The wonderful thing about touring with a van (we’re nonetheless utilizing the time period “van life,” proper?) is the liberty to dwell and work out of your car and transfer from place to position. So long as you’ve bought gasoline within the tank and meals within the fridge, you may carry on going.
However, what in case your van was powered by batteries as an alternative of fuel or diesel? Might you journey lengthy distances and nonetheless dwell the semi-nomadic van life in an electrical car?
My spouse, Mercedes Lilienthal, and I entered a 7,500km (4,660-mile), 16-day street rally overlaying 9 international locations — and we’d do all of it in an electrical van, a 2024 Volkswagen ID. Buzz, to search out out if it’s doable.
The Van: 2024 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Professional
Earlier than the rally, we contacted Volkswagen about borrowing an ID. Buzz electrical van to compete in Superlative Journey Membership’s 2024 Baltic Sea Circle Rally, they usually agreed.
Our Bay Leaf Metallic Inexperienced ID. Buzz Professional was a short-wheelbase 2WD single-motor mannequin from early 2024. It had an 82kWh battery pack, 201 horsepower, and had a variety of as much as 263 miles. Volkswagen additionally included a Ququq (pronounced “kook kook” just like the sound of cuckoo clock) “tenting module” for us to sleep on and cook dinner out of. Extra on that later.
Our ID. Buzz had two captain’s chairs up entrance and a center bench seat, which we folded down so we might deploy the Ququq’s mattress and have extra room for our gear, cameras, and the myriads of European snacks we’d purchase.
The ID. Buzz has been on sale in Europe since 2022. North America will get it on the finish of 2024, as a 2025 mannequin 12 months car. However, we’ll solely get the lengthy wheelbase model — 9.8 inches longer than the mannequin we used. It’ll be obtainable in 2WD or AWD and have a bigger 91kWh battery pack. Energy is claimed to vary between 282 horsepower on 2WD vans and 330 horsepower on AWD fashions.
The Route: 9 International locations, 16 Days, 4,660 Miles + Charity
Germany-based Superlative Journey Membership runs the Baltic Sea Circle Rally (BSCR). We knew it might be far totally different than different rallies we’d performed in North America, just like the Alcan 5000. There’d be language obstacles, totally different currencies, and we’d have to usually cost an electrical van. We’re used to touring in a camper van, however this might be a wholly totally different ball of electrified European wax.
The BSCR began outdoors of Hamburg Germany, after which wound via Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and again to the end line in downtown Hamburg. Automobiles needed to be no less than 10 years previous, with extra factors got to older automobiles. However, there was an EV class with out an age cap, which we had been in.
The rally had each day challenges, a spirit award, and different methods to earn factors for this lighthearted competitors, however actually, it’s all about enjoyable and journey. The 2 most important guidelines? Keep away from utilizing motorways and keep on with paper maps to search out your approach. GPS/satellite tv for pc navigation isn’t allowed.
The route was a choose-your-own-adventure affair, with the included street e-book providing options on which cities/areas to remain for the night time and fascinating sights to see alongside the best way. There have been two events alongside the route the place all groups might come collectively and share meals, drink, and tales from the street.
Superlative Journey Membership additionally requested every crew to lift 500 € ($544 USD) for charity. We chosen The Jessi Combs Basis, and raised over $3,200 USD.
Can This Journey Be Finished in an EV?
We weren’t the primary crew to marketing campaign an EV throughout this rally, now in its thirteenth iteration, so we knew it may very well be performed. Nonetheless, we’d be the primary People to take action, and this 12 months, we’d even be the one EV amongst 140 groups.
Actually, I used to be initially hesitant to do a visit of this magnitude in an EV. Analysis revealed Europe can be a mishmash of charging stations operated by a slew of impartial corporations. Every would have its personal proprietary apps and RFID keys or charging playing cards strewn throughout the totally different international locations and areas.
Few chargers would allow you to pay by way of bank card, as an alternative requiring you to put in their app. We additionally couldn’t obtain the apps or order the RFID playing cards earlier than leaving the U.S. as a result of app location restrictions on the Google Play retailer.
Fortunately, our nephew, Paul Cronie, who lives in Germany, loaned us a German-based iPhone. We supplied an in depth checklist of apps we’d want; he put in them and despatched away for the EV charging playing cards so we might cost.
Subsequent cease? Germany.
Charged Up & Able to Roll With a Technique
We silently left the beginning line armed with a totally charged ID. Buzz, a largely charged German iPhone, and a stack of apps and charging playing cards for the van. The primary problem was reserving a ferry from Germany to Denmark. Fortunately, my navigator and German-American dual-citizen spouse, Mercedes, speaks German. We aimed for Falkenberg, Sweden, as our cease on day one.
