plan ev road trip

Electric Vehicle Trip Planner

Plan your next electric vehicle road trip and choose from more than 30,000 charging stations in Roadtrippers.

Select the Auto & RV Services category.

Click Filters and then select EV Charging.

Start planning your trip.

Choose a destination and then add charging stations along with your favorite road trip stops.

Start planning your trip

Classic American Road Trips

Explore the country in your electric vehicle. Here’s some of our favorite trips. Save them to your profile and start adding charging stations along your route.

A Highway 1 road trip along California’s Central Coast

The top things to do on a Route 66 road trip

The top things to do on an East Coast road trip

The top things to do on a Blue Ridge Parkway road trip

Get ready to hit the road.

Can you take a road trip in an electric vehicle?

Road trip tips: How to prepare for the road with snacks, apps, and entertainment

How to plan a road trip: 5 steps to get you ready to hit the road

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Electric Vehicle Trip Planner

Easily find all the EV charging stations available along your route in North America.

To learn more about the different types of charging stations and how to charge before planning your trip, check out our guide on   ”How To Charge Your Electric Car With Charging Stations ” .

How To Use The EV Trip Planner?

To access the trip planner from the ChargeHub website, click on “Map”, in the top left corner of the navigation bar.

Once you are on the map page, you can open the trip planner panel by clicking the “Trip Planner” tab on the left side of the charging stations map page.

To enable the planner, click on the “OFF/ON” button so that it is "ON" . Note that at this point, you will have the option to select the unit of measurement by clicking on "KM" .

Once enabled the Trip Planner right sidebar will be displayed.

Enter Your Trip Details

Enter a “ Starting Point” and “ Destination” in the trip planner. It will suggest options based on what you input. Select the option you want, as shown in the following screenshot.

Now you have the option to choose how far away from your route you want the charging stations to be. Then click on "Find Routes". 

After clicking on “Find Routes” you will be asked to choose which route you prefer from the proposed routes as seen below, on the right panel of the Trip Planner :

Once you select a route, click on "Start Planning My Trip" and start adding charging stations to your itinerary, as explained in the following section "Add Charging Stops to your Itinerary".

Add Charging Stops to your Itinerary

At this point, you can add charging stations to your trip by zooming in on the map and clicking on map markers.

If you are planning to use the ChargeHub App to activate the station and pay , please make sure to select charging stations that have a golden thunderbolt in the center, as seen in the image below.

Only the charging stations that have a golden thunderbolt in the center are compatible with ChargeHub’s wallet app. You can pay for your charging sessions , across all available networks, at these charging stations, from within the app.

Once you have selected a charging station, all the information regarding the station will be displayed, on the right side of the screen.

Based on your EV and charging preferences, you can decide if the charging station meets your needs. If it does, add it to your trip by clicking "Add to trip".

NOTE: If you click on “See Complete Details” you will exit the trip planner and it will reset. In this case, you will need to start the whole Trip Planner process again from step one.

Once the charging station has been selected, it will be added to your trip as shown below.

If you need to add more charging stations, select and add as many as you need, by following the same process.

Save And Share Your EV Trip

Once you have finalized your itinerary you can: 

• Save your trip in your account for future reference
• Access your saved trips.

NOTE: To save and load a trip, you must be logged in to your  ChargeHub account.

Check out our other guides and resources on home charging

• A Beginner’s Guide to Electric Cars
• How to choose your charging station
• Top 9 most popular charging stations in 2024
• Incentives available in Canada for EV chargers
• Find the best EVSE solution according to your EV or PHEV

Browse the chargers on the ChargeHub Store

Find Public Charging Stations Near You

Plan your journey by electric car

The Chargemap route planner is here to help you plan the ideal trip that corresponds to your EV and preferences.

Download the Chargemap app for free on your mobile phone

Scores based on more than 45,000 ratings.

Hit the road in all peace of mind , Chargemap takes care of everything.

Indicate your departure point and destination, the battery level at the start of the journey and the level you want at the end of it, plus any midway stages.

Enter the EV you are taking on the journey.

Prioritise or limit a charging network, avoid tolls and motorways or log in a maximum speed to save on energy. The planner takes your charging preferences on board.

Chargemap automatically calculates your route and selects the charging stations that match up with the information you have logged in. You can also visualise your route directly: distance, overall travel time and the necessary charging stop(s) along the way.

Calculate your journey and come back to it whenever you want. Save time with the Save option for the route you have selected.

Access information about the charging station on the details screen and launch the navigation tool for your next charging stop on your favourite GPS app.

Where are you going?

What car model do you drive, you want to prioritise a charging network on your journey, enjoy the optimum route adapted to your needs, save your route, you're on your way.

Consult the charging stations in the vicinity

You want to see all the charging stations available along your route? Tap on the “Stations” button to find all the charging stations available in your vicinity.

Fine-tune your search for alternative stations

You want to take a charging break near a restaurant or go for a pub lunch? Click on the “Stations” icon then on the “Filter” cursor to fine-tune your charging preferences on your personalised route.

Adapt the Chargemap route to your needs and wishes.

You want to stay a little longer at a charging stop or set off again with a specific battery level.

When you reach a specific point along your way, you want to stop for longer to have a lunch break or take a stroll in the surrounding area. You can modify either the duration of your break, or the battery level you want before resuming your journey.

You need to charge near a specific location?

You want to profit from a charging stop to do a bit of sightseeing or go and see friends and family and so you are looking for a charging station in the vicinity. The route planner allows you to select an alternative charging station along the way.

Want to stop at a different charging station than the one selected?

With Chargemap, plan your ideal route by selecting the charging stations of your favourite networks. The tool automatically calculates a new route based on your preferences.

Electric vehicle charging, made easy

No need to juggle between different cards or applications, charge on most European charging networks with the Chargemap Pass.

The leading community of EV drivers in Europe is at your fingertips.

pierre-piet

"So helpful!"

"Chargemap is undeniably THE app to have when you drive an EV. It’s accurate and stuffed full of information. It really is the go-to app so you’re never left by the wayside! And all for free!"

Michel Barré

"Great app"

"Oh, so practical!"

"Practical"

"Crucial for every journey!"

Roberto Lerobi

"A must-have"

"One of the best apps when travelling by EV. For me, it’s the main app I use when driving long distances."

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The ultimate guide to road tripping with an electric car

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here .

The past couple of years have changed the travel world in many ways, but two things stand out to me: road trips and electric cars.

Early in the pandemic, we saw road trips take the spotlight during a coronavirus-fueled dip in air travel. Even after vaccines helped air travel rebound, many travelers still prefer to take the great American road trip when visiting national parks , cities and everywhere in between.

At the same time, more and more drivers are switching to electric cars, with adoption steadily rising both in the U.S. and abroad. This has become more prevalent as gas prices continue to rise due to world conflict and supply chain issues, and even rental car companies have begun to add EVs to their fleets.

Related: 5 lessons learned from taking a road trip in the age of coronavirus

After a summer of rental car road trips, I purchased a used 2016 BMW i3 in August 2020. It's a range-extended electric compact car, meaning that it also has a small gas motor that can charge the battery on the go. This, combined with the car being a hatchback, makes it — in my opinion — the ultimate road trip vehicle for those living in a major city like New York .

Since buying the i3, I've taken it on a couple of short trips. It's a different experience than road tripping with a gas car, and newcomers to the electric car world might be deterred if they don't know what to expect.

In this article, I'll share some tips I've picked up while on the road with my EV. I'll discuss everything from what to look for when buying an EV for road trips to how to find charging stations. I'll also share some trip-planning tips.

Let's dive (drive?) in!

For more curated TPG travel tips and recommendations delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our free daily newsletter .

Choosing an electric car for road trips

There are some important considerations if you're in the market for an electric car and plan on road tripping it. Here are some elements to examine as you go through the car buying process, such as car range and whether or not you should purchase a plug-in hybrid.

Related: Should I buy a used car instead of renting this summer?

Criteria for a road-trip capable electric car

It's important to look for a car that has appropriate range for the trips you plan to take. So, don't buy a car with an 80-mile range if you plan to take 500+ mile road trips regularly. That said, you don't need an ultra-long-range electric car for these trips. Something like the BMW i3 94ah has a 153-mile range which — if you don't mind making a few stops — can be a good bet for longer trips.

Consider a long-range Tesla or a Chevrolet Bolt if you want to avoid frequent charges. These cars have well over 200 miles of electric range. This means you're subject to less charging stops, but you'll generally spend more on the car. This is especially true on the used market where long-range cars tend to have a higher resale value.

In my opinion, road trippers should avoid cars like the Fiat 500e and the electric Mercedes-Benz B-Class. These cars have sub-100-mile electric range and don't offer a range extender option. That means you'll have to charge frequently on long trips. Further, these cars may not be able to handle longer trips that don't have chargers en route.

Related: The pros and cons of Amex's Auto Purchasing Program

Consider a plug-in hybrid or range-extended vehicle

Further, you may want to consider an electric car that's not fully electric. You have two options here: plug-in hybrids and range-extended electric vehicles. The former are essentially standard hybrid vehicles with larger batteries that can be charged externally. These cars generally have 15 to 50 miles of electric range and full-size gas tanks.

That said, these vehicles don't have a fully electric driving experience and don't generally offer fast charging options (more on that soon). I find these cars less fun to drive and — if you want to drive in electric mode — considerably more inconvenient to charge. At the same time, they can make great road-trip vehicles with a gas engine.

On the other hand, range-extended electric cars are fully electric vehicles with a small gas motor. This motor effectively charges the car's battery to provide additional range when driving long distances. My BMW i3 is equipped with the range extender option, and it's saved me on longer trips where I find myself far away from a public charger.

I prefer range-extended cars to plug-in hybrids since you always have the electric driving experience (think: immediate torque). Plus, these cars are usually equipped with fast charging and other EV-specific technology features.

Related: The best credit cards for purchasing a car

DC fast charging is key for a sane road trip

Here's a big one: only purchase a car with included DC fast charging if you plan on road tripping. More and more fast chargers are popping up around the country which can charge a vehicle — as in the case of the BMW i3 — to 80% in just 45 minutes. This is possible as fast chargers — commonly called Level 3 chargers — provide up to 250kW+ per hour.

On the other hand, a vehicle without this option can only use Level 2 public chargers, which charge at around 11kW per hour. This is still faster than plugging in at home but will take a ton of extra time to charge when on the go. Going back to the i3 example, it takes around three hours to charge from 0% to 80%.

This option is even more important when on long road trips. If you have to wait hours every time your vehicle runs low on battery, it will take you quite a long time to get to your destination. On the other hand, a 45-minute stop is enough time to grab lunch and set navigation to your next charge point or final destination.

Thankfully, almost all new fully electric vehicles and range-extended cars are equipped with fast charging. Some older electric cars don't have this option, though, so make sure to inquire about it before you go for a test drive. Some cars that aren't equipped with this feature include some 2014 and 2015 BMW i3s, all models of the Fiat 500e and some older Nissan Leafs.

Check battery degradation when buying a used car

Plan on buying used? Make sure to check the car's battery status before you buy. Like all batteries, the battery inside of an electric car will degrade over time. This is normal, but excessive degradation can make your road trip life difficult. You can usually check battery status on the car's infotainment system.

Thankfully, most electric cars have long battery warranties. For example, my used BMW i3 has a 100,000 mile/eight-year warranty on the battery, meaning I'm covered through 2024 on my 2016 model. According to BMW, a battery replacement can be authorized if a battery degrades 30% or more during the warranty period.

How to plan a road trip with an electric car

As discussed, road tripping with an electric car is different than with a gas car. It requires a bit more planning for pure electric vehicles which — while tedious — isn't too bad once you get the hang of it. Let's take a look at how I plan road trips in my electric car.

Plan your route around fast chargers and be mindful of range

First things first: You'll need to charge when out on the road, so you must plan your driving route around available public chargers located near highways, expressways or wherever else you're driving. You'll need to charge before your battery dies to avoid calling roadside assistance , but there's a bit more to it than this.

