Planning a summer holiday to the South of France or a ski trip to Austria with your electric car, but still having some cold feet about the drive? No worries! With the modern generation of EV cars and the rapidly expanding European fast-charging network, travelling with an EV is child’s play today.
This guide takes you through the most important tips and tricks to make your drive an enjoyable success. From route planning to the famous charging curve: after reading it, you will start your journey as an absolute expert.
Leaving prepared from Flanders
A successful trip starts on your own driveway or at the local charging station. Make sure you leave with a battery charged to 100%.
Do you have your own home charger with solar panels? Then make optimal use of your own green electricity to drive those first hundreds of kilometres as cheaply as possible. Also keep the Flemish capacity tariff via grid operator Fluvius in mind: preferably charge your car with a smart controller to avoid high peak loads on the grid, especially if you want to quickly top up the battery the night before departure.
Smart route planning: let the car do the work
The days of manually plotting out charging stops on a paper map are definitely over. Most modern electric cars have an excellent built-in navigation system that automatically calculates where and for how long you need to charge. The system takes into account your driving style, the outside temperature, and the real-time occupancy of the charging stations.
Do you prefer to do the planning yourself? Then use popular apps like A Better Route Planner (ABRP) or Chargemap. These allow you to enter your specific car model, set your desired arrival percentage, and even prioritize favourite fast-charging networks (such as Fastned or Ionity).
The golden rules of fast charging (DC) on the road
Fast charging on the motorway (direct current or DC) works differently from quiet charging at an AC station in your street. Keep these three golden rules in mind:
1. The 80% rule: save precious time
The charging speed of an electric car is not constant. Between 10% and 80%, the battery charges at maximum power. Above 80%, the speed drops drastically to protect the battery cells from overheating. It is almost always faster to unplug at 80% and drive on to the next fast charger than to wait until the battery is completely full.
2. Condition your battery before arrival
Is your car charging slower than expected? This is often due to a battery that is too cold or just too warm. Many modern EVs feature preconditioning (battery heating or cooling). If you select the fast charger in the built-in navigation system, the car will automatically bring the battery to the ideal temperature along the way. This way, fast charging starts immediately at the maximum achievable speed!
3. Choose ultra-fast chargers
Along major European motorways, you will find more and more ultra-fast chargers with power outputs ranging from 150 kW up to 350 kW. Does your car have a high charging capacity? Then specifically choose these faster stations instead of the older 50 kW chargers. This easily saves fifteen to twenty minutes per charging session.
Which charging cards should you take abroad?
In Flanders, you are probably used to one or two fixed charging cards. Abroad, however, it is crucial to have a backup. Although roaming (where you charge on foreign networks with a Belgian card) works excellently, it can happen that a specific station does not recognize your card.
Our recommendation for your charging card wallet:
- A universal charging card with broad European coverage: Think of cards like Chargemap, Shell Recharge, or Plugsurfing.
- A specific subscription for fast charging: If you are eating up lots of kilometres, a temporary subscription on networks like Ionity or Fastned can save you tens of euros.
- The Tesla app: Did you know that a large part of the reliable Tesla Supercharger network is now open to other car brands? Download the Tesla app, add your payment details, and you will have access to hundreds of high-quality charging locations across Europe.
Conclusion: enjoy the journey!
Travelling with an electric car requires a small mental shift, but it gives you an extremely relaxing drive. The mandatory charging stops force you to stretch your legs and have a coffee every two to three hours — exactly the rest breaks that road safety experts recommend!
Curious about where to find the best fast chargers along your route? Or would you like to practice finding the right charging locations beforehand?
Check out our handy interactive map with charging stations to prepare your route perfectly. Specifically looking for the fastest chargers along the motorway? Discover them directly on our page with fast chargers! Have a safe trip and happy charging!