Plan Your Next EV Journey with Ease

Your first steps along the road of EV ownership might be blocked by a big brick wall of range anxiety. It hasn’t been the first time you pictured yourself stranded on the side of the road, calling services with a poor signal while your EV battery is out of juice. Let’s deflate this anxiety and replace it with confidence. With these simple tips below, you will leave your doubts behind as you arrive at your destination on time and with plenty of battery charge to spare.

Websites and EV Apps are your friends

You are first going to need to understand what chargers your car can use. Luckily, most rapid charging stations across the UK are compatible with your model… but it’s still helpful to find out through websites like Pod Point. The EV industry has quickly grown and today, there are plenty of places you can go to plan your journeys such as ZapMap, A Better Route Planner, and in-car technology. These have plenty of helpful features, like:

• A map of every available charging station along your route
• The ability to tailor your journey based on your exact EV model
• Recommendations on which charging points to use toward your destination and how long each will take

You may also want to think about the cost and charging speed of each EV station. Perhaps travelling a little further to a cheaper or more rapid station will benefit you more than what was first recommended. Try and tailor the journey to your needs as there are plenty of options available.  ​

The little things make a big difference

So, now you have a route planned with one or two charging stops along the way. Before you press start, where exactly will you be stopping to charge? If it is in the middle of nowhere, or next to a closed pub, it is unlikely you will want to wait in your car. It’s good to take a break from driving to stop fatigue, but also try to choose places with WiFi, scenic attractions, or places to recharge yourself.

What else to consider?

• Don’t dip below 10% battery if you can help it. Route planners consider this but know that batteries charge the fastest between 10 and 80%. Charging above or below this will make things go a. lot. more. slowly.
• EV chargers that are currently being used. You don’t want to show up at an occupied station. Luckily apps like ZapMap can show which charging points are available along your journey.
• Your driving habits. Things like turning on regenerative braking, accelerating slowly, packing light, and checking tyre pressure can all boost your EV range greatly.
• Environment. Are you driving over hills? Just like any car, a hill start takes up fuel, so it’s best to minimise this. Cold weather also impacts EV range, so try to create other routes with more charging station stops if it’s a bit chilly.

Know that the EV industry grows and develops every day

Whatever thoughts were circulating about range anxiety a few years ago are far from the truth today. There are over 35,000 public charging stations across the UK and between 2021 and 2022, over 7000 charging points were added to the network. The UK government’s rapid charging fund aims to have at least 6 rapid charging stations at every motorway service station for 2023.

Unless you are going from Aberdeen to Southampton, you will rarely need to charge more than once or twice on a long journey. Almost all car journeys in the UK are under 100 miles and EVs are more than capable of achieving this, especially as technology advances.

All that is left is to have a little faith.