Amsterdam to the Atlantic coast in a Tesla Model Y

This summer marked another first, Nils’ first long trip in his new Tesla Model Y. Having picked it up in July, he was keen to test its longer range, around 450 km on a full charge. Unlike that first trip to Italy, there was no need for meticulous planning of every charging stop and downloading multiple apps to managed it. This time, he simply entered the destination into the Tesla navigation, and the car handled the rest.

The route began in Amsterdam, with the first leg stretching 580 km to Chartres, France. Rather than push through in a single day, Nils prefers to break up the drive with an overnight stop. With one charging stop, he arrived in Chartres with a comfortable 20% in the battery.

The hotel didn’t offer EV charging, but that wasn’t a problem. The next morning, with one well-timed charging stop along the way, the Model Y carried Nils and his family onwards to Île de Ré, a picturesque island near La Rochelle, reached via a bridge from the mainland.

“I’ve been to France a few times in an EV now,” he said. “It has become a very easy country for electric mobility. In recent years, the improvement of the charging infrastructure has been impressive”.

Île de Ré was the perfect summer base for a week of holiday. Beaches, cycling, and the occasional visit to the local hypermarché where conveniently, EV chargers can be found. Charging while stocking up on groceries became part of the holiday rhythm.

Nils noted that while renting a house is his usual go-to, more and more house owners are hesitant to allow EV charging at private properties via a wall socket. “It’s always worth asking in advance,” he said, “but public chargers are faster, widely available and just as convenient”.

Leaving the island, the journey continued south to Biarritz, around 400 km away. The seaside town, nestled in French Basque Country, offered plenty of indoor parking garages with chargers, as well as supermarkets with high-speed chargers for topping up.

From Biarritz, it was just a short hop across the border into Spain and the culinary hot spot of San Sebastián. Charging here proved a little trickier. “France is much more advanced when it comes to EV infrastructure,” Nils explained. “In Spain it took a bit longer to track down a working charger in the city centre, but we managed. EV charging in France really is much easier.”

The biggest difference Nils noticed on this trip compared to his early EV travels. How easy Tesla makes the process. The navigation system automatically selects charging stops, reroutes if there’s traffic or queues, and highlights the best facilities nearby.

“With Tesla Superchargers, you know they’ll be working, and there’s always availability,” he said. “You just plug in, no cards, no apps. Everything is automatically billed through Ayvens. That peace of mind makes a huge difference.”

He did use a non-Tesla charger once on the way back, which worked fine, but admits the convenience of the Supercharger network means he often opts for them.

Looking back on that first road trip in 2021, Nils remembers longer queues, more uncertainty, and a little bit of range anxiety. Now, it’s a different story. “The infrastructure has improved so much. I don’t miss petrol stations at all,” he said.

Instead of pushing through long, exhausting stretches behind the wheel, he now drives in three-hour bursts, with short 10–20 minute charging breaks. “It’s actually more relaxing,” he said. “You arrive rested, and the journey feels easier.”

Without hesitation. For Nils, France remains a favourite EV road trip destination. It’s close to the Netherlands, there are beautiful cities, nature, delicious food and EV charging infrastructure that makes travel feel simple.