Unfortunately, electric car range is dynamic. You'll use more battery when accelerating quickly, going up hills and when using climate control. Always give yourself at least a 10% buffer when looking for chargers. This means that if you have a car with a 100-mile range, plan chargers that are no more than 90 miles apart.

Additionally, try and stick to fast chargers when you're on the road. This ensures that you're not stuck at a given charger for hours while waiting for your car to charge. Instead, you can plug in for 30 to 40 minutes and you're back on the road without issue.

You can plan your trips manually or use an app like PlugShare. I'll go in-depth on this app in the next section, but in short, it's a crowdsourced directory of all chargers available near your location. The app's built-in route planner can be a huge timesaver when mapping out long, multi-charge road trips.

Look for hotels with chargers

Another way to save time on charging is by staying at hotels that offer electric car charging in their parking lots or garages. These are becoming more and more common, and oftentimes charging is either free or included with the parking fee. These are generally Level 2 chargers, though, so they're best suited for charging overnight.

No charging at your hotel? Ask the hotel staff if they have an outdoor plug you can use. Most electric vehicles include a Level 1 wall charger that can be used with any standard wall socket. If the hotel is OK with it, this charger will slowly charge your vehicle overnight and give you at least enough power to make it to your next destination.

Related: 7 mistakes every road tripper makes at least once

Use these apps and charging networks to find public chargers

Now that you know how to plan a trip, let's take a look at the best way to find public chargers. As mentioned in the last section, several charging networks exist nationwide in the U.S. Some of these include ChargePoint and Electrify America. That said, there are many non-networked public chargers that you can find in parking garages and on city streets.

Here's a look at the apps and charging networks I use on electric car road trips. Before you head out on your first electric road trip, make sure to download these.

PlugShare for most public chargers

PlugShare is a community-powered electric charger app. You can use this app to view networked, non-networked and home chargers that are open to the public. Even better, you can sort chargers by speed, connector type and cost. This can be immensely helpful when trying to find a fast charger on a long trip.

Further, the app has a trip-planning feature that will help you find electric car charge points along a given route. Just enter your origin and destination and the app will show you all the chargers nearby. You can even input your car's range to plan your route around charging stops.

Tesla owners are also in luck with the ChargePoint app. It shows all Tesla Destination Chargers, SuperChargers and other compatible chargers on the map. Just toggle on the Tesla connector in the app and locations will appear on the map.

ChargePoint has chargers around the US

ChargePoint is one of the biggest electric car charging networks in the U.S., offering both Level 2 and Level 3 chargers in major cities and along some major highways. Many ChargePoint locations will show on the PlugShare app, but I recommend downloading both apps, as PlugShare will often miss specific chargers. Also, you can use the ChargePoint app to pay for charging at several charging locations.

One word of caution: The ChargePoint app sometimes shows chargers that aren't available for public use. This is especially the case here in New York where many city vehicles have transitioned to plug-in hybrids or full electric vehicles. Keep an eye out for this when looking for places to charge.

Electrify America for DC fast chargers near highways

In the Northeast, I almost exclusively use Electrify America chargers on road trips. The company has a huge network of fast chargers located both within cities and near major highways, usually located at Walmarts, Targets and other shopping centers. Pricing is pretty reasonable, too — it varies based on how fast you're able to charge and you can get a discount by signing up for a membership ($4 per month).

Using these chargers is remarkably simple. Just drive up, plug in your car and select the charger you're using on the Electrify America app to start charging. The charge fee is billed to your credit card after you're finished charging.

One downside to Electrify America, however, is that its stations can be unreliable. On a recent drive from Philadelphia to New York, I stopped at a charger only to find three of the four available chargers were out of service. The fourth charger was in use, so I called tech support who offered me a free fill-up at a nearby charger.

Earn bonus miles on electric car charging

Since you'll usually pay for charging when on the road, why not earn miles in the process? Most chargers do not code as travel, so you'll want to use a credit card that earns extra points on general spending . There's a variety of these cards on the market, and some of our favorites include:

• The Blue Business®️ Plus Credit Card from American Express (2 Membership Rewards points per dollar on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar, giving you a 4% return based on TPG's valuation )
• Chase Freedom Unlimited (1.5% cash back/1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar for a 3% return based on TPG's valuation )
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (2 miles per dollar on purchases, giving you a 2.8% return based on TPG's valuations )

If you're completing a credit card spending requirement , you may want to use it to pay for your charging. For example, I use my Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for charging so I can earn bonus Medallion Qualifying Miles to qualify for Delta elite status .

Related: Maximizing points and miles on summer road trips

Bottom line

Road tripping in an electric car is different from a road trip in a gasoline car, but it's still fun. In fact, I've often found that road trips are more enjoyable in my EV as I see new places I otherwise wouldn't. On top of this, money saved on gas can be used to stay in better hotels and eat at nicer restaurants. Sounds like a win-win to me.

I think the biggest takeaway is to always be mindful of your range. Planning your route along charge points and stopping to charge before you need to charge is key to an enjoyable and stress-free trip. If this isn't for you, consider a range-extended electric car or a plug-in hybrid for more flexibility.

Drive safe!

Feature photo by Andrew Kunesh/The Points Guy.

The Best 6 Apps for EV Route Planning

Planning a trip in your EV? Don't go without downloading one of these EV route planning apps.

If you're on a road trip in the US, you have access to over 100,000 gas stations across the country. That's more than double the number of public charging stations where you can charge an EV.

Because charging an EV takes longer than filling up a combustion car, you should know exactly where to find EV chargers along your route. For that, you need to use apps on your smartphone, so here are the best apps for EV route planning.

1. Tesla App

According to Statista , Tesla is the most popular EV brand in the world. If you drive a Tesla, you would be better suited to use its app for route planning because it grants you access to over 35,000 Superchargers across the country—this is the biggest EV charging network in North America.

Owners of non-Tesla EVs with the CCS charging connector can also use the Tesla app to access Tesla Magic Dock Superchargers, which you can find in a handful of locations in North America. Brands like Ford, Rivian, Polestar, Volvo, and GM announced their EVs will access the Tesla Supercharger network by early 2024, and they will be equipped with NACS ports and adapters. This means that if you’re driving a non-Tesla EV, you will have the privilege of having native access to Tesla Supercharger stations in North America.

But if you're driving a Tesla, you have the privilege to request roadside assistance and schedule service maintenance through the app. Another cool feature is being able to track your vehicle's location on your phone. If you're not a Tesla driver, you could use other apps to track your car .

Download: Tesla for Android | iOS (Free)

2. EV Hotels

If you want to sleep in a hotel and charge your vehicle overnight, the EV Hotels app can make it easier for you. Its map displays hotels that offer EV charging stations along your route. It also lets you know which levels of chargers are available in the hotels: standard, fast, or Superchargers.

If you can't find a hotel with EV chargers along your route, the app will recommend amenities with ample parking and chargers nearby. Subscribed members can reserve a hotel room and charging spot in advance and garner reward points in their favorite hotel brands across the country.

Download: EVHotels for iOS ($2.99)

3. A Better Route Planner

A Better Route Planner (ABRP) is available on the Google Play Store and App Store; you can also install it on your car's dashboard screen web browser. Unlike Tesla's app, which is limited to its Supercharger network, A Better Route Planner covers all the public EV chargers on your route. Better yet, you can connect it to your Tesla account to share your driving data to help improve accuracy.

If you're not driving a Tesla, you can include your car model details on the app to calculate your range, charging time, and energy consumption. Beyond that, the ABRP app also tells you the road conditions, wind, temperature, weather, and routes to avoid—basically, everything you need to know to plan your trip without any hiccups.

Download: A Better Route Planner for Android | iOS (Free)

4. PlugShare

PlugShare is one of the most popular EV route-planning apps. What makes it unique is that it doesn't require you to register an account to find nearby public EV chargers. However, if you set up an account, you can include your EV car model to predict your range and charging time accurately. The app will also tell you the compatible plugs for your EV at each charging station.

What's more, you can use the app to find locations with amenities lodging, dining, Wi-Fi, restrooms, valet parking, and shopping. The best part is that the PlugShare app is free and covers almost all countries worldwide.

One downside is that the Plugshare app doesn't automatically let you know which chargers are occupied. You have to manually check which charging stalls are free every time you’re approaching a charging stop.

Download: PlugShare app for Android | iOS (Free)

5. Charge Point

If you hate driving to a station and finding a charger you thought was available is occupied, the ChargePoint app can solve that problem. If a charging station is busy, the app will notify you using a blue pin, and if a charger is available, you will see a location with a green pin on the app.

Before using a charging station, you can use the app to calculate how much you will spend to top up your EV. It also lets you know the charging status of your EV and the estimated charging time.

Besides that, you can use the ChargePoint app to access over 31,000 charging points in North America, including chargers located around major US university campuses . This makes it the second-largest EV charging network provider in the U.S. after Tesla. You can charge any EV brand at ChargePoint stations, and the service provider is also adopting Tesla’s NACS connectors.

We also like that ChargePoint has partnered with hotels and convenience stores to offer exclusive discounts to its app customers. Better yet, you can integrate this app into your home charger so that you can monitor your EV anytime you want—but you first need to make your home EV ready .

Download: ChargePoint app for Android | iOS (Free)

6. Google Maps

Even though you can't use Google Maps to estimate the range of your electric vehicle, it can tell you the speed and type of port supported by nearby charging stations. If you're living in the US or UK, Google Maps will provide real-time data on available charging stations, so you don't have to line up.

But what gives Google Maps an advantage over other apps for EV routing is that it can show all the amenities along your route—from garages, restaurants, and hotels to convenience stores. In addition to that, you can activate Google Assistant Driving Mode by using Google Maps.

Download: Google Maps for Android | iOS (Free)

Find the Best EV Route Planning Apps for You

If you're planning a trip in your EV, it's best to use several of these planning apps simultaneously. Yes, you read that right. For instance, if you want to find the most convenient hotels for charging EVs, your best options would be Google Maps and EV Hotels.

But if you want a route planner that can accurately tell you everything about your EV battery's status, you should consider A Better Route Planner and the Tesla app.

Similarly, the PlugShare app has one of the largest databases of public EV chargers in the world, and the Charge Point app will tell you if a charging station is busy. It's up to you to find the most suitable app for your EV route planning.

How-To Geek

How to plan a road trip in an ev.

It takes a lot of planning, but it's possible.

Quick Links

What to do when planning an electric car road trip.

Modern electric vehicles (EVs) are chipping away at range anxiety , but long-distance trips still feel difficult to many considering a switch to electric. With better batteries and increased charging infrastructure, is it finally possible to take a real road trip in an electric car?

Related: How Far Can an Electric Car Go on One Charge?

If you want to drive cross-country in your EV, it will take a bit of planning beforehand. You'll need to make sure you have access to charging infrastructure --- and a backup plan if the ones you find don't work out.

Find Charging Stations Before You Go

As travel publication Roadtrippers demonstrates in a short and sweet video  on the topic, apps like ChargeHub and PlugShare will help you find stations along your trip route. Depending on how advanced your EV's navigation system is, you can then make those stations stops on your route. Even Google Maps will tell you the most efficient route for traveling in an EV now.

Most of these apps also tell you if the charging station you're looking at is out of order and have user-contributed photos. If you see that stations are down or people complain about the chargers being broken a lot in the comments, it might be best to pick another spot.

Related: How to Find an EV Charging Station Near You

When plotting your route, it makes the most sense to pick areas where you'll already be doing something else to stop and charge. Restaurants, shopping centers, and sometimes even places like gyms will let you plug in while you run a few errands or stock up on supplies. For quicker stops, look for DC fast charging (DCFC) stations. Tesla drivers have the Supercharger network, and non-Tesla vehicles can plug in it at level 3 DCFC stations. It's very simple to filter by the level of charging station you want using the apps listed above.

If you're stopping at hotels along the way, their websites should list charging stations as an amenity, so make sure you book a room with one on-site. To be extra careful you can double-check by calling the hotel and looking them up on your app of choice.

