Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Charging a model S in Spain: which charging card do I need?

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Goodmorning,

I live in the Netherlands and this Christmas we're planning to go to Spain (Gijon, Asturias) in the Model S. I know I'm not the first to make this trip (that is the trip Tilburg - Madrid via France), but we will go via England.

The route is as follows: We will drive from Utrecht to Hoek van Holland (near Rotterdam), where we will take the carferry to Harwich. This trip is about 80 km. Before boarding the ferry we will top off the battery in Hoek van Holland. With our dutch carging card I can use all the public charging points in the Netherlands, so no problem there. From Harwich we will drive to Portsmouth, that a distance of about 270 km in a straight line. We plan to stay about three days in England, so we will drive more km.

In Portsmouth we will take the carferry to Bilbao (24 hours!). From Bilbao to Gijon is about 280 km.

From an earlier stay in Gijon with my Ampera I know that charging points require a card to operate. My dutch card doesn't work. I would like to be able to charge in Gijon and Santander. I saw on a website that charge stations are available in that cities.

Could you tell me which card I should use and where I can apply for one? Do all cards operate on all public carge stations? Is the type 2 mennekes connection the standard?

Kind regards,

Daniel
 
Glad to help anyone coming to Spain. Paradores (http://www.parador.es) cover the whole country really well and are nice places to eat or sleep. Just let me know here you want to go and I'll organise the rest.

If I were doing the trip I'd drive through France too... it's pretty easy with the IKEA fast charger network, and with a few hotels (like the Pullman in Bordeaux and the Hilton in Paris) you really can do the trip very easily and in style.

In fact, I'm thinking of driving to the Alps for our ski vacation... that would be an epic drive for a Model S (its about 1500kms each way).

Let's get Model S Touring everybody! :)
 
Thanks for your reply Mark! How do you charge at the paradores? I guess with the UMC at 3phases 16a? That would be a problem since tesla can't deliver the red 3 phase adapters untill january.

Are public chargers type 2 ones? 3 phase 16a?

I have organized for them to have red CEE 5 pin 32A outlets, which can deliver 22kW of charge. To use these you need to carry a portable wallbox (a standard Mennekes wallbox with a handle attached) and a Mennekes cable.

The wallbox will cost you about €700 and the Mennekes cable about €700 for the genuine article or €350 for a 3rd party cable. I have both and both work well. LuckLuke (here in TMC) can get you the €350 cable.

Once you get your red 16A 3-phase adapter you can also use these outlets but you will need to make a 32A male to 16A fermale adapter (easy enough).

If you want I can help you with all this stuff and also with booking the Paradores. Glad to help to be honest... and in case you are wondering, I do it for free :)

Cheers
 
I have organized for them to have red CEE 5 pin 32A outlets, which can deliver 22kW of charge. To use these you need to carry a portable wallbox (a standard Mennekes wallbox with a handle attached) and a Mennekes cable.

What do you mean you have organized for them? Do you work for the Paradores or have you paid them to install these outlets?

Do you have a website with a map of the outlets you know about in Spain?

Why no type2 outlets? Have you considered collecting donations to equip these places with proper Type2 charging boxes? Something along the lines of ZeroCarbonWorld in the UK. We are talking about cloning the ZeroCarbonWorld concept in Norway. And some Norwegians are planning trips to Spain with their Teslas next year and might be interested to contribute donations to the infrastructure.
 
What do you mean you have organized for them? Do you work for the Paradores or have you paid them to install these outlets?

As a Roadster driver for the last 2 years (and Model S driver now) I have been pushing the Parador Hotel chain central management team to make this happen. They have finally recognised the value in providing a charge network (great marketing message) and they are installing outlets steadily in all their hotels. Everytime I go somewhere I test 2 or 3 with the objective of preparing all Spain for Tesla (and other long range EV) drivers to tour worry-free.

They pay for the outlet (generally less than €200) and they install it themselves.

Do you have a website with a map of the outlets you know about in Spain?

Our web and blog gives lots of details but I will put them in Open Charge Map this winter.

There are more than 20 that I have tested so far and I expect to do the rest before Spring 2014. I am also pushing other hotel chains to do the same so that there are plenty of charge options for you Tesla tourers from the North.

