Wanting to visit Portugal

[Nippynorman]

We had planned a visit to Portugal this September in our Model 3. We were about to book an Air BnB when we checked the charger availability on the internet. Our research indicated that you can't use the Portuguese charging network unless you have a Portugese address and bank account. There are few superchargers close by in this part of the world. Has anyone been to Portugal in a Tesla and did you manage to find charging that you could access? Thanks

Nippynorman

 

[Artiste]

I stay outside Albufeira most years and the hotel we stay at (Baia Grande in Sesmarias) has a 22KW Tesla destination charger. There are quite a few about, but of course most are for customers only so not much use to you.

As a last resort are you able to use the UMC with the appropriate adapter? Even at a modest 10A charge you can get quite a bit of mileage overnight. I use the UMC when I stay at a remote farmhouse in Snowdonia.

 

[Nippynorman]

Hi - Artiste - we were looking to book an Air BnB villa close to Albufiera. Having a bit of a problem getting a Shuko adapter - Tesla are always out of stock. The guy renting the villa did say we could charge there provided we pay for the power - which is entirely fair. How do you find driving there? Thanks for your advice ( we may need to book a hotel instead!

 

[Artiste]

I’ve never driven an EV in Portugal, but of course when you’ve got one you take more notice. Driving generally in Portugal is hassle free.

When we stayed at the Baia Grande last November for 5 nights I saw a Model S charging on the first night but nothing after that. I notice on the Tesla website there’s a 22KW destination charger at the Marina de Albufeira which is listed as public use. On the whole, though, Portugal is clearly lagging behind in EV charging infrastructure.

Whenever I go away I take my 3 pin UMC and an extension lead. As a last resort could you charge by plugging your 3 pin UMC into a wall socket using a standard UK to European adapter?

 

[MidhurstNigel]

You can buy a 10m Schuko extension lead rated at 16A from cpc farnell for under £10. Cut the socket end off and put on a 13A socket and you have extension lead and adaptor all in one. Alternatively get a Schuko pigtail for the UMC from Tesla. I don't know what Tesla limit the charging current to when you use one of their Schuko pigtails but logically it should be a bit more than the 10A limit they impose on a UK 13A plug?

 

[MidhurstNigel]

You can buy a 10m Schuko extension lead rated at 16A from cpc farnell for under £10. Cut the socket end off and put on a 13A socket and you have extension lead and adaptor all in one. Alternatively get a Schuko pigtail for the UMC from Tesla. I don't know what Tesla limit the charging current to when you use one of their Schuko pigtails but logically it should be a bit more than the 10A limit they impose on a UK 13A plug?

I'm not a sparks so don't rely on this, but if you bought a 16A rated Schuko extension lead, cut the socket end off, and put on a 16A commando trailing socket, you should be able to use the 16A commando pigtail supplied with the UMC and then charge at 16A from a 16A rated Schuko socket.

 

[bitmanEV]

With the MK1 Leaf I have been driving through Portugal but mostly used the Nissan Garage DC chargers and a couple AC chargers I could activate with the NewMotion RFID card

For Tesla have a look at Mac Voltio's youtube channel as he drove through Portugal; YouTube

 

[Nippynorman]

Thanks for all your advice guys, I will get a Schuko extension from Farnell as I have tried repeatedly to get one from Tesla. I am currently trying to get one from Norway but I have a feeling there is something funny about their neutral/earthing setup so I may be wasting my money. I will look at the Youtube clip - hopefully it will resolve my apprehensions. Cheers

Nippynorman

 

[ACarneiro]

I’m surprised that you would be able to use the pan-European SuC network. Are you sure of this?

There is one SuC in Alcantarilha and another one coming soon in Almancil (near Faro) So those should help you.

You can also stop at the SuC in Alcácer for a top up if you’re coming from Lisboa

 

[Mr Miserable]

I recommend a good quality schuko lead from Tough Leads

 

[Mr Miserable]

I've not heard of this issue before.
I reckon you should be alright to use Tesla superchargers.
Additionally have a look at Chargemap - they seem to cover Portugal.

 

[Nippynorman]

The information I was given was from a guy who drove through last year, (Portugese address and bank account) It also says the same on the AA website - only available with a Portuguese bank a/c and a Portuguese address. I checked charge map - Literally hundreds of points but when you click on them the first 50 or so I clicked on came up with a banner - Incompatable with Chargemap pass. Superchargers seem a few and far between. Thanks for taking the trouble to respond - all comments are helpful.

 

[Cogarch]

A Better Routeplanner

SuCs and Ionity only

 

[VanillaAir_UK]

I am currently trying to get one from Norway but I have a feeling there is something funny about their neutral/earthing setup so I may be wasting my money.

 

[MidhurstNigel]

Someone previously mentioned Toughleads. Check this out - a Schuko to Commander 16A cable:

Standalone EV travel adaptors (TESLA gen 2 compatible)

 

[loop68]

We had planned a visit to Portugal this September in our Model 3. We were about to book an Air BnB when we checked the charger availability on the internet. Our research indicated that you can't use the Portuguese charging network unless you have a Portugese address and bank account. There are few superchargers close by in this part of the world. Has anyone been to Portugal in a Tesla and did you manage to find charging that you could access? Thanks

Nippynorman

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, however I have not been able to gain any clarity on the SuC situation in Portugal for foreign drivers. Will Tesla customer support be able to confirm the answer?

As OP says, some websites mention that Portugal SuC's require a Portuguese bank account/address.

I do not see how this would work in practice however..

I thought your Tesla account is global and your payment details go directly to Tesla Motors. Why would Portuguese SuC have a separate system for payment?

There is also no mention of this on Tesla's own site for the Superchargers located in Portugal.

I found this Facebook group of UK based Tesla owners who have done European road trips, including to Portgual (Lisbon and Algarve). The pictures indicate they used the Portuguese SuC network without any issues (November 2019).

Tesla European Trip

Any more clues? Or shall I just ring Tesla directly and ask them to clarify...