Tesla Model 3 Road Trip to Germany, Part 1: Crossing Romania's Mountains on Real-World Charging
Part one of my Tesla Model 3 road trip to Cologne, Germany: a mountain route across Romania to Timișoara, real efficiency from the dashboard, every charging stop, what a kWh costs and a nap in Camp Mode.
I'd been waiting for this one for a long time. I set off in my Tesla Model 3 from my home town in northeastern Romania to Cologne, Germany, alone, with no hotel booked and a plan to sleep in the car along the way. Part one covers the drive across Romania on the mountain route: Târgu Neamț, Toplița, Reghin and Târgu Mureș, then the highway from Sebeș to Timișoara near the western border. I wanted to show, with real numbers from the dashboard, how easy a long EV road trip across the country is today. Every figure below is what I read on the car's screen, and you can see all of it in the video on my Mașina Timpului channel.
The car and the plan
The car is my own Model 3 Dual Motor, bought at the end of November 2023, now with about 120,000 km (75,000 miles) on it. On previous trips across Europe, to Austria, Spain and Berlin, it has averaged about 135 Wh/km (roughly 217 Wh/mile) with cruise control set to 120 km/h (75 mph) on highways. According to "Tesla Romania", the current Model 3 Premium Dual Motor is rated at 660 km WLTP, uses an official 14.3 kWh/100 km and Supercharges at up to 250 kW.
I didn't leave with a full battery. I pulled out at 2:30 a.m. with 62%, because I knew there were plenty of chargers on the way. For this trip I also fitted new aero wheel covers to see whether they make a difference to efficiency.
Over the mountains to Reghin
The first 105 km (65 miles) to Târgu Neamț took an hour and 40 minutes at just 116 Wh/km. That was one of the nicest surprises: even climbing, the car used very little energy. Along the way I noticed how much the charging network has grown. When I bought the car, this whole stretch had roughly one 30 kW charger. Now there are chargers in Pașcani, several in Târgu Neamț, and gas stations along the route are installing high-power units.
Between Târgu Neamț and Toplița there are about 100 km (62 miles) with no fast chargers, so if your EV has a smaller battery, top up in Târgu Neamț and relax.
When I got sleepy, I pulled over and took a nap in Camp Mode, with the cabin at 24°C (75°F). The "Tesla" owner's manual explains that this mode keeps the climate control running and powers the USB ports while you stay inside, which is exactly what you want for a rest stop. I woke up refreshed and kept going.
When I left, the car estimated I would reach the charger in Reghin with just 2%. That estimate kept climbing on the way, and by the time I rolled into Reghin, after 288.5 km (179 miles), it read 6%. I entered the charger in the car's navigation and the Tesla started preconditioning the battery on its own. According to the "Tesla" manual, the car warms the battery when you navigate to a fast charger, including non-Tesla ones, so it charges faster.
First charge: Reghin
The iHunt EV site in Reghin sits in the yard of a sports center, about 600 m off the main road. It has one 180 kW charger and two 120 kW units. I have Autocharge set up, so I just plugged in and the session started within seconds, no app needed. I charged for 23 minutes while I ate, averaging 113 kW with a peak of 155 kW.
From Reghin to Târgu Mureș the car used 118 Wh/km, so the first part of the trip settled at around 120 Wh/km. In Târgu Mureș I made a quick stop at a Voltrally site next to a supermarket, with two chargers of up to 75 kW, where a kWh cost 1.20 lei. While I was talking to the camera the battery reached 70%, and the car showed 360 km of range for the 344 km left to Timișoara.
Charging prices vary a lot
At gas stations you pay roughly the same price everywhere. With EV charging, the price per kWh can vary widely. In Romania I've seen anything from about 0.80 lei, at sites probably tied to solar panels, up to 3 lei per kWh. On this trip I believe I paid around 1.99 lei in Reghin and 1.20 lei in Târgu Mureș. Pick your stations well and a long EV trip can cost very little.
On the highway to Timișoara
From Sebeș to Timișoara nearly every highway gas station has chargers. At 130 km/h (81 mph) I felt a very slight vibration in the steering wheel with the new covers, so I stayed mostly around 120. On the highway I also used automatic lane changes: you signal, keep your hand on the wheel, and the car changes lanes by itself.
I stopped at a highway gas station for coffee and tried my Electroverse RFID card on a 100 kW charger. The units weren't numbered, so I started the wrong one the first time, but the second try worked. In just 6 minutes I added 8.87 kWh. A short stop adds energy and makes the next stop shorter.
At the end of the highway near Timișoara, OMV has 300 kW chargers. I went to the iHunt site in Giarmata, where four cars can charge at up to 240 kW at the same time. I let the car park itself, and charging power climbed toward 200 kW.
Day one by the numbers
- 651 km (405 miles) to Timișoara in 9 hours 3 minutes of actual driving;
- about 11 hours in total including the nap, meals and charging: I left at 2:30 a.m. and arrived around 1:30 p.m.;
- average efficiency of 136.3 Wh/km (13.6 kWh/100 km, about 219 Wh/mile), right in line with my usual road trip number;
- stops: Reghin (23 minutes, over lunch), Târgu Mureș and a 6-minute coffee stop on the highway.
What it means for drivers
Crossing Romania in an electric car is no longer a gamble. There are chargers in Târgu Neamț, Reghin and Târgu Mureș and at almost every gas station on the highway to Timișoara, and charging stops line up with the meal, coffee and bathroom breaks you'd take anyway. A few tips from this trip: set the charger as your destination in the car's navigation so the battery can precondition, you don't need to leave with 100%, and check the price per kWh, because the differences are big. In part two we leave the country and keep heading toward Germany.
