So. It’s time to plan the return journey. 1000km to be driven tomorrow.
On Good Friday, we drove out from London to the Swiss Alps in our second hand (but new to us this year) i3. It sounds naive to some of the experts on the forum, but we were worried the electric car wouldn’t manage it along the motorways at 130kmph and over the Alps (a total distance of 1000km in a day).
Boy 2 and I will be live blogging tomorrow at
www.i3gb2ch.wordpress.com and Tweeting as we go
@i3gb2ch – so you could track our day. Will it be another minor triumph? Or a series of tragedies?
Here’s the plan (based on the rough time predicted by Google maps at breakfast time just now):
Set off 0700 (0600 UK time) from Champéry (Switzerland)
Arrive 188km later at Lidl in Besancon (France) at about 0930 (0830 UK time)
Free Lidl 30 minute charge, so set off 1000 (0900 UK time)
Going on A roads via Gray, arrive 180km later at Aire de Chateauvillain at about 1140 (1040 UK time). Running total 368km.
Paid for Sodetrel 30 minute charge, so set off at 1210 (1110 UK time).
Motorway. Arrive Aire de Sommesous 124km later at about 1315 (1215 UK time). Running total 492km.
Paid for Sodetrel 30 minute charge, so set off at 1345 (1245 UK time).
Mainly motorway. arrive Lidl Laon 131km later at 1500 (1400 UK time). Running total 623km.
Free Lidl 30 minute charge, so set off at 1530 (1430 UK time).
Mainly motorway, arrive 135km later at Lidl Bully-les-Mines at 1650 (1550 UK time). Running total 758km.
Free Lidl 30 minute charge, so set off at 1720 (1620 UK time).
Mainly motorway. Arrive Eurotunnel Calais 95km later at 1825 (1725 UK time). Running total 853km
Free Eurotunnel 30m charge, so drive towards train boarding area 1855 (1755 UK time).
We have Eurotunnel Flexiplus which means we should board a train without a big delay. On the way out it took 1 hour 25 minutes. I’m assuming it will be a bit faster and so I’m allowing 1 hour and 15 minutes. So, we’ll be driving off the train in England at 1910 UK time.
Mainly motorway. Arrive home in Harrow 164km (102 miles) later at 2140 UK time. Running total 1017km. (about 630 miles)
On the way out it took 18 hours 30 minutes. If we were able to stick to this plan we’d have brought the time down to 15 hours 45 minutes.
But if we hit traffic, get held up at Eurotunnel or one of the charging points is in use by another EV when we arrive we’ll build up delays.
@i3gb2ch www.i3gb2ch.wordpress.com