Just got back from a trip to the south of France (Nice) from northern Belgium (Turnhout) during Easter break. It went much better than expected. Our party consisted of 2 adults, two teenagers and our golden retriever. We had a very full frunk and trunk. I was impressed how much could fit in the car! We suprised our kids with a
touchpad from Dell so that they could control the music from the back just as we left.
Road trips cure you of any
range anxiety. We drove from Turnhout, in northern Belgium to Metz, 327km. We were nervous. We had a full car and it was only 8 degrees. We made it with 11km left. On the return trip, I had 27km left but no more nerves.
The trip view in the Energy app was open more than the navigation app! We used it to determine our speed. If the app predicted we would end under 1%, we slowed a little. If it went above 5%, we sped up. We were amazed the difference a couple of km/h would make. We drove almost the entire way using cruise control staring our remaing battery level in the trip view.
‘Range anxiety’ was replaced by ‘
supercharger availably anxiety’. Several of the superchargers in France are temporary with two stalls and therefore slow, especially if someone else is already charging. We were debating the whole ‘drive fast’ and recharge often or ‘drive slow’ and skip chargers. Before we left I thought I would prefer to drive fast, but by the end of this trip I really prefer going as long as possible between charges. First of all, it is faster. The supercharger speed is quite variable. For example, on the way down, in Metz, it started at 577km/h on the way back. It started it at 274km/h. In both cases we had less than 20km range, but the second time we werenot alone. It is easier on the kids to not stop so often. We had to wait twice on the way down. The first time in Nuits-Saint-George and then again in Orange. When that happens, you are really losing time. The supercharger in Nancy is also a big detour. On the way back we only charged four times. But each time full and then drove slowly to reach furthest supercharger. It was a much better experience.
Now for the play-by-play.
We left Turnhout Friday, late-afternoon and reached Metz at 8pm. It was dark and deserted. My kids did not like it. We saw no restrooms. We did a small charge and moved on to Nancy.
Going to the supercharger in Nancy while following the route de soleil is a big detour that goes through downtown Nancy. The charger location in south Nancy is great though. It was clean, well-lit, and fast. There are plenty of eating and sleeping options. We charged while we ate and then drove down to Nuits-Saint-Georges. Driving south back to the route de soleil took us along slow windy dark roads for about 20 minutes before we got back on the highway.
We got to Nuits-Saint-Georges at midnight and slept in the hotel there. There are two buildings and the rooms in the main building are much, much better. Make sure to request a room there. There were already two Teslas charging and all three of us were staying in the hotel. By the time we checked in, one of the Tesla’s moved off, so I could charge. I did not want to leave the car at 100% the whole night, so I charged to 90% and then moved my car at 1am as not to block the supercharger during the night. Both chargers were free during night, even though there were three Teslas in the parking lot. In the morning, 7am, we each took turns going to 100% and then moving off. We were all very considerate of each other. I was thinking about it and it worked well because we are still in the early adopter phase. I wonder what it would be like if Teslas go mainstream. Would everyone be so well behaved?
From Nuits-Saint-George, we went to the supercharger in Vienne, under Lyon, skipping Macon. This was the worst supercharger. It was very slow 92km/h, and there is nothing to do there. There is just an old run-down Ibis hotel. We made sure to skip this charger on the way back.
From Vienne, we went to Orange, which turned out to be the best supercharger, located in a new large outdoor shopping center. There are hotels nearby, but not right next to the charger like in Nancy. It was busy there, both chargers were occupied when we got there. We waited about 20 minutes and then charged at a fast 297km/h considering someone was charging next to us. There were several places to eat with outdoor seating and Subway too. We left at 80% since there were two more Teslas waiting after us!
We drove from Orange down to Fréjus. Fréjus is a beautiful spot. We were alone there and charged quickly. We walked around the grounds and then left for our final destination, Beaulieu-Sur-Mer next to Nice.
In Beaulieu, we could charge at the Marche U supermarket. They had 4 parking spots with type3c, 11kw. You need to get a badge at the front desk. You can tell we are still in the early stages of electric cars, since no one knew anything about it about the badge. Finally the branch manager came down with a badge which he let me keep for the week so I could charge when I wanted to. Then he and several other employees came down to look at the Tesla. I gave the usual 5min demo, opening the frunk and showing the big screen. Everyone was duly impressed.
The return trip
Cured of my range anxiety and using the trip screen in the energy app, we left Beaulieu at 2pm on the following Saturday, fully charged thanks to the Marche U and drove straight to Orange. Now there was no one charging. We had a coffee on a terrace and charged to 100%.
Then we drove straight to Macon, gratefully skipping Vienne. Again we were alone on the charger. We had dinner at La Vielle Ferme. There is nothing else for miles. The food was great! The service was not. I read people that say it is expensive. We both had a delicious salad with bread and our kids had a small steak with French fries. It was quite reasonable. There is no need to take one of the menus. We left there fully charged.
We drove the short hop to Nuits-Saint-Georges where we slept. This time we were the only Tesla. We were still charged from Macon, so we went straight to sleep. The next morning, we charged back up to 100% during breakfast.
We drove from Nuits-Saint-George straight to Metz. We were so confident of the accuracy of the trip window in the energy app, that we kept our speed so that we would arrive at 0%. Which was a good thing, since as you get closer to Nancy, the speed limit drops to 110km/h and even some stretches to 90km/h, that our end energy went up and up back to 8%. When we got to Metz, we saw the first other Tesla of the return trip. The work on the 8 permanent stalls was progressing nicely. I plugged in our car and charging would not start. It kept saying, ‘Unable to charge’. After about 6 tries of removing the cable and sticking it back in it finally started at a respectable, 277km/h. It was Sunday, so the shopping center was closed and from the supercharger, nothing looks open. We decided to go for a walk around the building and out of sight to the south is a Cresendo restaurant, open 7 days a week from 8:30am till 9:30pm. We sat there and charged up to 100% for our last leg.
We drove from Metz to Turnhout with zero stress. It was much warmer than when we drove down and we had a full charge of 389km. I also turned on the climate with about 15 minutes to go. So we left with a warm battery at 100% and the car pre-conditioned. That is truly stating with a max range. I drove the speed limit or a little over the whole way back and still had 6% when we were home 328 km later.
Summary of Superchargers along route de soleil
Metz: No hotels, try to be there between 8:30 and 21:30. Find resto Cresendo around the building to the south.
Nancy: Big detour. Clean, fast, hotels and many eating options.
Nuits-Saint-George: One hotel, stay in main building. Kitchen is not open late.
Macon: One hotel. Good restaurant. Nice large salads. Nothing else to see.
Vienne: Worst supercharger. Very slow. Only a run-down Ibis hotel. Nothing else to see. Avoid.
Orange: Fast supercharger. Large outdoor shopping center. Plenty of eating options. Hotels not too close by.
Aix-en-Provence: Did not stop there.
Fréjus: Beautiful domain. Fast charger. Very nice Hotel.
Learnings
- The trip view in the energy app should always be open during a road trip and determines your speed!
- In France, drive slow and skip superchargers.
- Everyone should go on a road trip. It cures range anxiety.
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