The first time I drove to the Alps in an EV was a sketchy affair. I set off from Brighton in a car I’d never driven before, with three young kids in the back and a sceptical wife at my side. Sure enough, the journey was not the low-carbon utopia I’d hoped for. We made it to Les 2 Alpes, and I’m still married, but those 18 hours were a low point in my electric vehicle experience. Yet two years later, I’m gliding effortlessly down the Autoroute Blanche to Chamonix in another EV and wondering why so many people think it’s not feasible to go electric on their ski holiday.
We know the facts: unless we reduce carbon emissions, increasing temperatures mean that the snow line will keep rising until only the highest resorts still offer skiing. While systems need to change, I subscribe to the notion that individuals can also make a difference through their choices.
According to research by the environmental charity Protect Our Winters, taking a return flight to your ski holiday generates the equivalent of 500 tonnes of CO2. Taking the train is a wonderfully low-carbon method of travel which can reduce the impact of your trip by 95 percent. I travel by train several times each winter, but I recognise that many people prefer the flexibility of driving, stopping whenever they like and cramming in as much gear as they can.
“Petrol cars, even with 4 passengers, still mean 200 tonnes of CO2 each”
The only catch with petrol or diesel self-drive ski holidays is that, even if shared between four, you’re still responsible for almost 200 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions each. The good news is that the solution is simple. In most cases, driving an EV to the Alps is the method of transport with the lowest possible impact, generating a miniscule 3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per person. EVs don’t have any ‘tailpipe emissions’, so the carbon cost is dictated entirely by how you charge. On my trip to Chamonix, I exclusively used the Ionity network of chargers, which are 100 percent powered by renewable energy, with zero emissions. The Telsa supercharger network is also powered by renewables. Even if you charged elsewhere in France, the carbon cost would be extremely low. Thanks to abundant nuclear power, over 94 percent of France’s electricity mix comes from low carbon technologies.
So, if the eco-maths unambiguously backs travel in an electric car, what about “range anxiety?” The truth is that regardless of the massive growth in the charger network across Europe, how long your journey will take will be determined by how you drive. If you own an EV, you will probably have had months of experience of driving your car before you set out for the snow, so whether your official range is 200 or 400, you’ll know what that means in ‘real miles’ on the road. If you’re renting, it’s easy enough just to keep an eye on your battery gauge.
If you absolutely have to drive at 90mph then, just as you would burn through petrol super-fast, you’ll use up battery miles quickly. My sweet spot is 73mph – that hits the right balance between speed and minimising the amount of charging time required. Remember that going up hills drains the battery quicker, but you will get some (although not all) of that back thanks to the regenerative braking as you descend. It might be nerdy, but it’s also enormously satisfying to watch your battery indicator tick upwards as you wind your way down alpine switchbacks.
Most cars will plan out your charging stops for you. I prefer to use the Ionity app. You simply in-put the make and model of your car, your starting battery percentage, and what you want to have left in the tank on arrival: it does the rest. Occasionally I would ‘overrule’ it, to give me longer at a single stop, rather than two shorter ones, and give me more time to catch up on my emails. If you do use an app like Ionity, I strongly recommend you download and add card details in advance. Trying to add your data while standing in a car park on a dark, cold evening in December is something I have tried before, and will never repeat.
Travelling in an electric vehicle requires thought and patience, but it’s now easier than ever. There’s no excuse not to try.
