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Renewable Road to Russia (RRR)

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July 29: day 3, Renewable Roads

I start the day with some excitement and uncertainty. Today I will get to Russia. But which road to take is still undecided. Given the fact that the shortest route is thru the northern (Ukrainian controlled) part of the Lugansk Province, I have a preference for this route. Apart from being the shortest route I would be very interested to see the region. My suspicion is that it is mostly populated by normal people that would like to live a normal life. What could happen in the few hours I need to pass. But I do not feel 100% convinced and in addition the quality of roads is a big unknown. I will try to find advice from people I meet before I make a decision.

Overnight the car has charged a bit at 220V 16A. With 141 km typical range I have just enough to reach Kharkiv. I will have to take it slow. Although I planned to leave fully charged. The impact on my original planning is not so large as I will be able to Chademo charge in Kharkiv. So I will just spend one additional hour there. It is a beautiful day and I enjoy the OK road to Kharkiv.

In Kharkiv I arrive at Auto Enterprise’s new location at a mall next to the northern ring-road. Among others there are two Tesla’s parked in front of the building and I immediately spot the Chademo charger. Inside I am welcomed by some friendly young people who first have to consult with ‘the boss’ before allowing me to charge. But luckily I have contacted the boss himself ahead of time and got an OK to charge. This is confirmed by phone. However there is a charge of some € 6 per hour. So I agree to pay for two hours and we get the charger going. But much to my surprise the charger is only charging at half the speed (just over 100km typical range per hour). Apparently the software in the car is fooled as well. It indicates the actual charging speed, but the remaining charging time corresponds with regularly expected 200km range/h charging speed. The guy at Oxygen over in Kiev had mentioned something about Auto Enterprise using some cheap unreliable chargers from China…

Anyway, this is the first setback of the today. I will have to wait for 4 hours to completely fill up. While waiting I call the police department of the Lugansk Province to get information about the safety situation of the road to Mirove. It is confirmed that the road is open and its should be safe. ‘Just go’ is the answer. Next the young lady comes to tell me that she misunderstood her boss. Charging will be € 6 per half hour. Making a total of € 24 for a full charge ! The equivalent of FastNed rates charging in Ukriane ;-). Not that I mind the money, but it adds to the weird feeling I get with this location/company.

I realize that charging at the OKKO station east of Kharkiv will be almost as quick, for free and 30 km further on my route and would give another location to hang out the next two hours wait. So I decide to leave after the first session of two hours to continue charging at the OKKO station where I find a well-functioning KEBA. The station has a nice pizza restaurant and good wifi. So I also charge myself and do some report writing.

In between the two Kharkiv charging locations I passed by a memorial for the ‘Golodomor’, the Stalin imposed famine which affected the whole of Ukraine and had a particular high death toll in the Kharkiv Province. Native Ukrainians are believed to (intentionally) have suffered most. Just one reminder of the complicated and scarred history of this country and the eastern provinces in particular. It is sad that this area is suffering once again.

At the Okko station I meet some Ukrainians from Kharkiv who, once again, urge me not to take the Lugansk Province route. ‘Chaos!’. ‘They are shooting over there’. Although I am still not convinced it is unsafe (nobody actually goes there, so it is all hearsay), I do to start to doubt. Particularly the possible bad conditions of the roads. I discuss other options with them. The obvious is via Belgorod, but that would be the longest detour. The planner shows other border crossings from the Kharkiv province into Russia. They confirm that there are some.

So I decide to not go into Lugansk region but cross into Russia from Kharkiv instead. I choose the Verigovka crossing giving me the shortest route to Valoejki a town where I should be able to charge the car and/or spend the night. The GPS shows several alternative to go there. Advised by the local people I choose to return to the Kharkiv ring road and then turn east from there. Those roads should be OK.

It is already 15:50 when I leave with an almost full battery. Most of the day is gone and I am still only in Kharkiv! The road east of Kharkiv is OK to drive on. Soon I cross the Northern Donets river at Staryi Saltiv. A beautiful view and a nice place to camp out and swim in the river (if I had the time). From here the main road is going all the way around via Voltsjansk. There is however a shorter route which is suggested by Google Maps on my phone (but not by Tesla navigation). It will cut another 15km, straight to Prykolotne. So I decide to give it a try.

