Driving to France and Switzerland - advice needed

[Doudeau]

I’ve been in France for a few weeks now and I’ve found the car is doing a terrible job at advising on the current speed limit.

It picks up 30km/h or 50km/h signs when going thru towns but doesn’t pick up less explicit signs to say the temporary limit zone has ended. It also picks up on the HGV speed signs on motorways (typically on down hill sections) but doesn’t pickup that limit is for HGVs only.

I believe it’s an issue with recent software updates as it wasn’t this bad just a few weeks ago.

This is probably the most illogical situation I’ve seen in a few places where it advises it’s a 30 limit now (where I believe it should have said 80) but will be 50 at other times (I can’t find out what that symbol represents - I even tried Tesla manual).

 

[Mrklaw]

we saw that too - we thought it meant speed limit when foggy?

 

[Doudeau]

we saw that too - we thought it meant speed limit when foggy?

That was my best guess - icon seems to be headlight but a reduced speed at night didn’t make sense.

 

[anarchi]

That was my best guess - icon seems to be headlight but a reduced speed at night didn’t make sense.

Speed limit when using fog lights (common across Europe). There should also be an alternative speed limit for when it rains (in France at least).

 

[FlyingTimbo]

Just got back from a 1200 mile round trip through France and Belgium. Superchargers seemed relatively quiet compared to petrol stations on the Autoroutes where there were long queues to fill up. Had a little range anxiety as we arrived at a camp site in the Ardennes with only 25%. No superchargers for miles but found a large 12bay Ionity within 5 miles. Not used them before but a quick sign up to Bonnet and a painless charge.

This was my first time driving around Europe in the Tesla and it was completely trouble free.

 

[thax1]

Speed limit when using fog lights (common across Europe). There should also be an alternative speed limit for when it rains (in France at least).

Yep, also on the Autoroute the 130kph logo is greyed out when it rains*, and a 110 icon with a raindrop symbol appears.

(*or the camera sees a fly and wipers start screeching across a dry screen)

 

[Leejmoff]

I'm setting off on Saturday morning. I feel totally unprepared even after all of the advice on here and elsewhere lol.

I'll let you all know how it goes. I just can't wait to see those Swiss Mountains.

 

[Mik3LR]

Here's a picture from the Gotthard Pass (on our way back from Italy). Great drive both up and down just using the one pedal, especially on the hairpins. Coming down put 30kms back in the battery! The Mercedes in front had his foot on the brake virtually the whole time!
Only problem was the iPhone app still thought that the Swiss Superchargers were the nearest available even after the car had been home for a week and been for drives in the UK! and visited 2 Superchargers in France on the the way back.

 

[Leejmoff]

So, Essex to Reims in France, then on to Switzerland and back.

Facts are, we spent £77 on charging for just over 1200miles. All Super chargers apart from two destination/half charges. Including tolls it came to £180 overall.

The tunnel, simple and easy. Took the "large" carriage as per booking. Again, simple and wide and easy to drive into and off. Couldn't fault the service. Arrived, drove about 100 metres and the sat nav kicked in.

Driving in France was easy as pie, so much nicer driving there. Autopilot was a dream, the car just worked, no hassles at all. We stayed in Reims, got a half charge free at the hotel Mercure. It had two Destination chargers and I noticed MG, EV6 and Kia Niro all using them too. Lots of electric cars around Reims.

After a day there we travelled to Switzerland stayed at Brienz for two nights. Again, the driving was comfortable and no hassle at all. The only part I didn't like was driving through Basel at rush hour. It's a crazy network of motorways with very quick signage for junctions. The Sat Nav was a dream at this part.

Arrived Brienz late afternoon, just enough to see the sunset over the lake, what a sight. We even took a dip as the sun went down. Absolutely stunning place to stay and one of the best evenings of my life.

Again, we charged the car for free the next day while we took a trip to Jungrfraujoch. Public transport was just amazing, we grabbed a boat to Interlaken, train to Grimewald, Gondola to the top. Spent the day in the snow at the top, it was amazing.

