Small car, big journey: 2,300 electric miles around Europe in the Peugeot e-208 (part 1)

The Peugeot e-208 is a great little car for zooming around town in, but with an optimistic 180 mile range, it’s hardly a road trip machine, is it? Never one to avoid an electric challenge, I took it down to Italy and back. Here’s how it went, how I planned it, and why you might want to consider the subscription service, Onto, if you’re planning a EV roadtrip into Europe yourself.
This is part 1 where I skim over a lot of the detail of the journey, so stay tuned for part 2 where every grumble and charge (including tolls) is recorded in detail.
If you’re interested in an EV subscription, use referral code 31af4 for £100 off with Onto:
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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:45 - Hire car costs: Onto vs Europcar
05:49 - The journey plan
07:41 - The drive
14:20 - Summary
19:06 - Stats

[@CabOnTarget]

Needs more scolding wife remarks 😁

[@MrEV]

Even the full video won't have any of those actually... you'll have to wait for the oft-delayed Model 3 road trip video for that!

[@colinwiseman]

I know I keep watching your old e-208 videos, but they make me smile that I've bought the right car for me. All the places I want to go at home from North of England to Glasgow and back, means hardly any charge time - 30 mins one way! And I'd stop for that sort of time anyway!! Car arrives on Monday. Cannot wait.

[@MrEV]

Exciting! I’m sure you’ll love it.

[@user-nk7sp7kr3v]

Thanks for the video. Inspired by your previous trips I drove my first EV (ID4) to the south of France just a week after getting it. The network in France meant I didn't even have to follow the VW's charging stops on the satnav - there was always somewhere to charge every time we stopped for the countless reasons a family has to stop! Having an EV had no bearing on our travel time at all.

[@MrEV]

Amazing to hear.

[@GregAnslow]

Totally agree I enjoy the breaks to charge, makes me stop and relax for a reasonable time rather than pushing past the point when I really should stop. Since having an EV I find I might take slightly longer to get some where but I feel better doing it.

[@B0jangle5]

Cool chickens. I also felt like I was going to die when driving in Italy and I was only a passenger.

[@MrEV]

I know it well. One of the most terrifying experiences of my life was driving to a football game in Rome with my wife's uncle as a passenger. No wonder every car in Rome has scratches on it. And probably blood.

[@TriviaChallenge]

Amazing, thank you!

[@nealy2815]

Keep up the great work.

[@hlywd]

I’ve been waiting for a new video from you!! Great day!! 😊

[@avidviewer1]

Very interesting. Thanks!

[@michaelridley2864]

Thanks - great video. Really positive to see the improvements in the infrastructure in France. Having acquired an EV in December, we took the plunge this summer with a 1450 mile road trip to Scotland (including the Western Isles) and also found that it generally worked pretty well, even in a car with a relatively small battery (VW ID4 52 kWh). Gridserve charging hubs made a huge difference, plus chargeplace Scotland. And I completely agree that having a charging break every couple of hours means that you arrive at your destination a lot less frazzled. We averaged 4.2 miles/kWh, but generally didn't include much hammering at 120kph on the autoroute... We also used ABRP plus OBD dongle (and Android auto). Great for planning, and really useful to have charger availability at destination on your navigation screen. But software still seems quite glitchy - regular crash / restart, plus occasional random routing to chargers where that was completely unnecessary. And the phone seems to get overheated quite quickly when the software is running. Was that your experience too? Going to start planning a France trip for the Spring.

[@MrEV]

Great to hear. And yes, ABRP can be a bit glitchy. I found it worked most of the time but quite frustrating when it has a funny five minutes. I didn't notice the phone getting too hot, but I remember hearing the same from someone before. They also had an Android phone so I wonder whether they need to do some optimising there.

[@decimal1815]

I stopped at Tebay services on the M6 the other day and they were about to start installing a new EV charging hub there. Things are starting to move in the UK at last!

[@oliverkentish9468]

Great video! Looking forward to the 'main event'

[@NM-xoxo]

LOL this made me both excited and anxious about my upcoming road trip. LOL. Thank you for sharing all this awesome info!

[@LeeOades]

I have had my e-208 for 3 years and so I'm fascinated by your trip. Good stuff and I really enjoyed this video. Thanks for sharing.

[@pikeoblisco1623]

Wonderful. Inspiring. Just need the courage to try it!

[@user-fp6np4pp5v]

Thanks for another great video. Your Italy videos over the years inspired us to try in our second hand ioniq 5 this summer. What a treat, thank you! Inspiring, super helpful, honest, and very entertaining. We found it easy, hassle free all the way and back from Yorkshire to Viterbo. The network in France and parts of Italy were brilliant. Never had to stop for longer than 10-15mins. Never had to wait once and pleased to report not one single broken charger in 3,000miles. Didn’t have to charge driving up through Switzerland to Glacier 3000 and the St Bernard Pass and out to Italy. We even gained 12% range driving through Switzerland! Thank you for the toll tag tip! Sailed right through the tolls. Genuinely was very easy in an EV and enjoyable! Thank you. Ps agree with you about hotel 3T. Pleasant surprise and felt very luxurious. Ivrea is a beautiful little town.

[@MrEV]

That's amazing to hear - thank you! Gaining range in the mountains is a wonderful thing, isn't it? Difficult not to feel a little smug when you end up with a higher % than what you started with!

[@markevans4832]

Glad you liked the e208. We bought one back in Feb 2020 when they first came out and loved the little thing. Didn’t take it abroad but traveled all over the U.K. Long trip’s weren’t so great then as wherever we went it seemed to be only 50kw chargers. Now things have improved a lot in most places and that car charge’s pretty good up to 80ish %

[@greengecko1876]

Great stuff Andrew. I totally agree with your summary about the relative merits, and lack of hassle between cars and different chargers. Having copied your journey this year, (and years previously), with a Tesla Y and a Kona, it’s just getting better and quicker. Now trying it pulling a caravan, (Eriba). All good news, keep up the entertainment.