Well the first 1,5 km on this smaller road are perfect. But I guess this is as far as any inspector or local governor gets to conclude that he roads are OK. Beyond, the quality gets from bad to worse to horrible. But by the time you realize that this road well not get better any time soon, you are so far in that turning back is not an option anymore. And there is always a chance the road will get better after the next turn (the opposite is also true). I carefully navigate my car around all the potholes. Or slowly thru them if I cannot avoid them. 30km of possibly ‘impossible to drive on’ road ahead of me. I hate myself for being so smart to take the shortcut.

But now that I am in it anyway, I decide to (try to) enjoy it as well. I realized I am in a place I would otherwise have never visited. The grain and sunflower fields are beautiful. I am alone. Half way I stop to take some photographs. The quiet is impressive.

When I have finally survived the 40km stretch, I hit the main road at Prykolotne. It should be better from here. Well, not exactly. By times the remaining 24km to the border are as bad. When I get closer to the border the road gets smaller. Am I really heading towards a border crossing? I would not be surprised that soon I will hit a fence rather than a border crossing. But to my relieve I do find a border crossing in operation. Thank God. It might take me some time to cross, but roads on the other side will definitely be better.

First I need to get a car insurance for Russia. I was afraid I would not be able to get one at this small post. But surprisingly, although traffic here seems to be minimal, there is competition on the insurance market. There are even four kiosks to choose from! Inside one of them the next surprise of the day awaits me. ‘I would sell you the insurance if you could pass here, but you cannot. This is not an ‘international’ border crossing. Here only locals (Ukrainians/Russians) can pass.’. The border guard at the gate confirms his statement. Crossing here is impossible. Closest by international crossing is Pletenivka some 60 to 70 km back towards Belgorod. Over the intercom the guard double checks that Pletenivka is indeed ‘international’. Asking about how to get there he mumbles something about ‘not much of a road’ to Pletenivka.

So I return to Prykolotne only to find out that the road from Prykolotne to Voltsjansk (which I should have taken if I had not be so stubborn to take the shortest route) is of even worse quality. Another 40km of this? I feel desperate. But there is no other solution than to just do it and hope for better roads after each turn. I have to be careful with my car. If I would rupture a tire or break something there is no Ukrainian ANWB equivalent (Dutch AAA or ADAC) that would get me out of here any time soon.

I pass thru a village where the central place/crossing is one big pothole all together. How do people live here? What means of transport do they have to escape from these places? How are they being supplied?

After two long hours I reach the other border crossing. I decide to give it a try and pass by the (longer than expected) que in front of the first barrier. I better first check whether I can indeed cross here, to not waste my time in the que for nothing. And who knows I can manage to skip the que. The plan works and after a chat with the border guard (mostly about the car), as soon as barrier opens, I am the first to enter. But not after very carefully going thru the last enormous pothole which forms the entrance to the border territory.

At the border everything goes smooth. A lot of attention from both officials and others crossing the border. It makes for a relaxed friendly atmosphere. When I am done on the Ukrainian side I give them a drag racing style demonstration on the short stretch towards the last Ukrainian barrier. For this I receive a 5+ (Russian A+ grade) from the guard at the barrier.

On the Russian side a new very well laid out facility (without potholes). Similar scene. Friendly officials. One make me off load all my luggage for inspection of the luggage and the car. But it is not quite clear to me whether this is because he is taking his job seriously or to create a chance for himself to have a closer look at the car.

The only issue that appears is that I do not have a translation of the authorization (in four languages) I have with my company car (my company, the owner of the car, authorizes me to take the car abroad and sign any documents needed in the process). It is legalized by the chamber of commerce and via an Apostille stamp. Advance research taught me that a translation (at least at the mayor border crossings into Russia) is not needed.

But instead of making a problem out of it, they understand that this is a genuine document and are being creative in finding a solution. This takes a while (no idea what the lady went to do) but then the problem seems to be solved. After some more signatures and stamps I am ‘released’ and ready to enter Russia. Pobeda!

