Lexus RZ 450e Takumi Road Trip Report: New Forest to the Vendée
For his first French road trip in an EV, John set off from his home in the New Forest bound for the Vendée in western France. Behind the wheel of his all-wheel-drive Lexus RZ 450e Takumi (74kWh), he put French rapid charging networks, autoroute efficiency, and long-distance touring comfort to the test.
Introducing your road trip
From my home in the New Forest to the Vendee in France, a journey of 280 miles plus a ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Caen. It was an all-day journey, leaving home at 06.00 and arriving in the Vendee at 20.00 local time. Of this, driving time was around 5 hours, the remainder accounted for by the sea crossing, waiting to board the ferry, hold up time at border control and different time zones.
Planning & preparation
As this would be my first trip to France in an EV, I ordered a Crit’Air Vignette windscreen sticker to enable me drive in clean air zones. This was easy to apply for online and cost just a few euros, including postage. I also used AI, (Google and Chat GPT) to identify charging stations on my route that accepted UK issued credit cards. I also had installed and used, Electroverse and IONITY Apps to plan stops.
Charging
Leaving home with a fully charged battery, I had planned two recharging stops with the intention of arriving at my final destination with at least 40% charge remaining. My first planned stop at the Vallee de la Vire Gouvets was just 50 miles from the port at Caen on the A84 south. My plan was to top up sufficiently to take me as far as Nantes with 25% charge remaining and with just 50 miles to go to my final destination.
On arrival at my first stop, I might have sensibly changed my plan as all four 150kW chargers were in use, with a queue of cars waiting. A 50kW charger became available and I connected to this while I had a coffee and considered my options. The 50kW charger was good enough to provide close to the top up I required. I decided to stick with my original plan, albeit arriving in Nantes with less than 20% charge remaining. Thankfully, the six 300kW chargers at Ave Jules Verne, just off the orbital road in the grounds of an hotel, were all operational. I charged sufficiently so that I arrived at my destination in the Vendee with 50% charge remaining.
Did you encounter any great driving roads on your road trip? If so, where were they and why were they great?
Autoroutes in North West France are mostly toll-free all the way down to Nantes. Traffic is usually light, especially when compared to UK motorways!
The Lexus RZ 450e
I chose the Lexus for the comfort it offers driver and passengers. While air conditioning was essential this summer, I use fully automatic air-conditioning/heating on almost all journeys. Driving the car is also a joy, it holds the road well and the enhanced suspension makes cornering really smooth. Together with adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and regenerative braking, driving longer distances becomes a very relaxed experience.
Road trip conclusion
EV charging stations along the coast in the Vendee are solely located in supermarket car parks, and I was quickly to discover that many were ‘Hors Service’. The few that did work were generally occupied, either by cars charging or on occasion, occupied by EVs not connected to the chargers. The nearest alternative charging station was ten miles inland on a business park, just off the D948 at Sallertaine. I made a special journey there to ensure the chargers were available and operational which I was relieved to find they were and my Electroverse card was accepted. As I was to pass this location on many trips out, it became my regular charging station. I was also able to start my homeward journey with an 85% charge.
Again, I planned two recharging stops both showing availability on the Electroverse App, the first just north of Nantes on the A137 at Aire De Lambrecy, the second north of Rennes just off the A84 at Liffre where I charged sufficiently to arrive home with 20% charge remaining.
My journeys abroad have been to Ireland and France. I have found the Elecroverse App and card to be hugely beneficial when travelling in both countries. However, in Ireland I would recommend applying for an ESB Card as the Irish Electricity Board has by far the greatest number of charging stations and UK issued credit/debit cards didn’t appear to be accepted at their charging stations.
