We share details of

• The route we took
• The number of charging stops
• The additional travel time compared to an ICE car
• Accommodation On Route
• Where we charged
• Stress Level

For your convenience, we’ve included links to accommodations on Booking.com, charging stops, and restaurants on Google Maps. Please note none of these links are sponsored, and there’s no benefit to us for your use of them. They are provided solely for your convenience.

Here’s a quick snapshot of our journey to the Dordogne:

• Total Charging Time: 1.5 hours
• Added Travel Time on the Way Down: 30 minutes
• Time of year last 10 days of August 2023

But there’s more to the journey than just numbers; read the full story below to get the truth behind taking an EV on a driving holiday.

Location	Distance (Miles)	Charging Time (Minutes)
Home (YO51 9HR) to Grantham	97.0	15
Grantham to Maidstone	172.8	10
Maidstone to Le Shuttle Terminal	33.8	25
Le Shuttle Terminal to Calais, France	39.2
Calais, France to Bourg-Achard, France	151	15
Bourg-Achard, France to Le Mans	115	25
Le Mans to Tours	63.1	15
Tours to Poitiers	65.1
Poitiers to Périgueux	122	20
Périgueux to Saint-Avit-Loisirs	24
Total	864.1	110

As August 2023 drew to a close, Jasmine, my partner, casually floated the idea of a family adventure.

She had on her mind the Dordogne – a corner of France still uncharted by us.

She painted a picture of a region perfect for a family escapade that suited all our needs.

It had calm rivers for kayaking adventures, a couple of zoos, and for her, charming boutique shops.

She leaned towards Eurocamps for their blend of simplicity and comfort, suggesting a laid-back setting for our stay. She added that it was cheap and asked if she could book it.

As a Yorkshireman, “cheap” was a word that resonated with me. Quickly sold on the idea, I gave her my blessing (credit card) to book it.

Then came the conundrum: which car would suit the journey better?

Even seasoned EV owners agree that not every journey is possible without range anxiety.

We own two family cars. The first,a 2018 Volkswagen Touran, 2.0 TDI, has been our reliable companion on numerous long haul adventures.

This dependable workhorse had effortlessly carried us from our North Yorkshire base
through the French Alps, down to the Côte d’Azur, and around the shores of the Italian lakes on many occasions.

Yes it was dull, but from a practically view point, it was the perfect vehicle for our family.

Comfortably accommodating my wife, our kid, and even my bicycle (yes, a car-dealing cyclist – get over it).

The Touran had another significant perk: it ran on diesel, making refuelling a breeze and never a cause for concern.

Our Tesla Model Y, on the other hand, added potential charging drama.

This, I felt, might affect our enjoyment that came with the freedom of having a driving holiday.

On the pros list, it had the tempting benefits of 3,000 miles of free charging.

It was also the better car to drive.

I was much quicker, with better handling and cutting-edge driver aids to make the journey less stressful for the driver.

Moreover, with plans to launch EVbuyer, the trip could be an excellent real-world test.

The route to the Dordogne is not a concern with plenty of Tesla Superchargers, so we didn’t anticipate a problem.

However, the situation post-arrival was what worried me.

The Dordogne, for all its scenic beauty, is a desert in terms of Supercharger availability.

In the UK, we’d become accustomed to the ubiquity of Tesla Superchargers and the convenience of home charging.

As such, no journey in the UK of any length necessitates meticulous pre-planning around charging stops. But this remote region of France would present a challenge.

Saint Avit Loisirs, our chosen destination in the Dordogne for its central location.

But we wanted to make it work, so I contacted Eurocamps, our chosen accommodation provider, to inquire about charging facilities.

Their response was not encouraging: no charging options were available on site. The only nearby charger they knew was a Mobive 22kw, about a mile away.

A quick check on the ZAP map revealed it hadn’t been used for four months – hardly a reassuring sign.

Not ready to give up, I asked if any regular sockets were on site. Where might one plug in a Tesla?

I suggested we could run a cable through the window of our accommodation and, of course, pay for the electricity used.

The answer was a firm no, with a caution that any attempt to do so would lead to us being escorted off the premises.

“So that’s a no then,” I concluded, realising we’d have to think outside the box for our EV charging strategy on this trip.

Dont rely on these Mobile chargers if you are planning a trip to France

Taking to Google, I discovered that EV sales are on the rise in France, with a 25% year-on-year increase,

It struck me that the French seemed to have embraced electric vehicles, partly perhaps because they enjoyed Western Europe’s lowest electricity prices.

Therefore, there must be somewhere to charge your car. That was the theory, anyway.

