When you take a day trip in an electric car, you generally check the distance in Google Maps, locate one or two DC fast chargers along your route and you’re done. Hop in the car then go on your way. But, when your plans take you more than twice the range of your car’s battery, then you need to put a little more effort into the trip. Questions arise about charging in remote places, lodging with level-2 chargers, places to charge and enjoy a decent meal, as well as where to stop to see interesting sights. For these trips, Google Maps still plays an important role, but you will also need the help of charging apps and hotel/motel amenities. And you should get an idea of where you’d like to stop along the way and where you’d like to dwell. Lastly, think about how many hours a day you’d be comfortable driving.
For my
trip, I wanted to drive up the California and Oregon coast over eight
days. I could comfortably drive about
250 to 350 miles a day, which would involve at least one fast-charge per day. I needed to make my first stop at my sister’s
house in Discovery Bay to drop off the dog.
That would leave enough charge for me to get to Saint Helena in Napa
Valley where a DC fast-charger is available.
(Plus, there’s plenty to do while charging.) I also wanted to visit the drive-thru
Chandelier Tree in the morning, so I planned my first night nearby. There was also a Shell DC fast-charger nearby
so I could charge up before visiting the tree.
This second day of driving would take me as far as Coos Bay, Oregon,
with a charging stops in Eureka and Crescent City, California before crossing
the state line. There was a level-2
charger in the lot adjacent to my hotel where I would be able to charge, as
well as a few fast-charging options. The
third day of driving would take me to Newport, Oregon, where I decided to stay
for three nights before heading home. (I
didn’t want to be packing and unpacking every day, so this made a good
turn-around point for my trip.) Newport
has a few fast-charging options available.
The
return trip would have different layovers because Coos Bay is only a two-hour
drive from Newport. The next night would
be in Eureka, California, with charging stops in Coos Bay and Crescent
City. I picked a hotel walking distance
from a DC fast-charger in Eureka to charge after checking in. The drive from Eureka to my sister’s place in
Discovery Bay could be done in one more day, with a charging stop in Legget and
Napa. That would leave me with enough
range to get to her place and then home.
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| The spreadsheet I used to plan the trip |
I
actually used a spreadsheet to plan the trip, including distance between stops,
total distance travelled, approximate driving time, an estimate of charging
time, days and destinations, and possible attractions to see along the
way. I find wring it down helps me to
digest the information. Some EV planning
maps can help with these details avoiding the need for the spreadsheet.
