Charging in Europe

[Smiley]

OK, am thinking of taking a road trip somewhere in Europe in the next week or two. There are plenty of Super Chargers showing in EU, but what happens if I need alternative charging? What 3rd party options are there?, do I need to register an app or buy a charge card ? Worse case scenario would be having to charge via EU equivalent to our home 3 pin plug, how would that work?, I guess the usual travel adapter wouldn’t be suitable for the electric charge the car would pull through it whilst charging?

Sorry for all the questions, but thought it better to ask all at once

Cheers all

 

[WannabeOwner]

charge via EU equivalent to our home 3 pin plug, how would that work?,

240V Mains is about 5~6 MPH charge, so works OK over-weekend, and overnight will give you 70 miles or so.

A Schuko adaptor is available for the UMC (my search for Tesla Shop turns up EUR 90 and "only shipped to addresses in Netherlands otherwise call Service Centre" dunno if that has changed?), or you could buy a "beefy" Schuko extension lead (long or short )

I haven't used these people, but it mentions EV car charging and the differences between Earth in Germany & France so ...

European Schuko/French CEE 7/7 plug to 13A socket adaptor

If you haven't already got one you might want a good quality UK extension lead (plus Schuko adaptor).. I was pleased with the people I got my lead from but they don't list Schuko

13amp Heavy Duty leads

The place we stayed in France had Live/Neutral wired back-to-front, which I gather is not uncommon, and Tesla is sensitive to that, so you might want to buy a high-amperage Schuko "loose plug" and fit that to your extension lead yourself, so you can swap Live/Neutral if necessary (I have a "tester plug" which shows if wires are the wrong way round / earth fault etc.)

If anything trips, or the plugs get hot, you can reduce the charge rate (on the dashboard).

There are Superchargers in both Folkestone and Calais Eurotunnel terminals (they are tunnel-side of check-in at DEPARTURE only); there is also a small Supercharger on the French side (outside the port).

There is some (country specific) advice on Tesla site

Charging Abroad

If you have (or can borrow) a CHAdeMO adaptor that may increase your options.

If not already familiar with it suggest you try A Better Route Planner, pick your Model and the Route and see what it says for charging locations etc. In particular any stops where you will need to charge over 80% as that will indicate that they are a bit touch-and-go and if weather bad / cold you would need to reduce speed.

Am MX100D cruising at 130 KPH has a range of about 210 miles ...

What 3rd party options are there?, do I need to register an app or buy a charge card ?

Yes, I think getting cards or RFIDs / registering APPs would be a good idea, but I don't know what is best for where you are going.

 

[Smiley]

Thanks for your Reply Wannabe, lots of info there, cheers.

I've got a Chademo and may look at getting one of those Schuko adaptors for a 'just in case' scenario but looking at the route to Northern Spain on A Better Route Planner there seem to be plenty of Superchargers en route and even one at our intended destination, so I think we'll be OK.

Like anything, a bit of forward planning and extra knowledge makes any situation that bit less stressful and removes any worry (the wife may have)

 

[Tozz]

I would recommend buying a NewMotion card or PlugSurfing. Both are accepted on almost all European charging spots. PlugSurfing seems more internationally orientated, they accept eg. PayPal and creditcard as payment method. They ship chargecards worldwide.

Almost _all_ public AC chargers are Type 2 (Mennekes) in mainland Europe. Maybe you can find some Type 3 chargers in France, but from what I've heard those have also been converted to type 2 mostly.

Since you have a Tesla I would refrain from using CHAdeMO. Its relatively slow compared to Supercharging and CHAdeMO chargers are (atleast in Netherlands) placed on highway routes only, just as Superchargers. Better use SuCs instead.

But if you can charge at your destination, I wouldn't bother at public charging anyway. Use SuCs for getting there and then charge at your location. Thats what I did on my holiday to Czech Republic. Never used a public charging spot (they don thave them either ).

For Spain you would need a Schuko plug if you want to charge with your UMC

If you have a SuC at your destination you should be fine. Maybe buy the PlugSurfing card for emergencies, it ships for EUR 8,- I believe. Wouldn't hurt.

 

[arg]

I would recommend buying a NewMotion card or PlugSurfing. Both are accepted on almost all European charging spots. PlugSurfing seems more internationally orientated, they accept eg. PayPal and creditcard as payment method. They ship chargecards worldwide.

