probably…. It’s a nice last resort option that you hopefully will never need…

from Cherbourg to Kiel and back I only DC charged (superchargers), and in Lithuania I used a mix of Ionity (1st & last days en route to port), and free local DC chargers and paid for AC chargers at the local shopping centre… (the free chargers were always fun so the early bird caught the worm etc….…)

This was about 6am one morning!!

You’re in an ID.4 right?

Just take on a big charge (90+%) at your last fast charging stop before getting to the camp site, and then just take on any opportunistic local charges you can get every few days…. But if you land at a campsite with 80+% that’s going to be good for the guts of 300km right?

Chances are there’s loads of local charging options close by anyway…

the_amazing_raisin

Did you use an adapter or did you get a Schuko plug granny lead?

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002590#Comment_122002590

Interesting, I guess I must have read an outdated website. I think it was Irish Ferries

Rusky rusky

On my trip to france I had hi vis vests in the door pockets triangle set and tyre plug kit in the frunk (same as in Ireland), no breathalyser (see infro from RAC below). I did bring the granny charger with me as I charged the car couple of times at the the house. In the end it was easier tp charge at the local lidl via chargemap or tesla charges.

josip

I'd defo bring the granny. Used it twice abroad last year. Once in a shopping centre and also while at our holiday destination where we got the car from 15% back up to 95% allowing us to easily reach a HPC on the return journey. The granny charger is your get out of jail free card.

fits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122002085#Comment_122002085

no we booked with sixt. It says E2008. Hopefully that’s what we will get.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122001718#Comment_122001718

The granny lead with adaptor would definitely be the last of the last resorts

I think the cabin we rented from Eurocamps has seperate parking anyway, so we wouldn't be able to stealthily charge at night

I'll probably bring it this year just to be safe, the way my luck works is that if I prepare for something going wrong then it'll definitely not happen. The unused snow shovel I bought years ago is evidence of this 😁

Did you rent from one of the EV specific companies? I'd be tempted to rent but my issue with the likes of Hertz is you can book one car but you're at the mercy of what's there on the day

On the flip side the likes of UFO drive are shockingly expensive in comparison

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122001567#Comment_122001567

Yeah I didn't want to sign up for any very long drives on my first outing. If this year goes well then we'll probably do something longer next year

The misso went to France a bunch of times when she was young and wasn't too happy about doing 130 on the motorways. I've been sworn to be on good behaviour as a result, so I'll have to take it handy 😂

the_amazing_raisin

Ionity seem to also have filled in the blanks around the Cherbourg peninsula

Handy if you're looking for a charge on the way to the ferry and not sure you'll make the distance

Speaking of Tesla, I was looking at the option to pay via Chargemap pass. I thought it meant you didn't need the Tesla app, but you still need the app and a Tesla account

It just means they'll bill you via Chargemap instead of your card directly, which seems utterly pointless

Maybe with the V4 superchargers having RFID readers it'll be different, but it looks like they'll also have debit card readers so the whole RFID card becomes pointless unless you're on some subscription deal

prawnsambo

I've been looking at the Freshmile map and there seems to be a good range across France (and Europe generally) of chargers that will do their 30c + 30c rate, even on chargers up to 475kW. Except Ionity of course. Random one below near Lyon.

[Deleted User]

Various EU countries have their own little differences. In Germany, for example, you are required to carry an approved (DIN 13164:2022) first aid kit and if your driving licence states that you need glasses you are required to have spare pair in the car. The first aid kit actually is required to have minimum of two face masks now (I didn't know that) and, in general, the contents will have to be up to date.

crisco10

On the bulbs thing, I carry spare bulbs for my Dad's Nissan Pulsar in the frunk. My guess is that a random Gendarme is not going to know the difference. It's a pack of car bulbs isn't it?

Re charging, if you have at campsite you should be grand. And ChargeMap is good (if pricey), most villages of a size have a few 22kW chargers in the public car parks. Chargemap works with these, but its always cheaper to use the weblink on the charger itself and pay directly, so can be worth the extra 3 mins of fiddling on phone as you walk away rather than tapping the ChargeMap card.

fits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122001760#Comment_122001760

I think they do.