[@dcvariousvids8082]

Another down to earth and honest review of the charging in this end of Europe, plus great scenery. Your videos with your good natured grumbling, always makes me smile. Thank you. Right. Back to pressure washing rugs in the garden.

[@MrEV]

Thanks so much! A good day for drying the rugs. We did the same the other day!

[@decimal1815]

Fantastic road trip. Actually quite inspiring though to test some language skills and be more adventurous with an EV. Thanks for taking the time to post and edit this marathon for us. Will definitely check out the referral links too! Looking forward to the Italian drivers - I had one relative who had a speciality of switching off his engine on every hill descent. Hilarious, and bonkers.

[@AliWade1971]

My Dad did that 😂

[@chrispenn715]

Useful video thanks. We used to drive down to Italy every year in our petrol cars when our kids were younger. Like you, I prefer to stop en route and we usually did an over night in Swizterland. I have an MG4 now and happily do long trips. I tend to stop every 2 or so hours anyway with ICE or EV, so charging is no big deal 😊

[@David-bl1bt]

An interesting and informative blog which no doubt will inspire ither EV owners to venture on european road trips with confidence. We travelled from lancashire to Marbella on the costa del sol last year in our EV. We took a week to do it, No charging issues, no waiting to charge, no range anxiety, It was a pleasurable, relaxing and enjoyable trip that we immensly enjoyed. There is no need to be anxious, worried or disuaded from a european road trip on an EV.

[@MrEV]

How wonderful to hear!

[@dannya6825]

Great video as always. Thanks for posting it and showing people it can be done. Looking forward to part 2. 16 hours? Rather you than me 🤣

[@Lewis_Standing]

Great video Andrew, your trip video's have inspired our Netherlands holiday next year 🤞

[@MrEV]

Thanks Lewis! I look forward to hearing how it goes. I had a look recently and it seems there's a plethora of chargers in the Netherlands (and of course, it's the home of Fastned) so hopefully it'll be painless for you.

[@Lewis_Standing]

@@MrEV main problem is I have to turn the excellent auto charge off so I can get my octopus electroverse discount Via the RFID 😬

[@FHB71]

Japp. The fast charging of the Ioniq is tricky. I have an Ioniq 6 and you better get used to pee as quickly as you can 😀In combination with Plug&Charge at Ionity you stop, plug, go pee, unplug and drive away. Phantastic!

[@harley883ap]

been waiting for another Road trip video of yours my Daughter Gilly been watching it all evening was disappointed when you didn't bang your head at the toll booth this time😁 hopefully your have the full ones out soon

[@MrEV]

Do apologise to Gilly for me. I don't think I manage to hit my head or fall over at all in the full video sadly!

[@mikelodge1957]

Another great video, you need to do more, you've got a good talent don't waste it 👍

[@MrEV]

Thank you. I wish I could find the time!

[@kwabbernootbe]

Thanks for the excellent video: went to Tuscany in an ID4 Pro and had no issues with charging. Used the Swiss route to Italy. Liked the charging infrastructure in Belgium, France, Swiss and Italy. Had an EV box charging card that worked nicely on Fastned, Ionity and Engie. Used my Shell Recharge backup in Italy/Switserland on charging stations where EVBox did not work.

[@ISuperTed]

13:00 I see your daughter is working nicely on her scolding voice. She’s had a good teacher!

[@gordonf1997]

Took a 1,700 mile trip in our ID5 GTX from the south coast of Sweden to Amsterdam and back a few weeks ago. Charged at Tesla superchargers the whole trip. Really effortless. Driving an EV on a long trip in Europe is nothing to be feared.

[@vhol93]

Nice!

[@roderickmain9697]

Excellent job, Andrew. As you were going, we were coming back. Over 2000 miles to Palazzolo Accreide in Sicily. (and another 2000 to get back. Whole holiday must have been around 5000) The Tesla superchargers were no problem but there was one charger on Sicily itself which would charge overnight, but would not release the cable. Had to email and phone the management company which did get it released (remotely I presume). Average recharge cost was somewhere in the order of £15 to £20...but we did a lot of stops so probably nearer £350 in total. The freedom of a car to choose your route (we went over the St Bernard after stopping in Lucern to go up Pilatus) and pick any hotel. Highlights for us - Castellina in Chianti - lovely village, easy to get to Sienna for the day - Monastery at Montecassino - taking the car up (a smoking) Etna. Yes, the driving of others in Italy and Belgium, leaves something to be desired. !!! Looking forward to your full video.

[@MrEV]

Oh wow - that's an amazing journey. Siena's one of my favourite places. And you went to Etna! That's on my bucket list.

[@antoniodimascio5340]

Cassino I used to live there and I am glad you went to the monastery of montecassino hope you enjoyed it's beauty

[@roderickmain9697]

@@MrEV Almost 4 Weeks in total. Somewhat Epic for a holiday and the furthest away from home I've ever driven. (its advantage of being retired lol).. Can't say the wife was keen on going up Etna -partly because it erupted in May/June but I talked her into it ;-) and worth the trip.

[@AliWade1971]

Another great video and look forward to the next one. The Italian mountains look stunning. Wonderful to read in the comments so many positive reports of long trips in EVs. I drive a Smart ForTwo EQ, which currently has a range of 105 miles, and only has AC charging (22kw). If my health allowed, I would love to do long trips in it. I always stop regularly anyway, and like to explore local history/shops/food, so driving an EV only has benefits (smoother/quieter ride etc etc). When hubby can be away from our farm business for at least 3 weeks, we will go and explore in France (not in the Smart - he currently has an IPace, but thinking of changing it for a smaller car - we like the new Volvo or the Mini Clubman).

