EV Road Trip Guide: Planning Long-Distance Travel in an Electric Car

Preparing for a Long Journey in an EV

Before you set off on any long trip in an electric vehicle, there are some crucial checks you’ll need to make as a basic foundation for the rest of your EV road trip planning.

Essential Pre-Departure Checks

Battery: To give yourself optimal range and save some stops, make sure your battery is topped up before you set off. Ideally, you’ll be able to leave your car plugged into a home charger the night before to ensure the battery’s at 100% by the time you set off.

Tyres: Visually inspect your tyres for damage to minimise the risk of blowouts or uneven handling. It’s also important to check that the tread depth is within the UK legal limit to guarantee ample stopping distance and safe driving. Finally, check your tyre pressure, as underinflated tyres will reduce your electric driving range, and will be more at risk of wear and damage.

Precondition the cabin and battery: Use the EV’s infotainment system to heat or cool the cabin and battery to an optimal operating temperature before you set off. Many EV models will allow you to schedule this with a desired departure time via the Manufacturer App. This step is especially important if you’re going to be driving in particularly hot or cold weather, as it will minimise the energy needed to regulate the temperature and preserve your battery.

Packing a charging cable and adapters: Though the majority of public charge points use Type 2 connectors, and many have their own tethered cables, you don’t want to find yourself in need of a top-up when you can only access incompatible chargers. Bringing your own charging cable, and any adapters you’ll need to access public charge points, will ensure you avoid this kind of mishap.

Understanding EV Range

Concerns about range and EV road trip planning are often a major hang-up for people who are on the fence about making the switch to electric driving. However, for drivers in the UK, this generally isn’t an issue.

Most modern EVs offer a driving range of 200-300 miles on a full charge. For context, a car on the low end of this would allow you to drive from Brighton to Aberdeen with just two short stops at a rapid charger in between. This can be done when you stop for a break from driving for some coffee or food. 

EVs come in a wide spectrum of maximum driving ranges, and the best EVs for long-distance travel will give you an extra hundred or so miles that can help you minimise your charging stops and enjoy a more convenient journey. However, all-electric cars have sufficient range to cover most long-distance drives you’ll make in the UK, and buying an EV for its range usually isn’t necessary.

Maximising Range Efficiency

While your car’s inherent range and putting your vehicle through the right pre-journey checks will have the biggest impact on your driving range, there are also driving habits you can use to maximise your range efficiency and keep your EV going for longer.

Some driving habits that can help maximise your range include:

Drive at moderate speeds: While ICE cars consume fuel most efficiently at around 50mph when they can negate static losses, with EVs, the faster you go, the more energy you consume. If you make a point of keeping to moderate speeds during motorway driving, you’ll be able to conserve energy and maximise your car’s chances of achieving the range it was built for.

Use regenerative braking: Your EV’s regenerative braking system is capable of capturing energy that would usually be lost as heat while braking, then store it in your battery to add a few more miles to your range. To make the most of this, you should try to drive as smoothly as possible, mostly using your accelerator, and avoid stepping on the brakes suddenly.

Go easy on your car’s electronic features: Your EV’s battery not only powers its motor, but also all the other electronic features in the car, including the climate control, stereo, and headlights. If you’re looking to maximise your range on a long journey, it’s important to stay aware of all the features you’re using on the road, and make a point to conserve or turn off anything that’s drawing power unnecessarily. For example, if it’s a cold day, use heated seats as opposed to the heated blower to keep yourself warm - as this uses less energy. 

Locating Rapid Charging Stations

To locate rapid charging stations along your planned route, use an app like Zapmap, Octopus Electroverse, or Google Maps. These will not only show the locations of public EV charge points but also critical information like their charging speed, cost per kWh, and payment method.

Wherever your journey’s heading, it’s always a good idea to prioritise chargers in the “fast” or “rapid” category rated in the 50 kW - 350 kW range. These will top up your battery as quickly as possible and mean you won’t have to wait around for too long at any one stop.

Motorway service stations and supermarkets tend to be the best option for finding high-speed public chargers, and also give you an opportunity to do some shopping, grab a bite, and generally relax while you’re waiting for your battery to fill up.

What to Expect at Rapid Charging Stations

Rapid public chargers come in a variety of designs managed by several different providers, and reading up on these differences in advance will ensure you get the best experience possible.

Some key things to bear in mind when you’re picking EV charging stops for long journeys include:

Charging times vary: The output of a charger can vary depending on the specific charging point, even with two chargers that are both in the same category (e.g “fast” or “rapid”). A 50 kW charger, for example, will take a battery from empty to 80% in around 40-60 minutes, while a 150 kW charger will deliver the same charge in 20-30 minutes.