Why no type2 outlets? Have you considered collecting donations to equip these places with proper Type2 charging boxes? Something along the lines of ZeroCarbonWorld in the UK. We are talking about cloning the ZeroCarbonWorld concept in Norway. And some Norwegians are planning trips to Spain with their Teslas next year and might be interested to contribute donations to the infrastructure.

I want this to be really low cost and easy for the hotels so that even if only one EV customer a year visits they don't feel like mugs for having put in some fancy equipment. That is why no type 2 for now. Just bring a portable wallbox and you'll be fine. If you don't have one I'll help you out.

The idea of donating a wallbox to these hotels is groovy, but they still have to prepare the installation with a 22kW outlet first so we are simply doing this initial step. If enough of us go to visit these hotels they will have no problem buying a wallbox of their own. The big step is definitely getting them to put a working, reliable 22kW outlet with good ground connection etc. near a parking place frankly. That is what I am encouraging lots of hotels to do. This weekend I am going to Valencia where I have encouraged the SH Palace Hotel to prepare a 22kW outlet for instance. I will write this up here in TMC and in our blog (driveandream.wordpress.com).

As for travelling from Norway, Holand or Germany down South in a Tesla. Please go ahead and plan your trip. I'll make sure Spain is ready for you (and hopefully Italy too soon), and I can guide you away from the ugly highways and onto some awesome smaller roads and pretty villages if you like.

You can call the hotels direct (from the info I put in Open Charge Map), or you can contact me and I'll do all the calling and organising. It's a business I am launching... Drive and Dream (Drive and dream electric car tour experience). The idea is to plan the trip and book all the recharge stops (lunchtime and overnight) reserving the parking spot and providing you with our guarantee that it all works, plus route plans, things to see and do etc. That way you can come down without worrying about language issues, misunderstandings, tehcnical failures, getting lost etc.

I aim to sort out the entire trip down through France too (did that myself in September when we picked up our S in Tilburg)

BTW I get a discount with Paradores so for now I can offer a 5% discount to TMC members.

Just in case you are wondering, I'll not be giving up my day job (Software dev manager) until there are 40 or 50 Tesla's touring simultaneously around Spain though! ;) ... but how awesome would that be eh?

Oh, and for now the recharge is at no cost so you can tour Spain on free energy. Also, over 30% of Spain's energy comes from renewables so its also pretty green (although a long way from Norway's 97%!).
 
Gents, you could also make a 32A 3 phase charger with this kit from ZCW and a couple of cheap bits from your local hardware store or eBay.

DIY Charging Station Kit: 32A Three-Phase Type 2



This is my single phase version of the same thing (Type 1 in this case).

20131128_130128.jpg
 
Time for an update in this thread. I recieved confirmation from both stena lines and Brittany ferries that I can charge the model s on board.

In pais vasco there's a pretty good network from ibil (Ibil | Gestor de carga de vehículo eléctrico) with modern 3 fase type 2 stations. I applied for a charge card.

The public network in Asturias looks disappointing: few locations, as far as I can see all are just 3.5 kW. The operator seems to be hc energia, I will apply for their card.

I admire your action with the paradores Mark. However, a public network is essential in my opinion.

Yesterday I was updating my own charging stations. Here some pictures of work in progress:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1385873506.390655.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1385873556.589854.jpg


On the background of the second picture part of the solar panels that keep us driving are visible.
 
Just a word of warning on the ferries: The captain's word is final. I've had it before where I was told Stena line would allow charging but on the ship I couldn't (although they said a communication was circulated to not allow it shortly after that DFDS fire). So I would say if you do get charged, great, but don't count on it.
 
Time for an update in this thread. I recieved confirmation from both stena lines and Brittany ferries that I can charge the model s on board.

In pais vasco there's a pretty good network from ibil (Ibil | Gestor de carga de vehÃ*culo eléctrico) with modern 3 fase type 2 stations. I applied for a charge card.

The public network in Asturias looks disappointing: few locations, as far as I can see all are just 3.5 kW. The operator seems to be hc energia, I will apply for their card.

I admire your action with the paradores Mark. However, a public network is essential in my opinion.
...

