A quick one-day trip (ODT) entry on my trip to Switzerland’s mountainous region to the east: Graubünden, with its famous valley and region, Engadin.
Many a trip me and my TWIKE have undertaken during the last 18 years has at a point either crossed this valley or driven along it. It’s a region well worth visiting!
Everyone in my family was busy an I didn’t feel like staying inside all day – every weather app I had was forecasting a full day of gray and rain around where I live.
The forecast for Graubünden, however, was great. Lucky me a friend and his family are currently on vacation there and was happy to meet up and go to a mountain for a quick hike with his two small kids.
Vamonos!
I get up very early – TW560 has been charging at a very low charge rate in order to get as much energy into the battery as possible.
The batteries were at a perfect temperature (remember, TWIKES don’t have active thermal management of the batteries) at 6.15 when I started the TWIKE as the charge had just stopped an hour earlier.
TW560’s computer, configured for my driving style and topography shows ‘only’ 335km – let’s see how things go.
The apps weren’t lying – 200 shades of grey and many even darker shades when looking direction Zurich!
What started as light rain quickly turned into a downpour of epic proportions.
Still, I was enjoying the drive as any early morning drive on a weekend – in absence of traffic – is relaxing.
The first fun part of the trip is the “Kerenzerberg” – a few hairpin bends, a few 100 metres climb and descent back down to lake Walensee. I remember running out of juice on Kerenzerberg during one of my very first longer distance trips on NiCd’s. (~50km range!)
At least in those days there was a Park&Charge charging station just at the start of the pass in Mollis. I effectively just had to roll back down a few km, recuperate enough energy to cover 1km to the box with the plug and start an 1-hour charge to be ready to continue! Battery capacities were so small then – quick charges didn’t make any sense!
There were dramatic views on my way back down to lake Walensee. First dramatic rays of sun were bouncing off the lake surface.
Suddenly, more and more gaps opened in the clouds – the views got really dramatic!
From here on out, things got dramatically better. The sun was working hard to break through the cloud cover.
With the blue sky out and temperatures rising, it was time to take off the canopy, apply sun screen and start enjoying for real.
Having arrived outside of Davos I was really looking forward to crossing the Flüela pass. Traffic was still very light, even the motorbike invasion seemed to have been stopped by the rain in the lower regions of Switzerland. My luck!
The drive up Flüela must have been the 50th time I’ve done it…it remains a very nice pass, perfectly adapted to the TWIKE.
Consumption-wise, I’m at exactly 50% DOD and have consumed 8.6kWh. Let’ see how much I can get back into the batteries on my way down to the valley, shall we?
495Wh is what I got back… plus the distance covered on the way down.
I forgot to take a picture of my smug EV-driver’s face!
Just a few kilometres up the valley, I arrive at my friend’s place. The TWIKE is at 50% DOD…but also at 1100m higher than where we started out. So I should be able to make it back on one charge.
I then decide to charge nevertheless … I want to stay longer and take my time, hike and enjoy the perfect weather and head back home on the motorway – for which I definitely don’t have enough juice for that.
What I like about the TWIKE is that a ‘normal’ household plug is easy to source and just a few hours of charging on normal infrastructure can add hundreds of kilometres of range!
With this we set out to our hike – nothing serious as we’ve got two small children with us.
We first take a funicular to the first plateau.
After a bit of hiking we get hungry and stop for a bite at a nice little mountain hut.
We continue and the views are just great! I’m very grateful to live in such a nice part of the world.
All good things come to an end and later afternoon it’s time for me to return –
The TWIKE is close to a full charge – I bid my farewell and set off down the valley.
As I don’t feel like crossing the Flüela again, I decide to take the Vereina car train. TW560 has taken this train many, many times – especially when the pass itself is closed due to snow.
I arrive just a minute late and therefore get the pole position for the next train.
Driving on a car train with a TWIKE is always a special event. See for yourself.
The rest of the trip is rather uneventful – except for the very nice presentation of the Churfirsten mountain range.
I’m home for a late dinner – here are the stats for today:
First of all for the second leg back – high consumption as 100% motorway and high speeds.
Combined with the consumption of the morning, however, things look still very acceptable. A total of 462 km for a TWIKE for one day is very high!
GPS Track
This ODT was great and I am happy that I did it – great memories and I got to have a great day instead of 100% grey! Looking forward to TDI2024 with over 940km to cover in 2 days – this ODT … twice in a row!