AUTOMOTIVE 31
After 18 minutes , we ’ ve reached 80 per cent – normally the time to get back on the road – but as we want to make our next charging stop more than 400 km away at the southernmost IONITY charger in Croatia , we decide to keep going to more than 90 per cent before continuing our journey .
HEADING SOUTH
Austria , like Stuttgart , turns out to be busy . Many campers are heading south . At the Villach junction we change from the A10 to the A11 . Shortly afterwards we drive through the Karawanken tunnel , which stretches for almost eight kilometres and links Austria and Slovenia . The speed limit in the latter is 130 km / h : a good cruising speed for the Sport Turismo . We pass the capital Ljubljana on the A2 eastwards . We pay the toll online , just like in Austria , and note that the waiting times at the toll stations are short . Our next charging stop is planned for south of Zagreb . After a good eight hours of driving , we reach Sop – and the southernmost IONITY chargers . The four charging points are not located directly on the roadside , but a short detour away in a village of 350 people , next to a fuel station . Again , the charging power falters somewhat . This time at 165 kW . Since two other charging points are occupied , we don ’ t reconnect , but instead enjoy an excellent coffee while we wait .
On such a long road trip , we can afford to lose a little bit of time . And within 18 minutes we are back at 74 per cent . Since our last leg of the day is almost 400 km again , we treat the Taycan to a few extra electrons . In Croatia , the speed limit is also 130 km / h . For the toll stations here , we organised a transponder in advance but after functioning fine at the first station it doesn ’ t work at the second . We pay the 16.90 euros in cash instead . Crossing the border into Serbia is much more time-consuming than the earlier crossings . The Balkan state is not yet an EU member , and this can be felt at the border , among other places . Every traveller ’ s passport is stamped to document their entry . From the border to our hotel in Belgrade it is just a little more than 100 km . You can pay at the toll stations either in cash or by card . The fees are low , at the equivalent of four euros . After 1,200 km and a solid 12 hours of driving , we reach our hotel in the city centre and leave the Taycan to fully charge overnight at the wallbox .
The next morning we continue early at 07:30 . There are another 1,000 km to go . However , the charging infrastructure network is becoming sparser and the we ’ re beyond the boundary of the Porsche Charging Service . In practice , this means that charging planning still works very well , but an app or charging card from another provider is needed at each charging station . But before we get to that we enjoy the empty highways of Serbia and soak up the beautiful landscape . Since there is hardly any traffic , we can safely increase our cruising speed .
ISSUE 65 2024 THE ART OF LUXURY