The number of people with an electric car in their driveway is steadily increasing. Now that the summer holiday period is starting, many people are going on holiday with their EV. This can be within the Netherlands or much further, because the fishing lakes in Scandinavia are particularly inviting, it is wonderful to stay at Lake Garda, just like the costas in Spain and the many nature campsites that you can now find throughout Europe. You can now easily go on holiday with an electric car, because the charging station coverage and the number of fast chargers has increased considerably in recent times. On this page we explain what you should pay attention to and which charging cables you should have with you.
Part one: charging your electric car during the journey
Where a few years ago you still had to make a tight schedule before going on holiday with an electric car, it is now considerably easier to travel all over Europe with your EV. The charging deserts in the north of France have been taken care of by large providers such as Fastned and IONITY who have installed fast chargers here, the German motorways are equipped with numerous fast chargers so that you do not have to have any charging stress and in Northern Europe it is also not difficult to find a place to plug your car into the charger.
Of course, you will find most fast chargers along the main arteries, at tourist attractions and in large cities. If you are going to areas where fewer people come and live, it is wise to make a tighter plan, so that you do not run into range anxiety . Always make sure that you have at least one charging cable (type 2 connection to the connection of your car) with you, including a charging cable with Schuko contact for emergencies.
Charging at standard charging stations or at fast chargers?
It is wise to use fast chargers as much as possible during your trip. Especially when you can find HPC points, which have a charging capacity of around 250 kW. Please note: a very fast fast charger sounds exciting, but your own electric car often limits the actual charging speed. Nevertheless, you usually need less than half an hour to charge your car to 80% at a fast charger with a charging speed between 100 and 350 kW. Keep in mind that you disconnect the car when the battery is charged to 80%. With DC charging, the charging speed decreases very quickly at 80% and it is actually not worth continuing to charge. So just disconnect and plan your trip to the next fast charger.
Many fast chargers and fast charging plazas are in convenient locations. Usually you will find a shop or playground nearby, or a coffee shop. If you want to make a real break of it (for example with children), always check in advance which charging station suits you best.
During your holiday you can use the charging stations in the region where you are. These are cheaper than the fast chargers and you often find them near attractions and shopping centres, so you can combine charging your electric car with a trip or necessary errand.
Make sure you have the right charging cable with you. If you have a charging cable with a type 2 plug (Mennekes) on the source side and the right connection for your car on the other side (Mennekes or Type 1, depending on your car), you can always use these charging stations easily. Don't have an extra charging cable yet? Then you can easily find one on our page with all charging cables for electric cars.
Tip: Use the right apps during your holiday to find fast chargers and charging stations
Although there are more and more fast chargers and charging stations in Europe, this does not mean that you will automatically drive into one when you need one. Therefore, decide now which charging apps you want to use during your holiday. Plugsurfing, A Better Routeplanner, the route planner on Google Maps and the ANWB Routeplanner are all great apps that not only allow you to plan your route, but also show you the charging stations and fast chargers along the route and in the area.
Also delve into the charging cards you need. A few tips that you can use right away:
- Download the Tesla app. Many of the Tesla fast chargers can also be used to charge other models, but for that you need the Tesla app. You can simply link this to your Dutch bank account.
- Bring a credit card. More and more charging points offer ad hoc charging, but you will need a credit card (or a suitable bank card) for this.
- Download the PayPal app (free) and link your Dutch bank account to the app. This way you can also charge ad hoc at places where you can only scan a QR code and where there is no RFID card reader.
- Order a charging card from Maingau and/or Shell Recharge in addition to the Dutch charging card you already have. That way you can go to almost all fast chargers.
Charging your electric car at your holiday home
More and more campsites, hotels and holiday homes now offer the option of charging your electric car. In almost all cases, it is also stated what type of charging station this is, whereby you should pay particular attention to the charging speed (ideally, you want to be able to charge at least 11 kW). When booking, always ask about the availability of the charging station, as in some cases it must be reserved. Also ask whether there is a charging cable on site or whether you have to use your own charging cable.
Tip: if you order your new charging cable from us before 5:00 PM today, we will make sure it is delivered to your home the next business day, so you can simply take it with you on vacation.
Are you still looking for a holiday home or a campsite? Then look in the menus on the websites you use for the filters. Nowadays it is almost standard that the comparison websites and providers have a filter option for charging possibilities on location (or at a short distance).
Please note: always ask for availability. In some cases, there are a limited number of charging stations for multiple guests and reservations or bookings are required. If you have a charging station at the cottage or the pitch itself, this obviously does not apply.
Four reasons why you should choose accommodation with a charging station
- You can charge your electric car to 100% with complete peace of mind.
- You don't have to look for a charging station in the area and then have to wait.
- You can start every day with a full battery, making trips suddenly a lot more fun and attractive.
- With V2G and camping mode, the electric car becomes a practical hub, especially when you have a charging station next to the car that you can use before or after the time.
Can I charge my electric car if the accommodation does not have a charging station?
It can happen that you arrive at a campsite where there is no charging station, or an accommodation where you cannot charge your electric car. It is then tempting to plug your granny charger (charging cable with a Schuko plug for a regular socket) into a socket to charge your electric car. We strongly advise against this. First of all because it is not neat; the electric car is a major consumer and not every landlord has taken this into account when determining the price. In addition, it is also unwise. Not every socket can simply be used to charge an electric car and the landlord can tell you exactly which socket is best suited to charge the car.
Want to know more about charging via a wall socket? Check out our page on charging your electric car at a wall socket.
Charging during the holidays is no problem with the right preparations
The number of fast chargers and charging stations has increased significantly in recent years and charging deserts are hardly to be found anymore. There are also more and more accommodations that offer charging options, partly because the number of holidaymakers with an electric car continues to increase rapidly. If you want to go on holiday with an electric car, you can find all the information about charging during your holiday on this page. We conclude with a number of tips so that you can certainly look forward to a good holiday.
- Download charging apps such as A Better Routeplanner, Chargemap and the ANWB Routeplanner and connect them to your car's infotainment system.
- Are you driving with a folding trailer or caravan? Check Google Maps to see if you can just park or if you have to disconnect the trailer to reach the charging station.
- Plan your trip in advance, but remember that with a 10% reserve on the range you can be very flexible during your trip.
- Make sure you have the correct charging cables with you (a charging cable for a charging station and a granny charger, for fast chargers you do not need a charging cable because the CSS and CHAdeMO charging cables are attached to the fast charger).
