3 Things To Know Before Planning A Road Trip In An Electric Car

Nowadays, it’s perfectly possible to go on a road trip and be eco-friendly. In fact, we already have an article about this, which you can check out if you want some tips on how to achieve an environmentally friendly road trip. 

Naturally, one of the main points from that piece is to choose the rig

ht vehicle. Electric vehicles are, obviously, the best, but what should you know before planning a road trip in an electric car? Here are three things you should consider before you leave the house:

How far can your car travel?

Electric cars have a limit on which they are able to travel before they need to be charged. We’ll talk about charging in the second point, but the key thing here is that your car should be able to handle long journeys. A lot of Citroen electric cars are great at this, offering up to 217 miles in one charge. Most Tesla’s will also give you over the 200-mile range, and most experts agree that the Hyundai Kona offers the longest range of all. Do your research if you are renting an electric vehicle! You want to avoid cars that have a limited range as it means you will constantly need to stop and charge every few hours. 

Where are the charging ports?

No matter how good your electric vehicle is, you will need to charge it at some point during your trip. With regular cars, it’s a simple case of finding a petrol station – of which there are many everywhere. Now, many service stations on the motorway have charting points for you to use, and there’s a handy app called Zap-Map that shows you where all of the charging points are. It’s a very good idea to download this as you can actually plan your road trip based on where the charging points are. In essence, it plots a route that ensures you will always be able to charge your car before it runs out of battery. 

How can you maximise your range?

Even with a car that offers a great charging range, you should think about ways to maximise it as much as possible. There are lots of little tips and tricks you can use to do this, most of which revolve around driving habits and subtle hacks. For example, maintaining an average speed helps to preserve the battery life, rather than speeding as fast as you can. Turning on regenerative braking is also beneficial as this helps to re-power your battery as you drive. Other simple tips include turning off the climate control system and anything else that could drain the battery. As a result, your car can now last for even longer than before, minimising the chances of running out of battery before reaching a charging point. 

The bottom line is that it is 100% possible to enjoy a long road trip in an electric vehicle. The battery is your only concern, so make sure you charge your car fully before you leave. Then, follow the advice to maximise its range, and plot your route to allow for charging points along the way.