Electric Road Trip: 7 Countries & 2 Formula E Races

It’s been under wraps for a little while but I can finally talk about my next electric road trip. Once again, I’ll be behind the wheel of the fantastic BMW i3 thanks to our partners BMW i BeLux and I am very excited to share the plans. Read about my first ever BMW i3 road trip to Geneva here.

WhatsApp Image 2017-05-02 at 14.48.07 — Yep, that’s me. Charging.

But first, a bit of context. Why do I love to undertake interesting road trips and challenges in electric cars?

Here’s just a few of the reasons:

Promote electric driving in a fun, engaging manner
Promote sustainability and environmental awareness (Now for clarity this issue doesn’t just stop at the electric car. Electricity can of course be produced in environmentally detrimental ways, so promotion of sustainable energy is also of great importance)
Show electric cars travelling long distances (No more range anxiety)
Promote young people in motorsport and engineering, through student and STEM engagement
Give support to young women looking for a career or taking their first steps in an automotive/motorsport career
Give engineering students helpful advice and technical information in order to support the next steps in their motorsport/automotive career
Show the general public how exciting electric vehicles can be by showcasing the highest level of electric motorsport

WhatsApp Image 2017-05-02 at 14.47.09 — Charging at the Eurotunnel

So far I’ve managed to travel 15,000km in the i3 since the middle of February. I’ve taken it on 7 channel crossings and it has been in 8 countries. It’s been the source of lots of social media posts (apologies if you are tired of my relentless charging photos) and also lots of conversations with strangers who are intrigued or excited by seeing an electric car.

WhatsApp Image 2017-05-02 at 14.47.49 — BMW i3 took a trip to Groezrock Festival thanks to Monster Energy Belgium

And the plan for this month is an 11 day tour that will hopefully kick these stats up a gear. Here is the skeleton plan so far:

Start Line:

Wednesday May 10: Depart from Silverstone, UK

Via: London, UK

Stop 1:

Wednesday May 10: Arrive at Evodays HQ, Belgium

Thursday May 11: Depart from Evodays HQ, Belgium

Via: Milan, Italy

Stop 2:

Friday May 12: Arrive at Monaco Formula E ePrix

Sunday May 14: Depart from Monaco

Stop 3:

Thursday May 18: Arrive at Paris Formula E ePrix

Sunday May 21: Depart from Paris

Finish Line:

Sunday May 21: Arrive at Evodays HQ, Belgium

Approximate Distance: 3,176km (Not including detours, charging visits etc.)

Countries Visited: 7 (UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco)

Of course the big exciting news in this trip is that I will be visiting not one, but two Formula E ePrix. This will give me the chance to meet face to face with some of the engineers working at the race and get some in-depth technical information about the highest class of electric motorsport.

How will I be sharing the trip?

Live via social media uploads to Facebook and Twitter. I know I know I need to get on Instagram but I’ve not made the jump yet.
Through this blog.
Via dashcam (On loan from the very kind Luke Horsfall. Big thank you shoutout to him!) and interview cameras. These will be uploaded to my shiny new channel on YouTube.

So what are the challenges?

Challenge number 1 is of course finding charging points that work (are compatible with my Charge Now card) along the route. I do use a few handy apps as well as the in-car navigation system.

Actually finding the charging points physically. Sometimes they are not easy to spot.

Drive as economically as possible. It’s a real art and I see some EV ambassadors on social media getting amazing range. I am not exactly the most patient of drivers, so I have to be pretty strict with myself.

Planning charge stops in order to be sure I reach destinations on time.

Finally (and WARNING not EV-related), keeping up my running and fitness routine on the road. I often fail at this and suffer the consequences when I get back to training. To combat this problem on this trip, I have set myself the challenge of running a half marathon or marathon in each of the 7 countries I will visit on the trip. If you have any running tips for the countries that are not UK or Belgium please let me know!