This article is reprinted with permission from NerdWallet.
While the first electric vehicles were great for commuting, they kept their limited range – about 100 miles for a fee – close to home. Now, a record number of new electric cars are arriving with larger batteries and quick charge ports that allow EV drivers to broaden their horizons.
“When you see the abundance of charging stations, the fear of road trips in an electric car diminishes,” says Dave Nichols, editor at GreenCars.com, which offers information and shopping tips for hybrid and electric cars.
See: Electric vehicles catch on – registrations rose 95% in early 2021
After feeling a bit in cabin fever after months of protection, I decided to drive my new 2021 Hyundai HYMTF, -0.70% Kona EV, to Buellton, California, about 160 miles from my Los area home Angeles away. I knew my car needed to be charged with a range of 258 miles for the tour, and I wanted to see firsthand if broken or overcrowded chargers or other unexpected issues would slow me down.
Choose a paid route
Nichols points out that most EVs have a charging station finder in their infotainment systems. He also recommends downloading a charging network app such as PlugShare, which displays stations across the country.
You can use filters to search for different types of chargers:
- Level 2 chargers. This is the most common type of publicly available charger that is sometimes available for free in shopping malls and government buildings. However, according to the Department of Energy, they only offer a range of up to 20 miles for an hour of charging.
- DC fast chargers. If you want to quickly charge or extend your range, these 440 volt chargers are the fastest way to refuel, offering a range of 60 to 130 miles in an hour.
Bob Sykes, a retired video producer, says finding quick chargers is “the key to an electric car road trip.” While driving his Chevrolet Bolt from the Los Angeles area to Monterey, California, about 370 miles, “we stopped for lunch or coffee, joined us, and was charged 75% when we were done.”
I saw on PlugShare that a hotel in Buellton had two chargers, so I booked a room there and headed out.
Connected: The cheapest and most expensive states to drive an electric car
Know your limits before you go
The dashboard in an electric vehicle clearly shows the estimated range so you don’t get caught with a dead battery. However, the actual range depends on several factors, such as whether you are using the car’s heating or air conditioning and how fast you are driving.
If you are new to the world of electric cars, it is a good idea to calibrate your car’s range. View the estimated range, drive a known distance, and then measure the remaining range.
And anyway, it’s a good idea to get to know your car a little better before venturing into the distance. You may find that you enjoy an electric car more than a gasoline car.
“They’re upbeat,” notes Sykes. And quiet: the only noise at high speed is the wind and tire noise. And with the heavy batteries that are typically located under or deep in the vehicle, a larger SUV also hugs the road.
Found a charger, but can you connect?
The Department of Energy estimates there are 43,000 public charging points for electric vehicles in the US, but President Joe Biden plans to build a national network of 500,000. There is still some legwork to do before that day.
That is, unless you drive a Tesla. TSLA, + 2.21% The manufacturer has set up a network of more than 2,500 fast charging stations, which are only available to Tesla customers.
Other brands of drivers will encounter EV charging especially in rural areas.
While I was checking in, the front desk clerk confirmed that there were charging points. “But they’re kind of blotchy,” she said apologetically. In fact, I found her in a far corner of the parking lot, covered in dust.
But after scanning the QR code and downloading the app, I was able to successfully connect – for free, worth about $ 30, which saves me paying $ 4.25 per gallon, the same distance to drive. In the morning I had a full load, more than enough to do some sightseeing on the way home.
See: Curious About Electric Vehicles? Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about electric cars
These issues that you’re so worried about
Here are a few problems you might encounter and how to deal with them.
- Chargers in use. Unfortunately you cannot reserve a charger. To avoid keeping all chargers busy, choose an area with multiple charging stations. Use an app like PlugShare to find out when the chargers are busy and see what other users have reported. When all of the charging stations are occupied, look for notices on the windshields. Some EV owners leave their cell phone numbers so you can call them and ask them to unplug them.
- Connection problems. Create an account in advance for the most popular paid charging services that offer fast chargers, such as ChargePoint and EVgo. Before going on a road trip, find a local charger and do a test run to make sure you can connect quickly.
- Power outages. There is little you can do. However, if you still have enough range to get out of the area, you might find something that works a few miles away. And keep in mind that a power outage would affect most gas stations as well.
- Run on empty. It is unlikely that the power will run out unexpectedly as there are multiple warning lights and messages beforehand. In addition, many electric vehicles have a “limp home mode”, which conserves the reserves of your battery so that you can slowly drive to a charging station.
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Philip Reed writes for NerdWallet. Email: article@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @AutoReed.
