Taycan to Tromsø Road Trip – Winter 2023 (Arctic Norway)

[tigerbalm]

Introduction

After an enjoyable trip to the alps in autumn – it is now February and we're heading back into the winter wonderland that is arctic Norway and the Northern Lights.

Our planning has been completed and we get underway on Wednesday (Feb 8, 2023) afternoon.

We're taking a different route to our last time in Norway, so there should be plenty of variance on this journey.



Our high-level route

Ireland -> United Kingdom -> France -> Belgium -> Netherlands -> Norway -> Germany -> Belgium -> France -> United Kingdom -> Ireland.

Full-resolution photos

All the photos we share will be available at full resolution on this Flickr photo album including full EXIF data.

Porsche Roads

Where it makes sense, we'll incorporate the Porsche Roads platform into this road-trip – so look out for that!

Apple Music

If you are an Apple Music subscriber you can listen along to some of the music that's accompanying us on our trip via our BOSE audio system and the car's in-built Apple Music player, streamed over the roaming data connection provided by Porsche.

Charging Log

We'll publish a charging log each day and a final combined log at the end of the trip. Additionally, to help support the services we use in our own planning – we'll be submitting photos and charging experiences back to the PlugShare and MyPorsche apps.

Battery charging planning strategy

On this trip we're experimenting with a slightly tweaked planning formula than previous road-trips – to prioritise fewer charging stops and charge for longer at each stop.

The primary purpose is to give us longer rest periods when we do stop. Additionally, this option introduces less charging losses into the process and therefore should be slightly cheaper – at least at stations that don't have a time element to their pricing structure. To support this strategy we have the "Battery-saving fast charging" option enabled on our new Turbo S since delivery.

We'll keep an eye on this strategy and tune as required en-route.

Charging Networks

We plan to use the following charging networks, alongside some hotel destination charging:

• IONITY: (via Porsche Charging Service Plug&Charge or RFID card). This is every European Taycan owners primary charging network.
• FastNed: (via the networks proprietary Plug&Charge). This is a Dutch headquartered charging service that we are investors in and for that reason are interested in experiencing.
• Mer: (via RFID fob). This is a popular Norwegian charging service with many chargers at remote locations and common north of the arctic circle.
• Circle K: (via RFID fob). Popular service station chain in Norway that are increasingly installing 300 kW chargers – useful as a backup.
• Tesla: (via app). Select supercharging stations open to all cars. Tesla provides some fast charging options north of the arctic circle that we plan to use.

Hotels

Additionally, we'll publish a full hotel log at the end of the trip. We use – as much as possible – hotels.com to book accommodation as it gives a 10% discount (via 1 night free every 10 nights booked) and easy management and cancellation of bookings.

Emissions regulations & Tolls

We have already enrolled our car and registration plate with the authorities in France, Germany, Belgium (Ghent in particular) and Norway – so that we can avail of access to low emissions zones in cities and preferential toll rates.

Tyres

Our car has the 20-inch Taycan Tequipment Design winter wheel-and-tyre set fitted with Pirelli P Zero Winter R20 XL Elect NF0.

Front axle: 245/45 R20 103V XL tyres​

Rear axle: 285/40 R20 108V XL tyres​

With two people in our four seater car, luggage for nearly three weeks and frunk full of technical equipment, we're running on a 0.1 bar higher pressure then on the officially recommended part-load tyre pressures:

Front tyres: 2.8 bar​

Rear tyres: 2.6 bar​

With the slightly higher pressure to account for luggage & equipment and the lower air temperature we'll experience in the arctic. We'll keep on eye on the tyre pressure each day to account for local atmospheric conditions.

Additionally we carry the official Porsche snow chains for the Taycan.

Road-trip series

Welcome to our latest road-trip adventure in our continuing series:

2021​

• Taycan to Western Europe
• Taycan to the Scottish Highlands

2022​

• Taycan to the Arctic Circle
• Taycan to the Alps

Social

We plan on posting a limited amount of candid photos and short videos to the Instagram hashtag #taycantotromsø and this playlist on YouTube.

Join us

We hope you'll join us on this 6000km journey over 20 days – our longest road-trip yet – though seven countries as we road-trip across beautiful Northern Europe and learn about how we and our new performance orientated Taycan Turbo S handles the winter conditions.

In particular we welcome all the new and awaiting delivery Taycan owner's – we hope these road-trip reports give you the confidence to use your Porsche on your own wonderful adventures. Please feel free to ask questions along the way.

