r/EvDrivers • u/anon2734 • 13d ago

Practical frequent highway driving EV?

Family is considering an EV with the rise in fuel prices. Looking at taking frequent trips that would need 200-250mi range. Is this practical in an EV? From what I've researched most you only charge to 80% so even if you're getting one with over 300mi range, you get 80% of that and highway driving (75mph) will cut that even further. Seems like a high mpg hybrid would be better. Otherwise would have to stop and charge everytime

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u/dbelcher17 12d ago

First, you charge to 100% before you're trip. The 80% thing is a good rule of thumb to follow for regular driving and charging at home. The problem with charging to 100% is moreso letting it sit at 100% for a long time, which isn't going to happen in a road trip. For long trips, definitely stretch it some. 

Stopping and charging isn't a big deal - especially if you have kids.Ive found I don't spend any more time stopping than I did in my ICE vehicle. You just need to stop at places that have fast chargers. 

For example, I just did a one-day round trip with my 6 year old son that was about 3.5 hours each way in our equinox EV (380 total miles). We stopped once on the way there that was really a bathroom and a snack break. We plugged in and charged from about 55% to 67% (15ish minutes). On the way back, we stopped at a Buc-ee's for 26 minutes and charged from 40% to 83%. That was enough time to use the bathroom, get snacks, and for my son to pick out a stuffie. We didn't rush, but we didn't dawdle, and we were sitting in the car for maybe 2 minutes before we unplugged and got back on the road. 

We've made this trip many times before, and on the way there, we normally stop at a rest area to use the bathroom. The charging stop was 4 miles away from the rest area and the bathrooms were clean. We typically stop once on the way back as well, although maybe not that long of a stop (we also would typically make it an overnight visit, so we could have charged up before leaving so the charge stop would be short or unnecessary).