[@MrEV]

That would certainly be an adventure in the Smart! The new Volvo looks fantastic and would be one of our top choices if we were to get a new car.

[@craigevans6156]

This year I did notice a huge improvement in the French autoroute charging network, most large services now have a bunch of superchargers. Drove from Aberdeen to SW France and Catalonia without any issues, though I did need the Spanish charging App in catalonia

[@andyjamess]

When I do my Eurotrips I generally go, Brussels, Luxembourg, Gotthard Tunnel, Chiasso, Milan, Tortona, A7 to the A10 West of Genoa then follow the coast to Nice.

[@antoniodimascio5340]

Thank you Andrew i enjoy your videos i am looking forward to the full journey video and by the way I am waiting for my new EV la fiat 500ev icon convertible i will be using the public charging points as i live in a flat and don't have off street parking

[@MrEV]

A wonderful car! I love the 500e. I hope public charging works out well for you. It’s encouraging to see how many more chargers there are across Europe now so hopefully you’ll be fine.

[@knowledgebyte]

We just did a similar journey to Anduze near Nîmes from Cirencester. You just pop the destination into the Tesla app and it does the rest. The nice thing about the supercharger network is that they are near supermarkets and the alcor network of Ibis hotels. We did six charges down and the same back up. No issues finding chargers or outages. We got an Emovis e-tag and also the Crit d’air sticker, which exempts you from any city air pollution charges, which is becoming a thing, much like ULEZ is in the UK. We also used Waze to keep an eye on any traffic cameras, which the French like to move around on big wedge like platforms. But to be honest we didn’t need to speed anywhere as the roads are so smooth compared to the UK’s pockmarked network of roads. And like you say we saw plenty of other chargers at pullovers for coffee and croissants along the way.

[@MrEV]

I couldn't agree more: so easy with a Tesla, and French roads are a dream.

[@pferdeschorshi]

Great video, thanks. Recently got BMW iX1 & plan to try a trip soon, in the opposite direction from Bavaria to UK, the first time on 'home soil' since 2003.

[@MrEV]

Good luck! A pro tip for you: try to prioritise MFG, Osprey, Fastned, Instavolt, and Tesla (the ones open to all EVs, obviously) in the UK. Queues at IONITY can be a nightmare at busy periods. All motorway services have Gridserve Electric Highway chargers but not enough (yet) have many high powered ones.

[@pferdeschorshi]

@MrEV thanks for that. I guess I will probably try to stick with BMW Charge Card LinkedIn sites as subscription 'free' for 1st year, but suspect Tesla might still be cheaper. This week in Germany, they even had free charging for all EVs on one day! Not a great fan of Tesla cars or Musk in general, but have to give them credit for what they have done for EVs and keeping the others on their toes.

[@maverlk7]

The iX is a brilliantly road trip car! I just did a 500 mile round trip to London (from Chester) in my iX40 over the August bank holiday weekend and the car was a delight! Managed 3.7 mpkwh on the way down and 3.5 on the way back (cruising at 65mph where possible, but bank holiday traffic meant 9 hours getting there and 10 hours getting back). I charged at Banbury Instavolt and with 32 chargers, it easy to get a free rapid (120 or 150kw) charger even on a peak time in bank holiday. My BMW Year free subscription has ended now, but even that had a limited number of options with viable discounts to the now exorbitant UK public charging costs! (The government really are trying to kill off electric cars before they get properly going allowing these rip off 75p plus per kwh charging prices!). I ran the car in comfort with climate set to 19 degrees the whole time and almost exclusively drive in B mode and let the adaptive cruise control do most of the work! Enjoy your trip! You literally have the perfect car for it!

[@PocketPaulUK]

Great summary video. I think without ABRP it is hard to do long journeys in the e208. I use the OBD II adaptor with ABRP on mine (understand you can't with Onto) and I have never had any problems with long journeys all around the UK. Looking forward to your full video!

[@MrEV]

Have you found ABRP has improved enormously in the past year? It’s still glitchy (if you miss a turning especially) but I used it 90% of the time for navigation and it worked a great.

[@PocketPaulUK]

@@MrEV they have improved so much over the last few years. Being able to see your route on CarPlay, and the live charger availability of your next stop makes it feel a lot more like a Tesla and gives you confidence to get down to the low SoC between stops so you aren’t stopping too often. Still a bit glitchy at times but overall I would be so stressed without it on the long journeys.

[@CampGareth]

I wasn't aware of those drop off and collection costs with Onto so thank you. I've considered using them when I need to make a longer trip than would be comfortable in my 24kwh Leaf, they still might be cheaper than normal rental.

[@MrEV]

That's what we've done previously. We have the 24kWh Leaf and do Onto in the summer months when we really need a longer range car.

[@Zmywak]

You made me buy EV6. Even though there was never EV6 on Your channel :) All the best Andrew!

[@MrEV]

I really need to try one! Obviously I loved the IONIQ 5 so it stands to reason the EV6 will be similarly fantastic.

[@craigk1328]

Great video. I look forward to the next. As I dont live in europe its very interseting. Here in New Zealand road trips are easy as we only have a cople of major routes. One thing I like about my atto 3 is that it keeps charging to 100% moderatly fast athought the top speed of 86kwh hrs is not great, i have kids so they always need time for toilet breaks etc... O and thanks for putting usage in KMs

[@MrEV]

That’s fantastic. Top charge speed really doesn’t matter too much - it’s the charging profile that’s key. It sounds like BYD have done well there as it does have a relatively flat charging curve. support.fastned.nl/hc/en-gb/articles/7984089535005-BYD

[@rivergladesgardenrailroad8834]

Andrew seems to me you have done very well, all things considered. Must be easier as you did very similar last year. We love the IONIQ 5, but its too nice, too big for us. So we are putting an order in for the NEW KONA EV, colours, spec and prices should be announced here in Australia by end of September. Can't wait.

