A short update on my preparations for this year’s pan-European trip, where I’ll be tracing Hungary’s borders. First on the checklist was making sure my vehicle insurance is recognised in, and actually covers, Ukraine. This small stretch of the journey is by far the most interesting from a planning perspective. The good news: my liability insurance explicitly includes Ukraine (UA). That removes one major possible roadblock. Next step: ensuring transport. I had to move quickly to grab one of the last available slots on the car trains. Having used these routes many times before, I decided once again to splurge […]
New DCDC for TW560
The problem I started experiencing during my return from the UK last year with the DCDC converter not being able to keep the voltage stable got worse during the cold months. Even at just 36W the controller was going below 10V and just a few seconds of any kind of load, blinkers included, would lower the voltage to a point where the inverter would cut out. Time to get this 26-year old failing part out of the TWIKE! There is not one SMD part on this board! Further analysis showed that recapping the capacitors didn’t fix the problem. I wasn’t […]
THUB2026 – This year’s TWIKE adventure
A new year and a new pan-European adventure begins. The trip page is ready and will serve as the central place for all updates. In short, the plan is to Trace HUngary’s Border. To make the most of the time on unfamiliar roads, I plan to use Austria’s overnight car trains from Feldkirch to Villach and later from Vienna for the return. I will need to secure these tickets soon, as the journey is scheduled for late July and early August. The route has changed slightly as the overnight train to Villach has been cancelled. I’ll be concentrating on expanding […]
A new emissions code for TW560
Just a quick update. You might recall my earlier struggles getting my TWIKE registered for London’s ULEZ. During that process I realised that the emissions code of my TWIKE did not actually identify it as an electric vehicle. Instead, it was simply marked as exempt from emissions regulations. At my recent roadworthiness test I asked if there was a way to update this and have the vehicle clearly listed as electric. It turns out there is a specific code for this. The update itself was straightforward. I was invited to the office, the document was reprinted, and that was all […]
Hello 2026
2025 went by faster than expected. My new role at my new job kept me busy throughout the year. Multiple reorganisations, a team that almost doubled in size, and a setup now spreads across Switzerland meant that Swiss-wide travel is now part of my routine. I also decided to get a Swiss public transport Generalabonnement. It allows me to use trains, buses, trams, boats and many cable cars. Getting to my office in central Zurich by TWIKE has become slower due to heavy morning traffic, and with regular trips across the country, public transport simply made more sense. As a […]