It is becoming easier to take your electric car on a road trip as new models come onto the market, driving ranges expand and electric vehicle technology continues to improve.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles run on both electricity and gas and have a longer range than fully electric cars. Plug-in hybrids have a range of 20-80 km when fully charged and about 500 km of range when using gas. Fully electric vehicles run only on electricity and most have a range of 200-250 km, while some can drive up to 400 km on a single charge.
If you make sure to plan for keeping your battery charged, even your fully electric car can go on a long road trip.
Go to cities because urban areas have more charging stations. More are being added and there are many of them in cities from coast to coast.
A map of charging stations across North America is available at plugshare.com. Plan your route so that a charging station is always nearby.
Make sure to plan for the unexpected, such as delays due to weather or traffic, and have a backup plan in place in case you do not make it to the charging station you had in mind.
Stay away during popular charging times to avoid waiting in line.
Driving long distances in an electric vehicle will add to your travel time because of the time it takes to charge your battery at each stop. Turn this into a positive by getting the know the area you are in and finding activities to do while your car charges.
If you do not make it to a charging station or want to save time the next day, plug your car in overnight and you should get a full charge by morning.
Electric car batteries charge the fastest when they are between 20% and 80% full.
Pushing your luck with the battery is not a good idea in case it runs out before you expect it to. If you are driving a fully electric car and your battery dies, recharging it is not as easy as walking to the nearest gas station.
Make charging easier for other drivers.
Temperature, weather, and altitude will affect your range, so keep this in mind when planning charging stops and make sure to have a buffer by not letting your battery empty completely.
Changing a few things about the way you drive can give you more driving time per charge.
Make sure you do basic maintenance on your car before going on a road trip or take your electric car to the shop so a mechanic can do it for you. Things to check include tires, the battery, fluids, lights, brakes, windshield wipers and lights.
We can finally start looking forward to spring and summer road trips and having an easier ti…
Electric cars are growing in popularity. Just like conventional cars, there are pros and con…
Western Coast Insurance Services Ltd. is a wholly-owned division of Western Financial Group Ltd. Insurance products are underwritten by certain licensed insurance companies and are only available throughout British Columbia, Canada.
Copyright 2023
