Preparing for a 2021 #BerlinChallenge: with the BMW iX3

Tomorrow, in full rain mode, I will drive to Amsterdam with the iX3. Departure will be Hermannplatz or nearby, Berlin. You can read about my first challenge with the Jaguar in newspaper Trouw (2018). In 2019 I took the Model 3 LR. Last year the crown was easily taken with the Porsche Taycan.

Planning an electric ride to Amsterdam

For a couple of days I have been driving the iX3. To my surprise this SUV showed a consumption of 200Wh/km getting to Berlin. In The Netherlands the speed limit in the daytime is 100km/h. In Germany it was very busy on the road, where allowed 130km/h was set. It was around 12 degrees outside.

Tomorrow I will try to find the best charging tactics for this vehicle. There will be rain and headwind. The basic route could look like this.

A Better Routeplanner is very delicate. Changing weather, driving speed and so on creates this seven-and-a-half hours ride prediction. If we do make it I’d consider that an accomplishment because traffic around Hannover also looked really bad last week. But I hope I can drive the BMW at better consumption than ABRP is predicting. Which hopefully leads me to make it to IONITY Lehrte or Auetal for the first charging session. (Comparable to the Porsche last year, but with sunny and warm conditions, headwind was the same).

More important than ABRP

Is to learn where the fast chargers are you can use on your routes. This is also why I linked all previous travel stories: with the Jaguar at the end of 2018 it was pure survival, finding 100kW+ chargers in Germany. I was glad we made it in ten hours in the middle of winter.

Thanks to Chargemap it’s easy to get an overview of fast charging infrastructure on any route. Let’s look at today’s map!

Filters

It’s what makes Chargemap amazing. If you want free chargers only: go ahead. If you just want a 50kW charge during lunch: that’s what Chargemap can show you. My settings here are 100kW+ CCS chargers. The growth of fast charging infrastructure in Germany is simply staggering. Most of these purple dots on the map weren’t even there one year ago.

Comments

Regional differences are the norm when looking at fast charging infrastructure (and the apps teaching you). Chargemap is a must when driving around France. In Germany, there are other options. The website goingelectric.de is one of the best sources of information. The community is huge. If you’re an Android user, the app Next Plug is great as well.

Pricing

If you want to make a cheap trip, be sure to get in touch. As a patron of electricfelix you can contact me for personal travel advice. Researching is getting easier thanks to apps like Chargeprice, PUMP, Air electric, Ladefuchs and many others.

The plan?

A Better Routeplanner wants us to slow down to 120km/h and that is not the intention of the #BerlinChallenge. It’s to simulate a fast style electric roadtrip. The rain might complicate matters, I will tell you all about it after the ride.

Be sure to follow the ride on Polarsteps (see below) as always and of course on Twitter and Instagram.