Not sure if this belongs under Transportation or Travel, but circumstances have finally allowed me to visit Switzerland again this coming September.
How practical is an EV rental car these days? How is the charging network?
I can do a slow overnight AC charge from our property, and eyeing a Polestar (500km) I should be fine for most journeys (most days will be < 300km). Occasionally might do a longer trip (Zürich is 300km one way).
Of course we would stop, for lunch or breaks... can I take it for granted that I'll easily find empty chargers?
Can I easily register whatever App is required, as a non-resident? (I assume so otherwise Hertz shouldn't bother renting out).
EVs are not (yet) the cheapest rental option. Tesla’s Supercharger network in Switzerland is excellent. Tesla’s indicate the number of chargers and how many are in use on the screen map…
Thanks for the ev4all link... was not aware of them. Indeed, not cheap.
I've actually found a reasonable rate for a Polestar from Hertz GVA... on par with petrol vehicle of its size. So would be looking at use of non-Tesla chargers through my trip.
I'm just wondering whether it's worth going for this, or if I should stick with an ICE if EV-charger situation is frustrating.
To be honest go for the ICE in your situation, make it a hybrid (like a RAV4) and it’ll be more economical and much less stress... I have a Tesla but I’m in USA right now and even here it’s much more expensive to rent a model Y from Hertz (Miami) or any other rental company (with limited options) even though the supercharger network is also excellent too. In 2 years it’ll be a completely different story everywhere.
FYI best and convenient chargers apart from home for non-Tesla are on the motorways from what I see and plugnroll are the ones using most renewable energy...
I disagree. EV is a wonderful choice. I charge mine overnight and rarely go beyond the stated range, but every motorway stop with petrol has fast chargers. Almost every Coop and Migros car park as well.
I have a Polestar since March, and still loving it. We have done 250 Km trips with it without recharging so I don't really know the actual limit (I guess probably around 330Km in my model, which is the cheap one). We do have an EV charger at home from GreenMotion and is quite quick. We also got the EVPass (I think I paid around 17CHF) and it is very convenient with a good network across Switzerland. So it should not be an issue.
I saw video the other day of a guy who had a small generator in his boot that was the backup plan for if the EV ran out of power. No power, put fuel into the generator and charge it [anywhere]. Sure if might mean a lot of waiting around, but make sure you pack some drinks and snacks too....for an impromptu picnic.
Probably gonna get some hate for this, but .. since you are just visiting and probably want a way more stress free vacation --> just get a normal car (gas price is way lower now than 6 months ago) or as someone said, get a hybrid.
Also you have the option to park anywhere and not be tied to an electrical cord.
Certainly, if you have an ICE vehicle, unless you just want to try one, renting an EV for a stress-free holiday is not ideal for a newbee.
As I'm on my third EV, I would have no hesitation in hiring one - having first checked out the local supercharger network. And one is certainly not "tied to an electrical cord"!