2305km in one day. All electric. No gas. No oil. Would you do it? For a… | Julien Marchal

2305km in one day. All electric. No gas. No oil. Would you do it? For a 2-3 day business trip from Germany to Madrid? Most people - even in our EV industry - would not blink twice and go on their favorite plane travel search engine and book a plane straight away. However, as I do not live in a big city (Sinzheim near Baden-Baden), direct flights are no option for me and even if, I'm trying as much as possible to travel EV only. I am in the EV industry for a reason and purpose. But driving 2000km+ with the EV car and that even alone? Huge waste of time and extremely tiring! Many people do not realise what a great alternative high speed trains are to flying - even for longer, international distances already today! It's not like people actively dismiss it, it's just not on most people's radar and I think it's a shame, cause whilst these train journeys are of course longer in travel time, they are also way more comfortable and better for "not losing working time" as you can work from the train - try that whilst boarding, queuing or up in the sky. And of course they are a hell of a lot more sustainable, I think this goes without saying. So, that's what I did: Luckily, I live close to Strasbourg, so a quick regional train to go there, a TGV to Lyon, an AVE to Barcelona and an AVLO to Madrid. Breakfast in Strasbourg, lunch in Lyon, dinner in Barcelona and drinks in Madrid - doesn't sound so bad now does it? Way back via Paris, instead of Lyon. So, how long did it take and how did it fare against the plane (for me)? From home to the hotel in Madrid it was 16h with trains compared to 8.45h with the plane. On the way back it was 15.15h with the trains compared to 9-10h with the plane. All journeys were "leave in the morning, arrive in the evening". Yes, it is an overall longer journey. BUT it was never tiring, I was able to work from the trains all day long (with internet!) and the sceneries passing the Alps, the Mediterranean cost with swarms of flamingos, the Pyrenees, the semi-deserts in central Spain and witnessing the change of vegetation along the way: absolutely jaw dropping and priceless! I'd do it again in a heartbeat! I do understand if this very journey is too extreme for some, but I can only encourage everyone to at least consider going high speed rail instead of plane next time - you might actually find it way more enjoyable than you'd think right now! For me, there's nothing like zipping through Europe at 300km/h or above in a train, simply the best way to travel! A huge thanks to Tim van den Thillart who has helped me book this amazing journey via his really cool train & booking company bookachoo! Go check it out and reach out to him, he's the best!! And many thanks to my employer Digital Charging Solutions GmbH who actually allowed this (maybe somewhat) crazy journey in the first place! An EV company embracing EV journeys - I absolutely love it :) See you soon on a train or an EV event! Will you be traveling via train? Jon Thibault