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Plan Your Road Trip

If you have travel plans outside of your usual range, simplify your trip by planning your charging stops in advance

  • The best website for finding charging stations is plugshare.com.
  • Recharge when your battery reaches 10-20%. Charge your battery to 80-90%
  • If you expect wet or snowy roads or a strong head wind, plan to use more energy between charging stations. 
  • To reduce charging costs, book your overnight stays at places with chargers or at least an available 120 -volt outlet. 

If you notice the charge level going down faster than you expected

  • Slow down. Even driving 5 km/h slower makes a significant difference when travelling at any speed above 90 km/h.
  • Reduce the amount of cabin heating. Use your heated seats instead. 
  • Check for a closer charger. Even a level 2 charger can quickly add enough charge to get you to the next DCFC fast charger. 

Extra tips for your winter road trip

Freezing temperatures both lower battery performance and increase power demands due to the need to heat the passenger cabin. You may experience a 10-30% decrease in range depending on weather conditions (ex. wet or snowy roads), EV model and driver experience.

  • When an EV is parked in the cold (especially below 0°C) it will use battery power to keep the battery itself from getting too cold. That means, if you do need to park in cold weather for an extended period, ex. days, then it’s a good idea to keep your EV plugged in.
  • Preheat your EV cabin before unplugging. Once the cabin has been heated it takes much less energy to keep it at your preferred temperature.
  • During winter, using heated seats to help stay warm uses far less power than heating the cabin.