The next day we drove to Lake Lucerne, up the mountains along winding roads, then back down into Luzern and out the other side. The Sat Nav was brilliant again, we took some detours to see the lakes and it couldn't have been easier.

We spent most of the day in the Museum of Transport, which I have to say was probably the best museum I've been in. Very interactive and the kids loved it, I loved it too. We spent all day there and still didn't have time to see it all.

Again, we arrived at our Hotel and got another free charger overnight. Managed to get it working with our own plug adaptor after a bit of back and forth with reception and lack of language skills on my part.

Next day a trip to Pilatus. cloudy for most of it apart from the top, where we sat above the cloud for a few hours. That night we spent the evening in the Stadtkeller, which had a Swiss Folk show with Fondue and the rest. An expensive but fantastic place for go to for some fun.

The next day we drove back to France and stayed in Troyes, it was a long journey, with rain here and there. The wipers worked for most part but struggled in the really heavy storms we hit. We stayed at a beautiful B&B just outside Troyes, stunning garden for the kids to play in. The house had a dual charging station too, so we charged up there for €5, it was a 70% charge so worth it.

Getting back to the UK after the tunnel, and we realised how rubbish our roads are. The M20 is shocking, and so are most of the drivers in our country. Its a disgrace in fact when comparing to the continent.

Anyway, that was a quick rundown. Without the Tesla, we wouldn't have done this trip. We saved ourselves about £600 in petrol and had our favour holiday/break yet as a family. The car was a dream to use travelling through Europe and we are already planning our next trip.

Norway is possibly next......suggestions are welcome...

 

[scdoubleu]

Getting back to the UK after the tunnel, and we realised how rubbish our roads are. The M20 is shocking, and so are most of the drivers in our country. Its a disgrace in fact when comparing to the continent.

Exactly my thoughts on returning from our road trip to Spain last month. Dire road surfaces, constant roadworks, huge jams, poor lane discipline, and generally just completely run-down and ancient infrastructure. Dartford xing/M25 were gridlocked/closed due to accidents, so we diverted via the Blackwall tunnel. Not convinced it was quicker, but had to lament the fact that those are the only two routes north if arriving by road from Europe; one of which was built over 100 years ago. Shocking.

Contrast Dartford/Blackwall with the A86 autoroute double-deck tunnel between Paris and Versailles. That's how you do infrastructure.

We're the sick man of Europe. Again.

Anyhow, cheers for the fantastic pictures!

 

[Leejmoff]

Exactly my thoughts on returning from our road trip to Spain last month. Dire road surfaces, constant roadworks, huge jams, poor lane discipline, and generally just completely run-down and ancient infrastructure. Dartford xing/M25 were gridlocked/closed due to accidents, so we diverted via the Blackwall tunnel. Not convinced it was quicker, but had to lament the fact that those are the only two routes north if arriving by road from Europe; one of which was built over 100 years ago. Shocking.

Contrast Dartford/Blackwall with the A86 autoroute double-deck tunnel between Paris and Versailles. That's how you do infrastructure.

We're the sick man of Europe. Again.

Anyhow, cheers for the fantastic pictures!

Absolutely, coming back, 50mph for 20 miles, traffic cones galore, poor roads. Then like you say, Dartford tunnel, sit in traffic for an hour on most days. We were very lucky and didn't hit anything on our trip home, but that happens very rarely.

I know our trains were the original network etc, but that is in absolute state too compared to Europe. Its so backwards and out of date, they really should be putting money into making it better. People would use it more if it ran like France and Switzerland. The buses in Luzern, electric and run without stopping. They are like trams and just fantastic. They are on time and cars give way to them. Its so much better designed.

 

[EVAdventurer22]

So, Essex to Reims in France, then on to Switzerland and back.