Related: Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3? EV Chargers Explained

Want to camp instead? RV parks are your friend. They'll be equipped with outlets that provide the same level of power as a level 2 charging station since heavier power is needed to run the big vehicles that usually stop at RV campgrounds. Nightly rates are also usually reasonable, cheaper than a hotel, and don't limit how many hours you can charge. National parks like Yosemite often have charging stations in and around the park you can use to plug in while you hike or swim. (Check before you go, though, as it's probably not true for every national park).

Whichever route you choose, avoid letting the battery get too low. 20-80% is usually the optimal range to keep an EV's battery working in, so don't let it dip down to 5% before you start looking for a station --- you might end up getting towed to one.

Know Your Range

Of course, before doing any of that you need to be familiar with your EV's range. Different models will have different capabilities, and knowing what yours is will help you build a buffer between charging stations so you can hit the next one before your battery gets too low.

Related: 5 of the Longest Range Electric Cars You Can Buy

If longer trips are important to you, it's probably best to get an electric car with a range of 200 miles per charge or more. You don't need to drive a Tesla to get a decent amount of range out of your EV, either. While some longer-range electric cars are expensive, plenty are within the price range of a typical modern gas car. Kia and Hyundai, for example, make EVs with a roughly 300-mile range. The 2021 Chevy Bolt can travel over 250 miles on a single charge.

If you're on the fence, consider renting an EV for a few days and taking a road trip to try it out. If it's within your budget, it can be a great way to find out what EV is right (or wrong) for you.

Mind the Weather

As many have noted, cold weather is not friendly to electric cars. While they do better these days than in the past, you're going to see a decrease in your range when the temperature drops too low.

Related: How Does Cold Weather Affect Electric Car Battery Life?

If you can still make the trip driving shorter distances between stations then chances are you'll be fine, but you don't want to get stuck in a far-flung area with spotty charging infrastructure in the middle of winter. If you do decide to road trip in colder weather, warming the car's cabin and battery before unplugging from the charging station each time will do a lot to lighten the load on your battery and mitigate range loss.

Extremely hot weather can decrease EV range too, so you'll want to take steps to keep the car cool on summer road trips. Parking in the shade, using the car's battery management system while plugged in, and keeping the battery topped up all help.

Have a Backup Plan

Roadtrippers editor-in-chief Sanna Boman said it best in her article detailing her own EV road trip experience: "If there's one thing I learned during my trip, it's that the key to a successful EV road trip is planning, planning, and more planning."

DCFC stations are great, but get hard to find once you leave major cities and suburbs behind. If you know you'll be heading through a more rural area and have the opportunity to top up before things get sparse, do it.

Even if you do find a station, all the ports could be occupied by other vehicles. Some or all of the stations could also be broken or down for maintenance. Or, as happened with Boman's Chevy Bolt once, the station could just be unable to communicate with your car. If any of those things happen, you'll want to be prepared to wait a little longer or have enough power to travel to the next station.

If you know people in the areas you'll be traveling through that can let you use their garage to plug in and get some juice, that's a great option to have in your back pocket as well. And always know where the charging stations are before you leave.

Related: Electric Vehicles: How Easy Is It to Find a Charging Station?

Best EV Trip Planner Apps

Taking the anxiety out of a road trip with an ev route planner.

• 3/8/2024 (updated 4/2/2024 )

For most people, the best EV trip planner is likely already in your vehicle since the navigation systems on modern electric cars offer the ability to plan a route that factors in charger stops along the way. That's just one of several EV trip-planning options that can help map out your ideal road trip while assuaging potential range anxiety from an inconsistent charging infrastructure. Let's take a look at some of the best EV trip planners available, ranked in no particular order.

Factory navigation system

Google maps, a better route planner, ev navigation, am i ready for an ev.

• EV ownership works best if you can charge (240V) at home or at work This typically means a 240V home installation, but you could also have a similar setup at your office or other places your car is already parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice unless you've got a plug-in hybrid, in which case overnight charging at home is feasible.
• If you can’t charge at home, charging at a charging station could take at least 10x longer than at a gas station With public charging infrastructure still in its infancy, the user experience can be maddeningly inconsistent. Tesla owners tend to rave about the reliability and speed of the company's proprietary Supercharger stations, but rival DC fast options have thus far been plagued by technical issues and overcrowding. It's an evolving landscape and our best advice is to do your research on the available options for the EV you want to buy.
• Adding a 240V home charging system could cost up to $1,600 or more If your existing electrical service can handle the additional demands of EV charging, you may be able to add Level 2 charging at home for less than a grand, including installation. But your costs will multiply if you need to upgrade your electrical panel or add a dedicated circuit.

Your first option is to use the built-in navigation that comes with your car. Most Tesla vehicles will insert recommended charging points along your route, taking a lot of the worry out of the experience. Teslas can also precondition your battery when you get close to a Supercharger station, which speeds up charging time and is better for the health of your EV's battery.

But not all vehicles come equipped with navigation systems, and the ones that do may not necessarily be your best option. Trying to map out your route ahead of time is more easily done on your phone or computer than by sitting in the driver's seat of your car. Luckily, you've got options.

You don't need to download a new app to get an EV-friendly route. Go to settings inside the Google Maps app, then select "Electric vehicle settings" and you'll have the option to select the compatible plugs for your electric vehicle. When you search "electric vehicle chargers," they will be filtered by the plug you selected in settings. This makes Google Maps handy for finding a charger you can actually use, but it cannot currently add charging stops to your route. It also can't tell you whether or not the charger is available, occupied, or in working order.

Google and Apple Maps are great for route planning on the go. But if you want to plan out your stops ahead of time, you may want to consider A Better Route Planner ( ABRP ). It's available on either your desktop computer or as an application for your smartphone. It allows you to provide information on your vehicle, including how full its charge is when you depart, and to filter out plug types based on your vehicle. ABRP offers a lot of information, including what it expects your vehicle's battery level will be when you arrive at your destination and how much energy you need to add at charging stops.

Unfortunately, ABRP can be a little clunky to use — especially on your phone. If user-friendliness is your top priority, you might want to consider using another application.

The EV Navigation planner is also available on your phone as an application and as a desktop site. It allows you to input the make and model of your vehicle, its battery level, the number of passengers in the vehicle, and the minimum state of charge you'd like your vehicle to have at your destination. Using those inputs gives you a route complete with charging stops. The app will provide estimates for how long you'll need to charge at each stop, what state of charge you should be charging to, and detailed information on the station. The app can be a little confusing and finicky for first-time users, and it's not great as a navigation app. However, it's a great tool for planning.

Edmunds says

The features and functionality of these EV trip planners can change over time, so make sure to try several of them to see which one works best for your needs.

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Best EV Route Planner in 2024 (According To EV Owners)

Last Updated on March 7, 2024 by Rose Morah

Searching for a good EV route planner can be confusing.

So, we recently took a deep dive into EV route planners.

First, we researched the most recommended EV route planner apps by EV owners who:

• Own an EV and have used different route planner apps.
• Have planned long road trips with EV route planners.

We then planned road trips to different locations in North America (both in cities, rural areas, and on cross-country trips) using the most recommended route planners in order to come up with best app for EV route planning.

But before we dive into the findings, let’s first find out what really makes a good EV road trip planner.

What makes a good EV road trip planner ?

• It should be close to perfect

This means it gives you a close to accurate charge for your next destination. This is great, especially for new EV owners because it minimizes the range anxiety when going on long road trips. 

Additionally, it should provide users with accurate information about the types of chargers and how fast they really are.

• It should allow you to filter the charging stops based on the connector, charging speed, and the number of available chargers.

It should be able to plan a route that has multiple chargers and not just gives you what it thinks are the routes with the most convenient chargers.

Some of these routes may turn out to be ‘chargeless’ or you may end up skipping several high-power chargers.

• The app should be fast, user-friendly, and with very few bugs .

Smart Tips for Planning A Road Trip With An EV .

How to use Tesla J1772 Adapter at non-Tesla public charging stations .

The most recommended EV trip planners by EV owners

The pie chart below shows the most recommended EV route planners by EV owners:

• A Better Route Planner (ABRP)

Summary of the best EV apps in public charging stations:

• 45% of the EV owners recommended PlugShare, while 47% recommended ABRP.
• Some EV owners enjoy using PlugShare in conjunction with ABRP when planning long road trips.
• Only 6% of EV owners recommended Chargeway.
• 2% recommended other EV route planner apps.

NOTE: 70% of Tesla owners recommended the Tesla in-built trip planner. I have not included it in the above data as it is only applicable to Tesla cars.

Best Tesla Trip Planner App In 2022 (According To Tesla Owners) .

How‌ ‌to‌ ‌Use‌ ‌A ‌Better‌ ‌Route‌ ‌Planner‌ (With Illustrations) .

Our experiences with the most recommended EV trip planner apps

As mentioned earlier, we then took the top 3 most recommended EV trip planner apps (PlugShare, ABRP, and Chargeway) on a 2-week cross-country road trip across different cities/towns. 

The data below shows our most recommended EV route planner based on our experience with different EVs.

Summary of the findings:

Based on our experiences with the 3 apps, ABRP emerged as the top app followed closely by PlugShare, and the least recommended was ChargeWay.

Let’s begin from the bottom: our ChargeWay experiences:

• ChargeWay is not that great for cross-country road trips. However, it is a great app if you are touring big cities.
• It lacked some important features that can be found on ABRP and PlugShare apps.

ABRP and PlugShare were the best EV route planner apps, based on our experiences. These two apps have been in the game for quite a while and seem like they are here to stay!

Additionally, you can use them together for a better road trip experience.

For instance, we used A Better Route Planner (ABRP) to plan our trips, and PlugShare to find better-charging options by browsing the charging stations, places to sleep while you charge overnight, restrooms, shopping, WIFI e.t.c along the route.

You might also like:

How‌ ‌to‌ ‌Use‌ ‌A ‌Better‌ ‌Route‌ ‌Planner‌ ABRP (With Illustrations) .

6 Must-Have EV Accessories (Best EV Accessories) .

ABRP VS PlugShare

The table below shows a comparison between ABRP and PlugShare

Related : ABRP Vs Plugshare: Which is The Best EV Trip Planner App?

In conclusion, apps are constantly being updated and new features are always coming out all the time. Therefore, be sure to always keep an eye on PlugShare and ABRP websites for future updates so you don’t miss out on any of them.

Hello there! My name is Rose. I’m passionate about electric cars and clean energy. My adventurous spirit and journalistic pursuits make each day fascinating and far greater. I consider traveling not just about the grandeur moments, but the little elements that transform the whole experience.

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How to plan an EV road trip

Nothing spells ‘adventure’ quite like the classic American road trip. Picture yourself cruising down the freeway, windows down, jamming to your favorite playlist. You’re excited for the journey that awaits. And, best of all, you’re enjoying every moment of your drive in a smooth, zero-emission electric vehicle.

Most modern EVs can easily cover more than 200 miles on a single charge. Plus, the US has an ever-expanding public charging network , so the days of running out of battery in the middle of nowhere are long gone.

Still, there are a few things that you need to know before you hit the road in your EV rental . From finding charging stations to navigating your route, here are some expert tips on how to plan your upcoming EV road trip.

Why Plan Your EV Road Trip?

If it’s your first time driving an electric vehicle, you might be a little concerned about the learning curve involved. But, moving from a gas-powered vehicle to driving an EV is easy .

Just like any other road trip, a small amount of preparation can go a long way. By planning ahead, you can make sure you always know where your next charging spot is.

There are also plenty of benefits to driving an EV, such as:

• Great performance – Electric vehicles often provide instant acceleration and torque, giving similar – or even better – performance than cars with internal combustion engines.
•   Improved safety – Many EVs come with innovative safety features such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). These can alert you to potential hazards on the road. Other modern safety features include automatic emergency braking and blind spot monitoring.
• Convenience – Compared to traditional automobiles, EVs could be seen as more convenient. An electric car might require only two to three charges for a 600-mile trip. Meanwhile, a gasoline vehicle might require up to four gas station visits for the same distance – and at greater cost, too.
• Low maintenance – EVs don’t have an engine. Instead, they use an electric drive train that requires less maintenance. You won’t have to worry about things like oil changes while on the road.

