On an 18 day trip, recharging batteries alone took almost 6 days !
The online German economento.de here reports how last August German e-mobility enthusiast Frank Eusterholz drove a 136-hp modified e-camper from Hanover to the northernmost point in Europe -- North Cape -- 3,333 km.
The e-vehicle had been retrofitted from a combustion engine to electric drive with a rated range of 173 kilometers with one charge.
95 charging stops along the entire route
Total charging time 95 x 1.5 hours each = 5.94 days
So almost 6 datys of the 18 day trip was for charging batteries
“A charging stop was made approximately every 90 kilometers,” reports Motorzeitung.de.
“In the end Eusterholz had charged the electric transporter 95 times, with an average charging time of one and a half hours.”
The 7500-km trip took 18 days in total.
"The charge-ups were between 30 and 90 kilometers: ‘Exactly 95 times during the tour I stood at a charging station, usually five to seven times a day, and the batteries became very hot.’ The charging time became longer and longer: ‘After the third charging process, the waiting time doubled, then you charge up for two hours to drive one. And even that usually only at a speed of 50 or 60 km/h.”
Further north, the charging stations became sparse and charging became a challenge. North of Alta fast-chargers are non-existent. “On the last few hundred kilometers there are only a few AC charging points and you can only charge very slowly,” reports economento.de.
“The charging process takes about five times as long as on a fast charger with DC technology.”
Eusterholz recalls how the Trollstigen in Norway was the most fun part of the trip and involved climbing 12 per cent grade with a total of 11 hairpin curves. After having reached the hilltop with a remaining range of 50 kilometers, he then made the descent and ended up again with 90 kilometers charge thanks to energy recovery during braking and deceleration.
Repeated rapid charging is known to shorten the battery life.