Facts are, we spent £77 on charging for just over 1200miles. All Super chargers apart from two destination/half charges. Including tolls it came to £180 overall.

The tunnel, simple and easy. Took the "large" carriage as per booking. Again, simple and wide and easy to drive into and off. Couldn't fault the service. Arrived, drove about 100 metres and the sat nav kicked in.

Driving in France was easy as pie, so much nicer driving there. Autopilot was a dream, the car just worked, no hassles at all. We stayed in Reims, got a half charge free at the hotel Mercure. It had two Destination chargers and I noticed MG, EV6 and Kia Niro all using them too. Lots of electric cars around Reims.

After a day there we travelled to Switzerland stayed at Brienz for two nights. Again, the driving was comfortable and no hassle at all. The only part I didn't like was driving through Basel at rush hour. It's a crazy network of motorways with very quick signage for junctions. The Sat Nav was a dream at this part.

Arrived Brienz late afternoon, just enough to see the sunset over the lake, what a sight. We even took a dip as the sun went down. Absolutely stunning place to stay and one of the best evenings of my life.
View attachment 849455

Again, we charged the car for free the next day while we took a trip to Jungrfraujoch. Public transport was just amazing, we grabbed a boat to Interlaken, train to Grimewald, Gondola to the top. Spent the day in the snow at the top, it was amazing.

View attachment 849456The next day we drove to Lake Lucerne, up the mountains along winding roads, then back down into Luzern and out the other side. The Sat Nav was brilliant again, we took some detours to see the lakes and it couldn't have been easier.

View attachment 849457

We spent most of the day in the Museum of Transport, which I have to say was probably the best museum I've been in. Very interactive and the kids loved it, I loved it too. We spent all day there and still didn't have time to see it all.

Again, we arrived at our Hotel and got another free charger overnight. Managed to get it working with our own plug adaptor after a bit of back and forth with reception and lack of language skills on my part.

Next day a trip to Pilatus. cloudy for most of it apart from the top, where we sat above the cloud for a few hours. That night we spent the evening in the Stadtkeller, which had a Swiss Folk show with Fondue and the rest. An expensive but fantastic place for go to for some fun.

View attachment 849458

View attachment 849459

View attachment 849460
The next day we drove back to France and stayed in Troyes, it was a long journey, with rain here and there. The wipers worked for most part but struggled in the really heavy storms we hit. We stayed at a beautiful B&B just outside Troyes, stunning garden for the kids to play in. The house had a dual charging station too, so we charged up there for €5, it was a 70% charge so worth it.

View attachment 849463

Getting back to the UK after the tunnel, and we realised how rubbish our roads are. The M20 is shocking, and so are most of the drivers in our country. Its a disgrace in fact when comparing to the continent.

Anyway, that was a quick rundown. Without the Tesla, we wouldn't have done this trip. We saved ourselves about £600 in petrol and had our favour holiday/break yet as a family. The car was a dream to use travelling through Europe and we are already planning our next trip.

Norway is possibly next......suggestions are welcome...

I am making a similar trip after Christmas (UK->Switzerland via France). I'm pensive about the charging situation, my route thus far is being determined by Superchargers! You mention using your own adaptor; presumably, this was to take advantage of non-Tesla, free charging points. Just wondered what adaptor you used ?

 

[WllXM]

I am making a similar trip after Christmas (UK->Switzerland via France). I'm pensive about the charging situation, my route thus far is being determined by Superchargers! You mention using your own adaptor; presumably, this was to take advantage of non-Tesla, free charging points. Just wondered what adaptor you used ?

Usually the 'destination' charging points that are free just require the Type 2 cable you have in the car. But if you encounter some domestic sockets, you can use the two adapters :

This one for France/Europe

Schuko Adapter

Combine with the Gen 2 Universal Mobile Connector to plug in at standard sockets in most European countries, except Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom. Features Max charge rate: 3 kW Range per hour: 18 km with Model 3 14 km with Model S...

shop.tesla.com

This one for all of Switzerland

Switzerland Adapter

Combine with the Gen 2 Universal Mobile Connector to plug in at standard sockets in Switzerland. Features Max charge rate: 2.3 kW Range per hour: 14 km with Model 3 11 km with Model S 10 km with Model X Includes 1 x Switzerland Adapter

shop.tesla.com

But for a single trip, not sure it's worth putting £100 into that...

