Camping with an electric car: range, charging and campsite power with a trailer

An electric car on the tow hook is no longer unusual, but it needs different planning from a diesel combination. The battery carries less far, charging stops set the rhythm of the trip, and at the campsite the power connection helps decide where you can stay. This article sums up what can be backed by sources and marks what needs checking before you leave.

Range and tow vehicle

The main reason for the drop is air resistance, which grows with the square of speed. In an ADAC test with a Kia EV6, a small trailer at 100 km/h caused no noticeable extra consumption, while a large caravan roughly doubled it: plus 54 per cent at 80 km/h, plus 79 per cent at 90 km/h and plus 103 per cent at 100 km/h. ADAC relates the trailer results to the car's solo reference run at 120 km/h. On an ADAC trip over the Alps described by Pincamp, on-board consumption rose from 20 kWh per 100 km without the caravan to 36.6 kWh with it (about 83 per cent more), at average speeds of 62 to 76 km/h, and the report gave 180 to 200 kilometres as a realistic leg. ADAC advises choosing the lowest speed that works, anticipating traffic to recuperate, and tucking in with lorry traffic. In Germany combinations are generally limited to 80 km/h, or 100 km/h with a Tempo 100 approval (source: emobility.energy); rules in other countries are to be checked before you go. An Elektroquatsch guide speaks generally of 20 to 50 per cent less range, depending on trailer, speed, route and weather. These are orders of magnitude from individual tests, not promises for your own combination; ADAC itself stresses that its figures apply only to the combinations tested.

For the tow vehicle, three figures from the vehicle papers matter: permitted towing capacity, noseweight and the permitted gross combination weight. For mid-size caravans the emobility.energy guide recommends at least 1,500 kg of towing capacity. Noseweight is often the tighter limit on electric cars: according to firmenauto, small electric cars sometimes allow only about 50 kg, some models 100 kg, and a bike carrier with e-bikes can exceed that quickly. Values differ by vehicle, so check before you go, ideally with a test drive using the real trailer and typical travel load.

Charging with a combination

Not every charging point is built for a combination. Elektroquatsch points out that older sites are often arranged at right angles with short bays; drive-through bays, charge points in line with the bay and large charging parks suit a trailer best. In the Pincamp report the caravan always had to be unhitched for charging, and drive-through charging parks were said to be increasing in parts of Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Photos and user notes in charging apps help, and at least one fallback station belongs in the plan: the same trip met outages in Slovenia and a charging park on the Tauern motorway in Austria without power. On pricing, electrive reports that roaming tariffs with a monthly fee are usually cheap only at the provider's own sites, with prices elsewhere possibly twice as high or more, and that ad hoc charging without a contract is currently often the most expensive. According to that report, newly installed charge points of 50 kW or more need a card terminal, with a retrofit deadline of 1 January 2027 along the TEN-V corridors. In the Pincamp trip, 522 kWh cost 233 euros in total, at prices from free to 79 cents per kWh; tolls and tunnel fees (76 euros) came on top. A second charging card and roaming coverage in the destination country are to be checked beforehand, since in Slovenia a card without a roaming agreement failed in that test.

Power at the campsite

According to emobility.energy, the blue CEE connector is rated at 230 V and 16 A (up to about 3.7 kW), but many pitch connections are limited to 10 A (about 2.3 kW). You need a mobile wallbox or a charging cable with a CEE adapter, plus a weatherproof CEE extension cable with adequate cross-section, laid fully unrolled. Many operators forbid charging through a household socket because it is not meant for hours of continuous load, and Elektroquatsch likewise advises clarifying permission, billing and available power in advance. The source puts typical on-site prices at about 0.30 to 0.70 euros per kWh. According to the same source, ten hours at 10 A (about 23 kWh) add roughly 100 to 150 kilometres without a trailer, with a caravan more like 70 to 80. Anyone who wants to power the caravan from the car via V2L needs the manufacturer's approval and protective measures such as an RCD; if in doubt, have an electrician check it.

Winter and electric campers

Cold costs range. In an ADAC test at minus 7 instead of 23 degrees, consumption rose by about 70 per cent on average, without preconditioning; preheating while plugged in can save energy. The sources do not measure cold and trailer together; it is plausible that both effects add up, so plan larger reserves in winter (check before you go). Electric camper vans and motorhomes are a category of their own: promobil measured just under 40 kWh per 100 km on a motorway at 120 km/h with an 87 kWh test vehicle (a full battery would be nearly empty after about 200 km), 26 to 28 kWh at 100 to 105 km/h, and advised charging stops every 200 to 250 kilometres. It is a single data point, but it shows that speed alone changes consumption substantially, even without a trailer.

Checklist

Check the tow vehicle papers (towing capacity, noseweight, gross weight); test drive with the real trailer; plan legs of roughly 180 to 200 kilometres, as in the Pincamp trip, and note fallback charge points; choose drive-through charging parks via app; compare two charging cards and the prices per provider; pack a Type 2 cable, CEE adapter and extension; ask the campsite about charging, protection and price in writing; lower the travel speed and roll along with lorry traffic; in winter preheat and plan more reserve. For legal and electrical questions: check before you go, and ask a professional if in doubt.

Sources

• Test zur Reichweite: Elektroauto mit Fahrradträger oder Anhänger (ADAC)
• Elektroauto mit Wohnwagen im ADAC-Test (Pincamp)
• E-Auto mit Anhänger: Reichweite und Laden richtig planen (Elektroquatsch)
• Camping mit dem E-Auto (emobility.energy)
• E-Bike am E-Auto: Stützlast reicht nicht immer (firmenauto)
• AFIR, Payment-Terminals und Roaming (electrive)
• Elektroautos im Winter: ADAC-Test (auto motor und sport)
• Elektrischer Camper im Test (promobil)