This blog post recounts a road trip from Madrid to Lisbon in the new Volvo EX90, detailing the journey, charging experiences, and challenges faced along the way, highlighting the car's performance and comfort despite some charging issues in Portugal.
Good morning! Today, I am excited to share my experience of a road trip in the new Volvo EX90. We started our journey from a charging station in Kasle, located about an hour and 20 minutes south of Madrid, heading towards Portugal. Our destination was a place called Kasayis, approximately half an hour south of Lisbon. This trip was particularly special as it was my first time visiting Portugal.
Before hitting the road, we charged the EX90 to 100%. While it’s generally advised not to charge electric vehicles (EVs) to full capacity regularly, we wanted to ensure we had enough range for our long trip. The charging speed was impressive; from 50% to 100%, it took about 40 minutes, and we were charging at 89 kW at 78% state of charge.
The EX90 features a large 17 kWh battery pack, making it a spacious seven-seat SUV, weighing almost three tons. With the weather forecast predicting a pleasant day, we were eager to embark on our adventure.
Once we reached 100% charge, we set off towards Merida, our first charging stop. The Spanish landscape was surprisingly beautiful, and the temperature was comfortable. However, we encountered a headwind that could potentially affect our range. We were cruising at around 130 km/h, which is above the speed limit, but we were eager to reach our destination early.
After about 35 minutes of driving, we arrived at the Ionity charging station in Merida. The plan was to charge here and grab a bite to eat. Unfortunately, finding familiar fast food options like McDonald's was a challenge, as many local restaurants did not have English menus, and my Spanish was a bit rusty. We eventually decided to go to McDonald's for a quick meal.
At the charging station, we initially planned to charge to 96% state of charge, but since we arrived with 29%, we opted for a quicker charge to 63%, which would only take about 10 minutes. The charging experience was smooth, and we were able to save time by adjusting our charging strategy.
As we crossed into Portugal, the landscape became even greener. However, our journey soon took an unexpected turn. Upon arriving at the Ionity charging station in Estreos, we faced issues with the charging app. Despite having used it successfully throughout Europe, it failed to connect here, causing frustration.
The Ionity app was not functioning correctly, and we struggled to start the charger. After some troubleshooting, we managed to get assistance from a staff member who spoke Norwegian. He provided us with 20 kWh of free charge, which was a relief. However, we still faced challenges with the app and were advised to reinstall it for future use.
Despite these setbacks, we continued our journey towards Lisbon, but the charging issues persisted. We attempted to use another charging station, but again faced difficulties with the app and the lack of clear instructions. This made the experience quite stressful, especially as we were running low on charge.
With only 7% state of charge left, we navigated to another charging station. This time, we downloaded a new app called Mio, which allowed us to charge successfully. We were relieved to finally see the charging process working, albeit at a slower rate of 72 kW. After a brief stop, we were able to continue our journey to the hotel.
After a long and challenging day, we finally arrived at our hotel in Lisbon with about 10% state of charge remaining. Despite the issues we faced with charging in Portugal, the Volvo EX90 proved to be a comfortable and capable vehicle for long-distance travel. The car's performance, quiet cabin, and spacious interior made the journey enjoyable.
In summary, while the charging infrastructure in Portugal presented some challenges, the overall experience of driving the EX90 was positive. I look forward to sharing more about my adventures and the upcoming test drives in future videos. Thank you for joining me on this road trip from Madrid to Lisbon!