[@MrEV]

It looks fantastic! I sat in it at Fully Charged Live. I’d love one myself. Better proportioned than the old one, and great styling.

[@rivergladesgardenrailroad8834]

@@MrEV agreed, the original was too small for us....

[@POVDrivingTour]

Very excited for this one. I've driven the Peugeot e-208 for the past 24 months and have enjoyed every minute of it. I didn't want the same car as everyone else for my next EV, so I bought a 2015 Land Rover Defender 110 pickup and currently having it converted from 4x4 to 6x6, and then it's over to Electric Car Converts to fully convert it to electric with 450bhp and approx 200 miles range with CCS capability, god knows how I'm going to fit it in a EV bay, especially at Cobham Ionity. Won't be easy to drive on London roads but at least I won't get road raged anymore, I'll be higher up and triple the wheels 🤭 at a cost of £100k. Resale value could be approx £500k-£750k if I ever consider selling it, but don't think I ever will (judging by a similar ICE Defender 6x6 for sale by Chelsea Truck Company).

[@MrEV]

I think you've just won the comment of the year! Amazing! 😀 I hope Electric Car Converts film the process as that'll be fascinating.

[@POVDrivingTour]

@@MrEV Barnaby (the owner) said he’s thinking about doing his own 6x6 EV conversion 🤷🏻‍♂️ I strongly think he will accomplish it before me, but at least it will be reassuring to know that a 6x6 can be successfully converted to EV without any issues. It would need to drive like a 4x4 off-road but with 6 wheels. I’ll definitely have the EV 6x6 conversion filmed. Until it’s completed, need to continue living with my parents to keep costs down 😂🤞🏼

[@MrEV]

@@POVDrivingTour Keep me updated! Contact me on Twitter @tillathenun if you're on there.

[@rustyjoints4857]

Looking forward to this trip report, sounds as though it’s going to be a good one! Can’t seem to find the first impressions video though 🤷🏽

[@MrEV]

It's here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWXSfXuPj5pnoK8

[@UntrainingUltrarunner]

What you need is a easy reacher gadget for the toll booths.

[@MrEV]

Like one of those toy sharks on sticks! I actually had a Bip&Go so it was all fine this time.

[@evtrekker1317]

Regarding charging on road trips. It's so nice to get to your destination if only for the night and already be rested. So you're ready to do other things at destination instead of recovering from the drive. Last year, we did a nearly 11k mile road trip in our 2020 Bolt EV, I was the only driver. The Bolt's charging speed allowed me to test after driving 3-3.5 hrs. This was from Alaska to Texas and back.

[@MrEV]

Wow - that's an amazing journey! Did you use Electrify America for that? I've heard mixed reports. (Mainly negative!)

[@evtrekker1317]

I used any charger that was convenient for me. Half of my charging was free. That's the hidden advantage of the Bolt's charging speed, you're not tied to EA and can find chargers at visitor centers, utilities and other convenient stops with little or no speed penalty. Most of the chargers in Canada were free especially Flo in YT.@@MrEV

[@CookiezFlow]

100% agree on the fact that traveling long distance in an EV is a pleasure but with an * As you mentioned France in 2023 is an incredible experience, they have done so much progress and it keeps getting better (Total, Engie, Electra, Fastned etc are installing huge 10+ chargers everywhere), even the new Ionity's are also a 1000 times better than the older ones. However it doesn't apply to all of Europe just yet. Germany surpringly enough was pretty terrible to get through in an EV, with very few options. All the Ionity's on the route were older ones with 4 stalls maximum (and in almost all cases at least 1 not working), even on major rest areas.

[@MrEV]

Yes, I'm really surprised Germany isn't better. I hope they can turn it around quickly as France have done.

[@Joe-lb8qn]

I drove to Norway a couple months ago from UK, Germany was fine, but proviso, it was in a Tesla (though TBF it was not uncommon to see non-Teslas charging at most of the SC's we stopped at). Most SC's (all I think) had a at least 6 chargers most had a dozen or more.

[@jp6975]

I found Germany to be brilliant! Did a roadtrip from the UK to Budapest and back recently and it was stess free and simple. We decided on more frequent but shorter stops. The whole IONITY experience abroad was a breeze... completely the opposite of the UK in Chobham, Maidstone and Channel Gateway where one out of use and the rest being occupied is the norm. Stopped at 10 IONITY places on the way out and charged at 6. All stalls looked to be working at each stop and 7 of the stops had nobody using them. Bad Honnef was busy (3 of 6 in use), Weiskirchen Sud had all 4 in use - but we only stopped there to get water, and Haidt Sud had 2 of 4 in use. The slowest speed we got was 145kW but that was when starting with 55% battery. We got 195kW at Neumarkt from a start of 17%. Rarely get these speeds in the UK. Same story on the way back with 9 stops. Gottlesbrun, Bayerischer Wald Nord, Haidt Nord, and Spessart had nobody there with all stalls working. I found Germany to be way, way, better than the UK. Virtually no queuing and consistently high speeds.

[@INSIGHTSAU]

Great video as always. Currently on a 3 month trip from portugal to Spain, France and Switzerland. Also with an e208. Every year it gets easier. Spain is still crap though. I haven’t had much luck with ABRP. Our SOP now is choose destination (Apple Maps or Google maps). Hit the road. On the way add stop searching for Tesla Superchargers. (Check they are open to non Tesla) b line to the chargers, charge, rinse repeat. Easy peasy.

[@AliWade1971]

Are a lot of Tesla Superchargers open to non-Teslas in Europe?

[@INSIGHTSAU]

@@AliWade1971 I’m not sure but I think about 80% are. Unfortunately none in Portugal though.