Our EV rally/van life technique was to be conservative with velocity for max vary, and to bump-charge to 80% more often than not. This is able to be probably the most environment friendly use of time. We additionally wouldn’t push too far on vary for worry of operating out of battery.
We’d attempt to keep on with DC ultra- or hyper-fast chargers (150kW+) and search for a number of charging alternatives in cities. This fashion, if our charger of alternative was out of order, we’d have a second choice. We had paper maps of every nation for navigation, however had to make use of digital apps to find charging stations.
My EV nervousness was quickly eased at our first charging spot in Bogø, Denmark, as certainly one of our charging playing cards efficiently labored to provoke the ID. Buzz’s cost session. From there, we continued north to Helsingborg, Sweden, to cost once more, this time at one of many many Circle Ok comfort shops. However we quickly realized that, regardless of hours of analysis, charging throughout Europe was even trickier than we anticipated.
Euro Charging Challenges
It turned out that none of our apps or charging playing cards labored at Circle Ok. There was a QR code on the charger to obtain the correct app, nonetheless.
I believed I’d try and get the app with my U.S. telephone, pondering it’d be blocked like in Germany. Lo and behold, Sweden allowed me to get the Elton charging app. I set it up, added fee information, and we had been charging. This, nonetheless, took important time and was a style of issues to come back.
All through the 16-day rally, discovering fees wasn’t a problem; it was getting chargers to work, which was powerful — almost each station had its personal app, and most weren’t ones we downloaded. By the tip of our journey, we used 13 charging apps out of the almost 20 we downloaded and arrange.
Issues weren’t minimize and dried, both. For instance, we discovered the Elton app labored at Circle Ok stations in Sweden and Norway, however not in Estonia. In elements of Europe, automobiles with CCS plugs can make the most of Tesla Superchargers, however Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland aren’t included — ask me how I do know. Shockingly, we did discover a few chargers, largely in Poland, that’d allow you to merely pay by bank card.
In a nutshell, Europe’s EV charging infrastructure is a big however messy patchwork of various suppliers with most requiring proprietary apps or charging playing cards. With out my nephew’s German iPhone, we wouldn’t have been in a position to do that rally.
Residence Was The place We Parked It, Not The place We Charged It
When it was time to show in for the night time within the Nordic international locations, we took benefit of the flexibility to wild camp just about anyplace that wasn’t on somebody’s property. For instance, we parked and slept in Falkenberg, Sweden, alongside the ocean, close to Lillestrøm, Norway, alongside a river, and out of doors of Rovaniemi, Finland, within the woods.
We additionally stealth camped downtown in Bodø, Norway, whereas ready for our 3:15 a.m. ferry to the Lofoten Islands. We spent the night time at a number of organized websites with different rally members, which afforded us much-needed showers. We additionally had 3 nights in Airbnbs — 2 nights in Helsinki, Finland, and one in Riga, Latvia.
Just a few organized camp sports activities had electrical energy the place we might’ve paid to cost our van on customary AC energy at a glacially sluggish 2kW (the ID. Buzz can take as much as a 170kW cost). We opted to stay to public quick charging.
Whereas all of the groups chosen their very own motorway-free routes on this rally, we needed to plan ours round charger availability. We employed third-party apps, resembling ChargeFinder and ABRP (A Higher Route Planner), in addition to the digital map from every EV charging app. Earlier than discovering a spot to camp or keep at night time, we typically charged the ID. Buzz to 100% (versus 80%), so we had been able to go within the morning.
Meals for Thought & Journey
We shopped at native grocery markets all through the journey, and stored our tiny fridge properly stocked with contemporary meals and native beer. We additionally tried the native meals when doable, together with regional breads, cheeses, and meats.
Enjoyable reality: The 7-11 shops in Norway had unimaginable smoked-salmon-and-egg sandwiches on stunning bread. Why individuals would nonetheless go for McDonald’s or Burger King is past me!
Quick Chargers = Slower Tempo & Lengthy Days
To finish the rally in 16 days, we’d have to common about 500 km (311 miles) a day. That sounded easy in comparison with the 600-650-mile days on the Alcan 5000 Rally. Nonetheless, the BSCR was extra exhausting than anticipated. This was partially as a result of plenty of sluggish velocity limits, backroads driving, and the actual fact we needed to cease to cost the van usually.
Every day, we spent 2-3 hours charging, which made it exhausting to maintain up with the rally’s tempo. To counteract this, we’d get on the street a number of hours sooner than most groups, who had been nonetheless sleeping at their campsites.
