Long-distance driving with the ENYAQ iV

How far can I get on a single battery charge? Will I be able to find a charging point? Will the constant breaks to top up the charge and driving at 80 km/h on the motorway turn heading off on holiday into a nightmare? These are just some of the many questions I am asked. Having driven over 15,000 km in the Skoda ENYAQ iV and made countless long-distance journeys, I can promise you that if you just follow a few helpful hints, you’ll be able to leave your worries at home – and sit back and enjoy the journey.

Before you set off: good planning is half the battle

Set off with a full charge

Simple but effective: charge your electric car to 100% before embarking on your long-distance journey. Don’t worry – it won’t damage the battery. Your car’s BMS – or battery management system – is there to protect the battery from damage. I always charge up my ENYAQ the evening before so I can set off without any hold-ups the next day. It means you have maximum range at the start of your trip and you avoid the inefficiency of attempting to fast charge a cold battery at the beginning of your journey. Find out more about charging cold batteries in this blog post.

Find the right app for charge planning

The navigation software in an electric car should facilitate optimum charge planning. Unfortunately, if you haven’t yet installed the new ME3 software, what’s on offer in the Skoda ENYAQ is pretty poor or, to be honest, virtually useless. That’s why I prefer to use a designated app. There are several options here. Noteworthy apps include ABRP = a better route planner (iOS and Android) und PUMP (iOS only). Thanks to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, both are able to show the route and data on the large display in the ENYAQ. I have had very positive experiences with PUMP and always found it reliable when it comes to navigation, recharging and reaching my destination in the estimated time.

Sidebar: Charge planning with the Skoda ENYAQ iV prior to ME3

Sadly, attempting to schedule your charging stops with the Skoda navigation system is no fun. The system often selects charging points that are too slow and gets the charge times wrong.

At present it cannot be relied on for charging planning. Skoda has improved this significantly with new software that is soon to be installed as an update in all ENYAQs that do not yet have it. The ME3 update makes the navigation system’s integral charge planning options really good and helpful. An example by way of comparison, Skoda vs PUMP The adjacent images allow you to compare charge planning for a journey from Zurich to Bari. The Skoda navigation schedules four charging stops for the drive to the south of Italy, three of them at 50 kW charging points. Firstly, the ENYAQ cannot charge at its maximum of up to 125 kW at these points and secondly, the suggested time is not long enough to achieve the planned charge status at a charging point that ‘only’ offers 50 to 60 kW. Contrast this with the much more realistic scheduling offered by PUMP, with three charging stops at fast 300 kW HPC chargers. Here both the choice of fast charging stations and the charging times make sense.

No more charging card roulette: choose the right charging card

In the early days of electromobility, I remember having more than half a dozen different charging cards so that I could use a range of charging stations operated by different providers. Things are a lot more joined up nowadays, with many charging service providers offering flat rates across Europe, irrespective of the many different network operators. If you want to avoid nasty surprises on your next bank statement, the best thing to do is to decide on one or a maximum of two charging cards with fixed costs that apply throughout Europe. The card often comes as a little fob for your keyring and every provider also has an app (which you can use to activate the charging station). Nowadays I use the Powerpass with Skoda’s own tariff. This gives me access to an extensive charging network operated by a range of providers and allows me to charge at a standard rate throughout Europe.

Sensible breaks versus range anxiety

A wonderful term has been coined in the context of electromobility – ‘range anxiety’. It always makes me smile whenever I hear it. But the importance of the topic is overstated because, as my wife and I quickly noticed, your bladder is usually full before the battery is empty!

At a speed of 120–130 km/h, my ENYAQ consumes an average of 20 kWh per 100 km. So by the time my 70 kWh battery has got down to a 10–15% charge and I head to a charging station, I’ve already driven over 300 km. After that sort of distance, everyone is going to be wanting a toilet/coffee/snack break. Another thing you’ll notice is that your break will usually last longer than it takes you to charge to 80%.

Getting your charging tactics right

In my experience, it takes 30–35 minutes at a 150 kW fast charger to charge the ENYAQ from 10% to 80%. You should definitely be allowing yourself a half-hour break and – let’s be honest – you’ll find that a break usually takes that long anyway.

Fast charging between 10% and 80% It is important that the battery’s state of charge (SoC) is down to less than 20% – ideally around 10%. A battery can only charge fast when it is empty and warm – it is the only way to achieve a charging output of up to 125 kW. With a warm battery above 20 degrees (no display in the vehicle) and a state of charge below 10%, my Skoda ENYAQ reaches a charging peak of 125 kW, irrespective of the time of year.

If the battery is colder and the SoC is over 15%, the peak is around 90 kW. GOFAST explains why this is the case and why fast charging only makes sense up to an 80% SoC in this blog post. Incidentally, you can stow the CCS cover from your ENYAQ’s DC ports in the battery charging flap. Simply click it into the centre of the black plastic insert. Then it won’t dangle against the bodywork.

Keep a reserve and spare your nerves

Another small but important tip: even if it is tempting, don’t let the battery drain to 5% or less. Keep a reserve, because occasionally charging points don’t work. Sometimes you’ll find the whole charging park is down. It’s rare but it happens. Then you’ll be happy you still have enough range to get to a different site. But the first thing to do if you find a charging point isn’t working is to call the operator’s hotline. They’ll often be able to reboot it remotely.

Only top up as much as you need

Sometimes, try as you might to eke it out as far as your destination, you end up needing one more charge, which can be frustrating. The rule here is: only charge as much as you need to get you to your next stop or final destination. An app like PUMP will let you know how much that is. You can even set the percentage you want left when you arrive at your destination. So it may be that you only charge to 60%. This is particularly helpful if the charging point is slower than your car could otherwise handle. Why spend overly long at a 50 kW station when you can charge at up to 125 kW?

Hypermiling ‘light’

I’ll admit it: since I’ve been driving electric, I drive slower, because consumption increases exponentially with speed. So I never drive faster than 130 km/h, even where it is permitted. It doesn’t really mean I get to my destination much later than I otherwise would, and I arrive relaxed and raring to go. Reducing your speed can be a shrewd move, particularly if you don’t want to top up shortly before the end of your journey or a planned break. You lose very little time but spare yourself an unnecessary stop. The extreme form of this approach is known as ‘hypermiling’, where an attempt is made to drive as far as possible on a single battery charge. But I’m not talking about driving at 80 km/h on the motorway. Maybe 100 km/h, though. Let’s call it hypermiling ‘light’. This approach quickly allows you to gain an extra 30–50 km.

Arrive and charge

With these tips and tricks, you’re guaranteed to arrive safe and relaxed at your destination. And on the subject of destinations: when you’re booking, choose a hotel, B&B or other accommodation that offers charging. For pure peace of mind. Every evening you can plug in, charge and forget your worries. And once your holiday or stay is over, you can charge to 100% again, as you did at the start of your journey, and set off home with maximum range.

And if you are interested in more tips and tricks for your Skoda ENYAQ iV, take a look at my YouTube channel «Speicher elektrisiert».