Furthermore, France had implemented clean air zones around some major cities, necessitating the registration of our Volkswagen for the French Crit’Air sticker, equivalent to the Ulez zones.

With each consideration, the case for sticking with the Touran grew weaker. Finally, I decided to take the plunge, and I told Jasmine, “Screw it, let’s do it.” I got that from a Richard Branson book, by the way.

And the day before our journey, we switched on our Eurotunnel booking, opting for the Tesla as our vehicle for this adventure.

• Miles:300
• Charging Stops: 2
• Time Charging: 25 minutes
• Travel Time Added: 10 minutes

We set off for France during the last week of the school holidays, driving a Tesla Model Y Long Range with “webuysupercars.com” emblazoned along its sides. (By the way, that’s our other business, and yes, we do recognise the irony)

We used an EV route planning app called ABRP; the details are here.

This fantastic app enables direct communication with your car, providing valuable insights and control. One of its key features is the ability to monitor your car’s charge level, allowing you to plan your journeys more efficiently.

Moreover, the app can dynamically adjust your route based on various factors, such as temperature, average speed, and wind direction. This functionality enhances the overall driving experience by optimising your route to maximise energy efficiency and range.

With such advanced capabilities, this app makes electric vehicle ownership more convenient and environmentally friendly, enhancing the user’s driving experience.

This app played a crucial role in our journey, enabling us to customise our route preferences and fine-tune our charging stops to meet both our needs and the car’s requirements. Most importantly, it helped us plan our charging stops to ensure we arrived with an adequate charge level.

My objective for this trip was to ensure that the Tesla added zero extra time to our journey. We only charged when it conveniently fit into our schedule. It looked like a lofty goal, but I was determined to try it.

Here’s how it went.

Why Grantham? Barely 100 miles from our North Yorkshire base?

Well, “someone” planned to leave on a Friday, so we’d been stuck in traffic for over two hours.

This meant we all needed the usual coffee, bathroom, and food break well before the car needed a charging stop.

But just eight chicken nuggets and 15 minutes on the charger, and we were on our way again.

As you can see, the car didn’t need charging; there was still 158 miles of range. However, because the rule was no wasted time sat charging.

Our second charging stop was Maidstone, where we added 10 minutes. I noticed right next door to the Orida Hotel, which would be perfect if you wanted a convenient place for an overnight stop. But the wife hadn’t booked it because it wasn’t nearby shops. (take note, guys)

This 10-minute stop was a precautionary measure, as we couldn’t be 100% certain that the chargers at the tunnel car park would be available when we arrived.

So, we’ll chalk up these 10 minutes to range anxiety, and I’ll keep track of the total “dead time” at the end of this blog.

We chose Canterbury as somewhere that looked interesting to spend an overnight stop.

We stayed at an apartment called “Number 8.” It offered free Netflix, Wi-Fi, and two beds, making it an ideal choice. So, we went ahead and booked it.

The only challenge was that the Tesla would have to spend the night in a public car park, which, while nearby, wasn’t the most secure option.

However, the Tesla Sentry mode is a valuable feature. It directly streams footage from the car’s five cameras direct to your phone.

So if someone with criminal intent shows an interest in your car, you can not only record their actions but also confuse them with a fart noise from the car’s external speaker. Thanks, Elon!

• Miles: 295
• Charging Stops: 3
• Time Charging: 45 minutes
• Travel Time Added: Zero

The following day, we arrive at the Tunnel, and there’s an entire bank of Telsa and other fast chargers, with most unoccupied, so we needn’t have stopped in Maidstone.

Before relying on the chargers at Folkstone, you can check for any outages here and the availability of Tesla chargers here. At the time of writing, all the NON Tesla Brand chargers were out of action!

Additionally, running the AC had another purpose: it prevented the EV battery from staying at 100% charge for too long, which isn’t ideal for its longevity.

So running the AC gave the car something to do while keeping it comfortably cool for our return.

After a couple of hours, we got back into the car, which was now unbearably cold due to the AC, and promptly turned on the heated seats to take off the chill.

The loading process went smoothly, and we were directed to a single-decker train as our Tesla is a bit wide for the narrower twin-deck trains—something that we would forget about late, much to our cost.

Once on the train, we heard the usual announcement to turn off the engine and engage the handbrake. However, our electric car had no engine, so we left the AC running throughout the journey.

You might wonder how this affected the battery. Running the AC for about 2 hours took just 5% off the top of the battery, so we arrived in France on about 95% charge.

We disembarked in France, and for those who haven’t experienced this before, you drive straight up the ramp from the train and straight onto the motorway, or as they call it in France, the Autoroute.

There are no more checks or customs to navigate.

