The Family Van, a specialist in electric camper van travel, offers you tips and tricks for planning your trip in an electric campervan.
The back-to-school season has just arrived, but you have only one thing on your mind: planning your next vacation.
Ideas are coming to mind: whether it’s about the destination, the length of your stay, activities… But something is bothering you: it’s your first trip behind the wheel of your electric camper van. You need to familiarize yourself with the habits that will make this electric vehicle journey an unforgettable experience.
Discover the typical route in an electric camper van for our itinerant surftrip, The Family Surf.
Travelling in an electrically equipped van is about choosing the right destination
Traveling in an electric van is to benefit from unparalleled travel comfort. Flexible driving, limited noise pollution, access to outstanding technology… We would like to travel the world in our electric van. In fact, it is equipped with the same technologies as a combustion engine vehicle, whether it is in terms of entertainment (music, dashboard…) or driving aids (speed limiter and cruise control). At The Family Van, all our vans are equipped with a speed radar, a reversing radar, Bluetooth and super comfortable speakers: in short, everything to make the journey a blast. While eliminating carbon emissions.
However, we must give technology time to catch up and adapt to what it can currently offer us. Thus, the key element not to overlook when preparing for a road trip in an electric van is inevitably the charging network. Therefore, choose a country that offers a supply capable of meeting your demand.
It’s a good thing that France has a very developed charging network throughout its territory (check on the Chargemap application). This will satisfy your desires for responsible outdoor adventures within the country itself.
Traveling in an electric van is also about identifying charging stations on your itinerary
In order to locate charging stations on your route, the best option is to download charging station apps.
Check out our article that details the various apps available to accompany you throughout your road trip in an electrically converted van.
The extra tip from The Family Van: it is possible to charge your electrically converted van from a power outlet, which can be found at your campsite (check out our tips on camping with an electrically converted van). How to proceed: use the charging cable provided for this purpose, which is different from the one used to charge at traditional fast charging stations. By doing this, you can spend the night and charge both the batteries of your van and your body at the same time 😉
Knowing your electric vehicle well before departure
The mistake not to make: overestimating the capacity of your car. Before your departure, make sure you know the total capacity of your vehicle in terms of range, whether it is equipped with the “fast charging” functionality, the type of charger provided and the one you will need, the type of roads you will take in order to optimize the moment when you recharge the batteries (pun intended). Don’t hesitate to take a look at this article which will give you the keys to successful recharge breaks.
At present, few electric vehicles offer a range greater than 350km. Enough to respect the recommended breaks by the government and avoid accidents.
Adopt a slow-travel driving style for a hassle-free journey
Finally, traveling in an electric vehicle means adopting a new driving mode. Before departure, anticipate and prepare yourself to opt for a simpler, slower, and more adapted driving style to the electric campervan.
Real-life example: on the highway, you will not exceed 110km/h in order to optimize energy consumption. The end result is that you can enjoy the scenery, take your time, and bask in the latest album from Harry Styles.
