In 2021, Alicia Sornosa feared that her summer might become boring.
The Covid-19 crisis threatened travel possibilities. PCR tests would become part of everyday life, and there were economic challenges in embarking on a plane as well.
But things started to change when she received an email from the Swiss tourism office. “They wanted me to get to know their country, their mountains, and culture through a 3,000 km route: the Grand Tour of Switzerland, and share it with all of you,” she recalls in her conversation with Mobility Portal.
She wouldn’t use trains, planes, or cars. Two wheels would be the star of this journey, and to make it a true challenge, it would be aboard an electric motorcycle.
The organization picked up pace, defined dates and itineraries, and in the midst of it all, Zero Motorcycles, known as the “Teslas of electric motorcycles,” joined the trip.
Once the Zero SR/F was ready, the electrified journey began.
The first challenge was crossing Spain and France, which still didn’t have a large number of charging points.
“The range was about 240 km. At the beginning, the outbound trip was more complicated, but on the way back, I knew all the tricks, and it was much simpler,” she assures in this regard.
Some funny things happened along the way, like finding themselves near Zaragoza at a lost charger, and to their surprise, with the driver of a plug-in hybrid showing them the number of apps (over 6) he had to find the desired charging points.
“I felt a mix of fear and relief! If he needed so many apps, the task wouldn’t be easy…”
The challenges of Spanish and French routes were over, and in Switzerland, the situation changed.
There was a wider availability of charging points, and with less anxiety, they enjoyed things differently.
“It was a lot of fun arriving at the hotels I chose because they had chargers,” she recalls.
She adds, “On more than one occasion, I had to ask for permission to run a cable from the hotel room window to the street where the motorcycle was parked to charge it overnight.”
But the challenges weren’t just about how to power the batteries but also the use of the motorcycle. On one of the 17 days, they had to take a highway, and it was “torture.”
According to Sornosa, she had to travel at 80 kilometers per hour to save the battery, and it even became “dangerous.”
Bad weather was also present. “One day, when we were on the Furkapass and had to reach Lugano, we got caught in a fog bank that turned into very unpleasant heavy rain,” she expresses.
The journey was completed, but the electric motorcycles were pushed to their limits: they reached their destination with the red lights on and only three kilometers of range left.
The engine of her experience
Alisa Sornosa explains that her main motivation for undertaking this journey was the desire to challenge herself, acquire new knowledge, and gain experiences.
Additionally, she felt it was necessary to break through established barriers and become an example for other women who could be inspired by her story.
“I would recommend doing this type of journey to my colleagues, friends, and family. You experience the journey in a different way, enjoy the road, and have time to visit places while charging the motorcycle,” she comments to this media outlet.
What are Alicia Sornosa’s new adventures?
The journalist and traveler takes on the challenge of driving an electric car daily without having a private parking space and a dedicated charger.
A achievable challenge that she showcases every day on her social media.
An Opel Mokka, Endesa X Way, and Alicia Sornosa star in this story.
Today, she puts aside her passion for two wheels for a while and takes on the challenge of debunking myths about electric mobility.
What is the real challenge?
“To do it without having a private parking space with a charging point,” the traveler admits in contact with Portal Movilidad España.
In major Spanish cities, such as Madrid, more than 70% of cars sleep on the street.
And this represents one of the main fears of the public when it comes to electromobility.
But for Endesa X Way and Alicia Sornosa, this is not really an obstacle.
“I have started the experience a few weeks ago, and the truth is that it has been easier than I thought,” the traveler acknowledges.
In the last four years, the deployment of charging areas has grown across Spain.
Particularly, the energy company that invited her to take on the experience has made a great effort to install points throughout the country.
Currently, it has the most extensive network of public access charging points in Spain, with around 4,000 deployed.
Moreover, it is one of the most powerful networks.
45% of the chargers are in direct current and exceed 50 kW, compared to an average of 15/20% of the installed charging points in Spain.
In 2012, the company began deploying ultra-fast charging stations with capacities ranging from 150 kW to 350 kW, and today there are over 300 of these stations throughout the country.
Beyond Endesa’s exclusive offering, Alicia Sornosa acknowledges:
“Nowadays, all hotels, major supermarkets, and shopping centers have chargers that one can use. You can have a coffee and leave your car charging or do some shopping while the battery is being replenished.”