Alternatively you can purchase the blue 16A adapter and use Toughleads adapters then which are cheaper

Blue Adapter - 16A/32A

Combine with the Gen 2 Universal Mobile Connector to plug in at standard single-phase socket with higher power output. 16A Blue Adapter Plug Diameter: 42 mm Max charge rate: 3.7 kW Range per hour: 22 km with Model 3 17 km with Model S...

shop.tesla.com

Camping adaptors - (UK, Europe & Scandinavian options)

Wide range of heavy duty adaptors are designed to enable standard UK caravan hook-up leads to be used across Europe and Scandinavia from domestic and commercial sockets, where the standard 230v 16A CEE IEC 60309 socket found on campsites is not available. Schuko, French, Swiss, Denmark. 415v 3...

toughleads.co.uk

If you're staying there for a while, or are renting a Chalet where you can plug in overnight it might be worth it otherwise I wouldn't bother and use public charging facilities which are always type 2. In Switzerland many of them are tethered so you won't need a cable at all.

 

[thax1]

As leejmoff says, the worst bit is the start (and end) of your route where you drive on the left, with signs in miles and on terrible surfaces .
The bit on the Continent is comfy and stress-free in comparison.

We used Tesla SC’s all the way down to the Alps, there’s far more than you ‘need’ in a LR. Grab a full-ish charge as you finally leave the Autoroute network, we stopped near Annecy, but there’s plenty around there and Geneva.
You’ll use more juice climbing up to a resort.
Many resort car parks (at least in Fr Alps) now have chargers that you tap a credit card on. See Google maps or the tourist office website for details. You may not need it if you’re parking up for a week, you‘ll use zero juice on the decent, just de-icing. (We went about 60km home bound for zero percent thanks to gravity).

We took the Type2 cable, but didn’t use. Also the granny charger, a heavy-duty extension cable and a 3pin-Euro converter and an all weather box to house them in, which we did use. See toughleads.co.uk for suitable extension cables and 3pin to Euro converters.

Enjoy!

 

[WannabeOwner]

I'm pensive about the charging situation

Have a go with ABetterRoutePlanner - you can set make / model, and Temperature / Weather etc. See what it recommends for charging locations. You can cherry-pick 3rd party charging brands (if you own / are going to buy a Card for any of them). Might be that Supercharger network will be enough - ABetterRoutePlanner constrained to "Only Tesla charging" will know the answer to that, also how long you are going to be parked up charging and so on.

I've been to French Alps in Winter a couple of times.

Trip to the Alps (or the whole of that thread)

Driving to Val D'Isere

Hey all! Just wondering if anyone here had experience driving their Tesla to Val d'Isere in the Alps? I'm taking my model 3 there in a couple of months, and am wondering what to do about the charging situation. The apartment that we have booked doesn't have its own parking facility, so we will...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[WllXM]

Have a go with ABetterRoutePlanner - you can set make / model, and Temperature / Weather etc. See what it recommends for charging locations. You can cherry-pick 3rd party charging brands (if you own / are going to buy a Card for any of them). Might be that Supercharger network will be enough - ABetterRoutePlanner constrained to "Only Tesla charging" will know the answer to that, also how long you are going to be parked up charging and so on.

I've been to French Alps in Winter a couple of times.

Trip to the Alps (or the whole of that thread)

Driving to Val D'Isere

Hey all! Just wondering if anyone here had experience driving their Tesla to Val d'Isere in the Alps? I'm taking my model 3 there in a couple of months, and am wondering what to do about the charging situation. The apartment that we have booked doesn't have its own parking facility, so we will...

teslamotorsclub.com

Also, keep in mind that Tesla superchargers are usually cheaper than the alternatives (like Ionity), last perk of being part of the brand 'club'.

