Covering long distances to admire some of the most beautiful and evocative landscapes in Europe, from Bergamo to the Arctic Circle and beyond, in an electric car. All it takes is "just" a little planning, downloading JuicePass, the application to find, book and manage the nearest charging infrastructure, and a lot of passion for travel, electric of course. Just like that of Luca Sterpa, Buyer in Distributed Energy for Enel X, who already told us at the start of the summer about his magnificent tour of Sicily, in his e-car.
The car and planning
"The absence of noise helps a lot to make the trip less demanding: for me it was a great plus," notes Sterpa. Once again, the car on his long journey was the Ford Mustang Mach-e, Ford's electric SUV that draws inspiration, for style and sportiness, from the iconic Mustang. His model of choice, equipped with a 99 kWh battery, guarantees long distances, minimizing charging point anxiety. An anxiety that is not reflected in reality: these days it is difficult to run out of electricity, with thousands of charging infrastructure points present in Italy (of which Enel X Way is the main supplier, with over 16,100 charging points installed on the peninsula) and in the rest of Europe.
It is not really necessary to be too meticulous in planning: “The planning of the route serves more than anything else to understand if the journey is possible or if you may encounter problems along the way,” says Sterpa. After all, we are talking about the same need of those who have to face a long journey with a traditional car, as well as that of filling up: before leaving Bergamo, Sterpa recharged the car using the 100 kW charging station in the parking lot of the McDonald's in Dalmine. This is one of the many recharging infrastructure points installed near the American fast food restaurants following the agreements between Enel X Way and the Italian division of the well-known American restaurant chain, also replicated in Spain.
Holland
Sterpa left Italy with his wife and children, heading for The Hague in Holland. First came a recharge stop at McDonald’s just outside Bergamo, then they continued on towards the city overlooking the North Sea, where it is possible to connect with the splendid Gothic and Renaissance architectural complex known as the Binnenhof, which is the seat of the Dutch parliament. During the two-day stopover, Sterpa and his family were able to admire the masterpieces of the Mauritshuis, the famous museum of The Hague where the well-known painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Jan Vermeer is hanging, followed by a visit to “Madurodam”, the Dutch equivalent of our “Italy in Miniature”. There was also time to stop for a visit to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Sweden
Once again on the road from The Hague, Sterpa, in a convoy with the Tesla Model S of a Dutch friend, headed for Ale’s Stones, the famous megalith complex in southern Sweden, in fact the Scandinavian “Stonehenge”. Heading north, it was then the turn of Stockholm, the Swedish capital, where a visit to the island of Gamla Stan, the old city, with its main square (“Stortorget”) and characteristic pastel-colored buildings is a must. Further north, remaining in the county of Stockholm, the town of Sigtuna offered our modern tourists stunning views of Lake Mälaren, one of the largest in Northern Europe.
This ancient Swedish village retains evidence of the country's first Christian community, above all thanks to the presence of the ruins of Saint Olof’s Church, built in the twelfth century.
Essential JuicePass
Arriving here, almost 2,200 kilometers from Bergamo (excluding detours), obviously involved multiple stops to recharge the Mustang Mach-e, as well as the Model S in tow, without ever incurring major inconveniences. The credit also goes to our JuicePass app, which is connected to over 220,000 recharging points around the world, thanks to interoperability agreements that allow the supply of energy also from infrastructure of operators other than Enel X Way. All with a single registration: convenient, right?
On long journeys, after all, stops are never a nuisance, and can be an opportunity to stretch your legs, have a meal or, more generally, recover energy: “Stops are not a problem at all, on the contrary, they make the trip more enjoyable,” underlines Sterpa. Even more so when the stations are of the ultrafast type: “Almost all recharges occurred above 150 kW, one or two perhaps at 50 kW, and I made some slow recharges just because there was the opportunity.” Like in hotels, whose wallboxes are very useful if you spend the night.
Above the Arctic Circle
Returning to the journey to the North Cape, the itinerary then involved crossing Lapland, certainly one of the most evocative routes: “Every time you crossed a hill, you were confronted with an infinite expanse of coniferous woods,” Sterpa affirms. “The many hours of travelling surely weighed much less thanks to this landscape.” An ever-changing panorama: “As we get closer and closer to the North Cape, we witness a change of scenery with a more barren expanse, with the vegetation that is gradually reduced to just bushes.”
The arrival in Nordkapp, in the far north of Norway, was also an opportunity for an excursion to the village of Skarsvag, one of the northernmost fishing communities in the world. Here stands the Kirkeporten, the “Church Gate”, a rocky arch so called for its characteristic shape, overlooking the sea. However, in reality, it is the whole island of Mageroya that is particularly evocative: “It is like being in a surreal landscape, especially with the twilight backdrop.”
Still in Norway
After Nordkapp, it was time for our travelers to head south. Not without some intermediate stops: remaining in Norway, they passed through the archipelago of the Lofoten Islands, and were dazzled by Svolvær, the oldest town in the Arctic Circle. Still in Norway, there was the opportunity to view two splendid examples of “stavkirke”, the characteristic medieval wooden churches. The first, that of Borgund, is the oldest in the country, so much so that it is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the other is instead in the town of Laerdal and is considered among the best preserved in Norway.
Furthermore, even before concluding the Norwegian stopover in Oslo, there was just enough time to look at the splendid Aurland fjord from the dramatic Stegastein viewpoint, at an altitude of 650 meters. Let us talk about the final destinations of Sterpa's trip, who, after a further visit to The Hague, returned with his family to Bergamo about three weeks after the start of this fantastic adventure. A fun and stress-free journey, with thousands of kilometers covered in the silence of the Mustang Mach-e, moreover with low running costs. A different way to appreciate the world and respect it, because electric mobility is also and above all a sustainable choice, which we at Enel X Way adopt every day. One electric trip after another.
