Travel by electric car? We have been asking ourselves this question for a few years, but it is now that we are beginning to be able to plan a vacation or getaway in a zero-emission vehicle around Spain. Electric cars already have a considerable autonomy, it is becoming relatively common to find fast charging points on the main roads and this is added to the fact that hotels and other lodging centers are investing in the installation of recharging points for their clients.
At Coches.net we have tried traveling in a Mercedes-Benz EQA from Madrid to the Basque Country with a stop in La Rioja Alta, staying at hotels of the Silken chain, based in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Three days ahead of the route and more than 1,000 kilometers in which we combine sustainable driving, leisure, culture, gastronomy and lots of fun, which is what it is all about when we go on a trip. How was the experience? Where do we recharge? What interesting things can be done in Euskadi? Here is our proposal.
To get to know in depth the protagonist of our trip, the Mercedes-Benz EQA, here is our video test.
Day 1: Madrid-Laguardia
We started the trip from the Silken Puerta de Madrid hotel with the battery 100% charged and 375 kilometers of autonomy on the scoreboard. After traveling 149 kilometers and with 159 kilometers of remaining autonomy, we took advantage of the fast charging point at the Tudanca station, in Aranda de Duero, to take a quick ‘shot’ and have a coffee. In just 18 minutes we get a battery at 85% for a cost of 14.13 euros. We charged at a point of 150 kWh of power but the Mercedes-Benz EQA only supports up to 100 kWh in direct current so that was the power at which it charged. With 281 kilometers of autonomy, we can continue our journey without worries to the Silken Villa de Laguardia hotel, where we will spend the first night.
The tour takes us to the heart of the Rioja Alta, a good opportunity to visit some of its famous wineries and do wine tourism, which is booming after the pandemic. We stop at a beautiful four-generation family winery founded in 1860, Señorío de Villarica, currently run by four brothers. And what better way to gain strength than with typical Rioja dishes: stewed potatoes with chorizo and roast lamb. With a full stomach and our EQA marking 134 kilometers of autonomy, we continue towards our next stop in Laguardia, where we arrive with 94 kilometers of autonomy (26% of the battery).
This well-known medieval town is home to one of the most emblematic hotels in Silken with 84 rooms decorated in Provençal style, with a wonderful terrace with views, a wine cellar, a swimming pool and a spa where they offer treatments with wine and olive oil. What better way to end the day than with a massage? And to top it off, you shouldn’t miss out on other typical dishes of the area, such as cod Riojan style or Goxua, a traditional Basque cuisine dessert. It’s time to rest while the Mercedes-Benz EQA charges at one of the points that the hotel has.
The charging cost is free, you only have to pay the 12.50 euros that the parking space costs per day. In this case, it is an alternating current charging point at a power of 4.8 kWh, it is a slow charge (the EQA admits a maximum alternating power of 11 kW) and it does not give time to complete 100% (it would be at 7 in the morning) because we left almost two hours before: battery charged to 88% and 312 kilometers of autonomy. Getting up early is worth it because we are going to do one of the most attractive activities in the area: a balloon ride through the vineyards of La Rioja.
Day 2: Laguardia-Lekeitio-Durango
After rising to almost 2,000 meters aboard a hot air balloon and contemplating from the air the many vineyards and medieval villages in the area, we had an authentic Riojan breakfast based on fried eggs, tomato and sausage. And it is that in Spain, if we can boast of something, it is its gastronomy and landscapes.
We arrived at Lekeitio with 123 kilometers of autonomy. In this beautiful fishing village, located on the coast of Bizkaia, we took the opportunity to load the EQA at the Silken Palacio Uribarren hotel, located in front of a magical beach that changes with the tides. The hotel is built on the same location as the old Uribarren Palace where one day monarchs such as Queen Elizabeth II or her son Alfonso II slept. It has 11 kWh charging points. Customers can reserve a parking space for 20 euros per day and it gives them the right to charge their electric car at no additional cost.
You cannot leave Lekeitio without taking a boat ride -you may see whales or dolphins-, walk its streets, visit the basilica of Santa María de la Asunción, with the third largest sculpted Gothic altarpiece in the entire peninsula after that of Seville and Toledo, or walk to the island of San Nicolás at low tide. Before leaving for Durango, the last destination of our second day of the route, we gain strength with a typical Basque meal -with the red prawn as the protagonist- in a txoko with sea views. The premises or headquarters of gastronomic societies in the Basque area are known as txoko, something similar to what are known as peñas in other corners of Spain.