Different payment methods: An increasing number of public EV chargers allow you to pay for your charging session through simple contactless payments, the same way you’d pay for anything else at a card reader. However, others will require you to pay through an app, and a small minority require you to have an RFID card from the charging provider. 

Tethered vs untethered chargers: While some chargers have tethered cables with a standard Type 2 connection, others will require you to provide your own charging cable. Certain chargers may also have connections that your car isn’t compatible with as standard, meaning you’ll need a cable adapter to use them. To avoid any inconvenient mishaps, we recommend using the charging map apps we mentioned earlier to read up on the details of individual charging points, and making sure you travel with the appropriate cables or adapters.

Plan Your Route and Charging Stops

The most important thing you can do to ensure a long journey in an electric car goes smoothly is study your route in detail, and plan your charging stops in advance.

Purpose-built EV charging locator apps like Zapmap and Plugshare provide an intuitive way to check details about individual charging points like their speed, cost, and connection type, and bookmark the locations along your route for convenient stops.

Aside from planning out your ideal charging stops in advance, it’s also a good idea to bookmark some backup chargers nearby that you can rely on in case your first choice is out of order or especially busy.

Factor in Charging Time for Breaks

When you’re driving for long distances, taking frequent breaks will help you re-energise and keep your reactions sharp for the road. 

Obviously, you’ll want to get to your destination as quickly as possible. However, to ensure a comfortable and safe drive, we recommend picking chargers that have a more gradual rate of charge so you can take a moment to stretch your legs, grab some food, and generally recoup your energy for the road ahead.

If you think you’re going to have an overnight stop on your journey, it’s also a good idea to choose hotels with low-speed charge points. This will give you an opportunity to charge your EV overnight, and save some money per kWh compared to the cost of rapid chargers.

Drive Efficiently to Maximise Range

Aside from solid EV road trip planning before you set off, there are many good driving habits you can stick to while you’re en-route that can help you use your battery efficiently and maximise your range.

Here are some key best practices to bear in mind when you’re driving an EV and want to maximise charge efficiency:

• Drive smoothly and maintain a steady, moderate speed, using cruise control where possible on motorways to conserve the battery’s energy.
• Make the most of regenerative braking by setting it to a high level if possible, anticipating stops, and using the accelerator to control your speed rather than the brake.
• Optimise climate control by preconditioning the cabin or relying on seat heaters over cabin heaters.
• Avoid unnecessary cargo, especially on the roof, to ensure easier acceleration and reduce drag.
• Use energy-efficient “eco” driving modes where available to optimise energy use and reduce the strain on your battery.
• Be conservative with any electrical features in the car to avoid diverting energy from your motor.

Be Aware of Weather Conditions

Weather can affect your driving experience no matter how you drive, but when you’re taking a long journey in an electric car, the ambient conditions can have a subtle effect on the way the battery works and change your long-range driving experience.

Cold Weather

Cold weather (around -10°C to 10°C) can slow down the chemical reactions in your EV’s lithium-ion battery, reducing the energy output and overall range efficiency of your car, while also slowing down the rate at which the battery charges.

Like with traditional ICE cars, cold tyres will have more rolling resistance and require more energy to move the car. This can lead to the battery draining faster than you may be used to in more favourable conditions.

Cold conditions can also lead you to use the cabin heating, seat warmers, and defrosting features more than usual, and therefore drain the battery.

Making sure the car is properly preconditioned for your journey, using heated elements rather than cabin heating, and trying to park indoors wherever possible can help to mitigate the effects of cold weather on your driving range.

Wind

Strong headwinds may also reduce your EV driving range by forcing the car to work harder to push through the resistance and reach your target speed, consuming more energy than usual.

If you know you’ll be driving against the wind during your journey, you can mitigate the effect on your energy consumption and range by sticking to moderate speeds to reduce aerodynamic drag, activating your car’s eco-mode while driving, and using regenerative braking to minimise energy consumption.

Rain

Rainy conditions reduce friction between a car’s tyres and the road, meaning you’ll need to rely on your brake pedal more than usual, and reducing the effectiveness of regenerative braking. This kind of weather will also mean you’ll need to use your wipers and headlights more, diverting energy away from the motor.

Making sure you maintain proper tyre pressure and sticking to moderate speeds can make it easier to maintain control over your car’s deceleration. This will allow you to maximise the effectiveness of the car’s regenerative braking, and conserve as much energy as possible.