Amsterdam, January 9, 2023 – The Winter Holidays… Mountains covered in snow, bright blue skies, the sun high in the sky. And then, of course, the après ski! Can you picture it already? It would be even better if you could drive there in the comfort of your own electric car… and you can! With the following tips, you and your EV will be in the Winter Wonderland of your dreams in no-time. What are you waiting for? Off to Winterberg!
Earlier, we wrote an article about how to brave the winter with an EV. We already gave a couple of handy tips. For starters, it’s important to prepare your car for wintery weather before you take off towards the snow. Make sure you have snow tires, as well as possible snow chains, and an (extra) charging cable.
Fully charge towards the snow
Before you hit the road, it’s important to know how to get the most out of your fully charged battery. For example, don’t waste too much power by turning on the heat, or the radio (for too long). Rent your ski-gear at your destination, so your car won’t lay heavier on the road. This is how to treat your car’s battery during the winter.
When you drive your EV to your winter holiday destination, it’s important to make sure you know where, and when to charge. Plan your route, from charge-point to charge-point, so you don’t get into a tight fit with your battery range.
Plan your route
For example, you can use the ANWB EV-routeplanner to plan your trip. This planner doesn’t only plan the best route to take, but also plans where and when to charge. Check beforehand which charge-locations have other facilities such as toilets, or a restaurant or cafe where you can get something to eat or drink to go. You can also use the A Better Routeplanner. In this planner, you can fill in information about your car in advance. For example, your car’s consumption, the battery percentage at the start of your journey, and the preferred battery percentage when you get to your destination. This way, the app can tell you exactly where you need to charge.
Did you get into trouble with your battery after all? In the E-Flux app you can find an online map on which you can easily locate all nearby charging stations, including fast chargers. At a fast charging station you charge your battery up to 80% within half an hour.
Speaking of fast chargers! Did you know that, even if you don’t own a Tesla, you can still charge on the Tesla Supercharger network? You do need a CCS connection for this, but on this network you can charge to 275 kilometer battery-range within 15 minutes! Currently, there are over 40.000 of these superchargers. You can find these charging stations all over Europe. For winter holiday locations, they’re located in Italy, Switzerland, and France. And this way, you get to Austria by electric car even easier.
It’s also handy to check beforehand where the nearest charging station is located at your final destination. Websites like Booking.com and AirBnB even provide an option to filter locations that have charging stations, so you can charge your EV at the accommodation.
Unplug safely
Do you leave your car to charge while you brave the mountains on your skis? Make sure to check whether the cable didn’t get wet, and froze stuck when you come back. If this did happen, don’t try to unplug the cable yourself, but call in road assistance. They have special tools with which they can unplug the cable in a safe manner.
E-Flux & HasToBe
The last golden tip we’d like to share with you for your winter sports holiday, is our E-Flux charge-card! Recently, E-Flux added HasToBe to her network, with which we added nearly 12.000 new charge locations, mostly located in winter holiday areas. The charge-card already has good coverage in Germany. But, imagine driving your EV to Austria, Switzerland, or (Northern) Italy. All beautiful, wintery destinations where you can charge without a worry with the E-Flux charge-card. This way, you can brave the slope right away, and you can charge your electric car while you speed down the mountains!
Order your E-Flux charge-card here!
Of course, after the après ski, make sure to charge yourself first before climbing behind the steering wheel of your EV 😉
