Planning a long journey

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NickyP
Posts: 84
Joined: Wed Feb 09, 2022 8:45 pm

Post by NickyP »

What are you all finding the best way to plan a long journey which requires a charge stop.

I've just planned a route on zap map but can't figure out how to start the guidance, or doesn't it off this?

When I've used the car nav it took me to a charge point well off the A1, not good.

Is the my skoda app any good, or are there other apps available?

Any pointers appreciated.
MY22 Enyaq 60 nav suite, Race blue, 21" Betria wheels, 100kW charging, Comfort seat pack basic, Climate pack basic, Chrome pack, Driving sport package basic, Assisted drive pack basic, Parking pack basic, Panoramic roof.

Skeniv
Posts: 142
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2021 6:39 am
Location: Surrey/Hampshire

Post by Skeniv »

A Better Route Planner seems to be very favourable with long distance EV journeys: https://abetterrouteplanner.com/

You can download the app from the iOS and Google Play Stores.

Some of the route planning/charging stops features have recently been incorporated into the mySkoda app, discussed here (ME3 software required I believe); viewtopic.php?t=1225
Enyaq iV60 Loft, Brilliant Silver, 19” Regulus Anthracite. Plus Package. MY22 (Ordered 07/21 - Delivered 06/22).
AndyH
Posts: 60
Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:53 am

Post by AndyH »

We're in the middle of our first long journey having driven from South Norfolk to Perth in Scotland and we've now just arrived in Northern Ireland via the Cairnryan ferry.

The first advice I'd offer, is for when you finally find that elusive charger. Before you start any of the charging process, ensure you have the app if required and even more importantly, ensure you launch it before connecting the cable to the car. The apps have a habit of logging you out, particularly after updates have been applied and as you struggle to find the passwords and log back in, the car's charging light turns red and you're stuck with a cable in the car until such a time that it finally becomes free.

We tried A Better Route Planner (ABRP) on the way up and it seemed to work quite well, although my iPhone 13 Pro became incredibly hot, worryingly so. We were bouncing between the Skoda navigation, Zap-Map and ABRP and at one point had the Skoda nav on the main screen, whilst ABRP had taken over the directions in front of the driver - very confusing. After about 600 miles on this trip, thankfully there are two of us, we've settled on using the Skoda nav, but using ZapMap in CarPlay to identify the charges nearby and, if we find one, then we would transfer the navigation to Zap-Map. We also have WattsUp, but using it in the same way as Zap-Map, we've not yet found a way to obtain the charger device details or availability, hence currently sticking to Zap-Map. We've got the Skoda nav to show rapid charges enroute, which also helps.

No matter how many apps and cards you have, you'll still find chargers where you need to register. For instance, in Girvan yesterday we came across an evolt Scottish charger that didn't look in good shape, but it turned out to be fine for a 50kW charge. However, we had to use their website to setup a direct debit from my bank account and then call them on the number displayed on the unit. The customer service was excellent, they started charging remotely for us after resetting the unit and advised that the unit was an old specification, wouldn't work with their app and we would have had to call them regardless. It all just takes a bit of time, which thankfully we'd built in to our journey (the most important advice I can offer).

We're still learning, the vast majority of our (nearly) 6k miles have been from home charging. For the record our app arsenal currently consists of: MySKODA, Zap-Map, bp pulse, Pod Point, InstaVolt, Powerpass, Shell Recharge, WattsUp, IONITY, ABRP, Fastned (had to download and setup in Newcastle close to the football ground behind some university buildings) and ev hotels.

Good luck, leave plenty of additional time and keep some spare miles for when the inevitable unavailable charger happens (so far we've been lucky). Today, we're looking forward to finding some of the free 22kW chargers in Northern Ireland to top up from while we work from a cafe.
IV80 Suite, Race blue, 20” Vega alloys, heat pump, electric tow bar, panoramic sunroof, 125kW, climate/transport packs, ordered July 21, delivered November 21. 1st EV and still loving it.
Powerstar
Posts: 87
Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2021 4:32 pm

Post by Powerstar »

Just a suggestion, if the cable is locked in the car you can quickly lock and unlock the car and the cable lock releases for about 5-seconds. Might help reduce the anxiety?
Good luck on your travels
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RichR
Posts: 1914
Joined: Thu Mar 11, 2021 11:53 am
Location: South end of North Yorkshire

Post by RichR »

I drive from North Yorkshire to Cornwall and Devon every couple of months, and have been to dog shows all over the place. Whilst I know I can cover most of England (as far south as Birmingham) and get home without using public chargers, obviously going beyond that does require it.

I tend to plan my route by picking a general route on Google Maps, then breaking it in to 2 hour chunks (ie I'd like to stop for the loo and a cup of tea about every 2 hours), then use Zap-Map/ABRP to find chargers on or close to my route. I tend to look for places that have at least 3 chargers so there's less chance of them all being busy or out of action. Then adjust the route accordingly so they're on it. I also try to pick places that aren't necessarily on motorways - there are a lot of towns with multiple 50kW or 100kW chargers in places like park and rides or shopping estates just off the motorway or major A-road network. These are far more likely to be unoccupied (eg Cullompton services has four Ionity and a couple of Gridserves, but because you have to come off the M5 and do a couple of roundabouts it never seems to be busy). I then locate backup locations between my planned stops, just in case they're not available. Stops will always be somewhere I can use the toilet and ideally get a cup of tea or a meal. McDonalds, Starbucks and KFC near major A-roads for example often have Instavolt chargers for example.

But most of all, I plan by my needs, not the car's - if I stop about every 2 hours (approx 120 miles), then that's well within what my Enyaq can do, so if a charge location is busy or broken I know I can just carry on to the next one (or the planned backup). I'd rather take slightly longer by making stops and enjoying the journey (travel assist on, climate control set to 18C, audiobook playing, seat massager on etc) than have range anxiety and get stressed by feeling I have to overtake everything that's going slightly slower than I am and seeing how far I can go until my bladder pops :D I tend to arrive at a charger with about 40-50% remaining, and charge to 80% if it's a suitably rapid charger and it's not too busy. But I have been known to charge for only 15 minutes and move on with less than 80%. Just depends what I feel like on the day...
Enyaq iV 80 Sportline, Energy Blue, Assisted Drive Plus, Infotainment Plus, Convenience Plus, Comfort Seat Plus, Transport Pack, Heat Pump, ME3.2, Built Nov 2021.
AndyH
Posts: 60
Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:53 am

Post by AndyH »

To summarise. We're all planning our journeys around our bladders, for which the Enyaq is the perfect car😂
IV80 Suite, Race blue, 20” Vega alloys, heat pump, electric tow bar, panoramic sunroof, 125kW, climate/transport packs, ordered July 21, delivered November 21. 1st EV and still loving it.
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