If you would like to be notified of each daily update to this travel log – you can use the "watch" function on the top right of this post to follow along.

Day reports

Day 1: Dublin (Ireland) -> Wexford (Ireland)
Day 2: Wexford (Ireland) -> Folkestone (United Kingdom)
Day 3: Folkestone (United Kingdom) -> Utrecht (Netherlands)
Day 4: Utrecht (Netherlands) -> Eemshaven Port (Netherlands)
Day 5: Kristiansand (Norway) -> Stavanger (Norway)
Day 6: Stavanger (Norway) -> Bergen (Norway)
Day 7: Bergen (Norway) -> Ålesund (Norway)
Day 8: Ålesund (Norway) -> Trondheim (Norway)
Day 9: Trondheim (Norway) -> Mo i Rana (Norway)
Day 10: Mo i Rana (Norway) -> Narvik (Norway)
Day 11: Narvik (Norway) -> Tromsø (Norway)
Day 12 (a): Photography locations for Northern Lights
Day 12 (b): Northern Lights at Tromsø
Day 13: Tromsø (Norway) -> Narvik (Norway)
Day 14: Narvik (Norway) -> Mosjøen (Norway)
Day 15: Mosjøen (Norway) -> Trondheim (Norway)
Day 16: Trondheim (Norway) -> Oslo (Norway)
Day 17: Oslo (Norway) -> Kiel (Germany)
Day 18: Kiel (Germany) -> Ghent (Belgium)
Day 19: Ghent (Belgium) -> Bristol (United Kingdom)
Day 20: Bristol (United Kingdom) -> Dublin (Ireland)


Other posts and information

Ferry fire
South Western Norway
Driving over the Arctic Circle in a Porsche Taycan Turbo S
Driving southbound across the arctic circle in Norway in a Porsche Taycan Turbo S
Rear-wheel steering on a Turbo S
Apple Photos visualisation
That's all folks!
Trip route and charging plan
Summary thoughts

Logs

Charging Log
Hotel Log
Transport Log

 

[Midlifecrisis]

Looking forward to it! Your Porsche Roads link goes nowhere- not sure if it is supposed to yet though

 

[tigerbalm]

Looking forward to it! Your Porsche Roads link goes nowhere- not sure if it is supposed to yet though

Thanks. Was a broken link.

 

[ciaranob]

Tyres

Our car has the 20-inch Taycan Tequipment Design winter wheel-and-tyre set fitted with Pirelli P Zero Winter R20 XL Elect NF0.

Front axle: 245/45 R20 103V XL tyres​

Rear axle: 285/40 R20 108V XL tyres​

With two people in our four seater car, luggage for nearly three weeks and frunk full of technical equipment, we're running on a 0.1 bar higher pressure then on the officially recommended part-load tyre pressures:

Front tyres: 2.8 bar​

Rear tyres: 2.6 bar​

With the slightly higher pressure to account for luggage & equipment and the lower air temperature we'll experience in the arctic. We'll keep on eye on the tyre pressure each day to account for local atmospheric conditions.

Probably not the place to be posting this and possibly a bit redundant (apologies!), but as you bring up Tire Pressures - thought it might be worth highlighting that (at least for US Spec cars) the tire inflation sticker-panel on your door frame ONLY lists full load pressures - this might be a little misleading for some new owners and for those like me that rarely have more than 2 people in the car and hence need partial load numbers.

Of course the Manual and GTK app have both partial and full load specs for all model variants but in case anyone was going solely by the door sticker they might want to x-check via app or web site the tech data for their model re recommended partial load inflation numbers.

Example of TP sticker on my car (X-Turismo 4S with summer 21" tires) - as you can see when comparing to data sheet below the car door sticker only (but obviously) references full load pressures:

And the recommended full list of partial and full log inflation in the Manual via the MyPorsche app:

 

[Throb]

Looking forward to this, Damo. I'll be awaiting each update, impatiently.

I think you were planning a stop at Ionity Cambridge, and just to let you know, I used it again last week, and it was a flawless experience again. Superfast charging speeds.

 

[tigerbalm]

Looking forward to this, Damo. I'll be awaiting each update, impatiently.

I think you were planning a stop at Ionity Cambridge, and just to let you know, I used it again last week, and it was a flawless experience again. Superfast charging speeds.

Thank you! Won't be using Cambridge this time – but will likely use IONITY Veurne in Belgium – which I think you've used a few times successfully.