Choosing the Right EV for Your Road Trip

Before hitting the road, it’s important that you choose an EV that works for you. For example, if you’re going cross-country, then opting for a long-range EV like a Tesla or Chevy Bolt EV  might be a good way to go. These models can easily cover more than 250+ miles on a single full charge, saving you trips to public charging stations.

You may also want to look at other factors such as cargo capacity and space. Are you traveling solo or are you going camping with the family? Depending on your trip type, you might need a more powerful, capable SUV crossover like the Chevrolet Blazer to carry your camping gear, as well as navigate the tough terrain.

At Hertz, we offer a wide range of EVs to match your needs. Choose the right car for you and ensure that your rental car road trip goes ahead without a hitch.

Mapping Out Your Route

Planning your route around both destinations of choice and public charging stations is key to a hassle-free driving experience. It’s a good idea to look for public chargers around expressways, highways, hotels or gas stations. You don’t want to have to call roadside assistance if your battery dies in the middle of nowhere.

As a rule of thumb, give yourself at least a 10% buffer of charge to get you to the next charging station on your route. This will help alleviate any battery anxiety as you embark on your journey.

Scheduling Charging Stops

An electric car’s range is dynamic. This means that factors like how you accelerate, or use features such as climate control, will influence the range of your EV. That’s why it’s important to schedule charging stops along the way .

You can do so by using apps such as PlugShare  or Google Maps to help you plan your route while factoring in the most convenient locations. Alternatively, you could use an EV road trip planner .

DC charging stations are often more potent, allowing you to charge your electric car faster . Many EVs nowadays  can restore up to 80% full battery in less than an hour.

Packing for an EV Road Trip

Sometimes a stop can take a bit longer than initially planned, so it’s best to be prepared. Part of the road trip experience is carrying some goodies along the way. So, you might need to pack some water and snacks – especially if you’re bringing the family along.

Aside from having snacks in the car, you may also need to take some EV essentials with you . Some public AC charging stations might not have charging cables, so it’s always a good idea to carry a type 2 cable in your trunk.

Finally, when planning the essentials, make sure to travel light and only take things that you need to maximize space. Electric vehicles lose range when carrying heavy cargo, so bear this in mind, especially if you’re traveling with a number of passengers.

Ensuring a Safe Journey

Safety is important when planning your EV road trip. Every EV comes with an estimated driving range, or EPA, which helps you map out your route alongside charging stops. However, weather can also significantly impact range and disrupt your route.

All cars, even gasoline vehicles, lose range in cold weather. But this can have a bigger effect on EVs. A study on battery life found that some EVs can lose up to a third of their driving range in colder weather . So, it’s a good idea to stay updated on weather and road conditions along your route.

Making the Most of Your EV Road Trip

Road trips are all about fun and adventure – so why not make the most out of it by exploring our destination pages ? We’ve compiled a list of the more interesting activities for more than 100 locations across the US.

From visiting some of the most compelling tourist sights to trying out local cuisine, we’ll help you make memories for a lifetime. Whether you’re planning to soak in the rich Cajun culture of New Orleans , or bask on the warm sandy beaches of Miami , we’ve got you covered.

Enjoy a fun-filled EV road trip today. We’re all about safety, comfort, and premium luxury.

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How to Plan a Road Trip With an EV

With proper preparation, your trip can be as stress-free as ever

For more than two decades, Stephen wrote for Newsday on Long Island. He later covered general assignments, news rewrite, and was later assigned as a music writer, travel writer, and general columnist.

• Northeastern University

Maskot/Getty

• Batteries & Range
• Charging & Maintenance
• Buying an EV

Counting down the preparations for a long family road trip usually involves packing suitcases, loading up on snacks, tossing in a few pillows for comfort, and gassing up. If you’re driving an electric vehicle, of course, you can strike the gassing-up part and just be sure the battery is charged up nicely to get you where you’re going. Wait: EVs can make road trips?

It’s true: Today’s EVs are able to drive longer and longer distances due to ongoing improvements in batteries and other EV features. Still, there are a few things to know before you hit the road that are a bit different from road tripping in a gasoline-powered vehicle.

Road Trip Range Planning

There are plenty of benefits to traveling a long way in an EV—you’ll save gas, of course, but you’re also helping the environment by not burning fossil fuels along the way. In certain states, you can even take advantage of HOV lanes, and the storage in an EV is usually at least twice that of a gasoline-powered vehicle.

Plus, when it comes to EVs, a road trip can be a lot further than most people think. Many EVs today can actually cover long distances without excessive worry. Whether the battery power dictates that your ride is limited to a range of 100 miles or 300 miles, you can always be ready to meet the unique situations you might encounter by doing a little homework before you go.

To plan your road trip, keep these things in mind: 

• Know where charging stations are along your route and consider using a rapid charger.
• Pack light for maximum range. 
• Use hotels with on-site charging stations. 
• Enjoy the ride.

Planning Your Route: The Charging Conundrum

Let’s pretend you’re driving from Buffalo to Boston for a long weekend to grab clam chowder, New England style. It’s just under 500 miles each way, and your new EV has a range of 250 miles when fully charged. You’ll need to make at least one charging stop en route but thinking ahead can easily make your road trip successful.

Set Up Your Charging Route

While you can plan any route you like, always consider how you will manage your EV’s range before you turn the key. That means charting the charging stations along the way to plan for both scheduled and unscheduled stops. The best way to do this is to use an EV app that can help you track battery usage and find charging stops with compatible chargers. 

You need to know what kind of charger and/or plug will accommodate your specific vehicle, too. If you’re unsure, you can check your car’s manual or the manufacturer’s website before you hit the road. 

Some manufacturers, like Tesla and GM, have their own charging networks for drivers. Tesla is opening its network to drivers of all EVs; GM announced in late 2021 that it would expand its infrastructure and install up to 40,000 EV charging stations in the U.S. and Canada.

Use an EV Travel Planning App

Some of the EV travel apps are built-in to electric vehicles while others are apps you can easily use on a laptop or smartphone. These apps help you plan routes, locate the stations, offer pricing information, and even tell you if there’s a wait to plug in.   

Our favorites include: 

EVHotels helps drivers find hotels with charging stations and notes free public chargers as well as those available only for hotel guests. (iOS only)

Google Maps has a special built-in for some EVs, this version of Maps lets you estimate your car’s battery charge on arrival at your destination and help you select charging stations along your route.

PlugShare lets you search for free and paid charging stations by area, network, and type of charging connection. You can pay for your charge through the app and plan trips, too.

ChargeHub uses a community of EV owners to help you locate the closest public charging station, regardless of network. 

Electrify America offers fast chargers across the country, with a few that also support Level 2 chargers. The app gives you access to members-only pricing and special features. 

Open Charge is a crowdsourced map of charging stations that claims to be the largest in the world. 

Chargeway works with multiple charging networks, only shows stations that will work with your specific EV and helps you plan road trips by providing estimated charging times along the way plus information about nearby shops and restaurants to use while you’re waiting. 

EVgo is a charging network with an app that helps drivers find available charging stations in real-time and pay for them through the app. 

Stay Flexible

If you’re anxious that the stations on the route you planned yesterday might not be compatible with your EV cable, you can always use your app to change your route as needed or find new stations.

As you plan your travels, prioritize finding a Level 3 station that uses DC fast chargers, perhaps in a mall or near a restaurant so you can eat or shop while waiting. If you can find one of these chargers along your route, getting your vehicle’s battery up to 80 percent or more typically takes less than an hour.

Less efficient Level 2 chargers can take up to eight hours for a full “fill” and are better suited to overnight stays; Level 1 chargers really won’t help you get where you’re going and back again very quickly unless you plan to stay several days in one location.

As of publication, the Lucid Air is your best bet with a range of 520 miles. The Lucid Air is pretty expensive, so the longest-range EV with a modest price is the Kia EV6 which goes for around $41,000 and offers about 310 miles of range.

Technically, yes. Practically, not really. At least not in the way you swap out batteries of your TV's remote or smoke alarm. The batteries in EVs are meant to last for years and years and typically have a lifespan of about 200,000 miles so it's unlikely the batteries will completely give up on you before you give up on the car. We go into more detail in our Can EV Batteries be Replaced or Upgraded? article.

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Planning an EV Road Trip

Electric Adventures Made Easy

I started driving EVs over a decade ago, and back then it was a much different, much more unknown landscape. Driving an EV long distances felt more like an adventure similar to “The Oregon Trail,” not knowing what to expect next.

Tesla’s announcement of the Supercharger network in 2013 made road-tripping in an electric car – or at least a Tesla – easier, but it seemed like more of an occasional benefit at the time, compared to the monumental a change to EV driving that it really was. Supercharging, along with the launch of other fast-charging providers, made EVs a much more practical option for everyone.

Embarking on a road trip in an electric vehicle (EV) can be an exciting adventure,  and has led me to discover new stops and hidden gems across the United States that I would not have found otherwise. Going on a road trip in an electric car is now much simpler than it was a decade ago; most EVs can plan a cross country road trip with charging stops within their navigation systems – and if not, many great apps are just a download away.

But, while you now can go on a road trip in an EV without much planning like a traditional gas-powered excursion, a little planning can save you a lot of time. Here's a detailed guide covering everything from route planning and charging, to utilizing technology for an efficient trip.

Pre-Trip Planning

The first step in planning your EV road trip is to map out your route. Before you even consider the range of your EV, ask yourself:

·      How long you even want to be in your car?

·      Do you want to try and get to your destination as soon as possible or are you traveling with other people, including kids or pets, that may want to stop more than you normally would anyways?

·      If so, how long can you drive before you need to pull over?

·      Alternatively, is it just you and are you looking to put as many miles down as quickly as possible to get to your destination?

The answers to all of these questions will help you figure out where you may want to look for charging stations along your path. Also, are you going to be able to get to where you’re going in a single day or will it be a multiple day trip? If it’s the latter, are you staying somewhere you can charge overnight? Thinking of your trips this way not only helps in managing any range anxiety you have, but also ensures you have ample charge throughout your journey.

Also, don’t fret, because there are a lot of apps and websites to help with finding and planning for EV road trips along with helping you find charging stations:

·       PlugShare : One of the most comprehensive EV charging apps available, PlugShare not only shows the locations of charging stations, but also provides user reviews, the types of plugs available, and their operational status.

·       A Better Route Planner (ABRP): Recently acquired by Rivian , ABRP helps plan your route based on your vehicle’s model, battery range, and charging needs, optimizing your stops for charging.

·       Chargeway : Similar to Plugshare, ChargeWay has a slightly simpler user interface, and makes it easier to find chargers that are the best fit for your particular electric car. ChargeWay also gives you options on how to share feedback on your charging experience, or report chargers that need service.

Preparing your Car for a Road Trip

Before you hit the road – even if you’re not driving an EV for your road trip – make sure your car is in top condition. Check the tire pressure, last time your tires were rotated and fluid levels, such as the windshield wiper fluid.

Depending on your car, you can also check that your vehicle’s software is updated to the latest version for optimal performance. This can be anything from up-to-date maps data to even better charging performance.

Understanding Charging Levels

For long-distance travel, knowing about different charging levels is absolutely crucial. If you haven’t read our previous articles on charging here on GreenCars, here’s a quick overview:

·      Level 1 charging: The slowest form of charging, Level 1 chargers generally use a standard 110-120-volt outlet. Obviously, this is not ideal for road trips, as Level 1 chargers offer about 4-5 miles of range per hour of charging. When staying somewhere overnight on your trip, some charge is better than none – but when staying at a hotel or even at a campground, Level 2 charging will be more common, and preferable.

·      Level 2 charging: Level 2 chargers generally operate on 240 volts and typically provide about 12-80 miles of range per hour of charging. Level 2 chargers are great “destination” chargers, at hotels, restaurants, and sites where you will spend a few hours.

·       DC fast charging , otherwise known as Level 3 charging: The quickest option, DC fast chargers can charge an EV to 80% in about 20-30 minutes. They’re what you’ll use the most on road trips, and generally provide 150 kilowatts or more.