It is late and dark and I am worn out. I find a hotel in the nearby town of Shebekino. It takes a bit of persuasion to convince the lady to let me charge my car (slow, single phase). It is still difficult for Russians to take or accept responsibility. Although I realize I have lost a day, I am happy I made it into Russia and that this day is over. I praise the Lord that my car is still in one piece and undamaged and all tires are intact. It could have been so much worse.

Today I learned that the roads of Ukraine are really ‘renewable’, meaning more than ready to be renewed.

Left Poltava: 8:35
Arrive Shebekino: 22:40
Distance travelled: 374km
(Effective distance: 246 km)

Total distance: 2812 km
 
July 30, Day 4, Renewed Roads

I had hoped to sleep a bit more. With some 1200 km to go to my destination, two days should be sufficient in any case to get there. (If I do not run into situations like yesterday, that is.)So there is no need to leave early. But I wake up early anyway. With remaining charge from yesterday and some 220V charging overnight I have 282 km to find my next charging stop.

I return the room key, pack up and take off at 7:40 for what should be an easy day. First I have to get connected again. In the first phone shop I come across it only takes 5 minutes to get a data only SIM card working. At 4G where available otherwise mostly 3G. (I had 3G in cities and 2G everywhere else). What a difference with 20 years ago when I lived in Russia. Back then it took years to get a phone in your apartment. As a result apartments with a phone connection would sell at higher prices.

At 8:00 I leave the city. I will follow the roads close to the Ukrainian border for some 375km until I will reach the highway M4 (from Moscow to Novorossiejsk). It is a beautiful day and to my surprise I find beautiful roads as well. For part the road has been completely renovated and widened. At other stretches there is work in progress. It make me wonder why they are building such a great road in such a remote corner of the country (where there is hardly anyone driving on these roads). Are they trying to show off to the Ukrainians? Or is this a strategic move to be able to quickly move troops along the Ukrainian border? The latter might be true, but I realize later that, now that routes thru Ukaine and/or over Crimea are blocked, Russia needs an alternative route around Ukraine towards the Krasnodar Province and the southern states. Unfortunately the work has not been finished yet, so I can only enjoy this quick road for the first 60 km or so.

After 125 km I pass by the town of Valoejki. Although I still have charge for 160 km, I look out for charging options. Better to make an extra stop than not being able to find any charging option with a completely empty battery. I pass by a factory of some sort that looks rather modern i.e. there must be modern equipment with 380V CEE connectors inside. So I give it a try. At the barrier the guard is friendly enough to give me a chance to go ask at the main entrance. In short: I meet some friendly people and the main technician, who confirms that all 380V connections are 32A or above, goes running around the factory to see if he can find an outlet close enough to a window or door. He returns after 5 minutes with a positive answer and we hook up the car at the back of the facility.

Although there is indeed 32A available, the plug is CEE 16A. So we use my adapter to connect. After a while the technician comes to report that the adapter (1m, 2,5mm2) is getting rather warm. But this is expected and although not ideal I know from experience that this will not be a problem. Unfortunately the charging speed seems limited to 75 km/h. Probably due to a somewhat lower voltage because the whole factory is in operation.

The plant turns out to be a poultry factory, or as the sign says: a factory for killing and processing of birds. Back home on the North West Veluwe we are very much accustomed with this industry. We have a similar facility in our village. No surprise that all the machinery inside is of Dutch origin. Very efficient stuff that helps this plant in Valoejki to kill 90.000 birds in 12 hours.

2,5hrs later I pack up and leave with a full battery pack. Enough for over 400km but not enough to get me to Rostov-on-Don a nice large city that would have plenty of hotels to choose from. In Rossoschj I make a short stop to find some local advice. Here I again have the choice between a shorter route or following the mail road. Given yesterday’s experience, I try to make an educated descision. Unfortunately there is no unanimous answer from the locals. So I decide to take the short (more scenic) short route and tell myself to turn around at the first serious pothole.