[@AliWade1971]

@@INSIGHTSAU Thank you. That is a good percentage. Shame about Portugal

[@egregs]

I have a Fiat 500E from onto and had loads of unused miles so took my daughter on a road trip through Europe in the Easter holidays. It was pretty good, charging was a lot easier than in the UK I found. But it was kind of exhausting because the Fiat has such a small battery and isn't really a road trip car so way more charging stops than I would have had with a more suitable EV. I'd definitely do it again though with a larger battery or faster charging battery and possibly in Summer rather than Easter. We tried to cram way too much into 2 weeks so were pretty much driving most of the time. We did London - Harwich, ferry to Hook of Holland, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Zurich (couple of nights with friends), Lake Como, Nice (4 nights with friends), then back through France over 2 days (that was really quite intense) to get the Eurostar back. I also used ABPR and it got us through almost all of the time. Only 2 scary moments - once I missed the exit for a rest stop in France so we had to drive in the slow lane in Sherpa mode with hazard lights on to get to the next charger, and once in Switzerland where the suggested charger didn't exist. Managed to do the entire thing with the Shell card from Onto except for a brief go on a Tesla supercharger in Switzerland.

[@MrEV]

What an amazing journey! Great that your daughter agreed to do it with you too. Mine certainly wouldn’t! I’ve found the 500e really suffers when it’s not warm weather so you’d certainly find it easier in another EV. It must have been a great memory for you both though, despite the struggles.

[@jm-ze3sf]

excellent video! We went to France last year and did 3,000 miles. Charging wasn't an issue, we used the charge map card which was ok everywhere ..the khiwipass didn't seem to work, and I don't think the debit card was accepted most places, so getting the chargemap card was well worth the minimal cost.. Got the green plain air car sticker so could drive everywhere without worrying about incurring ulez style charges in any city we visited. Car was a Hyundai Kona and we averaged 4.5 miles/Kwh.

[@MrEV]

The Kona is such an impressive machine. That's a shame the Kiwhi Pass didn't work, so great you had the Chargemap one. I forgot about the Crit'Air sticker this time so I'm hoping I didn't go anywhere where I needed it! Ivrea in Italy was apparently a low emission zone but I didn't get a sticker beforehand. I hope I don't get an angry Italian letter and fine through the post!

[@daniilrusanau5849]

Great to watch! Is this YT thing your full-time job or just a side hustle?

[@MrEV]

Thanks so much! Very much a side hustle for now.

[@iro3832]

Just done a 2000 mile road trip through France, Belgium and Netherlands in my EV6. No problems at all. France are light years ahead of us for motorway charging, we did stop at one services that had no charging at all, however we only stopped there to use the toilets and buy lunch on our way to an Ionity charger that was in a carpark so wasn’t sure if there were toilets and food available

[@MrEV]

Fantastic to hear. You must have loved the EV6's amazing charge speed!

[@iro3832]

It’s like you said about the Ionic 5, the car was ready before we were.

[@carlarrowsmith]

I've just come back from northern France 1200 mile trip in total, never charged my e-Niro on a rapid yet. The 11kw charging is brilliant and many places are 2 - 3 p a minute to charge. We need lots more cars that can do 3 phase 11 or 22 kw in the UK, and lots more 22kw chargers.

[@MrEV]

That's amazing! I agree completely. AC charging is an EV's superpower so it's such a shame 22kW isn't more commonplace. It's one of the big reasons I loved the Megane.

[@TheEVside]

Great video as always, I found even outside of the effortless charging in the Tesla going to the Alps there was rapid chargers and a lot Of them everywhere on the motorways , French know how to do charging i will say personally that ONtO has become way too expensive and reason why I left them.

[@MrEV]

Yeah, it's amazing what the French have done in a relatively short space of time. It was pretty bad just a couple of years ago. How nice it must be to have a switched-on government!

[@bmwalker89]

Great video, looking forward to seeing you get pissed at tailgaters.

[@Dawheel90]

Fantastic Video, thanks for your really well done job! I live in Liverpool but I'm from Italy, I'm thinking of going with my MG4 next summer. Question: do you need an OBD reader to use Tronity and ABRP? Thanks!

[@MrEV]

Grazie mille! Tronity doesn't need an OBD dongle - it uses your car's app login. Quite clever, really. I just checked though and I don't think it works with MG yet unfortunately. If you can, it would be worth getting an OBD dongle and using that with ABRP instead as it's by far the most reliable way of doing it. The one I use is here: www.misterev.co.uk/gear/obd-dongle

[@Dawheel90]

@@MrEV thank you very much! Yes, I was thinking of getting one, I will have a look. Another question about charging, have you tried the Bonnet app? I was near Venice (where I was born) and I tried opening it and it look like there was a decent number of compatible chargers around, maybe that's another option you could explore, even if the Onto charge option was for sure the cheapest in your case.

[@MrEV]

@@Dawheel90 I have the Bonnet app but haven't used it. I know some people love it. I tend to use Octopus Electroverse if I don't have an Onto car as that has some good deals with some chargers. (£5 credit if you want it: electroverse.octopus.energy/sign-up/magic?referralCode=free-sage-191 )

[@tonyperkins6925]

In a petrol or diesel it gives you that option to stop or not stop. For me the point, is that to change to an EV should be a choice not a regulated, mandated decision by the government. Good video as I think it shows how poor the infrastructure is in the UK.

[@DumfriesDik]

Great info in that video. Thank you. I look forwards to you doing the trip with out pre- planning and not using ABRP. Just the cars navigation.

[@MrEV]

That's what we do in the Model 3 road trip video (which will *hopefully* be published this year) but yes, I'd like to do it in another EV. I wanted to do a long journey in the Megane as that would have worked well, but couldn't have it long enough sadly.