Chunnel is going to be very busy on the day we cross - booked out – so will depend on how much energy we use queuing.

 

[Throb]

Thank you! Won't be using Cambridge this time – but will likely use IONITY Veurne in Belgium – which I think you've used a few times successfully.

Chunnel is going to be very busy on the day we cross - booked out – so will depend on how much energy we use queuing.

Yeah, Veurne has always been good for us too. We use it every time we go to the Channel Tunnel, and sometimes on the way back from the UK. We're heading to the UK on Tuesday and we'll be using it again, around 11pm.

If you plan to use the Ionity at Wetteren (just to the East of Ghent), be careful. I've made two attempts to use the Ionity EVSEs (on the Eastbound carriageway) in the last few weeks, and both were a disaster. The first time, not a single one of the units worked. It was around 2am and I was the only car there. It looks like they've recently installed some more units, so I believe there are eight now, but I tried four before giving up and moving on to the Brussels Ionity. Last week I tried again, around the same time, and again I was the only car there. On arrival, two of the eight units were illuminated, so I pulled up to one of them. I didn't get above 50 kW. Again, I unplugged after ten minutes and moved on to the Brussels Ionity. I really don't know what's going on with the chargers there.

 

[joacimli]

Introduction

It is now February and we're heading back into the winter wonderland that is arctic Norway and the Northern Lights.

Our planning has been completed and we get underway on Wednesday (Feb 8, 2023) afternoon.

Will be watching your detailed travel report, always full of good-to-know information!
Thanks!

 

[GerhardF]

Good luck on your long-road-distance!

 

[Poshfpg]

Chunnel is going to be very busy on the day we cross - booked out – so will depend on how much energy we use queuing.
[/QUOTE]
The Tesla chargers at the Chunnel are a nice option if you have to wait for a train, pulled 145kw there in December while processing the dog's pet passport with no preconditioning. Added an easy 25%. There are a couple at the Flexiplus lounge too if you don't have to go through the main carpark. It beats IONITY up the road because you're through the check in and, if Flexi, the passport queue which is the real killer there.

We took the standard train both ways and had no issue with width, well no more than I've had in any car on there. I forgot to take a picture but on the same Winters as you have it gave me maybe 6 inches each side. If it is a busy day it's worth booking Flexiplus, you probably know this, then you drive on to the next available train, more or less and can charge post all the queues if you want to.

One busy Feb half term Saturday 2 friends arrived Calais side at the same time and the Flexi person was on a train 5 hours ahead of the other one even though they were officially booked on the the same train.

Looking forward to following your trip, enjoy!

 

[TonO]

Have a nice trip

 

[McgR]

Chunnel is going to be very busy on the day we cross - booked out – so will depend on how much energy we use queuing.

The Tesla chargers at the Chunnel are a nice option if you have to wait for a train, pulled 145kw there in December while processing the dog's pet passport with no preconditioning. Added an easy 25%. There are a couple at the Flexiplus lounge too if you don't have to go through the main carpark. It beats IONITY up the road because you're through the check in and, if Flexi, the passport queue which is the real killer there.

We took the standard train both ways and had no issue with width, well no more than I've had in any car on there. I forgot to take a picture but on the same Winters as you have it gave me maybe 6 inches each side. If it is a busy day it's worth booking Flexiplus, you probably know this, then you drive on to the next available train, more or less and can charge post all the queues if you want to.

One busy Feb half term Saturday 2 friends arrived Calais side at the same time and the Flexi person was on a train 5 hours ahead of the other one even though they were officially booked on the the same train.

Looking forward to following your trip, enjoy!
[/QUOTE]
About the pet passport:

I am planning a short trip to the UK in July. If our dog has all vaccinations do I still need to do a special check of the passport?

by the way any tips for a dog friendly 3 day EV trip in the UK. Kent?

 

[tutis]

Porsche Roads
Where it makes sense, we'll incorporate the Porsche Roads platform into this road-trip – so look out for that!

This is an amazing journey, have fun

While we are on the Porsche Roads topic, has anyone been able to upload custom GPX files to the Porsche Roads app? it used to work fine for me but now all the files including GPX are greyed out and cannot be uploaded from the iOS app. Such a shame as I have some older custom routes uploaded in the app that are great to follow using CarPlay. This would be very useful for something like this trip to Norway given that the PCM doesn't allow for GPX following.

I've messaged Porsche developers about this before but got no response.

 

[B61]

Have a nice trip

+1

 

[Donlam]

(Watch button already click!) Bon Voyage!

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