Bye bye, petrol! Since our last trip to the UK, we’ve bought a new car and are now traveling electrically. And of course we have planned accordingly: We leave at 9 a.m., an hour earlier than usual. Because we have to take breaks on the way to recharge the battery. That takes longer than putting the tap in the tank. But we put up with that four times a year and are already very excited about our first big trip with LucY. That’s the name of our Tesla Model Y. We fully charged the battery overnight, giving us a range of 477 kilometres. Otherwise, we set the charge limit to 90%. That’s better for the battery life.

What we notice even before we set off is that we have so much space! We stow one of the travel bags in the front boot and the other in the back. There is also room for the jackets and the rest. In the past, the back seats were already full of luggage on the outward journey.

It is Sunday morning and we make good progress. Shortly after 10 am we cross the border into France. And we are surprised: even before Strasbourg, LucY navigates us away from the motorway and through a tunnel through the Vosges. For LucY, this makes sense: not only do we take the more direct and thus shorter route, but we also travel more slowly. Because the faster we travel, the more electricity we use.

We arrive at the Tesla Supercharger in Nancy at half past twelve. And we are lucky: there is still one free charging spot. While LucY charges, we go to the toilet in the Ibis Hotel and then eat the sandwiches we brought with us in the shade under a tree. A quick check of Twitter and Instagram, and we’re on our way. We were there for 45 minutes, but didn’t feel like we had lost any time. On the contrary: the stop was great to break up the journey and rest a bit.

We continue on smaller motorways and with a top speed of 110 kilometers per hour. I don’t like that at all: I want to go faster! But here, too, LucY has chosen the slower, more direct route. And I quickly notice: if I drive too fast here, the expected battery charge level for our destination on the screen drops. So I take my foot off the gas again.

We make our second charging stop in Saint Quentin. And this one Johnny Cash probably wouldn’t have hated: The big supermarket to which the car park belongs is closed today. But we get a milkshake at Burger King, where we can also use the toilet. I clean the windscreen and the front as best I can before we drive on about 20 minutes after arriving.

Finally we are back on the big motorway and Calais is not far away. Our Bip&Go box ensures that we don’t have to stop at toll booths, but can drive through the special lane. The motorway toll is then debited directly from my bank account. And LucY drives: the autopilot steers independently and adjusts the speed if necessary. This makes driving much more relaxed.

Shortly after 6 pm we arrive at the Eurotunnel terminal. And can board so quickly that we can’t even recharge LucY. Oh well. We have 150 kilometres of range left for England. When we cross the border, it becomes noticeable that it’s a Sunday: The French have only opened a few counters, causing quite a backlog.

With LucY, we ride in the big train car, which I am very happy about. The metal side-barriers in the double-decker train for small vehicles are very narrow. We always had to be careful with the Evoque not to touch them and scratch the rims. LucY is one centimeter wider.

And here, too, the 35 minutes of the journey under the English Channel pass very quickly. Soon we are on the motorway in England. LucY wants to make one last charging stop here. The Supercharger at Maidstone is unusual: not only are the charging points at the front instead of the back, two are broken and everything makes a rather shabby impression. There is also no toilet facility far and wide and nothing to do. But no problem: first I am approached by a linguistically gifted Englishman in almost accent-free German, who regularly spends winter holidays in Switzerland with his family. Then we have a very good chat with an artist @enricamartine, whose Tesla is packed full: she is exhibiting at the MCM Comic Con in London this weekend.

Afterwards, Gabi and I also fill up our batteries with a delicious snack from Nando’s: Chicken breasts, chips and broccoli. We arrive at the hotel at 10 pm and soon fall into bed.