Using a UK EV for a week in France

[comment23]

We’re just returning from a week in Normandy and I thought I’d offer my perspective on the EV experience there. In short, it’s been a very positive experience.

Chargers, both rapid and destination varieties, were widely available and there was almost always a spare slot wherever we rocked up (most were 25% utilised, or less). The toll roads typically had 4+ rapids every 50km or so.

I took a Powerpass card (used extensively - I have the charge faster subscription plan which more than paid for itself) and a Shell Recharge card (unused).

Helped another UK Enyaq driver get the Ionity chargers working at Aire Vallée de la Vire Gouvets (services) - hello if that was you - and had a few friendly pigeon French conversations with the locals and a German at others.

Very much a case of a supply/demand balance in favour of supply, opposite to the UK. It feels like France is much better placed, than the UK, to cope with scaling up to meet the needs of increased EV ownership in the coming years.

[HarryHuk]

Yep, I've found the charging landscape there fairly pain free the 2 times I went over last year. I found August to be quite busy. Aire de la Baie de Somme had a queue for the Ionity, while Tesla-only Superchargers were empty. Ionity have installed a few more there since then, so this year should be smoother..
There's a services at Bolleville, on the A29 to Le Havre, which is all on one side of the motorway, but is still strictly separated into east and west bound, with 3 chargers each.
There could be available chargers in the other direction you could walk to, but you can't get the car to. Had to give up there and go into Le Havre to a Total. Baie de Somme is much better.
I didn't have the PowerPass card then, I mainly used a ChargeMap pass card.

[cjohnson]

Unrelated to charging in France; but does the digital speedometer automatically change from mph to kph when you get to a metric country? I can’t find a setting or anything in the manual as to how to change, and don’t fancy trying to do the mental arithmetic conversion all the time!

[xioxyx]

/use the manual in the car and search for units

[HarryHuk]

Yep: In Settings -> Units

Automatic would be a nice option, but for now you have to set it yourself

[cjohnson]

Thanks - was searching for “metric” and similar in the manual which didn’t yield results.