My Hanoi to Da Nang Adventure (via Dong Hoi) with a VF3
This is for all my kaki who love travelling but are on a budget, and are eyeing the VF3 – this story's about travelling while charging!
VF3 Limitations: What You Need to Know
The VF3 has a comfortable range of about 444km a day (I like the number!). Officially, you might be able to push further, but for me this felt right. Also, you probably don't want to charge it more than 4 times a day.
Remember, the VF3 is a city car: a small battery (around 200km range) and no battery cooling system mean it heats up quickly when charging or driving in hot weather. Ideally, it's suited for speeds of 50-60km/h. Slower means further, faster means less!
Charging Experiences on the Road
After the first charge, I managed to pull 26kWh, but the battery temp shot up to 39-40 degrees Celcius.
On the highway, keeping the speed at 70-80km/h eats up the battery faster. I was down to 15% after about 170km. Pro tip: find a charging spot when you hit 30%, just in case the station is out of service or fully occupied.
The second charge saw the power drop to 15kWh, longer charging times, and a hotter battery.
By the third charge, it was down to 5kWh, the battery stayed around 43 degrees, and it took almost two hours to charge!
The fourth charge should be your last of the day, giving the battery a chance to cool down. You can plug it in at home or wait for it to cool down before heading to a charging station (charging while it's hot is inefficient).
Right now, the only highway rest stop with a charging station is Ninh Binh. Everywhere else, you need to exit the highway, find a spot near the highway, charge up, and then head back on. Optimally, look for charging after every 160km. Highway driving is smooth sailing unlike Route 1, where charging stations are plentiful.
My Solution for Longer Journeys
- Start around 8pm, take the highway to the Ninh Binh rest stop (about 100km) and fully charge there. Filling up from 40% to 100% is pretty quick. Then, rest until 5-6am when the battery is cool and 100% charged. This is not for everyone but this is my way.
- Next, drive 170km to Nghe An at 70-80km/h. At Dien Chau, there's a charging station about 3km from the highway. Charge up and continue.
- Approaching Cam Xuyen with 40% battery, I suggest charging or switching to Route 1, as the highway passes through forests with no charging stations.
A Learning Experience
On my first time on this highway stretch, I went past Cam Xuyen with 40% battery, choosing to continue instead of exiting. With 30% left, I checked the map and found an exit with a charger 12km ahead, near the end of the highway. I drove at 60km/h, turned off the AC, and just used the fan. After exiting, I still had 11km on a concrete road, going only 30km/h and watching the battery percentage drop! Reached the charger with 18% to spare! It's better to have extra than be stranded. Lesson learned: driving slow saves battery. 50-60km/h or even 30km/h will get you further.
Having a regular charger makes things much easier. You can ask to use a socket at a local house. Charging with a portable charger will be really slow, 6-7 hours.
My third charge at Ky Anh, Ha Tinh took almost two hours as the battery was too hot. I took the chance to sleep. The journey to Dong Hoi was on Route 1, so lower speeds meant that 100km only used 50% of the battery.
Now that I'm here, I'll charge fully to make sure I have enough power for the trip from Dong Ha to Quang Tri tomorrow.
If you've read this far, you're probably just as crazy as I am! 🤗
Credit: Tong Tat Tue