Inevitably, ralliers would catch as much as us later after we stopped to cost. The early mornings, fixed cost discovering, and late nights rapidly grew to become exhausting. Nonetheless, even when you weren’t on an endurance rally, van life in an EV might be at a slower tempo.
We nonetheless budgeted time to see issues: the Arctic Circle in Norway and Finland, the unimaginable Geirangerfjord in Norway, RUMMU Quarry in Estonia (a former Soviet jail turned seashore), and strolling Helsinki, Tallinn, and Riga. However this wasn’t a sightseeing journey. This was a street rally, and we had locations to be.
Residing the Electrical Van Life
Our hectic tempo didn’t enable Instagram-worthy meals cooked out of the again of a van in a picturesque Euro locales. A lot of our cooking and consuming was truly performed whereas charging in parking heaps — removed from scenic — however fairly environment friendly. We’d plug in, open the again, and eat contemporary salmon, cheese, and bread for breakfast or lunch.
Our van included a German-made Ququq BusBox-4, a detachable “tenting module” designed particularly for the ID. Buzz. It included a robust double-burner butane range and a spacious pantry beneath it for dry items, pots, and utensils.
The van’s steady 12V plug powered a small slide-out fridge. There have been two stainless-steel wash basins and two 10L plastic water jugs, albeit they leaked a bit from their plastic caps. The Ququq system helped the ID. Buzz turn into a sensible, comfy camper van throughout our journey.
The ID. Buzz had a bunch of built-in van-life-ready niceties. There have been no fewer than seven USB-C plugs for charging telephones. There was an AC outlet below the passenger’s seat, though it was simple to knock out a plug along with your ft when in use. The middle console between the captain’s chairs may very well be eliminated, rotated 180 levels, and had cupholders and two storage bins inside.
Towards the van’s again, there have been cupholders and cubbies nice for wallets, keys, and our glasses after we went to mattress. There have been USB-C retailers right here, too. I might’ve beloved to have that USB-C energy on on a regular basis, so we might’ve charged our telephones whereas we slept.
Downsides? The inside had a bunch of sunshine colours which might simply turn into dingy. Should you locked the car, you wanted to disable the inside movement sensing. In any other case, the van’s alarm would go off.
On the Transfer
When it got here time to make miles, the ID. Buzz was a terrific touring companion. Our ID. Buzz Professional was an early 2024 mannequin, which had 201 horsepower motor and 0-62 time of simply over 10 seconds. (VW has since bumped the bottom output to 286 horsepower within the German market.) The van simply cruised on Europe’s roads, together with the German Autobahn.
The van had run-flat Continental tires, so we didn’t carry a spare, although we did have a tire patch package and instruments.
Driving dynamics had been superb — a typical VW trait. It dealt with higher than anticipated, and the steering was well-weighted, making our back-road transits extra entertaining than I anticipated, particularly in Sport mode. So, whereas it is a sensible van, it was additionally enjoyable to drive. The comfy seats and admirable trip actually helped on the lengthy days.
As with most EVs, the ID. Buzz had tons of tech. A few of it, such because the cruise management and local weather management, provided a steep studying curve and a wholesome dose of frustration. Different bits, such because the charging interface, had been simple to make use of.
EV Van Life: Doable, Impractical (For Now)
The underside line is that this: you may dwell your van life goals in an EV, or no less than an ID. Buzz on a 7,500km European street rally. The query is, would you need to?
There’s extra time spent charging and you will need to discover chargers — and hope they work. In a rally situation, each can result in nervousness and frustration. Should you had been simply dwelling the digital nomad life, possibly it wouldn’t be as a lot of a priority. And as electrical battery tech will get higher, chargers turn into extra plentiful, and vary will get even larger, the convenience of lengthy journeys (and even van life) ought to get simpler.
FYI, we took forty seventh place out of 140 entries; a complete of 120 groups crossed the end line.
EV Van Life: A True Journey
After spending over 2 weeks in 9 international locations, and driving round 5,000 miles, I can let you know long-distance journey in an electrical van on a rally is a hell of an journey. It’s a distinct form of journey than tenting within the wilderness or off-roading in the midst of nowhere. However, it’s an journey nonetheless.
The Baltic Sea Circle Rally was unimaginable. There was camaraderie, epic surroundings, and extraordinary cultural experiences — I wholeheartedly suggest it. The ID. Buzz was an excellent touring companion, versatile and sensible as a camper van.
However, until you’re making an attempt to show some extent (or are an automotive journalist), for long-distance excursions, you may need to keep on with an ICE car in the meanwhile. EV van life is feasible, simply not sensible. But.