When planning your route, using your car’s navigation system, an app, or doing research beforehand, you’ll want to plan to stop at Level 3 chargers when you just want to juice up and go, while you can use Level 2 chargers at spots where you and your car will linger for a few hours.

Maximizing Efficiency and Cost Savings

Plan your charging stops around meal breaks, sightseeing, or overnight stays to save time and reduce range anxiety . The two big things to know are:

·      How you want to take breaks

·      How does your EV charge?

With an EV like the Ford Lightning, it charges pretty similarly from 0 to 80%, so you may want to plan to stop less frequently, with longer distances between stops. On the other hand, some other EVs charge very fast from 0% to 50-60% and then start to slow down. Stopping more frequently, but for shorter durations, can actually get you to your destination a lot faster when road tripping an EV. It just depends on your EV and preferred road tripping style.

When taking a multi-day road trip, look for accommodations that offer EV charging. Some hotels provide free charging as an amenity, allowing you to start each day with a full battery without the higher costs associated with fast charging. This can significantly reduce the overall cost and total time of your road trip. Previously, campgrounds with RV power outlets were a great cost-effective option for overnight trips, but now some campgrounds have banned EVs from charging on-site – or at least request that you charge at lower amperages than what the outlet is rated at. Many RV chargers have higher peak ratings, but are not designed to be used continuously, so to prevent a breaker from flipping, it is best to lower your charge amperage.

Leveraging Technology

In addition to charging, there are a number ways to leverage tech to make your road trip easier and less stressful:

·      Navigation apps: I’ve used Waze for traffic and other driving updates like speed traps or debris on the road. However, now Google and Apple Maps both include EV-specific navigation functions that integrate real-time traffic updates, charging station information, and your vehicle’s battery status to optimize your route and charging stops.

·      Offline maps: Since mobile service can be unreliable in remote areas, downloading offline maps can prevent you from getting lost and help locate alternate charging stations if needed.

·      Car features: Make sure that you leverage the specific features of your car that are designed to maximize efficiency. Does your EV have an “eco” mode, or things like a tonneau cover for a pickup truck bed to make the vehicle more efficient? If so, making sure you use the features could mean not only fewer charging stops needed for your trip – but a savings of both time and money.

·      Energy management systems: Some EVs come equipped with sophisticated energy management systems that predict your battery’s usage based on driving style, terrain, and climate conditions. Utilizing these features can enhance your driving decisions and battery utilization – in addition to putting your car in its most efficient driving mode.

Be Prepared for Contingencies

When you’re planning to cover hundreds of miles in a day, in an EV or otherwise, always be prepared for surprises. From traffic delays to the unexpected flat tire, its good to have a backup plan. Identify alternate routes in case your primary choice is unavailable and the EV fast chargers along those paths.

Carry an emergency kit that includes basic tools, first aid supplies, water, snacks, tire repair kit or spare, and extra clothing layers, especially when traveling in colder climates. While in my experience it’s very unlikely for something bad will happen, it may be worth checking if your roadside assistance plan covers EV-specific services. Like towing to the nearest charging station. As they say, “if you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.”

Are You Ready to Road Trip?

Planning an EV road trip might seem daunting at first, but with the right tools and a bit of preparation, it can be just as fulfilling (or even more fun) as any traditional road trip. By leveraging technology to optimize your route, finding the occasional hidden gem with a fast charger, and deciding your charging strategy , you can enjoy the unique benefits of traveling in an electric vehicle!

About your GreenCar Experts

Chase is the founder of Bespoke EVs Consulting. He lives in Bend, Oregon with his wife, two dogs, and 1987 Land Rover Defender 90 that he is converting to an EV.

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Can you do the all-American road trip in an electric car? Expert tips for planning your route

Jul 22, 2022 • 10 min read

Are US roads ready for electric cars? © miroslav_1 / Getty Images

Gas guzzlers beware: electric cars are catching on quicker than the Electric Slide at a sweet sixteen, and it's only a matter of time before an American shift toward sustainability convinces drivers to fall in line.

In the past year, President Joe Biden pledged to replace the federal government's fleet of roughly 650,000 cars with electric vehicles (EVs) and introduce 500,000 new charging stations within a decade . Automotive heavyweights from Ford to Volkswagen announced similar plans, promising to invest billions in developing EVs and their related infrastructure. 

The timing couldn't be better – as gas prices soar and concerns over climate change reach a fiery crescendo, interest in EVs is hitting all-time highs. In 2021, EV sales in the US more than doubled the previous year, with 608,000 new cars hitting the highway. In March, Google searches for electric vehicles reached their highest point in history, and this year, research company S&P Global expects EV sales to reach nearly 900,000. 

By 2030, Americans will purchase an estimated 4.7 million EVs – a trend supported by local governments. Forty-five states and the District of Columbia currently provide incentives like tax cuts and rebates for EVs or plug-in hybrid vehicles, further fueling the race toward an electric future.

But if the future is electric, what does that mean for one of the country's time-honored traditions – the gas-powered road trip? 

Plan a drive on America's most iconic road trips

The all-American road trip

Road trips are a cornerstone of US culture, immortalized in so many novels, films and songs they've inspired a genre all their own. The tales may range from Jack Kerouac's poetic musings to Thelma and Louise's feminist quest, but they're connected by an ingredient more American than Huckleberry Finn – the search for freedom. 

Finding freedom on the open road hasn't always been easy. Victor Hugo Green's Negro Motorist Greenbook attempted to help Black travelers navigate racist roadways in Jim Crow-era America, while early iterations of Bob Damron's travel guides gave gay men a map to hidden communities in unlikely places. This ongoing desire to navigate America's highways – sometimes despite the dangers of driving as a minority – expresses a universal craving for liberation through travel.

For the past century, gas-powered cars have been the means for finding open-road liberation. Travelers can hop into internal combustion vehicles without worrying where or when they'll refuel next. Unless you're traveling the lonely 167-mile stretch from Ely to Tonopah, Nevada, the ubiquity of gas stations is par for the course in the United States. But as gas prices increase, so does the price tag on this kind of freedom. 

The same rules don't apply while traveling in electric cars. Although fuel prices are cheaper (roughly 60% less than gas-powered cars, according to a 2020 Consumer Reports study ), refueling is more complicated. This reality leads to range anxiety: the fear that an EV will run out of power before reaching its destination or a place to recharge. 

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Driving an electric car (EV) in the US and managing range anxiety

For EV users who stay close to home or live in parts of the country with sufficient charging stations, range anxiety poses little threat. "The vast majority of electric vehicles are on the West Coast: LA, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle," says Greg Brannon, AAA's Director of Automotive Engineering , "and the charging infrastructure is heavily focused there." This makes West Coast-area road trips to parks like Yosemite , Joshua Tree  and Mt. Hood National Forest all EV-viable excursions. 

But not all excursions are so easy. In 2019, Wade Anderson took a 19,000-mile road trip around North America in a Tesla Model 3 (which he documented on YouTube ) and experienced this fear firsthand. While driving through the Yukon Territory and Alaska , he barely reached a maintenance camp. "My battery had 0% charge as I rolled in there," he recalls. "I used RV parks to plug in, which are very slow-charging, and a typical one-day journey ended up taking three days." 

The north midwest proved similarly treacherous for EV travel, and Wade once found himself stuck at a desolate campground in rural Montana while waiting for his car to recharge. 

But range anxiety isn't something he often experiences while traveling, and soon, "these minor inconveniences will be a thing of the past," he muses. 

Quick recharging stations across the country are expanding rapidly

Since Wade's road trip, companies like EVGo, Tesla and Electrify America have worked at breakneck speed to meet the country's growing demand for charging stations. From 2020 to 2021, the number of DC fast chargers (the gold standard for quick recharging) increased by 24%, indicating that today's EV issues will soon become tomorrow's old news. 

"Electrify America built its first charging station in May of 2018," says Anthony Lambkin, the company’s Senior Director of Operations. "In just four short years, we have expanded to 800 charging stations comprised of about 3500 individual chargers open or with construction completed."

Part of the company's current infrastructure includes two cross-country routes – LA to DC and Jacksonville to San Diego – and two coastal routes connecting California to Washington and Florida to Maine . By 2026, the company expects to have over 1800 charging stations with over 10,000 chargers in the US and Canada, spanning 49 states and the District of Columbia.

With the growing number of chargers, range anxiety is something Anthony rarely experiences. On a recent trip from Washington, DC to Cleveland, Ohio , he stopped three times to charge at Electrify America stations and didn't need to stay longer than 20 minutes per stop using a 150KW charger.

"The ability to charge quickly is a game-changer for road trips and makes the experience seamless," he says. "The only downside was that 20 minutes was not enough at some stops for my kids."

A coast-to-coast US road trip in an electric car is now easier than ever

Top tips and advice for EV road trippers in 2022

Even with increasingly excellent EV infrastructure, touring the country Tesla-style provides a set of unique challenges for drivers new to the electric life. Here are the top things road trippers should consider before shifting into high gear. 

​​Find the proper car for a long-distance road trip

For road trips spanning hundreds of miles, rent or buy a car supporting long-range travel. Vehicles with over 200 miles of electric range – including many Teslas models, the Chevrolet Bolt and the Ford Mustang Mach-E – will help drivers avoid frequent charging stops. 

"With the early EVs I've owned, the limited sub-100 mile range certainly required some trip planning," says Anthony. Travelers in cars like the Mazda MX-30, which has an estimated range of 100 miles, will spend more time looking for chargers than enjoying the actual adventure.

It's also helpful to use a car that supports DC fast charging (also known as level 3 charging). While DC chargers can replenish a battery in 15-45 minutes, more commonly found level 2 chargers may require 3-5 hours. 

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Make charging part of your itinerary

Even when high-speed chargers are available on a given route, Brannon advises travelers to schedule bio breaks or meals around charging stations. "Plan to be there for a minimum of an hour, and in some cases, a few hours," he says. Drivers can find many fast chargers in shopping centers, and if you get creative, it's possible to find them within walking distance to museums and other points of interest. Choosing hotels, homestays or RV parks with EV outlets is another necessary way to charge without wasting travel time. 

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Download apps to find charging stations

When mapping out charging stations, Wade relies on A Better Route Planner – an app that helps drivers estimate where and when they'll need to recharge based on their destination and car type. 

PlugShare , a free community-fueled app that allows users to find charging stations and leave reviews, is another helpful tool. Use this in conjunction with ChargePoint , one of the country's largest networks of charging stations, to find locations that don't always appear on Plugshare.

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Prepare an alternate charging plan

EV drivers should know that recharging "is not like going to the gas station," says Bannon. While charging stations are increasingly more common, they're not ubiquitous and a charging site that looks available on an app might be incompatible with your car, out of service or in use upon arrival. A recent study conducted by the Bay Area-based group Cool The Earth found that roughly one-quarter of all charging stations were inoperable when visited.

Brannon suggests drivers "plan a route, know where the charging locations are, and have a plan b and a plan c for those locations." Wade Anderson suggests bringing plenty of adapters to plug into as many outlet types as possible. 

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Think about the elements that affect an electric car's range

While the average range for an electric car is currently around 250 miles, "research shows that range is reduced by almost 40% at cold temperatures," says Brannon. That can make a winter sojourn through places like Badlands National Park , South Dakota – a state where chargers can be over one-hundred miles apart – a questionable prospect. 

Cold isn't the only element that changes a battery's capacity – wind, speed, air conditioning and heat can also deplete power. Consider how the time of year, location and weather will change your EV's range while planning when to recharge. 

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Choose a trip with a successful EV track record 

Intrepid EV travelers like Wade wrote the rulebook on electric car road trips so you don't have to. Going on excursions that don't support charging isn't worth the range anxiety, so pick a route you know you can enjoy. 