IBIL is a Repsol company and is, for some reason, setting up a lot of infrastructure, but charging 10 times more for power than the actual cost. Watch out for how much they charge you ok?

I prefer to recharge in nice places where I can eat and sleep in some comfort but I suppose it is a matter of preference. I also am not too happy leaving such a valuable car and recharge cable in the street.

If you need any help just let me know. I need about 5 days to be able to guarantee you a 22kW outlet in any random Parador although Argomaniz, Limpias and Santillana are already operational. Argomaniz is 11kW, Limpias is 22kW and Santillana is 22kW too. I have about 20 others around Spain if you venture South.
 
Did anybody charge at an IBIL CHAdeMO station successfully? According to some older (and second-hand) reports, they are somehow incompatible with Tesla’s CHAdeMO adapter, so I wonder if it’s still the case or if either IBIL or Tesla fixed it since then. CHAdeMO comm protocol is standardized so this shouldn’t be happening :(

I of course plan to use superchargers to the extent possible (the “opening soon” buildout stretches the definition of “soon”, so I assume there may still be none south of Murcia by end of June) and plan to charge in Paradors with a wallbox or 16A adapter. But not all Paradors en route are equipped and it’s always better to have backup options (even as expensive as IBIL, which runs aroud €0.40/kW I’m told).
 
Dear collegue Tesla drivers,

I contacted the technical department of the Parador hotels and they gave me this list with the exact charging possibilities, they offer it as a CEE32 (or CEE16) 400V connector.

For guests staying in the hotel the charging is free.

This is the list:
Probably not necessary to mention, but, if you want to charge on a CEE32 with the Tesla set (CEE16) you will need an adapter with fuses like this:

Schermafbeelding 2016-07-19 om 16.58.45.png

You can buy it for instance here: PCE 9436422 9436422 CEE-adapter 32 A, 16 A 5-polig online bij Conrad.nl bestellen | 000554195
 
  • Like
  • Informative
Reactions: nico180 and CHL
Rather new with posting and unposting, please bear with me!

Thanks again for the great list - hotel/destination charging (hand in hand with well-spaced SCs of course) is the way forward, I say.

I'm interested in driving from the UK to Portugal, so some of these Parador charge points look very helpfully located for when the SC network dries up - hats off to mgemmell I understand. For example, Benavente is apparently about 200 km from where the new SC at Burgos will be, giving access to Porto and the Chademo chargers down the Portuguese coast, Leon to the north west also from Burgos. Plasencia is wonderfully far south and west and I guess quite a longish run down to Alcacer do Sal and/or Aljustrel. And I must visit the museum of the Inquisition at Santillana del Mar (near Santander) - certainly wasn't expecting that much entertainment near a charging point...!

I imagine there are many experts on driving a Model S (without stress!) around Spain and Portugal.

Looking at the www.electromaps.com site some parador chargers don't seem to be listed yet, and they do have another at Avila ( www.electromaps.com/puntos-de-recarga/7432_parador-de-avila ) with some pics of a Model S charging, reassuringly.

IBIL sounds quite hit and miss with the CHAdeMO adaptor so far, so hotel/destination charging somehow feels much more reliable and defensible to the powers that be, with other backups possible.

Here's the Mobi.e address for Portugal - I remain hopeful that that they will send me a card --> www.mobie.pt/portal/chargingstations .

But all this is theory, so far at least!
 
Dear collegue Tesla drivers,

I contacted the technical department of the Parador hotels and they gave me this list with the exact charging possibilities, they offer it as a CEE32 (or CEE16) 400V connector.

For guests staying in the hotel the charging is free.

This is the list:
Probably not necessary to mention, but, if you want to charge on a CEE32 with the Tesla set (CEE16) you will need an adapter with fuses like this:

View attachment 185981

You can buy it for instance here: PCE 9436422 9436422 CEE-adapter 32 A, 16 A 5-polig online bij Conrad.nl bestellen | 000554195

There are some "unconfirmed" news that Tesla has signed an agreement with Paradores for installing SuC (not DC) in 15 hotels including Salamanca. From the 2017 map it seems that also Tordesillas and Manzanares may be in the list.

...and Burgos SuC is open at last.