 

[Leejmoff]

I didn't use anything other than Superchargers on the way out and back. I used my cable that came with the car twice, both at camps/hotels we stayed at. It was simple other than that. The car does everything for you.

 

[spdpsba]

So, Essex to Reims in France, then on to Switzerland and back.

Facts are, we spent £77 on charging for just over 1200miles. All Super chargers apart from two destination/half charges. Including tolls it came to £180 overall.

The tunnel, simple and easy. Took the "large" carriage as per booking. Again, simple and wide and easy to drive into and off. Couldn't fault the service. Arrived, drove about 100 metres and the sat nav kicked in.

Driving in France was easy as pie, so much nicer driving there. Autopilot was a dream, the car just worked, no hassles at all. We stayed in Reims, got a half charge free at the hotel Mercure. It had two Destination chargers and I noticed MG, EV6 and Kia Niro all using them too. Lots of electric cars around Reims.

After a day there we travelled to Switzerland stayed at Brienz for two nights. Again, the driving was comfortable and no hassle at all. The only part I didn't like was driving through Basel at rush hour. It's a crazy network of motorways with very quick signage for junctions. The Sat Nav was a dream at this part.

Arrived Brienz late afternoon, just enough to see the sunset over the lake, what a sight. We even took a dip as the sun went down. Absolutely stunning place to stay and one of the best evenings of my life.
View attachment 849455

Again, we charged the car for free the next day while we took a trip to Jungrfraujoch. Public transport was just amazing, we grabbed a boat to Interlaken, train to Grimewald, Gondola to the top. Spent the day in the snow at the top, it was amazing.

View attachment 849456The next day we drove to Lake Lucerne, up the mountains along winding roads, then back down into Luzern and out the other side. The Sat Nav was brilliant again, we took some detours to see the lakes and it couldn't have been easier.

View attachment 849457

We spent most of the day in the Museum of Transport, which I have to say was probably the best museum I've been in. Very interactive and the kids loved it, I loved it too. We spent all day there and still didn't have time to see it all.

Again, we arrived at our Hotel and got another free charger overnight. Managed to get it working with our own plug adaptor after a bit of back and forth with reception and lack of language skills on my part.

Next day a trip to Pilatus. cloudy for most of it apart from the top, where we sat above the cloud for a few hours. That night we spent the evening in the Stadtkeller, which had a Swiss Folk show with Fondue and the rest. An expensive but fantastic place for go to for some fun.

View attachment 849458

View attachment 849459

View attachment 849460
The next day we drove back to France and stayed in Troyes, it was a long journey, with rain here and there. The wipers worked for most part but struggled in the really heavy storms we hit. We stayed at a beautiful B&B just outside Troyes, stunning garden for the kids to play in. The house had a dual charging station too, so we charged up there for €5, it was a 70% charge so worth it.

View attachment 849463

Getting back to the UK after the tunnel, and we realised how rubbish our roads are. The M20 is shocking, and so are most of the drivers in our country. Its a disgrace in fact when comparing to the continent.

Anyway, that was a quick rundown. Without the Tesla, we wouldn't have done this trip. We saved ourselves about £600 in petrol and had our favour holiday/break yet as a family. The car was a dream to use travelling through Europe and we are already planning our next trip.

Norway is possibly next......suggestions are welcome...

I jsut quickly went thro’ your last year trip. I am planning to go to Italy via France and Swiss. Wondering about stopping at Troyes - looks like the place youve stayed overnight looked fantastic. Do you have an address or name for that B&B? Also are there any other good places after Troyes or before Dijon where a one night stay with or without charging you know of? Also remember someone mentioned about staying outside Reims - any thoughts?

