⚡🚗 EV travel: charging at cabins and along the route

Norway is friendly to electric vehicles: even small cabins are increasingly equipped with wall-mounted AC chargers and sockets near parking spaces, and there is a dense network of fast DC stations along the fjords. To ensure your trip goes smoothly, keep three things in mind: understand the types of chargers, choose accommodation with the right filters, and organise your overnight charging wisely, observing etiquette and safety requirements.

🔌 Types of chargers: what to call them

AC (alternating current) — ‘destination charging’.

• Type 2 / Wallbox (7–22 kW): standard for cottages and car parks; most often 7–11 kW. Bring your own Type 2 cable (if the host has a socket without a cable).
• CEE 230 V (blue ‘camping’), 16 A: acceptable with host permission and standard mobile EVSE.
• Schuko 230 V, 10 A: often prohibited for EV charging due to overheating/fire risk. If the facility's rules prohibit it, do not use it.

DC (direct current) — ‘fast’.

• CCS 50–300+ kW: for travelling between regions. Plan ‘short dock stops’ during the day and ‘long’ charging at night at your accommodation.

Important to know: AC charging power depends on the phase of the facility (1- or 3-phase network) and the permissible current. Your car may limit the intake (e.g., 11 kW max.).

🏠🔎 Filters when searching for accommodation: how to quickly find ‘your place’

When browsing through property listings, look for ‘beacons’ and words in Norwegian/English:

• ‘EV-lading’, ‘Elbil lading’, ‘Ladeplass’, ‘Type 2’, “Wallbox”, ‘11 kW/22 kW’.
• ‘Parking with power’, ‘Destination charging’, ‘Charging per kWh/flat fee’.
• Direct prohibitions are indicated as follows: ‘Ikke tillatt lading fra stikkontakt’ (no charging from a standard socket), ‘No EV charging from cabin socket’ — please respect these.

What to check with the host before paying:

• Type of point (Type 2/socket/CEE), power and phases.
• Do you need your own Type 2 cable, where is it stored, access at night.
• Tariff: per kWh, fixed/night or ‘included’.
• Parking space (distance to the entrance, lighting, slope), quiet hours rules.
• Strict prohibition on ‘extension cords’/charging from household sockets — if there is one, accept it as a given.

🌙🔋 Night-time charging: how to organise ‘plug in and sleep’

Basic logic: arrive in the evening → set a limit of 80–90% → connect to AC → set a timer for departure (if necessary). At night, the grid is less congested and the battery is warm after the journey, so there is less loss.

In winter: add +15–30% to your usual travel consumption, warm up the interior from the socket, not from the battery (if the station allows). Plan for a ‘morning balance’ of 20–30% until the nearest DC charging station.

Share the point: if the houses have one Wallbox for everyone, set time slots (for example, until 01:00 for you, after that for your neighbours) and move your car on time.

🤝📏 Charging etiquette: good manners = more power for everyone

• Host consent is required. Only charge at authorised points. Household sockets/extension cords without permission — no.
• Use your own cable and keep it intact. No cracks, with latches; do not block the path to the houses.
• Free up space. Once you have reached the limit, move your car or disconnect the cable. At night, observe quiet hours.
• Fair payment. If the rate is per kWh/night, pay according to the rules; do not use ‘secret’ sockets.
• Safety. Place the cable at the crossing under a mat/bridge, not in a puddle. No “tees” or ‘coils’ of cable on a live reel.
• Signal to neighbours. Leave an ‘EV card’ with your number in the window if you are ready to move your car (you can ask your host for one).