From Amsterdam to the Atlantic coast in a Tesla Model Y

In 2021, our colleague Nils, from Ayvens Netherlands, embarked on his very first road trip in a vehicle electric, a 3,500 km round trip between Amsterdam and Italy. À At the time, it was a real act of faith. Charging infrastructure were rarer, planning required juggling several applications and there was always a little uncertainty when you left for a long journey. Five years later, the things have changed a lot.

This summer marked another first, Nils' first long journey in his new Tesla Model Y Juniper. After getting it back in July, he was eager to test its battery life, about 450 km on a full charge. Unlike his first trip in Italy, he didn't need to meticulously plan every stop in Italy. reload or download multiple apps to manage it. This time, he simply entered the destination into the Tesla navigation system and the car took care of the rest.

The journey began in Amsterdam, the first stage stretching over 580 km to Chartres, France. Rather than making the journey in a single day, Nils prefers to divide it into two stages with an overnight stay. After a single charge, it arrived in Chartres with a battery still charged to 20%, which was more than enough. The hotel did not offer charging for electric vehicles, but this was not a problem. The next morning, after a well-planned charging break along the way, the Model Y drove Nils and his family as far as the Ile de Ré, near La Rochelle, only accessible from the mainland by a bridge.

"I've already been to several times in France in an electric vehicle," he said. "It's become a very easy country for electric mobility. In recent years, The improvement in the charging infrastructure has been impressive."

The Ile de Ré was the place Ideal for a week's summer holiday. Beaches, bike rides and occasional visits to the local hypermarket where you can find chargers for electric vehicles. Charging your car while shopping is which has become an integral part of the rhythm of the holidays.

Nils noticed that, although usually renting a house, more and more landlords are reluctant to allow electric vehicles to be charged on their private property via a wall plug socket. "It's always worth asking the advance," he said, "but public chargers are faster, widely available and equally convenient."

After leaving the island, the The journey continued south to Biarritz, about 400 km away. This seaside town, nestled in the heart of the French Basque Country, offered many Covered car parks equipped with charging stations, as well as supermarkets equipped with fast charging stations to fill up.

From Biarritz, there was no about fifty kilometres to cross the border and San Sebastián, Spain, where charging turned out to be a little more delicate. "France is much more Advances in EV infrastructure. In Spain, it took a little More time to find a working charging station in the city centre, but we succeeded. EV charging really is a lot easier in France. »

The biggest difference that Nils noticed during this trip compared to his first trips in electric vehicle. The Tesla Navigation System automatically selects charging stations, recalculates the route by traffic jam or queues and highlights the best Facilities nearby.

"With Superchargers Tesla, you know they're going to work and there's always going to be availability! Just plug in, no need for a card or app. Everything is billed automatically via Ayvens. This peace of mind makes A huge difference. » He once used a charger other than Tesla on the way home, which worked fine, but he admits that the convenience of the Supercharger network makes him choose them often.

Looking back on that first road trip in 2021, Nils remembers longer queues, a longer great uncertainty and anxiety related to autonomy. Today, This is ancient history.

Instead of spending long exhausting hours behind the wheel, he now drives in three-hour increments, with short breaks of 10 to 20 minutes to charge your car. "It is in makes it more relaxing! We arrive rested and the journey seems easier. »

Without hesitate. France remains one of Nils' favourite destinations for his travels. trips in an electric vehicle. Close to the Netherlands, it offers beautiful cities, Beautiful nature, delicious food and a good infrastructure Electric vehicle charging that makes it easy to get around.