Another Electric Car Range Experiment

Tomorrow I have the opportunity to do another range test with the Fiat 500. I know that if I drive at 120 kilometres per hour the range is about 100 km but if I slow down to 100 kilometres per hour then the range is theoretically doubled. The drive I want to do is about 100 kilometres so if my optimism is well placed then I should make it there and back.

A Collection of Charging Possibilities

I know of a charger near St Prex and another near Bavois. The St Prex charger is only accessible as I drive towards Lausanne, not as I drive back. The Bavois charger can be accessed in both directions. Both of these have fast chargers.

Another fast charger is in Boudry. This is a good one to use. I often arrive half an hour to an hour early because I want to avoid driving stressed in case of traffic issues. If I arrive an hour early I can recharge the car to full, and it will be ready, at the end of the hike, to drive home. The reason for using this charger is that it has fast charging. I do not want to leave the car plugged in while I walk, or spend hours waiting.

The TCS E-Charge App

A quick and easy way to look for EV chargers, in Switzerland, is to use the TCS e-charge app. You can see where chargers are on a map. If you choose to look at the list then you can see the power rating and cost of these chargers. You can also see whether they are available, as well as opening hours.

Summary

In theory the car has 230 kilometres of range, but in practice if I get to 120 the range goes down fast. I plan to drive at 100 kilometres per hour, and charge with 50-100 kilometres to spare. In the best case scenario I will park the car with 98 percent charge before starting the hike.

The journey by train would cost 41 CHF for both directions, and take 1hr 47, one way. Driving will take about an hour 15.

And Finally

The petrol car I drive has a range of 800 kilometres. This means that I can drive from Calpe to La Jonquera, and La Jonquera to Nyon refuelling just once, and it takes a few minutes. In contrast a 100 km trip with an electric car with a smaller battery takes planning. You need to see where the charging opportunities are and study options ahead of a trip.

By driving at 100 km/h in the slow lane I should get to the charging point, charge for half an hour, and then meet the group, with ease. It will require an early start but I should be fine with that.