Lonely Planet Electric Vehicle Road Trips - Europe: Hit the road with this ultimate guide to exploring Europe by electric car (Road Trips Guide)

The media could not be loaded.  Beautiful cover.This quality hardback Lonely Planet book begins with a brief overview of EV’s, and the different types of chargers available. Of course, you will need to do more investigation if you are thinking of buying an EV, but if you know nothing about them, this gives a brief outline.I have been driving an EV for many years, but still have that worry about range and charging so driving abroad has been out of the question until reading this.The book gives ideas for routes to follow with chargers along the way, places to visit and hotels where the car can recharge whilst you do too.There are plenty of routes in the UK, and so many places I haven’t seen, I’m going to give at least one of those a go first.Beautiful book.

We’ve been EV converts for about eight years now so we know a bit about cold weather range estimates, faulty charging points and the other hurdles that can put some people off EV road trips, and EV’s in general. We’ve never ventured out of the UK in ours, but this book is going to be the motivation to give it a go (plus the fact we’ve recently changed to a longer range vehicle).This is a comprehensive coffee-table-sized book that covers a large span of Europe, though there’s more emphasis on the West than the East. For any given road trip there’s only a few pages you’d need, so it’s more of an inspiration book for before you set off rather than a guide book you’d carry with you on the way. EV charging point information changes all the time, with live availability on some but not all chargers, so of course you’re better off with the internet and some apps when you’re actually on the route- but the info in this book will get you started, mentioning some of the key charging networks, which routes have the best charging support and so on. The maps that accompany most of the routes help a great deal with this as well.The bulk of the text and images in the book aren’t to do with the charging, but the venues and landscapes, which of course is how it should be. Some of the photography is excellent, and really feels like it brings places to life. It’s diverse, and while there is a slightly higher emphasis on the roads rather than the destinations compared to what you might get in order guides, it will really appeal to people who are looking for the joy of enjoyable EV road trips. A single solitary ID Buzz is the only EV I’ve actually found in any of the pictures though.The tourist information is a mix of quick overviews- typical Lonely Planet stuff, somehow managing to cram the character and history of a place in a small number of paragraphs with a bit of an emphasis on the nightlife- and insert boxes with more detail about specific museums or local characters. Since the photographs dominate many of the pages, it’s surprising how much info does get squeezed into the text as well.Iceland gets a mention, which is exciting as that’s a route we’re very keen to complete, having done part but not all of the Golden Circle before. Getting your own EV up to Iceland would be expensive but (according to the book) you can rent EV’s in Rejkjavik now, so that’s definitely one that’s back on our bucket list.It’s quite refreshing to see the UK getting reasonably represented too. One of the routes in Wales is very close to where we live so we can speak from experience to say it’s definitely worth the drive. The local information is accurate too.If you’re thinking of hiring an EV rather than using your own, then personally I’d recommend reading up just a bit more about the EV experience, slightly more than what this book tells you. But if you’ve just bought yourself a long range EV and you’re itching to take it out on an epic road trip, then this is the book that will get you started.

Now and then a treat comes along and, for me, this is one ~ clear and well written, the accompanying photography is simply stunning in this volume from ‘lonely planet’, entitled ‘ELECTRIC VEHICLE ROAD TRIPS EUROPE'.Apart from the ‘INTRODUCTION’ that includes ‘HOW TO USE THIS BOOK’, on page 9 (image below refers), chunks of information are obviously dedicated to those planning to travel by EV, including key detail, such as the location of charging points + known accommodation with such (all believed to be correct at the time of going to press/May 2023), but it is hard to put this book down once you open that colourful, thick hardboard cover!From the back cover of the copy I received (image below refers):~ ‘Charge up an electric car for your next European road trip and discover the continent in sustainable style!Using Europe’s comprehensive electric vehicle charging network, 'Lonely Planet' presents 60 sublime touring routes where you are guided to a convenient charging station at the end of each day. We’ve plotted detailed itineraries that let you take in sights or sleepovers while your car recharges. Then it’s off to the next destination, silently and sustainably.Precise maps and practical info help you plan the perfect European EV road trip.'ooOooThe hefty publication measures around 20.5 cm x 26.5 cm x 2.5 cmInside are 304 good quality, shiny finish pages, dividing Europe into 4 (in order of presentation):~ SOUTHERN~ WESTERN~ NORTHERN~ EASTERNEach region is then split into countries alphabetically, then into a number of journeys, within, e.g.:~ ENGLAND (pgs 82-105):~ The Jurassic Coast~ York to Newcastle~ Winchester to Brighton~ Salisbury to Cirencester~ King’s Lynn to Norwich (finishing with ‘Norfolk nibbles’!)Set over double-page spreads, each trip begins with the number of miles/km + the duration in days, along with captions for the images & brief information about the area generally, with ‘PLAN & PREPARE’, alongside, which is the same format throughout (in narrow columns), i.e.:~ TIPS FOR EV DRIVERS (including websites for further detail)~ WHERE TO STAY (limited in content, also IMO)~ WHEN TO GO~ FURTHER INFOOver the page and beyond are all sorts of snippets of applicable information including history, a good sized map with the key places + full colour photography.At the back is a 4-page alphabetical INDEX, with the various countries in a bolder type, along with, e.g.:~ ‘food & drink road trips’~ ‘history-rich road trips’~ ‘lakeside road trips’~ ‘outdoor-activity road trips’~ ‘wildlife-rich road trips’~ ‘wine-country road trips’ (Yay! ~ I am intrigued by ‘Romantic Road, Germany’, back on pages 126-129)The introduction to ‘Slovenia:~ ‘Green, gorgeous, tree-cloaked and compact, Slovenia is an engaging choice for an electric drive ~ spend a week connecting the capital and the coast, via magical lakes and flourishing vineyards.’That pictured slice of 'Bled cream cake' is very enticing!30 images attached © Lonely Planet & as accredited on the final page/2022

Easy to read and well written.