How to Plan a Successful Electric Vehicle Road Trip
Every great adventure begins with the desire to experience something new, and a smooth adventure springs from proper planning.
Before leaving the kitchen table, we mapped out our first 250-mile EV road trip route and identified all potential charging stops. On the highway, we followed our plan, stuck to the speed limit and made sure to leave charging stations tidy for others.
With just a bit of preparation and a few simple habits, our weekend was easy, fun, and free from charger worries!
Follow our electric vehicle road trip planning process for a smooth and stress-free journey. Enjoy unforgettable memories along The Great American Electric Highway!!
At a Glance: Successful Electric Vehicle Road Trip Planning
Choose a Destination
Gather the Goods
Create Your Magic Atlas
Check Your Math
Explore the Electric Highway
OVERALL RATING: 5/5 stars
Select Your EV Road Trip Destination
For our first electric vehicle road trip, we decided to drive from Central Missouri to Bentonville, Arkansas - a 258-mile journey.
At that point, we had owned our 2022 Kia EV6 for eight months, and our longest trip had been a 112-mile, one-way Interstate 70 drive to St. Louis, Missouri. This involved driving out of our way to the reliable Electrify America charger in St. Charles, Missouri. Then loop back around to re-charge before returning home.
The first electric car road trip should be an easy experience pushing beyond our comfort zone while not feeling like a mad dash to Spring Break—we want to enjoy our trip, stopping and stretching every few hours keeps us in good spirits.
Procure Your EV Road Trip Planning Materials
I’m a visual person; I enjoy holding an atlas and getting a bird’s-eye view of where I am and where I plan to drive. Cheryl appreciates using the atlas to follow our journey and explore the surrounding areas. This straightforward process allows us to visualize and plan electric vehicle road trips ranging from three days to three weeks.
To make electric car road trip planning more visual, we use these two old school items alongside a modern smart phone app.
The Rand McNally Easy to Read Road Atlas is an easy-to-read, spiral bound book allowing us to lay the map flat for easier reading and orientation. The larger maps are espcially helpful for marking public electric vehicle chargers.
The Avery See-Through Color-Coding Removable Labels are translucent, making it easy to read the map through the quarter inch dots. Four different colors let me label various public charging providers for quick visual reference.
Now to use something modern, the PlugShare App on a smartphone locates national electric vehicle charging network stations. User reviews rate the reliability of charging stations and provide a space for the users to share information about each charge site.
Read on to discover an easy and straightforward way to plot public electric vehicle chargers and plan your EV road trip.
Transform Your Road Atlas into a Magic Map
To plan the drive to Bentonville, Arkansas, I opened my Rand McNally Easy to Read Road Atlas to southwest Missouri, logged into the PlugShare App, and set my charger network filter to Electrify America and ChargePoint - in January 2023, these were the most prolific electric vehicle chargers in Missouri and northern Arkansas.
Electric Car Road Trip Planning involves reviewing the selected route on the ChargePoint app and marking the public chargers on the Atlas.
I use green dots to represent Electrify America charging stations and red dots for ChargePoint charging stations. Each company’s primary color matches the dot, making it easy to identify the brand. Blue dots mark all other public charging stations, while yellow dots represent level 2 charging stops.
When marking large metropolitan areas, I don’t label every public charging station. Instead, I focus on stations near interstates or primary state highways, knowing that larger cities typically have multiple, if not dozens, of public charging stations. Once I’m in the area, I use the PlugShare app to narrow down which station to recharge my electric car.
Combining the ChargePoint app with the atlas, Cheryl and I can plan our next EV road trip destination and trace a route offering the best charging opportunities. Bringing the atlas on our EV road trip gives us the flexibility to make changes as we identify additional points of interest.
Checking My Math
After marking the charger locations on our atlas, I wanted to check the distances between charging stops.
At 100% charge our 2022 Kia EV6 is rated (on Mars) for 274 miles of range, while an 80% charge provides between 170 and 210 miles of range.
As a nervous newbie, I aimed to maximize battery health by limiting charges to 80% and keep my charging stops within 125 miles.
Google makes this easy - simply asking, “How far is it from Lebanon, Missouri, to Mount Vernon, Missouri?” quickly revealed that the drive was 85 miles, confirming I wasn’t exceeding my self-imposed limit.
Caution: The PlugShare app will show you the distance to the selected charger; however, this measurement is only accurate as the crow flies. Use a navigation system for precise mileage.
The Wind in My Hair and My Finger on the App(las)
Okay, prep work completed, the car packed, and the big day has arrived.
Using Apple CarPlay to navigate to the next public electric vehicle charging station.
I start every EV road trip by pulling up the first selected public charging station in PlugShare. This app provides current reliability ratings and any relevant updates or status information.
Tapping on the Charging Station box brings up more details.
I then click on the directions box located below the address and select Apple Maps (or Google Maps, if that’s your preference—do your thing).
The selected navigation system guides you to the electric vehicle recharge station.
After charging at the selected destination, I repeat the process for the next public charger. This step confirms the distance to the next charger and helps locate it upon arrival. Do it twice, and it becomes second nature.
Birds Eye Review
So, there you have it—a simple and straightforward way to map out and plan an electric car road trip. The best part? Every time we plan a new trip, I simply apply the dots for public electric charging stations, and I never have to repeat this process.
I’ve now mapped out most of the Central and Western United States, providing a handy reference for future adventures.
Select your road trip destination
Use the PlugShare app to locate public electric chargers and apply Avery See-Through Color-Coding Removable Labels to your Rand McNally Easy to Read Road Atlas
Choose your desired route based on electric vehicle charger locations
Verify the miles between chargers to stay within your comfortable range
Use the PlugShare app to link your preferred navigation program and guide you to the next public charging station
Enjoy your excursion with this helpful information
Quick Interruption: There is another app called A Better Route Planner that uses your electric vehicle’s make and model information to automatically map out a cross-country trip, including recommended charging stops. I’ve programmed a few electric car road trips into the app, but I haven’t used this to take an EV road trip. My wife prefers an atlas and I’m not a fan of surrendering route control, so we stick with the flexibility an app simply does not offer. Thus, we utilize the method described in this post.
You’ve Got This
If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, don’t worry — you’re not alone. It’s completely normal for first-time EV road trippers to feel a bit nervous.
I am sure that I stared at the battery gauge more than the highway on my first road trip. But after my second road trip - well now I do not want to travel any other way.
The first time might feel intimidating, but it’s also full of excitement — get out there and embrace The Great American Electric Highway!!
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