A total of 37 kilometers separate us from the Silken Gran Hotel Durango, where we arrive with 124 kilometers of autonomy. In this hotel they are in the process of installing a charging point so we have to move to another nearby point where we ‘fill’ almost 50% of the battery: 166 kilometers so as not to arrive in a hurry the next day to Vitoria to charge again . In Durango we charge at a 22 kWh charging point and it costs us 2.58 euros. According to what the machine tells us, with this recharge we have avoided 11.95 kilos of CO2 emissions.
At the hotel in Durango we had dinner and spent the night. You can also relax in its spa area. It is a charming 20th-century palace converted into a hotel and located in a valley at the foot of the Urquiola Natural Park, a short distance from the 3 Basque capitals: Bilbao, San Sebastián and Vitoria.
Day 3: Durango-Vitoria-Madrid
We finish off this three-day getaway through the Basque Country with an electric car discovering the Valle Salado de Añana, in Álava, the oldest salt factory in the world that is still in operation. We were surprised when they explained to us how they extract salt from the interior of the earth from the Tertiary period, a task carried out by the Valle Salado Foundation. We end the visit to this archaeological site – a world jewel of industrial heritage – enjoying the properties of salt on the skin by soaking in its hand bath and foot bath.
Once again we set off towards Vitoria-Gasteiz, our last stop before starting the trip back to Madrid. It is one of the most beautiful cities in northern Spain due to its historic center, six parks and its typical pintxos. Did you know that the writer Ken Follett was inspired by Santa María Cathedral for his bestseller ‘A World Without End’? We took advantage of a visit to the Mercedes-Benz dealership to recharge while we ate at the Silken Ciudad de Vitoria hotel. Here its director, Leyre Aramburu, tells us that they hope to have two 50 kWh charging points installed throughout the summer. Now they only have two 220-volt outlets. The cost of recharging will be free, you will only have to pay €15 to reserve the parking space. We also carry out another recharge at a charging point located at the Gorbea-Avia service station that costs us €7.95.
The journey comes to an end. We start the electric motor of the Mercedes-Benz EQA and make another stop at the Tudanca service area, in Aranda de Duero. On this occasion, the 150 kWh ultra-fast charging point was not operational and we charged another at a power of 50 kWh. One hour of charging for 14.18 euros that allowed us to continue the journey with the battery at 86% and a range of 286 kilometers. We end up in the same place where we started this trip, at the Silken Puerta de Madrid hotel with a range of 159 kilometers. We have left behind 1,037 kilometers in an electric car, a three-day trip in which we have combined sustainable driving, leisure, culture and gastronomy.
Along this route we have been accompanied by two other electric models from Mercedes-Benz, the EQB, a seven-seater minivan, and the elegant EQE, the latest electric to join the range of the German firm. In these links you can read our test presentation of the Mercedes-Benz EQB and the Mercedes-Benz EQE.
Overview of the trip with the Mercedes-Benz EQA:
• Kilometers travelled: 1,037 km
• Average consumption: 20.1 kWh/100 km
• Cost of recharging during the journey: €71.34 (€32.50 parking at two hotels is included).
The routes of the e-Basque Route
60-65% of visitors to Euskadi visit the community in a private vehicle. Tourism is highly dependent on the private car because there is a great diversity on offer in a relatively small geographical space and public transport, naturally, does not provide a solution to all mobility needs. That is why the Basque Government, through its Basque Tourism Agency, Basquetour, has launched the projects ‘The Basque Route’ and ‘The e-Basque Route’, the latter focused on promoting electric car routes.
Eight sections of between two and three and a quarter hours, with a total of 950 kilometers in which 80 municipalities, a biosphere reserve, six natural parks and more than 150 tourist attractions are covered.
The objective of the e-Basque Route is for electric car drivers to have sufficient charging infrastructure to be able to complete the entire route without autonomy problems. They are currently making an inventory of the charging points to assess those that are missing, especially in Laguardia, Lekeitio and Zarautz, where three charging points between 11 and 22 kWh are expected to be operational by the end of the year. In a first phase, they will focus on the beginning and end of each section so that tourists can recharge their car at night or while having a drink or eating.
And so far our trip in an electric car through the Basque Country with the Mercedes-Benz EQA, an electric compact with a 140 kW (190 hp) electric motor and a 340-litre boot.
If you are thinking of buying an electric car, at Coches.net you have a wide range of Mercedes-Benz EQA in the new car section and also in the used one.
In this link you have the entire offer of new electric cars in Coches.net
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