AndyBoBandy

Just get the breathalysers on Amazon… delivered to your door, I wouldn't even bother with going to Halfords…

(they also sell all the stuff you'll need on the Ferry, but at Ferry prices!!)

Do the VW lights re-level themselves knowing that they are in a LHD country like they do in a Tesla? if not you might need those deflector stickers..

fits

I wouldn’t bother bringing the granny charger. You’d need an adaptor and sites really aren’t keen on people charging from the pitch.

We successfully managed without any cards as we applied too late. Started all charges from apps. But we have chargepoint and chargemap cards for this year. We are flying and renting an EV this time.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122001550#Comment_122001550

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122001613#Comment_122001613

Got the vests and triangle, but good call on having them somewhere accessible. I'll shove the vests into one of the seat pockets

Rusky rusky

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121592851#Comment_121592851

There's one in Morlaix is now open as well. Handy for roscoff ferry from Cork.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122001480#Comment_122001480

You'll also need reflective vests for all the passengers stored within the cabin (i.e. not in the boot). Also you'll need the Crit air https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/ emission sticker if planning to drive in the many urban areas in France. We have the German one which seems to be unofficially recognised in most of the Europe.

munchkin_utd

>The drive isn't too long, 2 hours

thats an understatement. You barely have started and youre finished.

As for the breathalyser, spare bulbs etc, even if your headlights are LED some indicator or other bulbs may not be so check that. I thought the breathalyer requirement was scrapped, or at least so good as to make it redundant.

What youre not mentioning is high vis jackets for all passengers in the car. Also, the emergency triangle and the high vis have to be easily accessable, not under all your boot contents

If you have chargers at the site then youre flying. Some of the sites we visited in Italy over the past few years have almost no chargers and a ban on charging from the mobile home, and no public chargers nearby, which would make a holiday with an Ev, or the usecase for an Ev as your main car, difficult.

talla

Yeh the spare bulb/ replacement requirement always throws up a discussion in the household. I ignore, as I assume its just legislation that hasn't been updated with the advent of LED clusters in cars.

Only other thing I don't see mentioned is the requirement for hi viz vests for each passenger which must be accessible in the car i.e. not stored in the boot and a warning triangle.

the_amazing_raisin

Well I'm going to do a bit of thread resurrection since it's that time of year

Off to France in June on the ferry, this is our first time driving in Europe so I'm a tiny bit nervous 😅

The drive isn't too long, 2 hours, we're not quite ready to tackle the long drive to the south of France yet

I can't register for We Charge anymore because they won't take my Revolut card. Wise cards don't seem to work either

I decided to get Plugsurfing and Chargemap cards, since they seem to have lots of chargers in France. Rates aren't brilliant but I've always been of the view that EV costs should be viewed over a year rather than individual journeys

I'll be bringing my Type 2 cable and granny lead. I'll probably order a 16A Schuko to UK adapter as well. The campsite has a bank of chargers, so I don't envisage needing the granny lead, but better safe than stuck

I was reading through the requirements and was amused by the breathalyser law in France. Halfords have single use ones so I'll pick up a pack before going

I'm not quite sure how I'm expected to carry a spare light bulb since my lights are matrix LED headlights. I hope les gendarmes aren't expecting me to carry a full set of headlights around 🤣

I've made sure my insurance covers me and VW roadside assistance covers Europe apparently. I considered paying for AA roadside assistance, but it's €114 for a one week holiday 😱

I've got tyre plugs and stuff so I'm reasonably confident a small puncture won't stop me this time

Other than that I can't really think of anything else I'd need to organise in advance

Anyone got any advice? Did I miss anything?

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121595771#Comment_121595771

on the way home in 2002 we stopped in for 60 bottles of wine... and it was bloody awesome.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121592851#Comment_121592851

Handy to top up both the car and the underfloor wine cellar before heading to the port.