# Fast charging on road trips: how to plan a long drive in an EV

> Going on a trip with an electric car? Fast-charging networks, charging cards abroad, and how to spend less time waiting at the charger.

Published: 2026-07-26 · Language: en · Source: https://laadpaalvinden.be/en/blog/fast-charging-on-trips/

Fancy a summer holiday in the South of France or a ski trip to Austria in your electric car, but dreading the drive? You don't need to. Newer EVs charge a lot faster than the first generation, and the major European motorways now have plenty of fast chargers. With a bit of preparation, a long drive is no longer an adventure.

## Leaving from Flanders

Leave with a full battery, so charge to 100% at home or at your usual charger.

Got a home charger and solar panels? Then drive the first few hundred kilometres on your own power. Do keep the **capacity tariff** from **Fluvius** in mind: use smart charging if you can, especially if you're topping up the night before you leave, so you don't end up with a high peak on your bill.

## Route planning: let the car do the maths

You no longer need to plot charging stops on a map yourself. The built-in navigation in most EVs works out where and how long to charge, taking into account your driving style, the outside temperature and sometimes how busy the chargers are.

Prefer to plan it yourself? Use an app like **A Better Route Planner (ABRP)** or **Chargemap**. You enter your car model, choose the battery level you want to arrive with, and can give priority to networks like Fastned or Ionity.

## Fast charging on the road: three rules of thumb

Fast charging on the motorway (direct current, or DC) works differently from slow charging at an AC post in your street. Remember these three things.

### 1. Stop at 80%
Your car doesn't charge at the same speed the whole time. Up to about 80% it goes quickly; after that, the power drops sharply to protect the battery. You'll usually reach your destination sooner if you leave at 80% and stop again further on than if you wait for a full battery.

### 2. Precondition the battery
Charging slower than expected? The battery is often too cold (or too warm). Many EVs can **precondition** the battery: set the fast charger as your destination in the built-in navigation and the car brings the battery to the right temperature on the way. That way you charge at full speed from the first minute.

### 3. Pick the fastest chargers
The major European motorways have more and more ultra-fast chargers of **150 to 350 kW**. If your car can charge quickly, drive on to one of those rather than stopping at an older 50 kW charger. It easily saves fifteen to twenty minutes per stop.

## Which charging cards should you take abroad?

In Flanders you probably use one or two charging cards. Abroad, take a spare. Roaming (charging on foreign networks with a Belgian card) usually works fine, but now and then a charger simply won't recognise your card.

**What we'd take:**
* **A card with broad European coverage**, such as Chargemap, Shell Recharge or Plugsurfing.
* **A fast-charging subscription**, if you drive a lot. A temporary subscription with Ionity or Fastned can save you tens of euros on a long trip.
* **The Tesla app.** Many Tesla Superchargers are now open to other brands. Install the app, add your payment details and you can charge there too.

## On the way

Driving electric takes some getting used to, but a long drive often becomes calmer for it. Every two or three hours you stop anyway: stretch your legs, grab a coffee, carry on. Breaks you should have been taking in a petrol car too.

Want to see in advance where the fast chargers are along your route? Check the [charging map](/kaart), or go straight to the [fast chargers](/en/fast-chargers). Have a good trip!