[@IDann1]

Two weeks ago I drove near 500miles round trip, up northwest and back...in a 10 year old 22Kw Zoe...with no issue,first long trip in an EV.

[@MrEV]

Nice one! Where did you charge?

[@grahamthompson4560]

As always a great informative video. I am awaiting delivery of my EV but I have a question for you. Is there a site that tells you which hotels have chargers or is that also part of ABRP?

[@MrEV]

I booked them on hotels.com - there’s a filter for EV charger. I do also check on Plugshare.com to make sure they’re telling the truth! I’ve known a hotel say they have a charger but there was actually one across the road. In other cases they may have Tesla-only chargers. So worth doing a bit of research to double check!

[@grahamthompson4560]

Thank you so much for the info. I don't know what is happening in the UK but here in France Carrefour are installing 150w chargers and next to them 22w which are free for the first hour, all powered, or aided, by solar panels over all of the parking areas. This is just great.

[@robchisnell7040]

The issue with the UK is that Europe are mile and miles ahead of us in the charging station department, they have so many ultra fast charges 350KW and 8-10 bays of them, I travelled to the south of France last month and used all Ionity chargers brilliant and no cueing

[@MrEV]

France is amazing now, although it never used to be. They've done such amazing work these past few years. We could do the same in the UK... with a competent government!

[@robchisnell7040]

@@MrEV very true, I wonder if it’s got something to do with brexit also, as most of the charges say EU funded ? Anyway the UK needs to act quickly

[@royd63uk]

@@MrEV which of course we will never have whoever gets in

[@mikehunt4375]

​@MrEV I did Paris-Frankfurt last summer in a Corsa and it was a nightmare very little in the way of fast chargers on that section of autoroute at that time.

[@MrEV]

@@mikehunt4375 Hopefully it's much easier now. Certainly the French part of the route should be anyway!

[@COSolar6419]

I really appreciate road breaks so I don’t mind the time spent charging on road trips.

[@davidtordoff7929]

Thanks for the video, started using ABRP in my Vivaro E, did you use an obd dongle with the software you used to get the percentage on the planner?

[@MrEV]

I couldn’t use a dongle because the port was occupied with a dashcam so I used Tronity.

[@rogerford30]

👍👍👍

[@eZstah]

How is this car compared to Megane E-tech?

[@MrEV]

The e-208 is more fun to drive, but the Megane is loaded with tech (and far better infotainment) so that's arguably the better car. That said, if I wanted to buy a used EV I'd seriously consider the e-208 as there are some bargains on the market right now.

[@Ian_Woods]

Hi Andrew very good factual video as usual. I am waiting for your model 3 roadtrip as we have just run out of pacience with MG Spain's lie's, complete lack of customer service and wasting of our time, so have just cancelled our 10 mth long order for the MG4, and as we have tried and driven all the other cars around the same price and was not impressed (didn't look at any that was far more expensive) but have just test driven a model 3 because the price has been cut a number of time since we ordered the MG4 and is now for us only 2175 euros more than our pre mg price rise order (for MG4 luxury orders with extra paint and interior colour, like ours was, now very little in it) and it looks like all tesla model 3 orders now in europe will be getting the new refreshed model 3 (highland) so I have gone ahead and ordered that.

[@MrEV]

Sorry for making you wait for the Model 3 road trip vid! A damn shame MG have been so rubbish, but I'm sure you'll love the Model 3. It's a very impressive machine and long journeys are an absolute breeze.

[@Ian_Woods]

@MrEV No problem Andrew, I know how long it takes to edit a video, most people do not appreciate the work and time involved. The MG4 is basically a very good car for the price , but customer service is non existant and thats before they had all my money, what about after they have??? and now of course the pictures of the gearbox totally exploding in pieces, due i'm sure to no customer service with the gearbox oil leak, although i saw that, after i had got to the limit of my patience. The Tesla is definately a far better car overall, and at the current price very little in it for a Luxury (trophy in uk) although the suspension is firmer in comparison to the MG, but as you said I have heard that long trips with it are much easier and we do long trips to different parts of Spain, Europe and of course visit UK often.

[@simonwhitehouse1956]

Can you provide a link to your model 3 journey down to Italy video as I can’t find it - would be interesting to compare?

[@MrEV]

It was a year ago and I've still not finished the edit! It just takes so long. I'll get it done after the e-208 one. It'll still make for an interesting comparison.

[@paulakehurstdevisme9692]

If you want a new project try driving down to Algarve via Spain.. I don't have an EV but on my usual Ice trips chargers seem a bit sparse.

[@stevewheatstone1856]

Look forward to the full video. I have thirsty 50 Etron with smallest battery, not sure I’m brave enough for an Euro trip in it. Does your car have the latest Stellantis update with the slightly bigger battery and more efficient motor?

[@MrEV]

The e-tron is thirsty, but has a great charging profile so I'm sure you'd be fine! Have you tried doing a plan on abetterrouteplanner.com to see how it'd go? This e-208 is the older one before they did the update.

[@stevewheatstone1856]

@@MrEV I agree it does charge well on a good charger. I hate queuing though so look mostly look for ev hubs, there was a fantastic one in Devon I used a few weeks ago- osprey. I will try ABRP thanks.

[@MrEV]

@@stevewheatstone1856 The one at Buckfastleigh?! They invited me there for the opening but I was in Italy. It looks amazing! Another couple of years and we'll have hubs like that all over the place I think.

[@stevewheatstone1856]

@@MrEV that’s the one, Salmon’s Leap.

[@TassieEV]

I agree with driving with an EV, I find it's more about the journey and less about the destination very much like bicycle touring. The stops are good and besides the bladder usually tells you or hunger particularly with larger battery vehicles. Guessing the fam didn't want the stress based on previous trips when they have been in the car for one or the other way or both so decided to fly although fast train would be cool if it existed all the way to Rome. Mind you the freedom of being able to go places beyond train stations is very nice, wineries, restaurants, mountains, waterfalls, etc.