Worth getting a NewMotion card anyhow, since they cost nothing and they have some locations in the UK as well as Europe; in particular, for their UK spots you have to have the card rather than using an app, so worth having one just in case.


Re. charging from domestic sockets in Europe: Tesla sell both a "Schuko" (Germany etc.) and a "France" head for the UMC which look almost identical. In fact, either of these will work in Germany, Netherlands etc where Schuko plugs are used (these are the 2-pin with earth contact on the side), while for France (sockets have an earth pin sticking out) you need BOTH adapters.

The two adapters are in fact the same mechanically - they have both the side contact for Schuko and the hole in the middle for the sticking out earth pin used in France, it's just that live/neutral are the opposite way round on the "french" one.

Reason for this is that the UMC cares which is live vs neutral of the two pins. Schuko sockets are not polarised, so if it doesn't work the first way you try it, just unplug and turn the plug the other way up and it will work. However, with French sockets and their protruding earth pin the plug will only fit one way round Since French electricians do not seem to have much consistency in how they wire the sockets, you have to try one adapter and then if it fails try the other one.

 

[.jg.]

I went for a trip to Toulouse in June. I made up an adaptor from the UMC's 32A commando adaptor to a Schuko socket and took a Tesla supplied Mennekes Type 2 cable. I also registered for a NewMotion card, which facilitates access to many regional charging networks and has no annual charge. However, I didn't use any of that kit, as I used only Superchargers and destination chargers during my trip. Several Novotel hotels in France have a Supercharger in their car park, which I found quite convenient.

 

[Tozz]

Reason for this is that the UMC cares which is live vs neutral of the two pins. Schuko sockets are not polarised, so if it doesn't work the first way you try it, just unplug and turn the plug the other way up and it will work. However, with French sockets and their protruding earth pin the plug will only fit one way round Since French electricians do not seem to have much consistency in how they wire the sockets, you have to try one adapter and then if it fails try the other one.

Yeah, the Tesla UMC is tricky in this part. The UMC also requires a true ground, which not every country has (for example, Belgium and Norway). If you do frequent roadtrips to mainland Europe you might want to consider buying a Juicebooster 2.

The Juicebooster 2 is a mobile charger that does not have all the quirks the UMC has. It also, for example, doesn't care about which pin is live and which is neutral. It is also less picky about voltage drops

 

[Fellsteruk]

I’ve been looking into the very same thing for my trip next month

EU Schuko Rubber Plug to 16A 2P+E 230V Commando Socket IP44 | Distribution Zone

Was looking at one of these.

 

[firewire]

For travel in Europe I'm thinking about getting this kit. Seems very high quality although quite pricey! Mobile charging station JUICE BOOSTER 2 | Europe Traveller Set

 

[shthpnz]

For travel in Europe I'm thinking about getting this kit. Seems very high quality although quite pricey! Mobile charging station JUICE BOOSTER 2 | Europe Traveller Set

Overhere in ‘Europe’ we drive to where we want to go to, all over ‘Europe’. And never have to rely on a kit costing around £1.000. Please, no stress. Superchargers are all over the place. Destination chargers are abundant too. And besides those Tesla related chargers you’ll find tenthousands of ‘normal’ chargers. When you use The New Motion and Plugsurfing you’ll be fine. It is not 2013 anymore, when pioneering was necessary.

My €0,02

 

[firewire]

Overhere in ‘Europe’ we drive to where we want to go to, all over ‘Europe’. And never have to rely on a kit costing around £1.000. Please, no stress. Superchargers are all over the place. Destination chargers are abundant too. And besides those Tesla related chargers you’ll find tenthousands of ‘normal’ chargers. When you use The New Motion and Plugsurfing you’ll be fine. It is not 2013 anymore, when pioneering was necessary.

My €0,02

That's a relief to know for both me and my wallet. Thanks for the info, really appreciate it.

