Whether spring, summer, autumn or winter: any season is the perfect time to go on holiday with an electric car. On a road trip through Switzerland or Europe, you are super-flexible on the road and can make impromptu stops to enjoy wonderful views from the driver’s or passenger’s seat on the most beautiful routes.
So that you can enjoy your trip in the electric car in a relaxed manner and avoid any unpleasant surprises, we’d like to give you a few tips for the journey.
The 8 best tips for holidays with the electric car
Tip 1: The essential equipment: the things you should always have on board
Are you planning to cross the Swiss border by electric car and explore other European countries? If so, you should definitely check the essential equipment for all the countries you are travelling to. According to TCS, you’ll need to remember the following accessories depending on where you are driving:
- CH sticker – mandatory as soon as you leave Switzerland
- Warning vest
- First aid kit
- Tow rope
- Warning triangle
TCS will tell you which accessories you need in which country.
Tip 2: Avoid long traffic jams
This will come as no surprise: a lot of tourists and road-trippers set off on their holiday on a Friday or Saturday, or choose Sunday for the return journey. It’s no wonder that traffic jams tend to occur at the weekend – and not only at the Gotthard Tunnel. As a general rule, it’s worth arriving and departing during the week instead, either early in the morning or later in the evening. Sounds totally logical, but nevertheless often ignored.
Tip 3: E-Grand Tour of Switzerland:
Discover the most beautiful routes through Switzerland with your electric car
Do you want to recharge your batteries on a road trip with an electric car? You don’t have to go all that far to do that! The world’s first road trip that’s specifically adapted to electric vehicles is actually in Switzerland. The E-Grand Tour of Switzerland guarantees you a dense network of charging stations and a unique driving experience that stretches over 1600 kilometres.
Look forward to 46 attractions, 22 lakes, 5 Alpine passes, 13 UNESCO World Heritage sites and 4 language regions spanning 8 sections. Wow!
Tip 4: Charge your electric car according to the 20/80 rule
The 20/80 rule means that your battery level should not fall below 20 percent when on a road trip. You should also charge your battery to a maximum of 80 percent. Why?
It’s simple really: If the battery level is too low, the driver will quickly become nervous – especially in an unexpected traffic jam. If, on the other hand, you go to the next charging station when the battery’s at around 20 percent, you’ll stay relaxed while also playing it safe. Also, charging levels of between 20 and 80 percent are best for preserving battery life. Another interesting point for those in a hurry to start their holidays: from a battery level of 80 percent, the charging speed decreases.
PS: You’ll also find a detailed article about the range of electric cars on the e-mobility blog.
Tip 5: Plan your route in advance with these apps
If you want to start your holiday with an electric car, it’ll definitely help to plan your charging stops in advance – this reduces stress and means you won’t be worrying unnecessarily about running out of power during the journey. In some car models, the charging options are integrated into the navigation system. We also recommend the following apps, which you can use to plan your en-route charging before setting off:
Tip 6: Make sure you've got a sufficient data package on your mobile phone
Something to consider: if you’re on a road trip with your electric car, you should definitely check your smartphone contract and add a data package if necessary. Otherwise, you can quickly incur high roaming charges when using the charging and route-planner apps.
Tip 7: Renting is old news – subscriptions are the future!
Don’t worry about the sharp rise in prices of traditional car rental companies. It’s not worth it – trust us. With the car subscription from Clyde, you have a relaxed and cheaper alternative right from the start. Simply subscribe to the electric car of your choice for as little as one month.
The advantages of an electric holiday car on subscription:
- Monthly fixed price
- Free charging for electric cars
- Additional drivers are included
- No paperwork, it’s all digital
- Everything included in the price
- No additional insurance costs
- Free Home Delivery
Tip 8: Cruise through Switzerland and Europe free of charge with the Clyde flat rate for charging
If you subscribe to your fully electric holiday car with Clyde, you’ll also benefit from our free charging flat rate. This means that you can charge your car at all available charging stations in the swisscharge.ch charging network both in Switzerland and throughout Europe. The charging costs are already included in your monthly subscription rate.
You can find more information about this on our page “E-mobility on subscription.
Have you opted for the Tesla on a subscription?
If you charge your Tesla at a swisscharge.ch charging station, we will of course also cover these costs Naturally, you can also charge your Tesla via the Tesla app at all Tesla Supercharger stations. However, please note that this is not included in the flat rate and you will have to pay the costs separately yourself.
Holidays with a car subscription
Ready for the holidays, but don’t want to hire an overpriced rental car? No worries! Get moving with a Clyde car subscription, your ticket to freedom. Terms start from just one month, with insurance, several drivers and more already included in your subscription rate. And if that wasn’t enough, we’ll throw in a one-time discount of CHF 100 when you use the code CLYDE-FERIEN-100. Heading on holiday has never been so relaxed!