Our Evovis toll tag quickly proved invaluable as we sailed through the T-marked lanes without the usual hassle of taking a ticket or fumbling for payment. Learn about buying a French tol tag here

Driving through France is typically a breeze.

We set the cruise control and didn’t focus on efficiency; instead, we drove close to the French speed limit of around 80 mph (ish) and rarely touched the brake for about 2 hours until we reached Rouen.

This is where we hit heavy traffic, and our progress slowed to a crawl for maybe an hour. But the alternative route is also known for traffic chaos as it passed close to Paris.

After 3 hours on the road, we reached Bourg Archard just south of Rouen, where we met some heavy traffic; we made a 15-minute pit stop for coffee.

Interestingly, Jasmine used her 15 minutes to buy a handbag inexplicably (How she manages to make everything about shopping is a mystery.)

We arrived at our first overnight stop in France in Le Mans, where we found an excellent Chinese buffet just around the corner from the superchargers. It was called Asain Fusin, and here’s a Google Maps link

We booked another apartment hotel in the city centre of Le Mans, the 9WAGRAM Hotel Boutique. It was excellent, but the parking situation there was less than ideal.

There were only two tiny spaces in an underground garage, and they were already occupied when we arrived.

As a result, we had to park in the middle of the street about a mile away from the hotel, despite having a disabled badge on our car (our boys are autistic).

The following morning, we witnessed one of the guests trying to squeeze his car out of the aforementioned tight underground space and inadvertently curbing his wheels on the very narrow exit.

We recommend the hotel for its quality, but if you’re travelling by car, we suggest choosing somewhere else to stay, perhaps even outside of Le Mans altogether.

• Distance: 292 miles
• Charging Stops: 2
• Time on Charge: 45 minutes
• Total Added Time: 20 minutes

The following day was another scorcher, but with the delays at the Tunnel and the queues in Rouen, we were keen to crack on and get to the pool.

The last leg looked like the usual charge around lunchtime and then one more 15-minute afternoon break, arriving at our destination late afternoon, circa 3 pm, but with around 20% charge.

The Poitiers supercharger is based in a retail park, where we grabbed a sandwich whilst charging. This would have been the last charge before we got to our final destination, Saint Avit Loisirs, had there been anywhere to charge at our accommodation.

That wouldn’t work, so we stopped 18 miles from our destination and gave it a last supercharge to about 90%,

We, therefore, arrived at Saint Avit Loisirs 20 mins later than we would have done in the faithful diesel touran. And yet more refreshed and a bit richer with the diesel cost saving.

The site was lovely, with the lively pool, adventure play and restaurant areas, close but not too close to our accommodation.

At first, it seemed promising. Almost every Dordogne hamlet we came across had a couple of these Mobive chargers, and they were listed on Google Maps as “SDE Dordogne Charging Stations.”

As someone who deals with various EV brands regularly, I thought I had the experience to handle any charger. But these chargers proved a challenge that got the best of me. We couldn’t get one to work anywhere in the entire Dordogne.

In my line of work, I’m used to registering for accounts, downloading apps, and using contactless methods with different chargers.

However, these chargers presented a host of issues.

We encountered fault codes indicating that the charger was in use when it wasn’t, payment rejections, and connectivity problems. Despite our attempts to contact the company through email, support channels, and even filing complaints, we never received a response.

Frustration got the better of me at one point, leading to a futile kick at one of the chargers, making me feel better.

We were determined not to return to the last Tesla charger we used as that would be dead time.

But as luck would have it, one of the places in the Dordogne we wanted to visit, Montignac-Lascaux, had a fast charging station this one if you are making notes. Pitpoint 39 Chemin de L’Enclos, 24290 Montignac-Lascaux, France https://maps.app.goo.gl/kscoJKD2a7P2mVGL7

Thirty minutes around the supermarket, we once again had a full charge. At the time of writing, a 20-80% charge costs £11

We topped up here twice a week, and that was the only time we had to charge until the day we travelled despite doing maybe 400 miles of touring.

It was by no means the only fast charger in the Dordogne, you understand, but in relation to where we stayed, it was the only reliable one 30 miles in either direction.

The Dordogne region itself was an absolute delight, and as Jasmine had promised, we revelled in all it had to offer. She’s planning to craft a companion piece that will delve into the places we visited, the charming restaurants, picturesque towns and villages, and shopping spots, perfect for those seeking detailed insights when planning their visit to this enchanting area.

The car was sat on 30% charge, meaning that we got up and left without breakfast and 30 minutes later sat down at a cafe next to the Tesla charger at Périgueux, which we had visited on the way down.