 

[Smiley]

Have to agree..plenty of chargers around Europe.
I’m currently in Spain and so far it’s cosf £0 to charge on our trip, we’ve either stopped often at Super Chargers, when available, or charged at the destination charger in our hotel (hotel choice was because it had a charger). We’re going to take a trip out to another town tomorrow but we’ll have choice of chargers when out if required..or wait till we return back to hotel.
I will say that Spain seems to be geared up for the electric generation, with numerous charges in the streets but I haven’t seen many EV’s about so much. The designated ‘Tesla’ guy at our hotel didn’t even know where the charge point was on our car until the wife pointed it out and plugged it in for him

 

[WannabeOwner]

And besides those Tesla related chargers you’ll find tenthousands of ‘normal’ chargers

We have those all over the UK too. Many are not working, most sites have only a couple of pumps so some likelihood that it is occupied, and at 22 MPH they will be there a while ... and, in UK, various different parts of the country have different companies that own the chargers, so may well need lots of different APPs in order to be able to use them ... a proper muddle in fact.

I've not drive in a Tesla in EU yet, is it better in that regard?

There are 50 Supercharger sites in the UK
68 in France but its 2.5x the area ...

Although not driven EV in France, I've used a planner and to get to the Alps I'd need a 97% charge at one of the stops ... that's a bit squeeky-bum for me, so each time we have decided to take the ICE instead. Looking forward to when I'm confident to take EV and not have significant additional journey time (i.;e. detours to find Supercharger and/or >80% charge required

hotel choice was because it had a charger

I've done that too, but its always been a compromise on Price (i.e. paid more to have convenience of charging, or the hotel was much more basic than we would normally choose) or Style of the hotel (stayed in some weird ones! just to be near charger); I might have just been unlucky though ...

But, that said, I've also stayed in places that said they had no facilities for charging but when i got their I found an outdoor 13AMP plug and just plugged in ... noone complained ...

 

[LoveEV]

For travel in Europe I'm thinking about getting this kit. Seems very high quality although quite pricey! Mobile charging station JUICE BOOSTER 2 | Europe Traveller Set

Have a look at this kits from Xavelec who is a Tesla owner, he has built a really smart kit for Europe. Xavelec - Charging cables and adaptors for your Tesla EV UMC

 

[firewire]

Have a look at this kits from Xavelec who is a Tesla owner, he has built a really smart kit for Europe. Xavelec - Charging cables and adaptors for your Tesla EV UMC

Thanks for the link LoveEV!

 

[arg]

I’ve been looking into the very same thing for my trip next month

EU Schuko Rubber Plug to 16A 2P+E 230V Commando Socket IP44 | Distribution Zone

Was looking at one of these.

Depending what other bits you've already got, that won't necessarily get you very far: it's Schuko to 16A blue commando, and the UMC doesn't have a head for 16A blue commando (the one you probably have already is the 32A blue commando which is bigger and not interchangeable).

The ideal obviously is the Tesla schuko head(s) for the UMC, though arguably for France just one of the Tesla heads plus a good quality universal french/schuko-schuko extension lead is a good alternative to the second Tesla head (your extension will have the same issue that it will only plug into french sockets one way up, but you can do the polarity reversal where the UMC plugs into the extension).

A christmas tree of different adapters is not ideal, and particularly so if they involve UK 13A plugs/sockets, which are the least suitable for this application and the hardest to make acceptably waterproof. If making up a kit of adapters, starting with the red 16A head from Tesla and building adapters to everything else is a reasonable way to go. But as others have said, for most purposes this is overkill: just like in the UK, the main thing you want is ability to charge from domestic sockets wherever you are going, and apart from that normally public charging will suffice. It's only if you are staying somewhere special like campsites or somewhere you know you have access to commando sockets that these other adapters come into play.

 

[.jg.]

Adding to what others have said.... If planning a long trip and a route through superchargers looks tight for one or more segments, it is worth checking what destination chargers are available. Destination chargers are not included in routing from Tesla's built-in navigation nor on other planners. Some destination chargers are open to the public, while others are restricted to customers of the business hosting the destination charger. A long lunch at a restaurant with a destination charger could provide the additional range to make it comfortably to the next supercharger, without resorting to assorted adaptors or trying to authorise charging on some regional charging network.

 

[tfboy]

A bit of a belated bump, but I hadn't realised my Xavelec system had been mentioned here. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask

 

[CMc1]

Unlimited fast charging in Europe including Ionity for €30 a month in July, if anyone is travelling.

Summer roadtrip season: €30 for a month of high speed charging in Europe — electricfelix