Embarking on a road trip adventure is a thrilling way to sightsee and explore wonderful new places. It allows you to travel at your own pace and enjoy sights from the ground that you may otherwise miss from your typical bus or aeroplane route.
That said, planning the perfect road trip isn’t exactly a walk in the park. It requires a methodical and careful approach if you want to make the most of it—especially if you’re traversing through new and unfamiliar territory.
This is especially true if your main mode of transport is an electric vehicle, which requires a distinct refuelling mechanism that’s not as abundant as gas car-centric service stations. You’ll need to plan your charging times strategically to ensure that your EV road trip goes without a hitch.
If you want to make the most out of your road trip with your electric vehicle, you’re in the right place. We’ll lay down some useful tips and tricks for charging your vehicle and maximising your road trip.
Let’s jump straight into it!
- Know Your Car Model and Range
First, familiarise yourself with your car before setting out on an extended road trip. If you’ve just recently acquired the vehicle, go on a test drive with it within the city or town and know how it feels behind the wheel.
Some critical factors to consider are its range, load, and ability to navigate different terrain and weather conditions. That said, the range is by far the most crucial factor as it dictates how much kilometres the car can cover before it’s emptied out.
In many cases, the advertised range and the actual range don’t match, so test your vehicle out beforehand to get a clear picture of its capabilities. This way, you can plan your road trip and eventual pit stops more smoothly.
- Map Out Your Route
It’s vital to know and highlight the landmarks you’re planning to visit on a given day, as well as your start and end point. This is to ensure that you don’t fall behind schedule or needlessly rush through an attraction, which can be an added source of stress.
Your travel pace is ultimately up to you, but for EV owners, it’s essential to keep your vehicle’s range into account and plan charging station stops in between your travels if you’re planning an extensive and multi-day road trip.
If you’re driving across a country like mainland Australia, then you can rely on apps that show the real-time availability of public chargers. These apps can help you plan out your stops efficiently, especially if you’re travelling away from towns and cities and deeper into remote countries like the Outback.
By planning your route, you’ll feel less range anxiety and general anxiety during your trip as your electric vehicle’s power source is taken into account. This, in turn, gives you the mental headspace to enjoy your trip without fearing unexpected fuel stops.
- Look at Pertinent Charging Station Details
You wouldn’t want to drive into a public charging hub only to find that the charging stations are all occupied or are too slow for your needs. This is especially true if your EV’s battery is at its wit’s end.
To prevent this from happening, having an app like PlugShare or ChargePoint around can prove useful thanks to its real-time availability features for public charging hubs.
Besides knowing whether a public charging spot is in use or not, these apps also show the type of charge you can get from the charging station at a particular location—either a Level 1, Level 2, or a DC charger.
By doing this, you’ll have peace of mind knowing what to expect as you enter a charging location.
- Plan Charging Times Strategically
Another useful tip to consider is to time your charging hours efficiently.
Knowing the charger type en route to your location allows you to pre-plan your charging time to naturally coincide with your break time.
For instance, if only slower charger types are available along your route, you can plan that particular stop as the place where you’ll stay overnight—allowing for more efficient traveling.
You can also choose to make a detour along your route to access a faster charging station if you prepare a speedy charging time.
Conversely, if you want to secure charging availability, you can stay in one of many hotel chains that have EV charging facilities during your road trip, such as Marriott or Hilton.
The way you want to charge your vehicle ultimately is up to you. Regardless, by planning it ahead of time, you can have peace of mind knowing that you’ll have a guaranteed charging stop during your road trip.
- Utilise Insurance Benefits
Some insurance policies, like ROLLiN’s EV insurance, give users perks that can be useful on planned road trips.
For instance, an EV insurance policy can help you set up a home charging station at home at a reduced cost. This allows you to get out of your home at a full charge from the get-go, enabling you to prepare for your road trip more readily.
Furthermore, an EV insurance policy can also cover vehicle repairs if your car gets damaged during charging in public areas (or any other incident, depending on the coverage). This can help you financially as EV repairs tend to cost more than gas car repairs due to part rarity.
That said, you can only access these perks if your contract has stated that these are part of your coverage. So be sure to contact your insurer and arrange an agreement to grant you access to these coverage options. You can even consider bundling insurance policies together like travel insurance and car insurance to save on costs.
- Pack Charging Accessories
You should always be prepared for worst-case scenarios, like a potential plug mismatch when you swing by your charging station. In such cases, having EV charging gear can be useful.
What to pack? Well, an array of accessories like adapters, extension cords, and backup charging cables can help you out in a pinch when unforeseen events happen during your trip.
Some charging accessories are also generally convenient to have around as an electric vehicle owner. For instance, a CCS adapter can help your EV benefit from fast charging mechanisms, which can help you in rural areas with few amenities around.
- Uphold Battery-Saving Driving Habits
The way you drive can influence your car’s battery consumption. And when you’re out on rural country, every bit of battery counts.
There are some habits you can uphold to help conserve battery while driving an electric vehicle. One way is by maintaining a consistent and moderate speed as much as possible—about 80 kilometres per hour is a good upper bracket speed limit to hit.
If your EV has eco-driving modes, consider switching to that as well to extend your car’s range during long road trips.
You should avoid doing certain things as well, like braking your car frequently. Use your vehicle’s regenerative braking feature to keep your car’s range at healthy levels for longer.
By being a more conscious driver, you don’t have to worry about underestimating your battery consumption during your trip—enabling everything to proceed smoothly.
- Watch Weather and Road Conditions
The weather can heavily influence your car’s ability to cover long distances. Extreme temperatures on both ends can interfere with the battery and lower your car’s range by up to 30%.
As such, be sure to check the weather conditions along your route beforehand and factor that in when planning your road trip. Try to take detours or time stops to minimise your driving time during poor weather conditions.
Furthermore, consider the road conditions of the places you’re traversing through as well. Hilly conditions with steep inclines can wipe your battery life faster than driving in flatter conditions. As such, be sure to factor these conditions in to ensure that you don’t underestimate your actual range during the road trip.
As I said, embarking on a road trip adventure is a thrilling way to sightsee and explore wonderful new places. It allows you to travel at your own pace and enjoy sights from the ground that you may otherwise miss from your typical bus or aeroplane route. If you don’t have a car yet, consider options like car loans for bad credit to support this adventure.
Best of luck with your upcoming road trip journey!