Today I have more luck. This road seems to be closed for trucks and heavy traffic (the once damaging the road most). Beautiful route over some hills and thru small villages with acceptable road condition.

Then I finally hit the M4 a, for the larger part, renovated and expended 2x2 highway in good condition. Turning onto the highway I find myself in a different world. Within seconds I transfer from the quiet country side into a city like environment with peak traffic on the highway. Being the only corridor from Moscow (and other large cities in north west Russia) to the Black Sea coast and Crimea this road is crowded with urban people (larger, newer end more expensive cars). A 24/7 stream in both directions that continues all summer long. This year it is even more busy since up to recently the alternative popular coast destination (Turkey) was not an option.

All this holiday traffic is joined by the ‘blue army’. A countless number of (mostly blue) open top Kamaz bulk lorries with trailers transporting the harvests of the south (grain, sunflower seeds, water melons, sugar beets, tomato’s, etc.)

At the next exit I leave the M4 to find a charging option in Boguchar so that I can reach Rostov from there. I stop at a ‘garage’ that indeed has a 32A 380V outlet. Apparently the garage opened just 3 days ago. The outlet is for the lift that still needs to be (earned and subsequently) installed. Unfortunately the wiring is not great and the car automatically limits the current to 24A. I understand Tesla’s safety concerns, but in situations like this it would be nice if one could override this feature.

I use the 3 hour wait to call various hotels in Rostov to find out about charging options. There are none. So I decide to book a centrally located upscale hotel that at least has a 220V charging option. Next I take off for an easy ride to Rostov, not driving too fast as by now I seem to be able to quick accurately calculate the power consumption.

I arrive at my hotel at least an hour later than expected. This is due to traffic jams on the highway. One might remember what I wrote during my last year’s trip to Turkey about the Turkish drivers (on the very busy road past Belgrade). Well take that text and replace Turkish with Russian and it exactly describes my experience on the M4. At every traffic jam, drivers pass on the emergency lane or thru the middle. This makes the delay only worse as now we have to merge from 3 or 4 lanes to 1.

So it is past midnight before I arrive at the hotel. While on my way I have been called twice by the technician at the hotel about my charging need and what currents I would need. We plug into an 220V outlet on the outer wall which according to the technician is a max 25A outlet. To be safe I start at 16A.

After checking in and discovering that my migration card has been left behind in the previous hotel (in the end not a big deal, but causing a lot of stress when you find out) I return to the car to check. Charging has stopped and there is a smell in the air… Soon we find that the outlet on the wall has molten and so did my plug as a result.

In the discussion with the technician that follows I learn that there are plenty of (soviet type) 3 phase plugs on the second floor (where the banquet halls are). Didn’t I ask about for this on the phone? Well why don’t we get a cable down from the second floor then? And so we do. We quickly mount a soviet style plug on one of my adapter cables and get the car charging at 380V 16A. Couldn’t be happier that I just burned my 220V plug. I can leave tomorrow with a full battery for the last 475km to Gelendzhik.

Left Shebekino: 8:00

Arrive Rostov-on-Don: 00:15

Distance travelled: 706 km

Total distance: 3518 km
 
July 31, Day 5, Heading for the beach

With less than 500 km to go and the knowledge I can start with a full battery, I take it easy this morning. At the reception they contact the hotel where I stayed the previous night to confirm that my immigration card (a piece of paper you receive when you cross the border and which you have to return upon leaving the country) is indeed still in their possession. They will email a copy of it and I will retrieve the original on the way back.

The trip along the M4 is easy. I cruise at about 100km/h where possible. It is busy, but to my surprise I am stuck in a traffic jam only once. I take a detour to minimize the delay, collecting some dust on the car. I check my options for charging in Krasnodar the only major city left before hitting the black sea coast. There are several Nissan dealers which could potentially have a charger. But chances are close to none. It seems that Nissan has not made any effort to sell any EV cars in Russia (where there are quite a few of them in Ukraine). I target a Nissan dealer that seems to be in a kind of auto mall only the M4 close to Krasnodar airport. If it does not work with the Nissan dealer, the other modern dealerships are a good back up.