[@MrEV]

They were considering the train but, sadly, the plane was cheaper. It really shouldn’t be the case. My daughter loves the ‘sleeping train’ so perhaps they’ll do that next time if they book far enough in advance.

[@lowfuel6089]

Great vid as always, Andrew. Question: I'm from the US, visiting the UK in October and hiring a Polestar 2 - any suggestions on what I can do ahead of time to make charging as painless as possible? (in terms of preferred charging providers, and if they have apps I should download and sign-up for ahead of time, etc).

[@MrEV]

You're fortunate with the Polestar 2 as it has ABRP built-in I believe. The vast majority of our chargers allow payment with bank cards, so you shouldn't have any issues there. Avoid BP, Shell, and GeniePoint chargers as they tend to be the least reliable. IONITY are often well-located, but you can't pay with a bank card so perhaps avoid them. Every motorway services has Gridserve Electric Highway chargers. Just head for the ones that have 350kW chargers as they're more reliable (with less chance of queues). The absolute best chargers in the UK are by Osprey (often located at pubs), Instavolt (usually at McDonalds/KFC/Costa Coffee locations) and MFG (at many fuel stations). They all work with bank cards and tend to be very reliable. The app called Zap-Map is very good for finding chargers so that's worth downloading.

[@lowfuel6089]

@@MrEV That's fantastic info, thanks so much!

[@mdshovel]

@@lowfuel6089 coming from US you may have issues with UK apps on US phone and charging with bank cards.

[@Joe-lb8qn]

@@mdshovel My guess is that a US credit card should be OK but dont use a debit card eg one directly connected to your bank account.

[@mdshovel]

@@Joe-lb8qn Quite right - credit card where you can. Kyle from "Out of Spec Reviews" had some real problems in Europe .. but a hire car in UK may come with a charging card

[@ThoseCrazyrivers]

Just come back from a trip to Italy (Lake Como) via stop-overs in France and Switzerland...total cost in 'fuel' £88 (Tesla model 3LR)

[@MrEV]

Not bad at all! Superchargers are amazingly good value.

[@Ava481]

Great video Andrew. Did I miss how long it took, in terms of total travel time? I share your enthusiasm for a carbon reduced trip but it seems 10x more expensive than a flight and possibly 20x as long? Particularly taking into account accommodation and meals? That's no problem if you have the money and time but do most people have either?

[@MrEV]

Good point! I didn't mention that, although I will in the full video. The three hotels for me came to a total of £242.14. (Not including food, obviously!) I certainly consider it a luxury to drive down. Flying would almost certainly be cheaper and quicker if you're staying in one place, but we like to drive around Italy when we're there so we would have wanted to hire a car anyway.

[@petesnap1969]

Was thinking the same, really enjoyed the video, but the cost and time spent on the journey were ludicrous...no wonder the girls flew each way!

[@MrEV]

@@petesnap1969 They were actually considering driving back the whole way with me but I said no. I can't be doing with the stress!

[@mihaimol]

Hi Andrew, about e-Niro with 280 miles range but longer charge time. Better for such drive? wondering as I am considering driving to Croatia next summer :). curently I own an e-Niro 20'.

[@MrEV]

Looking at the "miles added per hour" when charging, the Niro is 240mph and the Peugeot is 280mph. So the Peugeot does win in that respect - and psychologically I think I prefer faster charging and less range for some reason. But the two cars are probably about the same in the grand scheme of things. I imagine most people would rather drive for longer, even if charging was slower. The longer charge times would then fit better into your schedule. For instance, stopping for lunch and getting a 100% charge, then driving another 240 miles. (You'll never get 280 miles on the motorway!) So yes, the Niro is arguably the winner for most people I think. In fact, I just looked in ABRP and the journey down to Italy would have been 1 hour faster in the Niro than the e-208!

[@DougHolmes]

When you're doing the costings for these trips, do you take into account the extra cost of food that you've bought on the way? I would say that it would have to be added to the total cost of the charge (or at least half of it, to be generous).

[@MrEV]

I don’t eat any more than I would normally - in fact, I tend to just eat sandwiches/burgers, so it’s arguably cheaper than it would be if I was with the family, going to a restaurant, getting a bottle of wine etc.

[@shithead4767]

When is the model 3 trip coming out?

[@MrEV]

It's shameful how long it's taken to edit but it's pretty epic. I need to get these e-208 videos out of the way, then I'll finish the Tesla one. Some time before Christmas!

[@iro3832]

I stopped at Akena Hotel in Troyes this summer. Tried to use my Electroverse card to charge and it wouldn’t work. Hotel receptionist told me charging was free and he had a RFID that started the charging for me

[@MrEV]

That's great!

[@kevinn1158]

Boo England.... LOL. Your daughter shouldn't bottle up her feelings. 🤣 This Peugeot is a good looking little car but I wouldn't do such a long trip in it. So thank you for sacrificing yourself for us! I still love that Ioniq 5. I might call a Hyundai dealer to see what the wait times are for that. And was that a Mc Macaron?

[@MrEV]

The IONIQ 5 was a dream. I wanted to do this trip in an IONIQ 6 actually, but Hyundai didn't have a spare one they could give me.

[@kevinn1158]

@@MrEV oh the Ioniq 6 would be very sweet. I noticed that Kia just introduced the EV5. If that comes within a year to North America it's my next purchase.

[@richardfearn6638]

I had my worst journey from Coleshill Warwickshire to Bath. Seven chargers, five didn’t work, one very slow and one that was rapid. It took Five hours to travel ninety miles. I’ve had my e-Golf for two years plus, and that’s the first time I haven’t enjoyed my journey. I’m not put off driving my EV, I’ve had journeys in ICE cars equally as horrendous.