The Pacific Coast Highway – arguably the country's most scenic drive – is also one of the country's most EV-friendly roadways. Take the eight-state trek along America's 'Mother Road,' Route 66 and you'll find over 1800 charging stations. Thanks to Electrify America, a series of charging stations along Interstate 95 makes it possible to ride from Maine to Miami on electric power alone. While you may have to forgo the pleasures of improvised detours to towns off the well-trod path, you won't have to spend time hunting for a charge. 

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Look to the EV community for support 

When it comes to recharging, Wade isn't only looking for electricity – he's sometimes searching for personal connection. Through Plugshare, Wade finds charging locations at non-obvious locations like hospitals, libraries and even the homes of fellow app users. "It's a very supportive network," he says. "Most of us are concerned about the environment and climate change, and that pulls people together."

Wade also belongs to the Facebook group Tesla Road Trippers , which offers travel advice to newbies and encourages EV owners to share up-to-date information on their latest vacations. Users who post itineraries often receive valuable feedback from seasoned members.

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Consider the environmental impact 

With the necessity for so much planning, it may seem like EVs destroy the freedom synonymous with the all-American road trip. But on the contrary, this trending form of travel makes modern pioneers out of early adopters.

According to researchers from the universities of Cambridge, Exeter and Nijmegen, driving an EV is better for the environment than driving a gas-powered car in 95% of the world. Most electric vehicles made today produce far fewer planet-warming emissions than internal combustion engines, and while there's plenty of work needed to regulate the making and recycling of batteries, EVs are still a noble step toward environmental preservation. 

The EV road trip is like manifest destiny for a green generation. It's an entirely new take on a classic American adventure, and if embraced by enough drivers, it could protect the country's wonders for future generations. 

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This article was first published Mar 26, 2021 and updated Jul 22, 2022.

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How To Plan an EV Road Trip With Google Maps' Charging Feature

Your EV’s built-in Google Maps app is designed to keep you charged.

For electric vehicles with Google Maps installed, road trips have become a lot easier. The popular navigation app can now manage vehicle charging along your route, meaning you won’t have to stress over making it to a station before your battery runs out.

What can Google Maps do?

Multiple modern EVs — like models from Volvo , Polestar , GM, and possibly even Rivian — come preinstalled with a specialized version of Google Maps that can directly tap into the vehicle’s systems to keep track of your trip.

Maps works directly with compatible EVs to keep track of your vehicle’s battery levels, energy usage, and other metrics to make sure you don’t run out of battery halfway through your journey. With this, Maps can also predict what your battery will be upon arrival.

Specifically, the app will generate real-time estimates of your remaining battery on arrival, and if you’re predicted to run out of power before reaching your destination, the app will prompt you to pick a charging stop to add to your route. If you need to stop more than once, the app will automatically add the necessary charging stops across the route, and these stops will be calculated into your trip duration.

Recently added Google Maps features focusing on charging will also help you find the right station to juice your EV at. The update allows users to look at a more detailed AI-generated description of where chargers are located (i.e. Enter the underground parking lot and follow the signs toward the exit. Just before exiting, turn right.) Hopefully, those summaries are accurate — AI has a habit of hallucinating information, and the last thing you need is to wander aimlessly in a parking garage looking for a charger.

The summaries should be rolling out to all Google Maps users in the coming months.

In addition to charger location summaries, Google Maps now shows nearby chargers on the in-car map and gives you real-time data on whether the charger is in use and charging speeds.

How do you access Google Maps’ EV charging feature?

Google Maps’ charging features are available for EVs like those made by Volvo which have Maps integrated into the car’s onboard computer.

Most of these features will engage automatically while driving, meaning you don’t have to do anything unless prompted to (like adding a charging station to your route when Google detects that you’ll need it).

However, searching for charging stations is pretty simple:

• Tap the “Search” button, and the search menu should open.
• Then, search for charging stations.
• From here, you’ll be presented with a series of filters to narrow down your search.
• You can search by charger type, payment network, or charging speed — including a filter for “very fast” speed that only shows 150 - 350kW chargers.

You can also manually add a charging station when creating a route:

• Search for a destination, and create a route
• Once the route has been generated, there should be a button labeled “Add charging stop”
• Tap this button, and select a charging station along the route.

Along with this, Maps’ voice recognition can be used to perform most of these functions without having to use a touchscreen while driving.

Currently, Google has not added an equivalent to the mobile version of Google Maps. However, the app can still be used to find electric charging stations. This can be done by typing in “electric charging station” into Maps — the same way you would search for a gas station — which will then show multiple stations in your area.

Tapping on these locations will provide additional information, including charging speeds, charger types, and availability of each.

However, because the mobile version of Google Maps can’t connect directly to an EV, it isn’t able to collect any information on battery levels or usage. As a result, it can’t accurately add charging stops to any trips.

This article was originally published on April 17, 2023

How to Use the Tesla Trip Planner

Tesla’s Trip Planner can be used on a computer to plan a road trip ahead of time, with the advantage of finding food, lodging, and other stops near chargers. It can also be used on the go to adjust plans. Here’s what you should know.

Telsa Motors, Inc.

What Is Tesla’s Trip Planner?

Tesla’s trip planning tools can be used both before you embark on your trip, as well as when you’re already on the road. Though specific features vary by manufacturer, all electric vehicles have ways to help the owner locate chargers on the go, see chargers’ status, and plan routes to destinations to balance optimizing the car’s range while finding the most convenient available chargers. In that way, Tesla’s trip planning tools are not unique to Tesla vehicles .

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Key Takeaways

• With computer-based and in-car features, Tesla’s Trip Planner can be used well in advance or on the go
• The trip planner helps find the most efficient route to your destination
• Tesla’s tools also help you find chargers along your route.

However, Tesla does have the advantage of being an early innovator in the segment, as well as having access to the formerly proprietary Tesla Supercharger network, widely regarded as the best of its kind in terms of reliability and efficiency.

An EV Road Trip

Warren Clarke Sept. 28, 2023

Tesla’s Trip Planner can be used on a computer to plan a road trip ahead of time, with the advantage of finding food, lodging, and other desired stops near chargers. It can also be used on the go, to adjust plans if needed or desired. Here’s what you need to know.

Get Ready to Go

Use Tesla’s Trip Planner Go Anywhere tool from the comfort of your home, at any or all stages of planning your trip . Whether it’s an overnight or a cross-country jaunt, the Trip Planner can optimize your route, find and recommend Tesla Superchargers, and even suggest Destination Charging . The latter are charging locations specifically located near points of interest, such as restaurants, hotels, and shopping, so you can charge overnight, while eating, or while restocking your road trip supplies and provisions.

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Using the Trip Planner ahead of time means you can ensure you’ll hit your desired points of interest and know where you’ll be spending the night, so you can head out confidently. Yet, if your plans change along the way, Tesla’s got you covered there, too.

On the Road

Whether you’ve planned in advance or it’s more of a last-minute or short trip, Tesla’s Trip Planner is also available behind the wheel. If you’re already in your car, your Tesla’s navigation system will show you the fastest route to your destination, and will highlight Tesla Superchargers along the way. This strategy can help you plan your charging to take advantage of nearby sites so you can explore, rest, or grab something to eat.

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The lightning bolt icon on your Tesla’s navigation screen will instantly find the nearest Supercharger to your location, along with its current availability and charging rates . Tesla advises using the trip planner during a trip to stay informed of nearby Tesla Superchargers and your car’s recommendations for charging.

Other Tips and Advice

Tesla offers advice to optimize your charging and range while on a trip. When driving, make sure braking is set to the regenerative setting, which means that the car will recapture energy from braking and send it back to the battery pack, which helps maximize range. Also check your tires and ensure they’re set to the proper pressure, which also helps conserve battery power and reduce how often you’ll need to charge.

Whenever possible, park in the shade to keep the vehicle as cool as possible, and leave the air conditioning running while parked. This way, you can come back to a cool and comfortable vehicle. You can monitor and adjust the car’s cabin temperature remotely through Tesla’s smartphone app.

Note that Tesla advises leaving your vehicle plugged in whenever possible when you’re on a trip. Tesla says this will not degrade the battery or battery life over time.

Planning ahead of time will help ensure peace of mind for an extended road trip, but a combined approach of using Tesla’s trip planner tools both beforehand and on the go can help ensure you’re well prepared for your journey with room for some spontaneity and last-minute surprises. After all, what’s a road trip without the opportunity for a little adventure?

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• Your questions answered

How to plan an EV road trip: tips for long drives in your electric car

Going on a long drive in an electric car can be intimidating; we give our top tips to make your trip go smoothly.

It’s fair to say that the UK public’s collective range anxiety isn’t what it once was. There was a time, not very long ago, when most folk would deem it completely unthinkable to do a journey any longer than the school run in an electric car. 

However, the steady increases in the range of many electric cars – thanks to improved efficiency and larger batteries – along with the constant expansion of the UK’s public charging network, has served to reduce those fears over time.

Reduce, that is – not eliminate. The fact is, despite progress in these areas, we’re still not at the point where we can go out and buy any old electric car, and run it into the sunset for as long as we like, knowing that we’ll get to our destination without a hitch. 

Yes, long-distance travel in an EV is possible, and it’s also easier today than it’s ever been before. However, it does still need some careful planning if you’re going to be confident of getting to your destination without unforeseen problems or delays. Here, we give you our top tips on how to plan your journey to give you the best chance of avoiding the various pitfalls.

Know your car

The first thing to figure out is precisely what your car is capable of. Not all electric cars are made equal, and while some of the longest-range EVs can go more than 400 miles on a full charge according to official figures, others can barely scrape three figures. It’s important to know where on the range spectrum your car sits, so that you have a good idea what sort of mileage you can achieve between top-ups.

And of course, those official figures should be taken with a considerable pinch of salt. They come from laboratory-based tests and are all-but impossible to replicate in the real world. The exact range you actually end up getting in normal driving will depend on a wide variety of factors (speed, acceleration, ambient temperature, prevailing road conditions, etc) so it’s important to build some conservatism into your expectations. If you’ve owned your electric car for a while, it’s best to use your previous experience of your own car to estimate what’s achievable.

The other thing you need to know about your car is the charging speed it’s capable of. There’s no point going to all the time and effort of seeking out a high-capacity 350kW rapid charger (you’ll do very well to find one of those in the UK anyway!) if your car can only accept a maximum rate of 50kW. And of course, it works the other way, too: just because your car is capable of charging at, say, 100kW, a 50kW charger is still only going to deliver a peak rate of 50kW.

Plan your charging before setting off

If you know where you’re going and which route you plan to take to get there, then it’s relatively easy to find chargers along the way. The easiest way to do it is to use an app such as Zap-Map . This will tell you where chargers are, what charging speeds are available, what the payment terms are, which connector types are supported, how many outlets are available, and also how many of these outlets are either occupied or out-of-order. It’ll also tell you which of the various companies operates the charging station in question, of course. This is important as some charging networks such as Tesla's wide array of Superchargers have only recently started opening up to all EV owners, so it's always worth checking beforehand whether your car is compatible.

It’s important not to take what you’re told as gospel, though. It’s common for a high capacity charger to be running at lower speeds for one reason or another, and it’s also common to rock up to a charger that the app says is unoccupied and operational, only for it to not be. That’s why it’s always important to have a backup plan – more on that later.

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As a first step to planning your charging, figure out any stops along the way that you plan to make, regardless of charging. If you plan to have lunch at a particular restaurant, drop into a supermarket to stock up on supplies, or go to a shopping centre to visit a particular outlet, many such places will have charging facilities on-site or nearby, and if your car is sitting there doing nothing while you’re off doing other things, it may as well be getting a cheeky top-up.

Also make sure that the charger you select is as appropriate as possible for the nature of your stop. If you’re only pausing for a matter of minutes, it pays to try and find a high-capacity DC rapid charger to get as much juice into your battery as you can. However, if you’re making an overnight stop at a hotel, then a slower AC charger will probably suffice. It’s sensible to book a hotel with a charger on-site as these are fairly commonplace these days, and it’s worth making a note of the hotel’s phone number so you can ring to check that the charger is working and available shortly before you arrive.