Also can you update me regarding getting the Criti’c air permit for Reims? Do you need that even if you are not visiting Reims but just going thro’ it to other part of France?

 

[WannabeOwner]

are there any other good places after Troyes or before Dijon where a one night stay

I'm always worried whether a destination charger will be available when I get there ...

I've stopped at the Supercharger at Beaune to stock up (self catering), its right next to a massive supermarket. Its town centre, so prob. walking distance to a hotel nearby (its in the car park of a hotel, but no idea what that is like)

I've also stopped in Troyes but, sorry, I can't find the name of the hotel. We just went to the Supercharger, in Troyes in the evening and found a restaurant nearby. Edit: Doh! Much faster to search in TeslaFi than email! Logis Hôtel le Pan de Bois. Basic, but it was fine. Turns out it was 5 miles from Supercharger though, and I now remember we had a nice meal in the hotel restaurant, so must have wandered the shops when supercharging.

If you can't get that far we've loved staying in Épernay - just driving down the Avenue de Champagne is an experience in opulence!

We have considered staying at Logis Auberge des Moissons (just South of Reims) - it looks like the Superchargers are inside a gated car park; over the decades we have had good experiences at Logis Auberges - a stone's throw from Épernay if you wanted to do the Avenue de Champagne

Also stayed at the Chateau de Courban (between Troyes and Dijon), at @Mr Miserable recommendation. Typical French laissez faire and weirdness. 3x Tesla destination chargers (Tesla said 2 chargers, pretty sure it said 2 even when we stayed there; 3-phase as I recollect it - it charged quickly), I pre-booked one, to be sure of an overnight charge, when I got there I was the only Tesla, but only one was working - looked like other two had been out of action for ages. Its a fair bit off the beaten track to arrive on fumes ...

It had a Michelin star restaurant, and our en suite (large) bathroom had a table in at which breakfast was served!

Do you need that even if you are not visiting Reims but just going thro’ it to other part of France?

If you are staying on autoroute you'll be fine without it.

 

[spdpsba]

I'm always worried whether a destination charger will be available when I get there ...

I've stopped at the Supercharger at Beaune to stock up (self catering), its right next to a massive supermarket. Its town centre, so prob. walking distance to a hotel nearby (its in the car park of a hotel, but no idea what that is like)

I've also stopped in Troyes but, sorry, I can't find the name of the hotel. We just went to the Supercharger, in Troyes in the evening and found a restaurant nearby. Edit: Doh! Much faster to search in TeslaFi than email! Logis Hôtel le Pan de Bois. Basic, but it was fine. Turns out it was 5 miles from Supercharger though, and I now remember we had a nice meal in the hotel restaurant, so must have wandered the shops when supercharging.

If you can't get that far we've loved staying in Épernay - just driving down the Avenue de Champagne is an experience in opulence!

We have considered staying at Logis Auberge des Moissons (just South of Reims) - it looks like the Superchargers are inside a gated car park; over the decades we have had good experiences at Logis Auberges - a stone's throw from Épernay if you wanted to do the Avenue de Champagne

Also stayed at the Chateau de Courban (between Troyes and Dijon), at @Mr Miserable recommendation. Typical French laissez faire and weirdness. 3x Tesla destination chargers (Tesla said 2 chargers, pretty sure it said 2 even when we stayed there; 3-phase as I recollect it - it charged quickly), I pre-booked one, to be sure of an overnight charge, when I got there I was the only Tesla, but only one was working - looked like other two had been out of action for ages. Its a fair bit off the beaten track to arrive on fumes ...

It had a Michelin star restaurant, and our en suite (large) bathroom had a table in at which breakfast was served!



If you are staying on autoroute you'll be fine without it.

That’s very helpful @WannabeOwner. I’ll search the map and find how far I can travel and then pencil one of those. Chateau de Courban sounds like ideal as we can reach there just around 8. But we will be so knackered won’t have time to explore. So May be will stay there on our return. I’ll look for the other options you have suggested.