EV charging can be a wild west at the moment, especially if you aren’t adequately prepared. Although charging EVs during trips covering long distances can be hard, it’s not impossible. The first, and arguably most important rule to EV travel, is adequate preparation.
Proper planning is key to electric vehicle travel, especially over long distances. Unfortunately, the United States doesn’t have the kind of public charging infrastructure that would allow spontaneous travel. This means figuring out how long your EV range will last and planning your route to ensure there are enough charging stations along the way to keep you charged.
You can use your car’s route planner or app to figure out how long you can travel before you have to charge. Once you figure that out, you will want to download the app of the company running the charging stations and create an account.
Practice proper charging etiquette. Most EV drivers who have used public chargers can attest to how other drivers can make the experience unpleasant. Line cutting, stealing spots from drivers who were there before you, pulling up to spots adjacent to chargers, and “stealing” the charger from drivers parked in the right spot is not uncommon at public charging stations.
Take note of the other drivers already present at charging stations when you arrive to figure out who is waiting for the available charger. If you talk to the other drivers, you may be lucky enough to find one willing to let you take their spot.
Learn as much as you can about your car and EV chargers. Different charging stations will likely have several types of plugs and will charge customers varying rates. Make sure you know your vehicle’s optimal wattage to optimize the charging experience. Newer EVs can gain up to 80% of charge in half an hour on a 350kW charger while older models can only handle 50kW chargers and take longer to fill up.
Figure out how to park at the charging station to ensure easy access to the charger for you and other drivers as well. Furthermore, you should know how the charging stations at your route operate, including the payment mode they accept and their operation hours.
Don’t charge your EV to capacity. Fast chargers generally fill the battery to 80% at high speeds before throttling down the charging speed to avoid damaging the batteries. As such, it could take you a while to fill up the remaining 20%. Depending on your EV model, it can take you an additional 30–40 minutes to charge the EV to full capacity.
Get out of the car while it’s charging. Did you know that vehicle climate controls can consume up to 15% of your battery range. As much as you may want to avoid the summer heat in your air-conditioned car, doing so will extend the time it takes to charge your car and keep other drivers waiting for longer. Wait at a nearby restaurant or store and disconnect your EV from the charger once it reaches 80%.
As more companies such as ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp. Ltd. (NASDAQ: SOLO) bring more EV models onto the market, the need to implement the rules above will become even greater so that everyone who needs to charge while on the road can do so with the least degree of inconvenience.
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