[@MrEV]

That's absolutely dreadful! When did you do that journey?!

[@AliWade1971]

Surely you would only need to charge in or near Bath once on that journey, if it was a round trip? If only one way, even my Smart ForTwo EQ could do it without charging!

[@UK-Cycling]

Hi Andrew, very informative thank you. What a shame you have to subscribe for so long before you can use ONTO in Europe. Best regards Martin

[@gazzaman28]

Unless I was already paying monthly for an EV anyway I don't think i'd go to the trouble of hiring one for this sort of trip, i'd probably fly and then hire a car for a shorter period of time to do local driving only.

[@typxxilps]

ionity is a german company so it should be the best across germany - and they are at least in the north along the highways. I bet you had been crossing Germany in the south. Currently germany has the highest charger density in the EU across those countries with a huge area to cover. We do not need much more, cause there are no queques and the companies have to make profits to be sustainable and maintain and upgrade the chargers. July was rainy in germany, but September is great. Maybe your onto charger network caused the charging issues cause that limits the chargers you can use by a lot.

[@MrAlexs888]

I tried doing roadtrip in nissan leaf +, didnt go well, lol

[@MrEV]

Oh no! What happened?

[@1967dragonaxe]

I so miss my Ioniq5!!! 😭

[@MrEV]

Tell me about it! What happened to yours?

[@rickmoz]

With ABRP do you use the ODB port?

[@MrEV]

I used Tronity. Ordinarily I’d use the OBD port but I’m unable to with cars from Onto as their dashcam uses it.

[@rickmoz]

@@MrEV at the risk of sounding stupid, what is Tronity?

[@MrEV]

@@rickmoz Sorry for not explaining! Tronity is a website/app that links to your car's app. You enter your car app's username and password and Tronity then starts getting the data from it. I'll try to do a separate video about it but for now, here's their website: www.tronity.io/en/home Apart from using it with ABRP, it's really good for logging every charge and trip you make. If you decide to sign-up, my referral link is here for 25% discount: app.tronity.io/signup/cdwklOAdg

[@rickmoz]

@@MrEV cool I will have a look, new to the EV do very little extended journeys but only have the MG4 so it’s not the best range. Could be useful thanks

[@MrEV]

@@rickmoz Actually, I don't think Tronity works with MGs yet, so you'd be better off getting an OBD dongle like this one: www.misterev.co.uk/gear/obd-dongle Connecting ABRP to a dongle is much more reliable than using Tronity anyway.

[@chrisrowe22]

Did you prebook your Hotels Andrew, or just wing it?

[@MrEV]

I booked them about a week before I left. Two were £75, the fancy Italian one was £90.

[@peteglass3496]

@@MrEV skilled at catching a bargain! 😄

[@MrAshtonunderlyne1]

Can you charge all cars at Tesla chargers ?

[@MrEV]

They’re not all open to non-Teslas yet but many are. Download the Tesla app to see.

[@Evphonehome]

You have to pay for the TRONITY connection, no?

[@MrEV]

Yes, although they have a free trial.

[@WelshVilliageDad]

Repeats ?

[@i.p2088]

Safety is going to be a major issue around the charging stations. You are a sitting target for a long time..

[@MrEV]

Chargers in unlit car parks are terrifying at night but I think everywhere I went to was quite visible and unlikely to be an issue. That said, I recently saw a concept of a Tesla with an emergency cable release which is something worth exploring.

[@stepheng8779]

Low carbon option on a Shell card, hmmm.

[@MrEV]

Yeah, a damn shame it’s a Shell card. But I don’t tend to charge with Shell themselves so I don’t feel too guilty!

[@jeffreycooper8408]

I think it's about time that someone threw in the comment "Mr EV, you're a tosserrr". PS, that's not an insult, any long term viewers will know what I'm on about !! 🤣

[@MrEV]

Was that something Flaviana said once?! You have a great memory! 😀

[@jeffreycooper8408]

@@MrEV I was just watching that episode, "Living with an Air Source Ham Pump" again !!

[@TheMpdavies]

Electric vehicle leasing group Onto collapses after L&G pulls plug

[@dlschgo]

Flaviana missed. Check. Great content otherwise.

[@MrEV]

She’ll make a small appearance in the full edit - and there are a couple of longer episodes with her in the edit queue. Stay tuned!

[@LERobbo]

Honestly, I would and could never trust a French car, let alone electric.

[@MrEV]

I think their EVs have a much better reputation!

[@AndyC2_]

You must have a screw loose paying all that money on a car you don’t own

[@MrEV]

It's not cheap, but then with high interest rates and terrible depreciation, I'm not sure buying a car would be much better. I'd love to get a second-hand EV, but even then it's a struggle to afford it.

[@peteglass3496]

Yes, but Andrew rinsed Onto with that 2000miles!! And he gets to tell the world about his experience with so many different EVs.

[@AndyC2_]

@@peteglass3496 Your justification is almost as bizarre as renting a car long term itself We have 3 cars which we own outright, I’m mortgage free and own my house outright (at 47 yrs old) I don’t have a penny of debt - and I have zero regrets in how I’ve managed my money Any other concept I can’t get my head around Each to their own I guess 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@bgoncal]

The “charge finished” issue is something I am experiencing a lot with my e208… from my Google searches I found out that it may be a problem on its charging unit, so… DC works well but when you want to charge AC then it says “charge interrupted” in Peugeot app and “charge finished” in the car cockpit

[@MrEV]

That's interesting. I didn't include it in this video (I will in the full one) but that did happen to me when I was AC charging in the Alps.

[@bgoncal]

@@MrEV yeah, super annoying, today I went to Peugeot and they “reset” something to fix the issue, but I’m pretty sure it won’t fix anything and the charging unit will need to be replaced, luckily it’s under the warranty