We would have preferred to eat at the site and then crack on with the journey. Well, yes, ideally, but it still added no dead time.

The route back was different. We planned to get as close to Calais as practical.

So we didn’t book anywhere; we just took the journey as it came with the usual 2 to 2 and 1/2 hour stops and a 15-minute charger,

This put us near Le Toquet at circa 8 pm, and that felt like enough; we were less than an hour from Calais, where a mid-morning crossing was booked.

Hotel de Parc, which just happened to have a lovely destination charger at a reasonable £10 or so, and allowed us to arrive at the hotel empty, or it would have done had we trusted it to work.

So we added a 15-minute dead time charging session in Le Toquet Tesla supercharger whilst we ate a McDonald’s just to be sure.

At Check-in, we were asked if we would like to board an earlier train, and so because we didn’t need to charge here, we gladly agreed,

The French crew directed us onto the train, and we realised we were being loaded on the upper deck. After a brief exchange in the car, which amounted to “Is this ok?” we quickly realised that it wasn’t

As we ascended the steep slope to the upper deck, the view of the carriageway disappeared just at the moment the metal curb narrowed from each side.

With the Tesla Model Y, there’s only about 2 inches of clearance on each side. Unfortunately, we found ourselves about two inches off-centre as we attempted to navigate the ramp and struck a wheel with a sickening grinding noise.

As we passed by the toilet block, we had to manoeuvre to avoid striking the mirror carefully, and during this process, we also ended up curbing the other side of the car. It was disheartening, especially for someone who hadn’t curbed a wheel in about a decade.

We flagged down a member of staff who told us we shouldn’t be up here and that he would give us his claim form.

As we exited the train, we were flagged over, and a staff member inspected the car and asked us to take and submit photos, which we did. 3 months on, we are still chasing a response ( not good )

Upon our arrival in England, we had a busy schedule ahead. While away from home, we planned to collect a Ferrari Portofino in Windsor.

Our buying team at webuysupercars.com had purchased this particular car, and the timing worked out that we would meet the customer and handle the transaction.

This meant another night in a hotel, and surprisingly, without prior planning, the hotel happened to have a free charger for electric vehicles. It was a stroke of luck, especially considering they only had two charging stations available.

The next day, it was time to get back to work. I collected the Ferrari and headed north, while Jasmine returned home via Sheffield, where we had a Porsche to inspect as part of our ongoing business activities. It was a busy and eventful trip filled with car-related adventures.

Our experience driving a Tesla to the Dordogne was largely positive, and we would consider using it again for future trips. Tesla proved to be a cost-effective and high-performing choice.

The route from the UK to the Dordogne was a breeze. Using the Tesla network in both directions was seamless.

But the destination-type chargers were appalling, as was the company maintaining them.

So, don’t even think about relying on them; we felt that having an EV with good range gave us the flexibility to work in the available chargers to our adventures without negatively affecting it.

We hope these healthy places but inoperable destination chargers get fixed over time, making for a slightly more relaxing experience overall.

Driving the Tesla Model Y, was a revelation. The first thing that struck us was how the Tesla’s performance remained exceptional, even with the car fully loaded with luggage.

Unlike our Volkswagen Touran, which handled like a tipsy pig when packed to the brim, the Tesla Model Y’s inherent low centre of gravity was unfazed by the weight. This ensured a smooth and enjoyable ride despite the cargo.

The Tesla’s acceleration was equally impressive, making merging onto bustling highways and autoroutes an absolute delight. It effortlessly managed the task, ensuring we never hesitated when entering traffic.

Dealing with 40°C heat during our journey was a breeze thanks to Tesla’s efficient air conditioning. Returning to a comfortably cool car, pre-cooled using the Tesla app, was a refreshing experience without significantly reducing our range.

The generous cargo space of the Tesla Model Y’s boot, especially with the underfloor and side wing storage areas, easily accommodated all our luggage and shopping purchases. There’s no need to cram the back seat.

And the front boot or ‘frunk’ came in handy on the last day of our trip. We stowed all the dirty laundry and bedding there, freeing up precious suitcase space for our journey home.

Looking ahead to next year, we plan to return to the Alps, one of our favourite destinations. We’ll explore Annecy, journey to iconic spots like Chamonix and Mont Blanc, and further explore Switzerland’s mighty Eiger.

If you’ve had experience travelling this region with an EV and wish to share your insights or tips to assist us and the broader EV community in making informed choices, please get in touch or leave your suggestions in the comments below.

If you’ve any questions that you’d like to clarify about our Dordogne trip, please let us know in the comments, and we will try to give clearer insight and correct our blog to make it better.

Thanks for reading

Phil Corker