Since my first successful EV road trip in 2020 to Colorado, I have made several more long-distance trips powered by electricity. None of the recent trips were quite as far, and all went smoothly. To be prepared, I did some advance planning, identifying charging stations at our destination and along the route. Here are some updates and mistakes made from the recent road trips.

EV Road Trip tips and mistakes to avoid:

1. Don’t drive over 70 mph. Higher speeds will deplete your battery faster and require you to make more charging stops.
2. Charge fully before leaving. I set scheduled charging, so my battery wouldn’t sit at 100% too long, but didn’t do it correctly. Be sure that you don’t make the same mistake, and that you leave with a full battery.
3. Charge up to 80% along the way at Level 3 fast chargers. The last 20% of charging takes a long time, so your trip will be faster if you charge up to 80%, even if you have to stop more often. It’s also rude to charge fully when others are waiting to use the chargers.
4. If you have access to a charger at your destination, or can plug into an outlet, try to charge to 100% for your departure. Bring a charging cable that you can plug in to an outlet at your destination, in case there isn’t a charger available.
5. Know what charge your car is capable of accepting. Some stations have 150 kw and 350 kw stations. If your car cannot accept the higher level of charge, try to use one of the other chargers so that those capable of the faster speed can use that charger.
6. If there are 2 cables at a charger and there are several available, try to use one at a charger that is not in use. Using both cables on one charger will slow the electricity going to both cars.

For a more detailed description of my first EV Road trip, click here.