Have a backup plan

When planning stops purely for charging purposes, figure out a realistic distance you’ll be able to achieve since your last charge, with a reasonable amount of wiggle-room factored in. Normally, public chargers are much more commonplace in bigger towns or cities than they are in rural areas, so it’s a good idea to focus your searches there, and to make sure that you’ll be well juiced up before venturing into the countryside.

It’s usually a good idea to try and find the fastest charging point you can, but it’s also good to select one where there are other rapid chargers nearby, in case there’s some sort of problem with the one you preselected. As the name suggests, Zap-Map displays these charger locations on a map, so look for clusters of rapid chargers. If you’ve left enough wiggle-room, you should hopefully be able to make it to an alternative charger of a comparable output on the charge you have left. 

• Comment: ‘Make EV charging like dining at The Ivy’

That’s the other good thing about having your app of choice downloaded onto your mobile device: if there’s a problem with your backup plan, and your backup plan needs a backup plan, then you have your app there with you as a contingency.

It also pays to have access to as many chargers as possible, just in case. Contactless card payment is becoming more and more commonplace these days – it’s now been made law that all new chargers feature this tech, in fact – which is helping to reduce the problem of access. But some chargers still require a paid subscription to the company operating it, and many more require you to download the company’s app in order to start a charge. On the former point, it’s probably not worth signing up to a whole bunch of subscriptions, but on the latter, many of these apps are free, so it might be worth downloading a few of the more widespread ones if you haven't already, so that you're all ready and set up in advance of your trip.

Anything else?

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to do much about the weather on your trip, but it’s worth bearing in mind that extreme temperatures are not an electric car’s friend. Too cold and the battery depletes a lot more quickly, while if it’s too hot, you’ll probably have the air-con blasting away to keep you cool, which will again reduce your range. Happily, extreme temperatures don’t tend to occur too often in the UK, and drizzle – which happens all the time – has very little effect.

• Own Electric

Richard is editor of DrivingElectric, as well as sister site Carbuyer.co.uk , and a regular contributor to Auto Express . An electric and hybrid car advocate, he spent more than five years working on the news and reviews desk at Auto Express and has driven almost every new car currently on sale.

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How to Take a Stress-Free EV Road Trip in the U.S.

It’s easier than ever to take an electric vehicle on a long road trip, if you bear a few things in mind before you depart..

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The U.S. boasts thousands of miles of roads that can be reached within a single EV charge.

Photo by sladkozaponi/Shutterstock

EV road-tripping probably conjures one of two images for you: an eco-friendly, quiet, emissions-free ride from the future—or a fraught nightmare of battery-range anxiety and roadside assistance. The truth is, it can be fully the former if you keep a few things in mind. I’ve driven a Polestar 2 some 300 miles from L.A. to Las Vegas and taken a multigenerational road trip to San Diego in a Rivian R1S. Both journeys were smooth, much cheaper by the mile, and infinitely kinder to the environment. Here’s a primer on taking an EV road trip of your own.

How range and recharging work

There are three main things to know when driving an EV on a road trip: how far the car can go on a full charge (known as its range), how long it takes to recharge the battery, and where to find charging stations (and what kind).

Ranges differ. Most modern EVs offer between 200 and 400 miles. Charging infrastructure likewise is not created equal. California leads the way , with New York, Florida, and Texas on its heels. Other states have made great progress; Colorado has been working on adding charging capabilities to its scenic byways for several years. The recent federal infrastructure bill is channeling $7.5 billion toward half a million more chargers by 2030. Finally, charging time also varies. A fast charger will get you back on the road within 30 minutes. Slower plugs can take as long as humans to recharge overnight. (The type of car you have and the size of its battery are also factors.)

Hertz and EVgo have teamed up to make borrowing an electric vehicle easier.

Courtesy of EVgo

Renting an EV

Car rental companies are a great place to take a test drive into the inevitable EV world. Hertz, for example, says it has tens of thousands of EVs at more than 2,000 sites in 44 states, and it’s building a fleet at a range of price points (although it has been in the news lately for selling off some of its fleet). The company has a quick guide to renting an EV on Hertz.com , with notes on charging and braking, and primers on different car models, as well as a partnership offering discounts with charging network EVgo.

The peer-to-peer car-sharing app Turo, meanwhile, launched an EV hub in April. It showcases three curated EV collections (budget, SUV, and luxury) and has tips on driving electric vehicles. The app offers 1,500 makes and models; EVs made up 9 percent of its listings at the end of 2023.

How to find an EV charger

ChargePoint offers the most locations in the United States, with more than 31,000 locations. Electrify America and EVGo are two other popular networks, with more than 900 and 950 charging stations, respectively. Electrify America has an explainer on topping up , including a note on the “charging curve” (charging accelerates in the middle of the session) and other considerations like compatibility. (There are a couple of different plugs , but most modern cars can connect with any of them). Added bonus? The network’s energy is 100 percent renewable via solar farms and renewable energy certificates.

When you plan your route, look for pit stops with at least four outlets, says Joel Levin, executive director of EV advocacy nonprofit Plug In America . That way you’re less likely to find them all in use. “Road-tripping in an EV can be a lot of fun, but it takes a little planning and a different way of thinking about your trip,” he adds.

Use maps and apps

There are two keys to a stress-free trip: maps and apps. Waze added EV charging stations in 2023. Google Maps updated its offering for Earth Day 2024, with more specific location information, forecasted energy consumption for trips, and more . And for EVs with Google Maps built in, including Polestar, Volvo, and Renault vehicles, the software will automatically suggest charging stops when you plan a trip. It also shows charging options at other businesses such as grocery stores.

The charging networks have their own apps, too, allowing you to add payment methods, find available stations, and monitor progress if you leave your vehicle for a while. PlugShare , meanwhile, is a free community-based app that shows nearby chargers and reviews from users.

Book a hotel with an EV charger

Another pro tip: Find hotels with plentiful plugs. With the right combination of high range, shorter distances, and overnight charging, you may not need to stop during your daily drives. The Hilton chain lets you filter your search by hotels with charging facilities (and displays more than 1,200 results in the United States alone). Marriott offers a similar filter; I found 1,172 hotels on a recent search. IHG Hotels & Resorts, meanwhile, has facilities at almost 1,200 hotels in the United States. Some 30 percent of Relais & Chateaux’s North American hotels have chargers.

“Booking a hotel without an EV charger adds a level of stress and uncertainty that is no longer necessary,” says Bruce Becker, owner of the net-zero Hotel Marcel in Connecticut and an EV owner since 2011. “EV drivers actually have an advantage over drivers with gas cars because you’ll wake up in the morning with a full charge, ready to hit the road.”

Becker, who is chairman of the state’s Electric Vehicle Owners Club, has plenty of recommendations for your first EV road trip. In the summer, he vouches for Cape Cod (“there are plenty of fast chargers along [Highways] 95 and 91”); in the fall, he suggests a foliage trip from Hotel Marcel to Woodstock, Vermont, or to Maine. In fact, most of the country can be road-tripped in an EV with a little preparation, making it fairly easy to take your foot off the gas.

17 Tips for Road-Tripping in an EV: What You Need to Know

Posted: May 2, 2024 | Last updated: May 2, 2024

Whether you go solo, with friends, or with family, road trips are a rite of passage in the U.S. 

But going in a vehicle powered by a gas or diesel engine is one thing. Bypassing the internal combustion engine car and hitting the open road in an electric vehicle (EV) is another thing entirely.

If you have joined or plan to join the EV revolution and are in a road-tripping frame of mind, here are 17 things to consider before going on a road trip in a fully electric vehicle.

Use a Road-Trip Worthy EV

An EV offering enough range between charges is ideal. If you have something like a Mini Cooper SE that offers around 150 miles of range, that might make for a frustrating road trip. A Mazda MX-30 is a bigger vehicle, but its 114 miles of range is even more underwhelming. 

You need an EV offering a good range and reasonable charging times to make a road trip fun.

Consider the Comfort

Not all EVs are road-tripping vehicles. You’ll want to consider comfort for the driver and the passengers. If you have a three-row SUV or crossover EV, determine if there’s enough space for everyone before loading up people, pets, and things.

Plan Your Route Before Heading Out

When traveling in an EV, you’ll want to know the destination and the route to get to the destination. That sounds obvious enough. However, EV charging infrastructure is still nowhere close rivaling infrastructure for fueling cars with gas and diesel. 

It’s getting better, but it’s not there yet. So, you need to be more prepared by planning everything before you start your trip.

Route planning will help you arrange stops to recharge as needed so you can be on your way as quickly as possible. Fortunately, tons of apps are available to help with planning trips.

Drive in a Way That Maximizes Range

One way to increase your range between charges is to adjust how you drive.

Many EVs have multiple driving modes. If yours has an eco mode, use it. And access regenerative braking, if applicable, to slow down the EV without using the brake pedal. And if you don’t have to blast the AC or heater, leave it off to help squeeze out a little more range.

Plan Breaks Around Charging

According to one source, you should stop for at least 15 minutes every two hours on a road trip. It’s also a good idea to stop at least 45 minutes per 4.5 hours of driving. 

You can maximize your charging times by finding locations where you can do other things — like go to the restroom, walk your dog, and get something to eat — while your EV tops up. 

Have a Backup Plan

It’s surprisingly common for EV drivers to arrive at charging stations only to find that some or most of the chargers are out of commission. Don’t let such a scenario ruin your road trip. One solution is to choose charging locations close to other charging locations — just in case. 

Find Accommodations Offering Charging Options

If your road trip includes hotel stays, find accommodations offering EV charging stations. Some hotels offer complimentary charging, while others charge for this convenience. Whatever the arrangement, charging your EV at a hotel is a bonus.

Avoid Routes Offering Limited Charging Options

You’ll have a better road-tripping experience if your routes offer ample charging options. Of course, that’s not always possible. With that said, beware of taking an EV on a rural adventure in the middle of nowhere unless you have enough range and charging options. 

Learn How to Use Charging Stations Properly

While this might seem obvious, you need to know how to use the various charging stations you’ll encounter on your road trip. They’re not all the same.

You don’t want your first time at a specific charging station network to be while on a road trip. But that could be the case if you usually charge at home and rarely need a public charging station. Depending on the network, you may need to download an app, enter payment information, and type in other details. Ensure you know what to expect ahead of your road trip.

Unpack Unnecessary Items

Carrying too much in your EV can negatively impact range. So, while you’ll want to take everything you need for a fun trip, leave anything you don’t need at home. That’ll help get as much range as possible. It can make a big difference if you’re on a long-distance road trip.

Beware of Trailers

Did you know that towing a trailer can reduce an EV’s range by up to 50%? That’s enough reason to think long and hard before towing a trailer on a road trip. At the very least, you’ll want to use an EV with enough range and towing capacity to make road-tripping feasible.

Factor Weather Conditions into the Equation

The weather can do a number on an EV battery. You’ll want to be careful about road-tripping during the cold weather months or the hot weather months. If you can avoid road trips during times of the year when it’s extremely hot or cold, that’s your best bet.

Ensure Backup Drivers Are Comfortable Driving EVs

Even if you’ll be doing most of the driving, you should have alternate drivers on a long road trip. But it’s vital that the other drivers feel comfortable using an EV. Don’t assume they will be. All alternate drivers should be familiar with your EV.

Opt for Shorter Over Longer Charging Sessions

Unless you need a 100% charge for a certain stretch of your trip, choose shorter rather than longer charging sessions. Depending on the EV, it can take just as long to get from 0 to 80% as it does to get from 80% to 100%. So, charging your EV for 20 minutes or so every couple of hours can result in a faster trip overall than filling up to full capacity at every stop. 

Practice Proper EV Etiquette

Some people practice poor EV etiquette — and it’s often unintentional. But it won’t hurt to brush up on yours before pulling out of the driveway for a road trip.

For instance, if you’re eating lunch in a restaurant or doing some shopping while your EV is charging, don’t leave it plugged in after it’s done charging. Set up your phone to get notifications so you’re aware when your charging session is over — and then move your EV so that someone else can charge their EV.

