Jennes from High Voltage – Green Touring offers tours with an e-tour van and was kind enough to share his experiences and insights on electric touring with me.
Hi Jennes, you mentioned that you’re touring with an electric van. Is this really the first e-tour van in Germany or even all of Europe?
Well, you can definitely find small e-vans at rental companies, but I might be the first to target bands and handle music tours. We’ve been told for years that e-vehicles are super challenging for touring, so probably no one dares to take them on tour. For us musicians, range is crucial.
What kind of van is it exactly? Can bands rent the tour van from you, or do they have to/can they rent you as the driver as well?
It’s a standard Mercedes eVito extra long, an 8-seater, identical to the Mercedes EQV but with less fancy features. Up until recently, it was the only tour-ready electric vehicle in terms of size and range, but now the competition is catching up.
I mainly rent it out because I have a small child and don’t want to tour as much. During the initial and testing phase, which it’s still in, I’m happy to drive it myself to check everything out, but by now, I know the ins and outs pretty well. I can offer phone support or drive bands if it fits.
In my article about the future of touring, I wrote about the problem of electric vehicle range. How does touring with an electric tour van work, and what are the challenges?
I don’t see this as much of a problem. A break with a band takes time anyway. My band needs at least half an hour, during which the bus charges from 20% to 80% at a fast-charging station. Faster bands might lose just fifteen minutes. The range from 100% to 0% is about 300-400 km, depending on driving style, temperature, etc. It’s best to avoid using the air conditioning, as it significantly affects the range.
Additionally, there’s the option to charge with 16 or 32 ampere high-voltage power – those red, larger (outdoor) sockets available at mid-sized clubs for sleeper coaches. Smaller venues might run a cable out of the window or ask a neighbor. This is “normal” charging with 3-phase alternating current, and the charging time roughly matches how long people spend in clubs, for example from 5 PM to 1 AM… and usually for free. Even if clubs started charging for it, it would be around €15.
Ideally, you leave the venue or sleeping place fully charged, and for distances up to about 300 km, charge at the next club with high-voltage power. For longer distances, charge quickly from 20% to 80% and keep going. So, with one quick charge, 500 km is definitely possible.
Another option is to charge overnight at a public “normal” charging station or the hotel’s wall box.
Tell us about your experiences. You mentioned you’ve been on tour in Austria and Hungary with your e-tour van.
Austria was easy. It’s still within the comfort zone where my main electricity provider recognizes the car at the station, and the power is also cheap (about €10/100km). We also noticed that the locations of the fast-charging stations are often much nicer than rest stops or gas stations, like the Billa supermarket with clean, free toilets and cheap coffee.
Hungary was a bit wild. I wasn’t well-prepared and thought apps were more important than charge cards these days, but that wasn’t the case there. The charge card that might have worked had arrived, but unfortunately, it was at home.
No charging was possible at the club, which was a former bunker under a main traffic junction. So, I got to explore several parts of Budapest with various non-functional stations. It turned out that Hungary’s largest gas station chain (MOL) has fast-charging stations where you can buy power packages of 10, 20, or 40 kWh inside with a debit card. However, the stations aren’t very fast.
So, preparation is key: it’s definitely recommended to mention the electric van when booking/advancing, which means the same for the venues in terms of electricity as for sleeper coaches. And with new countries, you should of course research the infrastructure beforehand. The places with connections for sleeper buses (two out of four venues on the tour) were surprised by the vehicle but didn’t hesitate to let us plug in. They’re used to it from the sleeper buses.
What does it need to cost to rent your tour van for the purchase price to pay off?
That’s still not entirely clear. I’m thinking about €120/day plus VAT, maybe with a discount for longer tours. That’s roughly the same as renting from a regular rental company unless there’s a special offer. Charging is much cheaper, though, with a few things to keep in mind, like avoiding extra expensive stations and driving a bit slower (e.g., 110 km/h), which saves both electricity and charging time.
It’s unlikely that it’ll pay off quickly and make me rich, but we have to start somewhere. The purchase isn’t more expensive than a comparable diesel, as far as I can see (I’m not very familiar with diesel prices, but e-car prices are dropping at the moment). Mine is a young used one and cost €44,000 net, and that’s only because it’s extra long.
How did you get into tour bus driving or renting, and what’s your background?
Oh, I’ve been making music and touring internationally for a long time (in the past with Egotronic and later with King Khan and His Shrines), and I’ve always handled the touring infrastructure (buses, backline, DIY venues). I’ve had vans that were mostly used by friend bands. Since I’ve been driving trucks for a long time, getting a bus license and driving sleeper coaches was a natural step. Plus, I’m always the one who drinks the least and makes sure everyone gets home safely.
Do you think touring with electric tour vans will become the “new normal” in the future and are there any subsidies to help more people tour “green”?
I’m very surprised to see that green touring is widely discussed, with a lot of organizations, guidelines, and even subsidies for touring by train, but the e-tour van topic seems to be left out. I can only assume it’s because of the fear of limited range and infrastructure that has been instilled in us, which might have been true in the past. For small vans, and even already in the Sprinter class, it should soon be normal. It’s definitely possible.
How “green” is touring, in your opinion, compared to touring with conventional tour buses?
E-cars are certainly not the only solution; there are many other areas we can improve. But in a field where a lot of miles are covered and significant amounts of exhaust gases are emitted, it seems very sensible to me. Locally, in big cities where we directly blow exhaust fumes into people’s faces, and globally, because we all breathe the same air.
The problem with batteries is definitely serious, but a lot is happening – the next generation of batteries and the one after that are already in the works. There are extensive developments in recycling and second life, for example. Worn-out batteries are being used for power storage, and for the once best-selling e-car, the Nissan Leaf, replacement batteries and upgrades are already available, and they’re coming for other models too.
I can only recommend it and am open to suggestions, questions and networking!
Read more → Diesel driving bans and the future of touring in Europe
Author: Mary
