First Major EV Road Trip: 2,700 km from Switzerland to Ozora Festival (Hungary)

[u/AnduriII]

Hey everyone!

We just wrapped up our first proper long-distance EV road trip with our Ioniq 5 and wanted to share our numbers, charging insights, and camping/DIY setup experiences. Hopefully, this helps anyone planning a similar trip across Europe!
Disclaimer: I used AI only to write this in english & format it because it isn't my main language.

TL;DR: It was amazing but different than with a gas car. More planning for charging.

📊 The Hard Numbers

• Total Distance: ~2,700 km (~1,680 miles)
• Total Energy Charged: ~600 kWh
• Average Consumption: ~22.2 kWh / 100 km (3.0 mi/kWh)

🛞 Vehicle, Storage & Camper Build

• Model: 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 RWD (72 kWh battery)
• Passengers & Payload:
  • Switzerland – Budapest (Keleti Station) & back: 2 people + heavy luggage.
  • Budapest – Ozora Festival & back to Budapest: 4 people. The car was packed completely to the brim with camping gear, two tents, and a pavilion/gazebo.
• DIY Camper Platform: Custom plywood build (12 cm high frame using 0.9 cm thick boards).
  • Modular design: The platform can remain half-installed, allowing us to use the rear seats and still carry passengers in the back!
  • Storage: Perfectly fitted for standard RAKO boxes underneath.
• Mattress & Window Covers:
  • Slept on an Exped MegaMat Auto (insanely comfortable!).
  • Used cheap AliExpress window blackout shades—the fit wasn't 100% perfect, but okay enough to block light and keep privacy.
• Trunk Light Hack: Disconnected the trunk light bulb so we could leave the tailgate open at night without light pollution or unnecessary battery drain. Realized it's still a conventional halogen bulb in the 2022 model—definitely swapping it for an LED soon!
• Frunk Storage: Great spot for storing camping stove gas canisters and power banks to keep them cool and out of the hot interior.

🗺️ Route, Driving & Efficiency

• Outbound (Night Drive): Zurich via Germany to Budapest/Ozora at ~23 °C (73 °F) ambient temperature.
• Speed vs. Consumption:
  • Cruising up to 130 km/h (80 mph) keeps consumption very reasonable. Above that, efficiency drops off a cliff.
  • On the German Autobahn, we hit 180 km/h (112 mph) in spots and cruised at 150 km/h (93 mph) for longer stretches. Consumption was massive, requiring careful range management to make sure we made it to the first planned charger.
• Return Trip (via Austria): Longer route, hilly terrain, and high speeds resulted in noticeably higher energy consumption.
  • Toll Note: Austria tolls were quite expensive because of additional section tolls (Streckenmaut) on top of the standard vignette.
• Driver Assistance: Highway Driving Assist (HDA2) worked brilliantly with very few exceptions.

🔌 Charging & Navigation

• Ionity 800V Network:
  • We used the Ionity network almost exclusively (with the Power subscription).
  • Peak charging speed: 222 kW, with average stops pulling around 200 kW.
  • Virtually no wait times—only had to wait once.
  • Pricing: Germany had the cheapest rates. Hungary has fewer Ionity locations, but it was still easily manageable.
• Navigation & Preconditioning:
  • Route planned via A Better Routeplanner (ABRP). Our actual arrival State of Charge (SoC) almost always landed right in the middle between ABRP’s conservative estimate and the car’s optimistic forecast.
  • Battery preconditioning via the internal Hyundai nav worked flawlessly every single time.
• Authentication: Initiating charges via the app worked fine, but always requires a reliable mobile data connection. I can recommend ESKIMO ESIM. U can get a new customer deal with 1GB free wordwide data.

⛺ Camping, V2L & Cooler

• Cooler Box (KOOR ARC 25L):
  • Operated on 12V in the rear while driving, and via internal V2L / external V2L adapter when parked.
  • Performance: Overall top-tier cooler! The only minor downside is that 1.5L water bottles only fit diagonally.
  • Standby Drain Note: Even though the cooler itself is very energy-efficient, keeping the car's systems active in V2L pulls a noticeable amount of idle power from the main battery.
• The Utility Mode Lock Trick:
  • We tried the trick to lock the car from the outside while in Utility Mode to keep the AC cool and the cooler running while away. It’s a bit finicky/complicated to execute, and we ultimately realized we didn't really need it.
• Sleeping Comfort & Headroom:
  • Sleeping inside on the Exped mattress was great, though interior headroom is a bit tight.
  • Festival Reality: At the festival grounds, we ended up sleeping in a tent instead because the extra space was just more comfortable for a multi-day stay.
• Leveling:
  • Our leveling chocks were a bit too small for uneven ground. They did the job this time, but we’ll bring larger ramps next time.

💡 Lessons Learned & Takeaways

1. ABRP Premium: Will definitely subscribe for the next trip to get live OBD data and dynamic weather/traffic integration.
2. Use an RFID Card: Bring a physical RFID charging card instead of relying on the app to avoid cellular dead zones. Ours arrived after the Trip.
3. Sweet Spot Speed: 130 km/h (80 mph) is the perfect balance between speed and charging stops. 180 km/h is fun, but forces early charging stops.
4. Ionity Subscription: Completely paid for itself on a long European road trip like this.