Be Wary About Range

While technology is getting better at predicting ranges EVs can travel, you should still be conservative and build in a buffer just in case. You’ll stay out of trouble that way. You don’t want your road trip to be memorable for all the wrong reasons — so be mindful of ranges.

Tire Size Matters

When it comes to getting as much range as possible out of your EV, tire size matters. It might not be a huge factor, but every mile of extra range will help on your road trip. You’ll usually do better if you go with a smaller over a larger tire size, so consider tire size when road-tripping.

Remember to Stop and Smell the Roses

When road-tripping in an EV, you have no choice but to stop and smell the roses. You’ll have to stop and charge, and that takes time. But if you plan everything right, it should be fun.

If you remember these tips, your EV can help you enjoy the rite of passage that road trips have become.

More From SewCanShe

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How to Find an Electric Car Charger

Looking to plan a big trip with your EV? You're going to want to map out chargers first. Here's what you need to know.

If you drive a gas-powered car, chances are you don’t plan your trips around finding a gas station. It’s not just that gas stations are everywhere. You also don’t have to worry whether the pumps will work or how fast you’ll be able to fill your car.

Making efficient use of EV chargers on the road requires more thought. They aren’t as ubiquitous as gas stations and they are also less reliable. That means navigating to what turns out to be a broken charger isn’t just frustrating—if you’re low on range, it’s potentially disastrous. And chargers aren’t one-size-fits-all; some aren’t compatible with all vehicles, or you may need an adapter to hook up your car, a mobile app to start the charging, or both. Plus, of course, chargers come in different speeds. On a last note, chargers can be hard to find, in addition to being painful to miss. They don’t tend to come with 30-foot signs displaying their location and price, and are often located in the back of shopping centers and hotel parking lots.

Complicating all of this, a huge amount of public and private money is being invested in EV charging solutions, resulting in a lot of experimentation as local and state governments, car makers, charging companies, and even payment platforms try to figure out what works and what doesn’t. For consumers, that translates into a potentially confusing array of options when it comes to something as basic as locating chargers.

Should you use an app or your in-car navigation system? Why bother with CarPlay? The answer depends on the nature of your trip, what kind of car you drive, and whether getting charged is your only goal or just one.

Finding a Working Charger: PlugShare and Other Mobile Apps

Plugshare is as developed as it is because it supported drivers in the earliest days of EVs, when finding a charger on the road was much more harrowing than it is today. Most EVs didn’t have navigation systems, let alone systems that could direct you to a specific charger. Fast chargers were exceedingly rare and most cars couldn’t use them, and slow chargers, too, were few and far between. So the early adopters were resourceful and created tools to help other drivers find places to plug in. In the early days, Plugshare users even listed their own home chargers so that other EV owners could use them. PlugShare can also be worth a look if you’re curious about upcoming chargers. Intrepid investigators in the Tesla Motors Club forum have gone so far as to search public records for construction permits for upcoming Supercharger locations, reporting them on Plugshare when found.

PlugShare is far from the only charger database out there. Its closest competitor is ChargeHub , an app that provides virtually identical functionality. Though ChargeHub has far fewer users writing reviews of chargers, the user interface is a bit more modern and it features fewer ads, so choosing between the two apps is a matter of preference more than anything else.

Both PlugShare and ChargeHub aggregate chargers from all networks, which is an advantage if you want the most comprehensive view of what’s available in a given area. But if you are highly dependent on public chargers–either because you don’t have at-home charging or spend a lot of time on the road–then chances are you are subscribed to a charging network for discounted use. In that case, it can make sense to use the app provided by your EV-preferred charging provider, such as Electrify America , EVgo , or Chargepoint . As might be expected, these apps often are the best source of real-time status information for chargers in their network and can be very helpful for purposes of assessing availability and avoiding congestion at a station, and will generally need to be used to initiate the charge anyway.

Planning a Trip: A Better Route Planner

The app you use to find a working charger near you is not necessarily the app you want to use to plan a trip. PlugShare has a trip planning functionality, but it’s not as smart as some of the other options, requiring you to input your starting range and manually select from the available options at each charging stop along the way. It also doesn’t factor in live traffic along the way or guide you there in real time. That makes navigating a multi-stop road trip with PlugShare tedious, akin to printing directions in the MapQuest days.

For long trips, A Better Route Planner (ABRP) is the best mobile app solution. You simply add your vehicle and starting range, set your destination, and it will take you to all of your charging stops along the way optimizing for the shortest total time or number of charging stops if you prefer. You are able to filter to use only particular charging networks or avoid any, as well as factor in charger availability(with a premium subscription). Once on your way, the app shows a predicted state of charge of your battery. If you find this to be inaccurate, potentially due to weather, you can change it in the app and it will adjust your route as necessary. Unlike in-car systems however, the responsibility of keeping that state of charge up to date in the app lies with you, and failure to do so can result in not being able to reach the next charger at all. Despite that caveat, ABRP is a very complete EV road trip tool.

Whether you’re in an older car without an in-car navigation system, one whose systems you are less familiar with, or simply want to be sure you know the location and status of all the charging options around you, these apps can serve an important purpose in your charging experience.

Planning a Trip with Integrated Data: In-Car Navigation in a Tesla

Every Tesla owner knows the advantages of integrated data. An app may give you optionality but you are still left to calculate, for yourself, whether you can make it to a particular charger. Tesla takes care of that problem by providing you with a car that monitors its own battery depletion and directs you to an optimally located Supercharger.

Most EVs sold today have some form of in-car navigation system, and many of these, too, are able to direct you to nearby EV chargers, or help you plan charge stops along a route. But with these systems, the devil is in the details. Tesla’s Trip Planner remains the strongest and most seamless of these systems because it has spent years investing in a vertically integrated charging network that optimizes trip planning and automates the payment process. By default, the Trip Planner map shows nearby Supercharger stations, allowing you to simply set them as your destination. As with ABRP, if you set a destination that is beyond the range of your vehicle, Trip Planner will optimize the route, directing you to Supercharger stations along the way, telling you how long you need to charge to reach the next stop in the most time efficient (if slightly range-conservative) way. Thanks to its vertically integrated network, Tesla also avoids routing you to broken or busy stations that may result in an unnecessary wait to charge.

The downside of this system is that Trip Planner will incorporate only Tesla’s Superchargers into your route. Tesla’s navigation map also shows its own level 2 chargers, and third-party chargers if you’ve charged at those particular locations before (making Plugshare your best option for locating all of the available options). For now, the limitation isn’t unduly problematic for most Tesla owners, for two reasons. First, third-party fast charging networks in the U.S. currently require a CCS-to-NACS adapter, which most Tesla owners simply do not have. Second, Tesla has the largest and most reliable fast charger network by far. But as other networks close the gap (and adopt NACS), Tesla will likely open up Trip Planner, as more optionality is always better for drivers planning a route. In fact, Tesla has already started doing this in other countries.

Planning a Trip with Integrated Data: In-Car Navigation in a Non-Tesla

At first blush, other OE systems, like Ford’s Fordpass navigation and charging system, appear to offer functionality similar enough to Tesla’s, but in practice, their lack of real-time data from third-party networks has resulted in a poor charging experience for their users. In Marques Brownlee’s road trip test a couple years ago, Ford’s navigation system directed a Mustang Mach-E to broken chargers twice in one day. That forced the car to backtrack to whatever charger it could find within the remaining range of the vehicle–including to a slow level 2 charger–adding up to hours-long delays.

In the face of these challenges, car makers have started looking to the tech world for route planning solutions. For instance, last year, Rivian purchased the parent company of A Better Route Planner and has since integrated the best of ABRP’s functionality into its navigation system. Much like Tesla's system, it plans your charging stops along the way, and allows you to filter locations based on charging speed and charging provider. Unlike the general ABRP mobile app, Rivian’s system pulls information about the state of your battery charge directly from your vehicle. It also allows you to set the amount of charge you would like to have by the time you arrive at your destination and tracks real-time availability data from many third-party charging providers (though not all providers share this information).

Some manufacturers, like Polestar , rely on Google Maps, which has added EV routing integration into the automotive version of its Maps app. This partnership enables the car’s infotainment system to provide functionality similar to Rivian’s ABRP software, combined with Google’s live traffic routing. Polestar also boasts that ABRP is available on its vehicles, giving owners multiple options for seamless routing.

Mobile Apps as In-Car Navigation

Looking to the near future, what is likely to become popular are phone-based solutions like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which use your phone to create an in-car navigation experience. In other words, they allow your phone to pull information from the vehicle and display mobile apps on the infotainment screen. This enables applications running on your phone to understand the range and state of charge of your vehicle, and offer similar functionality to ones running on the car’s infotainment system. If your EV allows CarPlay/Android Auto apps to read this data, you can use EV routing software available on the app store, notably Apple Maps, Google Maps, or ABRP. All of these apps have proven to be very robust and full-featured, and will likely continue to improve as more charging providers share their data with the tech giants. The caveat is that compatibility is up to the car makers, at least for the foreseeable future (though ABRP does have an OBD-based workaround) .

Ford and Porsche have leaned into this functionality, but Hyundai and Kia currently do not support this integration, instead releasing their own route planner last summer. GM also announced last year that they would be phasing out CarPlay and Android Auto in favor of developing their own system with Google. Tesla does not support CarPlay or Android Auto at all.

Charging While Shopping: Retail and Hospitality Chains

It’s fun to dream about a future where driving an EV requires as little planning as an ICE vehicle. It will take some time before chargers are on every street corner, but retailers are taking steps toward that reality.

The big shift we should expect is a movement toward charging-while-[fill in the blank]. Increasingly, retailers are understanding that offering EV charging is an easy way to bring people to their businesses. Having a captive audience for 20 minutes to an hour is an enticing proposition, and as shown by a recent Consumer Reports study , many companies are offering charging to stimulate brick-and-mortar sales.

The earliest and most complete mover in this arena is Ikea. It should come as no surprise that the flat-pack furniture retailer hailing from the country with one of the highest rates of EV adoption in the world has long offered charging at its locations. Currently nearly all of its U.S. facilities have at least a handful of chargers in their vast parking lots.

Big box retailers are also starting to invest in charging, though that doesn’t mean you can reliably expect to see chargers at a given location just yet. Costco, Target, and Walmart all have EV charging at fewer than 10 percent of their locations , and many of Electrify America’s fast charge stations are located in Walmart lots.

The major national grocery chains have gone further. Amazon/Whole Foods, Big Y, Meijer, Giant, Food Lion, Stop & Shop, Hy-Vee, and Raley’s all boast chargers at between 11 and 30 percent of their locations. Meijer, in particular, hosts many Tesla Superchargers in the midwest, while Raley’s maintains a number of EVgo fast charge locations.

Sheetz and Wawa lead the convenience store pack, largely through their work with Tesla hosting superchargers up and down the East Coast. The competing chains also both work with EVgo to provide CCS and CHAdeMo charging as well.

Hotel chains are perhaps the businesses with the most to gain, or lose, from the decision on whether to offer charging. Having access to a level 2 charger overnight can mean saving over an hour of charging on your journey, and many EV owners will choose hotels that make that possible. So it’s unsurprising that hotels have been moving quickly to add this amenity, often as a free perk for guests. Hilton announced last year that it plans to work with Tesla to install 20,000 chargers across 2,000 hotels in North America, adding to the nearly 1,500 hotels that already have them. Marriott has more than 6,000 chargers worldwide through a partnership with EVconnect. Radisson and Best Western have also announced that they are working with Tesla to increase their EV footprint.

The bottom line: As with gas stations, with a little trial and error, you will quickly find the handful of chargers where you’ll do the vast majority of your charging. For the rest, your car and your circumstances will largely dictate which app, navigation system, or in-between option provides you the best real-time data on working chargers at minimally congested sites.

An aerospace engineer with a life-long passion for anything with wheels or wings, Will has spent his career building everything from bicycles to bathrooms. 

He once ran an after-hours communal car workshop in an abandoned South Bronx laundromat, restoring his first and last car, a Datsun 240z, and had a Suzuki SV650 blown up by ConEd. 

Watts later followed his name and joined Tesla’s charging team, and now writes about EVs and infrastructure.

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