My Enyaq: across Europe in an electric car

He enjoys peaceful travel that allows him to discover places most tourists simply pass by. IT entrepreneur Zbyněk Čech has literally driven around Europe in his Škoda Enyaq—and says he would not want to travel any other way than by electric car.

15. 1. 2026 Škoda World

When Zbyněk Čech purchased his new Enyaq 80x Founders Edition in 2022, his familiarisation with his first electric vehicle didn’t take long. “I picked up the car in March, and by June I was heading out on a family road trip to Poland,” he recalls. From a small village in northeastern Bohemia, he drove all the way to the northern edge of Poland, to the town of Hel. “On that very first trip I realised I was going to enjoy this way of travelling,” he says.

During his family’s leisurely “wandering” across Poland, he covered a total of 2,500 kilometres—quite an atypical distance for novice electric car drivers. Yet no major preparation was required; even back then, Poland already had a relatively dense charging network that made the trip comfortable. The experience encouraged Zbyněk to take on a bigger challenge, and so in September and October of the same year, he set off from home toward Crete in his Enyaq.

He approached the journey as an opportunity to explore the Balkans. From the Czech Republic, he travelled through Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria, then across Greece and by ferry to Crete. On the way back, he literally criss-crossed Greece, explored Bulgaria—especially the Sunny Beach region—and on his route through Romania, he made sure not to miss the renowned Transfăgărășan Highway. In total, he covered nearly 8,500 electric kilometres during the entire trip.

“It may not seem like it now, but in 2022 the charging networks in several of the countries I visited were still in their infancy,” says Zbyněk. On Crete, for example, there were only four public DC chargers available at the time, each offering a maximum output of 50 kW. On the other hand, he was pleasantly surprised by the charging infrastructure in Bulgaria even then.

“For peace of mind, I equipped myself with apps and authentication for virtually every local charging provider, so besides PowerPass, I had around 15 more apps. In reality, even then fewer would have been enough—and today, with minor exceptions, PowerPass alone is perfectly sufficient,” says Zbyněk, comparing the availability of services.

I wouldn’t want it any other way

In everyday use, he says charging is something he hardly thinks about. “I cover the vast majority of my driving using home or office charging,” he explains. On his long journeys—whether travelling alone, with family, or with friends—he chooses accommodation that offers charging. He also charges the car during visits to historic city centres or simply when stopping for lunch and the like.

“When you’re travelling with kids, you need breaks far more often and far longer than what the car requires for charging,” he adds. “On a recent trip to Italy, during which we again drove around 8,000 kilometres, we only had to stop specifically for charging—without having any other reason to stop—maybe three times,” Zbyněk recalls.

Enyaq 80x Founders Edition

Zbyněk Čech drives an Enyaq 80x Founders Edition, equipped with all-wheel drive and a 77 kWh usable battery that supports a maximum DC charging power of 125 kW. The car produces 195 kW and offers a WLTP range of 460 km on a single charge. The Founders Edition features special equipment such as 21-inch Aquarius wheels, the Crystal Face illuminated grille, and an EcoSuite interior with cognac-coloured leather tanned using an eco-friendly olive leaf extract process. Only 1,895 units were produced, referencing the founding year of the Mladá Boleslav-based car manufacturer.

Traveling by electric car has become a highly convenient and natural part of his life. “I've gotten incredibly used to charging my car at home and at the office. It means I always set off with a full battery. I never get into the car only to realise I need to find a petrol station first,” he explains. He also highlights the advantage of preheating or precooling the car before departure—a feature he uses regularly, even when the car is not plugged in. “I simply wouldn’t want to go back,” he adds.

The Enyaq itself is a very comfortable car. “The chassis is beautifully tuned, and the seats suit me perfectly. Nothing hurts, even after a whole day behind the wheel,” says the sturdy-built driver. And those aren’t the vehicle’s only strengths. “The biggest advantage for me is the quietness,” he notes. “The car is exceptionally well soundproofed—even compared to its competitors.” And this is his impression of a pre-facelift version; the updated version of the model boasts even more refined aerodynamics and other improvements that further enhance the quietness on board.

Traditional practicality

From a user’s perspective, Zbyněk praises the car’s head-up display as well as Škoda’s well-known Simply Clever features. “On long trips, people really appreciate the smart headrests in the rear seats and the fold-out side supports that make resting in the car easier,” says Zbyněk.

He also values the integrated umbrella, the organisation system in the boot, and the car’s overall spaciousness. “The Enyaq even has generous storage space beneath the luggage floor. That’s where I keep charging cables that I rarely use but want to have with me. The only drawback is that if the car is fully loaded, you have to unload everything first to reach them—so a small front luggage compartment for cables would be useful,” he explains.

Zbyněk’s Enyaq undertakes one or two major trips a year, while most of its mileage comes from everyday use around his home region and on his regular drives to his company’s office in Prague. This 150 km one-way journey is one he makes at least once a week, and he appreciates the vehicle’s driver-assistance systems. “They work well and don’t overreact. The lane-keeping system performs reliably even on narrow roads,” says Zbyněk.

He also highlights the adaptive cruise control and the overall TravelAssist package. “I like how efficiently it follows the car in front and how smoothly it slows down, for example, when approaching corners—depending on the chosen driving mode. And after exiting a corner, it accelerates nicely and doesn´t dawdle,” he describes his experience. He therefore keeps the suite of assistance systems activated most of the time.

Updates bring progress

Over more than three years of ownership, he has also appreciated the updates received by the car and its onboard systems. “Since software version 3.0, the navigation has become truly smart and provides excellent data on chargers, including their real-time status and occupancy. It clearly shows which chargers are part of the PowerPass network,” he says, adding that this information is often missing or difficult to access in competing vehicles.

Zbyněk and his family have driven nearly 100,000 kilometres in their Enyaq within three years. “And I have other cars available,” he notes. Even when factoring in occasional use of public charging, which accounts for only a small portion of overall energy consumption, he has saved roughly a quarter of a million Czech crowns in fuel costs. During his Balkan road trip, the car consumed 19.2 kWh per 100 km; since then, his long-term average is around 21 kWh/100 km, with highway driving making up about half of his mileage.

“Travelling by electric car genuinely brings me joy—the Enyaq is versatile, comfortable, and something I know I can rely on,” says Zbyněk Čech, summarizing his experience with the car in a single sentence.

Charging tips from Zbyněk Čech

● The ideal solution is home charging using electricity from a solar installation. The comfort of always setting off with a full battery is unbeatable.
● The built-in navigation is excellent for locating chargers and seeing their real-time status.
● In most cases, you can comfortably rely on the PowerPass service.
● Real-world charging power may differ from the rated value—due to factors such as voltage limits or power sharing between multiple connected vehicles. Ionity chargers provide ample reserves for fast charging an Enyaq even under these conditions.
● AC chargers in city centres are perfectly suitable for topping up while sightseeing or shopping.