How To Plan a Long Highway Trip with an Electric Vehicle in India?

Electric vehicles have been replacing ICE vehicles due to their low running cost, minimal maintenance cost, and being an option for clean mobility. With the increase in the adoption of this innovative technology, EV users are now considering Electric Vehicles for intra-city travel, commuting to work, marketplace, or nearby city attractions. For this daily commute, EV owners mostly charge overnight at home or in the office.

As the EV industry grows, EVs with higher ranges are coming into the market, making it possible to travel longer distances. Simultaneously, public EV charging infrastructure is growing. We can now make long trips with our EVs by proper planning and awareness.

Here are some tips for preparing your EV charging needs to remove range anxiety during your highways and a long road trip.

1. Know your battery range 

You should know the inside out of your EV. You should know the range of your EV and the time it will take to fully charge. This way you can decide at how many intervals you need to charge your EV. Knowing such metrics will help you plan your trip and have a smooth and stress-free EV journey.

2. Plan your trip

Before taking EV for a long trip, you need to plan your route. You can map your stops as per the availability of EV chargers. You can plan your stay and meals alongside your EV charging needs. You can pick hotels, restaurants, and picnic spots as per the availability of chargers.

3. Download charging apps  

Currently, Charging Apps like the Statiq have a route-planning feature allowing you to plan and save trips. It has premium locations mapped in the charging network. You can download similar charging apps beforehand and explore nearby EV charging stations en-route.

Do not charge fully if you do not have to 

You need to charge your EV judiciously. You need to decide the charging time required as per the time your EV takes time to charge but at the same time, you need to consider that the rate of charging, irrespective of car or charger slows down towards the end usually after reaching the 80% mark. So, consider ending the charging session after reaching a point sufficient to reach your next stop.

Have a digital wallet or RFID card for payment

You should interlink your preferable payment mode through the charging app beforehand hence saving time and making the charging experience stress-free. Making it convenient, public electric vehicle charging stations like Statiq have their wallet and RFID card which allows simply tap and pay.

Have Plan B 

Carry your charging kit. The EV charging infrastructure is still in the growing phase and it is difficult to find electric vehicle charging stations outside cities. Also, not all public chargers installed are reliable. In such cases, one should resort to charging at hotels, restaurants, or in local houses after request. Here, carrying one is charging kit saves the day.

Conclusion

Keeping the above factors in mind will make your EV journey smooth and stress-free. So, with proper planning and judicious utilization of your EV capacity, it will make your journey smooth, removing range anxiety.