The question about the availability of a charger at the Nissan dealer is a good opening line for the second more essential question: ‘would you have a 380V outlet instead?’. Wel yes, they do. So I am taken to the service center and park my car inside next to a 32A 380V outlet. Great, but the breaker on the line is actually only 16A. Well, never mind. I do not need to charge much to make it to the final destination. And with short connections between breaker and outlet I dare to charge at a slightly higher amperage. (checking the temperature of the components every now and then).

After having charged enough the very friendly and interested service manager of the shop takes the car for a spin on the huge parking lot in front of the dealership. Another petrol-head that lost his EVirginity J. On it goes for the last bit to Gelendzjik. When turning into the mountains the road narrows to 1x1, but fortunately trucks are only allowed at night. During the morning there where extensive traffic jams on this stretch. Again due to a huge effort to improve and widen the road. But by the time I pass, traffic is slow but moving.

When hitting the coast I take a right towards Novorossiejsk where the majority of the traffic takes a left towards Sochi. Beautiful scenery with an OK road occasionally winding thru small towns. I enjoy the ride knowing I will soon arrive. At 17:35 I park my car at the hotel in Gelendzhik and go searching for my wife. Mission accomplished after 5 days and close to 4000 km! Time to take a break (effectively I am only half-way).

Left Rostov-on-Don: 9:10
Arrive Gelendzhik: 17:35
Distance travelled: 471 km

Total distance: 3989 km

PS I see that this posting is also my 1000th posting on this forum. Quite an appropriate way to celebrate 3 years of Tesla talk.
 
I was asked to post some footage of the trip as well. I have not done so yet for several reasons:

1. I was alone on this trip and thus limited in my possibilities to take pictures
2. At key moments I had other things on my mind than taking pictures.
3. I like to 'observe' and remember rather than to take pictures. (I remember the time we laughed at Japanese tourist who where so busy taking pictures so that only back home they could see where they had actually been)
4. Stories without pictures can be more interesting (the movie always disappoints after having read the book)
5. I am not a fan at all of the modern stick based narcissism.
6. I struggled with the new TMC forum media interface.

I might do a better job on the way back as I will have my daughters (more hands, different generation) with me.

Will give it a try in the next post.
 
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25 kg of extension cords and adaptors

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Last SuC in Poland

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One of the parks (maybe THE park) with Pope gatherings

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New but boring 'fenced' roads in south east of Poland

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Cows going left and right in the village of Nakonetsnoye just accross the Polish/Ukrainian border
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Excellent cabin style hotel close to Lviv with excellent 22 kW public charger
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Chademo chargers at Oxygen2 in Kiev
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Wrong (type 1) charger at the Poltava hotel
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Using my Mobile KEBA charger instead
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Passing by Golodomor memorial in Kharkiv


(There was one more reason for not posting pictures yet. I am now finally in a hotel with fast enough internet.)
 
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Bad road, but beautiful fields and total silence east of Kharkiv
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Charging at the factory for the killing and processing of birds
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Renovated Russian orthodox church in the town of Rossoschj
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Charging at 380V from the 2nd floor at the Don Plaza hotel in Rostov-on-Don
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At the Nissan dealership in Krasnodar just after charging (CEE outlets in the back) and my temporary office/desk
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One day after arriving Just before Novorossiejsk 'the city of heros' according to the 'architectural structure' in the back (Novorossiejsk was occupied by the Germans during WOII and the scene of heavy battles to regain it)
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First shower after more than 4000km of reliable service.
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It even looks like new (if you do not come to close)
 
Sorry for being off line for so long. For now a very short update.
We have justed returned home! Parked the car in its regular spot where it is now charging as usual. You could not tell it just finished a trip of 8300km. But what a trip it was.

Reason I did not post while travelling is that it was rather heavy physically with long days and late arrivals (if not in the middle of the night). In addition I have been sick since the second day after my arrival in Gelendzhik and I still have not recovered. While in the meanwhile all my family members suffered the same inconvenience for a day or two, my body has not come over it since a week and a half.

But the return trip was nevertheless interesting. I will try to write up most of the highlights this weekend. Now it is high time to get some rest...