TGIF! TDI2019 starts is today! I’ve been looking forward to this trip very much. Unlike other TWIKE adventures, this time, I will be travelling alone. Today will be a full day at the office before I dash across Switzerland and part of Austria towards Linz. In theory, nowadays with my huge battery pack, I could make the trip to Linz in one day but not when departing from Zurich at 4 PM. A charge somewhere in Innsbruck and one in Salzburg would be required if I want to do the full trip on the motorway – when hypermiling, I’d only […]
TDI2019 – nearly there
Since deciding that I needed some time off, time has just flown by. Now, just one day away from my next trans-European TWIKE adventure TDI2019, everything is as ready as it can be. The usual GPS-tracking is going to be active and unlike other years, I will not write the entries at the end of every day – This trip is about relaxing and getting some fresh air / space into my brain. I’ll be adding the entries one-by-one after getting back from the trip. Really looking forward to seeing my family in Austria and Italy!
Two years in: Testing Dreifels 51Ah Pack Capacity
How time flies – it’s already been 2 years since I installed my 51Ah 17.7kWh LiNiCoAlO2-Cell-based battery pack. For better battery health and less ageing my daily charge is only to 3.8V cell charge, I never discharge below 3.3V and balance the cell packs from time to time. As my daily commute is only around 11% of the total pack capacity, I never see what the real capacity of the pack is and if it has lost any capacity. Using ‘Tesla-speak’ I drive in trip mode only 1-2 weeks total per year. And there, I never really drive the pack […]
ODT: Lake Lucerne – Ibergeregg, postcard-grade Switzerland
After my first drive across Switzerland after TW560’s rebuild following a the destruction of TW560 in an accident, a visit to the Gran Sasso and enjoying a weekend in the Graubünden Alps, it’s time to drive back home. This entry isn’t too much about TW560 and more about the stunning beauty of the country I live in. We start by crossing the Oberalppass for the third time in as many days. It’s another very nice day with a bonus of being one of these day that has extremely clear air, giving 200km+ visibility. Then, not using the motorway, I head […]
ODT – Visiting Sasso San Gottardo
Sleeping at 1600m is always relaxing – fresh air, cow bells in the distance and crickets all merge into the typical Swiss soundscape I find deeply relaxing. (Maybe the bottle or two of very drinkable Rhine valley reds we had the evening before also helped a little 😉 ) Today, whilst my daughter is competing in a Show Jumping competition, I, together with a fellow neo-Swiss, will be visiting one of Switzerland’s greatest wartime relics: the Gran Sasso fortified bunkers atop of the Gotthard pass. There is so much interesting to learn about how Switzerland prepared to defend against being […]
TDST2017 – Day9-10: A hasty return to Switzerland
I wasn’t able to arrange a return on Monday arriving Tuesday as planned. My company requires me to be back at the office Monday morning. I leave about the same time as my family after a tearful goodbye from my Austrian family which will continue buying wine from local wineries until later this afternoon. My destination for today is Villach – one of three destinations served by daily car-trains from Feldkirch. At 172 km, my trip today is rather short and involves me crossing through Slovenia again. I think it’s very obvious to regular readers of my blog that […]
TDST2017 – Day 6-8: Lots of Sun & Wine
Styria – what a beautiful and blissful place on this planet. Add fine weather and you’re set. Our family members arrive one by one and by Thursday evening, even my youngest joins us for what has become a must-attend yearly event for our extended Austrian family. There isn’t much to do. Eat Styrian specialties, drink local wines, talk & spend time together. From an EV driver’s point of view, Styria has always been easy to travel – every winery has many red triple-phase plugs and know-how regarding how much energy can be consumed throughout a nightly charge was never a […]
TDST2017 – Day5: Northern Slovenia to Styria -> Wow!
After having slept fitfully and longer than the last days, we head down to our hotel’s breakfast room since today we’re only covering 200km to get to our family meeting in southern Styria and have some time to spare. A very nice choice of food is to be expected with the type of hotel we’ve chosen – however, the coffee machine was one of the automatic and horrible kind – just have a look at the user interface! Our day starts cold, humid and very gray … and with a full battery – always a nice feeling to know […]
TDST2017 – Day4: Ljubljana <3
An early start yet again. Today, instead of a clear and blue sky, we’re greeted by heavy humidity and 30m visibility. Packing our TWIKE, we shiver with 9°C and the fog getting everything humid within minutes. Thankfully, the drive to the ferry is only 5 minutes – this doesn’t change the fact that we get to the pier 2 minutes too late and have to wait for 45 minutes until the next departure. No problem, since there is a bar just 10m away…serving my favourite poison plus some jam filled croissants – yum! Our being the last not […]
TDST2017 – Day3: Venice, here we come!
We get up early, have a quick coffee as a starter for the day and get into the TWIKE. Our goal for today is to get to Venice as quickly as possible in order to have as much time left over as possible to explore the city together. Since there is a direct Autostrada from Milan to Venice and my friends in Brescia assured me that the road surface was good, I decided to give this option a try: We join the Autostrada with just a few cars – we expected more for 7am – and easily take part […]