How to charge when on a trip abroad?

East and West - close and far away from each other

Western Europe is much more organised. Most countries impose local rules and in-country roaming is required.

International networks - Ionity, Shell and others and operating in most of the countries and provide similar options in every country

The network density is high in Western Europe. Charging networks are building their points quickly and the driver has multiple charging options within a reach. Some countries to the east (for example Bulgaria) are frontrunners, others (like Greece) lag behind the trend

Solutions across borders - Tesla, Mercedes and others

Some of the car manufacturers provide convenient solutions through their customers - working with a network of own or subcontracted charging stations across the countries. The best known is the Tesla Supercharger network and similar solutions exist from the German car manufacturers as well. While this is convenient, this comes at a price: sometimes the price per kW of the local station is multiple of the price, which the owner offers on his own app. When the price of the travel matters - check the alternatives around the road.

Local options - be prepared

There are local brands everywhere - every country has its pioneers, who are building the networks chargers. Often their app is very convenient and easy to use and their prices are reasonable.

Be prepared for the following:

• Some charging stations don’t have an app - the driver has to pay to the operator or owner of the station. We didn’t find “cash only” stations - cards were accepted everywhere, but surprises may exist
• Sometimes the charging station is not operational or a call to the support center may be required. The internet is full with cases, when charging couldn’t start and this is especially annoying when there is no alternative in reach
• If an app needs to be download and this is outside of EU - the cost of data traffic may be significant. Be prepared upfront with apps for such locations
• Many of the apps require a preauthorisation or topup of an amount for charging. Don’t be surprised of this. Also - calculate with an amountm which remains on the account and will not be recoverable without a charging