Hello. During the last week of January, we are planning a trip by car from Helsinki to Ruka.

I would like to ask a few questions.
1. We would be driving an EV – a Å koda Elroq 85. What kind of energy consumption can we expect in such weather?
2. ABRP offers three different routes. Which one is better to choose?
3. We would leave Helsinki at 6 in the morning and would like to cover the distance in at least 14 hours. We are two drivers and have experience driving in winter. Is this a realistic goal?
4. Tires. We have Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 tires. Will it be safe to drive with them?

by No_Kiwi8379

12 comments

  1. This is just normal drive from point A to point B.

  2. E4 + 20 will be safest and you don’t have to plan ahead your stops too much. Charge to full in Oulu and prepare for the road 20 to Kuusamo (Ruka). For winter electric car trips you can watch @HARRISALO on YouTube.

  3. 2) Train to Kajaani/Oulu, rent a car there.
    4) This is more up to driver.

  4. We have made the trip with Skoda Enyaq 60. The route you have active worked very well. Took around 14 house I think. Had horrible weather. Return was even worse and we ended up staying in hotel coming back. But it was unusually bad winterstorm.

  5. I used to drive this route quite a bit. The suggested route is more tedious, i prefer the one via Oulu. More places to stop, better lighting and road conditions.

  6. I drive that a few times a year. Your plan is realistic, and it’s definitely doable in one go, even in January. I would suggest the longer route through Oulu since the darkness is a bit more bearable on that road, and you have more rest and charge options.
    Your tires are okay, but don’t try to keep up with the locals. Without studs or Nordic winter tires, you will have to drive more carefully.

  7. I don’t see any major problems. Just remember to charge up some extra watts before you head to the last roads to Kuusamo. Those are long roads without chargers and your consumption will increase because the area gets more hilly the closer you get.

    For the overall winter range you might wanna just see what the car tells you when you head out. There are so many factors to estimate, for example, fresh snow can increase the power consumption by a lot.

  8. Those tires might not be the safest choice for Finnish winter conditions.

    If my quick Google search is accurate, they seem to have the legally mandated M+S and three-peak mountain snowflake symbols, but not the recommended ice grip symbol. So they might not be great if the roads get icy and in January you never know what the conditions might be like.

    EDIT: The Ultra Grip Ice 3 has both symbols and would be a safer choice for Nordic conditions.

    https://preview.redd.it/j9jzcd6a9w0g1.jpeg?width=792&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d5c5a2c858b4c4c25a9e4637a4a2e959c58e3d21

  9. The road via Oulu is a lot better if the conditions are bad. They plow it way more frequently.

  10. Just take black smoke diesel offroad car and go through forest, there is nothing to see in E4.

  11. Ruka is my second home and I have a cabin there, I also drive an EV. Just ditch Oulu unless you have some business there, it will add unnecessary travel time otherwise. The recommended route on your map is good.

    Roughly drive for 2 hours at a time and keep the car charging while you are out of the car. CCS chargers are available throughout the trip. No idea about skodas or their consumption, but any decent EV should be able to do at least that in winter. Download Neste, ABC, Recharge, K-lataus and Ionity apps before the trip, those will cover all your possible charging stops on the way.

    The only notion I would make is not to YOLO the last leg from Suomussalmi to Kuusamo to 1% battery, top up at least a bit at Suomussalmi – there is pretty much nothing on that part of the trip, let alone chargers. Also they are only now building a decent charging field to Ruka, so unless your cabin has a charging possibility, the best chargers you will find are in Kuusamo for the time being.

    11-12h should cover the whole trip with lunch and dinner breaks unless you stop for sightseeing/shopping on the way for longer.

    Happy travels

  12. I don’t know why you’d do that to yourself when you can take the train and either take your car with you or rent one there. There’s fuck all worth seeing on your route.

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