Today I’m going to push the envelope what a TWIKE is capable of covering in a single day. Sure, I’ve driven halfway across Germany and pushed the envelope whilst driving through Russia but today I’m going to go for 650 km in one day not hypermiling! It was very hard getting up at 7.30 AM today. I left my cousin’s birthday party at 1.30 AM and was in my bed at 2.10 AM… After a very nice breakfast, my uncle and aunt saw me off at around 9.20 AM and I was more or less ready for my longest distance […]
TDI2019 Day 2 – Telfs -> Linz
Waking up early I am greeted by another beautiful day and a very nice view from my typical Austrian Gasthaus room. After a breakfast including one of my favourites – Handsemmel (hand made Austrian bread roll) with Leberwurst I feel 100% ready for my 330km drive to Linz. I really liked this place as the owners both came to say good-bye personally and the son wanted to sit in the TWIKE for one last time. With the canopy off, I start to drive along the Inn valley towards Innsbruck and enjoy the sun’s warm rays even through it is still […]
TDI2019 Day 1 – Switzerland -> Telfs
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!
Hello 2019!
What a year this has been – completely destroying my vehicle in an accident, fully rebuilding it during 6 months! Very happy to report that all is back to normal and TW560 is a joy to drive again. Haven’t been blogging in a while as my job at a start-up has been taking up most of my time and I’ve been travelling a lot. This is why my kilometre count for this year is – measured against my usual yearly ~25,000 km – is very low. Keep in mind that 7800 km is more than most TWIKEs worldwide do in […]
TW560 interior: new seats
As one of the last parts of my full restoration of TW560 after an accident completely destroyed the vehicle and needed extensive re-building from the ground I thought it to be fitting to go all the way and spend some money on a new interior. This isn’t a decision based purely on luxury – the accident destroyed one of my seats and reduced my TWIKE to effectively a one seater. 10 years ago, I already had new seats made – the process was utterly satisfying: chose every aspect of your seat, from padding to colours and top materials. I’m a […]
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 […]
TW560 Rebuild…completed.
After my first km and various smaller trips resulting in extensive testing of TW560’s rebuild, it was time to go to Ksenotek for one last rebuild session for some last finishing touches. A new wooden battery bay cover – the last one was just plain wood. This time over I’m getting a beautifully lacquered one. Looks very, very posh. Finally my battery bay is closed and there aren’t unprotected cables carrying >400V just mere centimetres behind me and I don’t have to warn anyone getting into my TWIKE not to touch anything 🙂 Another very important final touch is adding […]
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 […]