In just over a week, I’ll be off to the UK… ready for some proper pub grub, good conversations, and exciting EV adventures! #ciderfan On my way, I’ll be making a long-overdue stop in Luxembourg and I’m thrilled to be meeting up with a long-time reader and fellow TWIKE fan. It’s been ages since I was last in the Grand Duchy, so I’m really looking forward to it. Over in the UK, things are shaping up nicely: I’ve been contacted by a light electric vehicle manufacturer who’s invited me to take a look at their latest prototype fleet. Very curious […]
TDGB2025 – ULEZ/LEZ/CC
As with Barcelona (and many other cities in Europe), London, the destination of TWIKE560’s adventure this year has introduced fees to enter certain parts of the city. London’s road charging zones are a patchwork of eco-driven bureaucracy: there’s the LEZ (Low Emission Zone), the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone), and adding to this, the Congestion Charge Zone in the middle: all designed to discourage high-emission vehicles from entering the innermost parts of the capital. As an EV enthusiast wanting to get my TWIKE right into the heart of London and wanting to get those must-have shots with Elisabeth Tower …Big […]
TDGB2025 – Planning Update
Not too much to report other than the planning stage is going forward as planned. I’m really looking forward to travelling to the UK this year in early August. My trip will include me visiting some friends – whilst I’m still sorting out the exact details. Also, I’ve ordered a vital part for my trip to the UK:The itinerary’s filling up fast! This will be my direct connection to the UK grid when I’m there. 🙂 My overall plan hasn’t changed – the map looks still the same! If you want to meet up or have ideas along the trip […]
Early 2025 Black Forest ODT
One of my first little EV adventures of 2025 with the TW560 was a quick day trip to the Black Forest. If you’ve ever spent winter (October to March) in the lower parts of Switzerland, you know the struggle—weeks of thick, soupy fog that just doesn’t go away. After five sunless weeks, your brain starts to feel like it’s running in low-power mode. Luckily, the Black Forest is just around the corner from me—well, 40 minutes away—and since it climbs up to 1600 meters, it guarantees me seeing some sun! Climbing out of the grey and into a clear, sunny […]
TDI2024 – Day9 – Crossing the Alps & returning back home
Not pushing any further yesterday and a good night’s sleep really did the trick – I’m really looking forward to both the drive today …and returning home. Weather-wise is promising to be a very nice day – blue skies all over central Europe. I wake up early, get some fresh orange juice and some fresh cornetti at the hotel’s bar and pack the TWIKE for the last time. The overnight charge was a full 8h @ 9A – this morning’s battery pack temperature at 35°C is proof that the batteries had to do some work during the night. Nothing extreme: […]
TDI2024 – Day 8 – Back to the oven
Getting up at 5 am after a long good-bye party organised by my friends was hard. I had already packed the day before and with a heavy heart I closed the door to the apartment ready for my long drive back home. As mentioned in my last entry, the drive today will be mostly on motorways and Superstradas in the morning since the forecast for today shows over 38°C in the pianura and I want to get as far as possible before potentially having to slow down due to potential overheating during my drive or quick charges. Packing is easy […]
TDI2024 – Day 3-7 – Digital Nomad in Umbria
Just a short entry on my stay – during the day I work normally, connecting to customers and co-workers via the Internet. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, however, is with friends as are activities during the weekend. Evenings in August are sultry, I spend time either at my friends homes or we go to restaurants. Food has always been a big part of my life. Italy delivers every time! One of the restaurants we went had this incredible view which matched the very good food we all shared. One evening we went to San Gemini to have some late evening drinks […]
TDI2024 – Day2 – Escaping the heat across the Apennine
After a good night’s sleep, I wake up bright and early to start my drive to Terni at 7 am. Since the hotel is closing for remodeling today, there is no breakfast available at the hotel. Hotel breakfasts typically aren’t what I go for … except for Italy where one can be sure to get a good coffee and some cornettos to go with it. Not getting breakfast isn’t a problem either, as there are bars everywhere. The day promises to be another scorcher. Not only do all my weather apps predict 35+°C but just being outside at 7am and […]
TDI2024 – Day 1 – Charging woes in Italy
It’s still nice and cool when I’m packing my TWIKE for its newest adventure. I’m really looking forward to my week in Italy. I haven’t been to Italy for 3 years now since TDI2021. Unlike last time, this trip will involve some long-distance-non-hypermiling travel and recharging en-route. As long-time readers of this blog know, I’ve been driving EV’s since way before public charging stations were a thing and have seen how sloppy IT implementation and ambiguous standardisation documents can make electric travel a real pain. Let’s see how things pan out today. Packing took me around 30 seconds – this […]
ODT: Escaping the rain – Engadin, here I come
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 […]