End of Year Travel Plans with an EV? What are you guys doing?

General
1

I’ve taken my EV on a couple of road trips before, and charging was smooth with no issues finding available spots. But those trips were during non-peak times.

With Christmas and other holidays approaching, we’re deciding whether to take the EV or just rent an ICE for the week. Obviously, using my EV would be cheaper, especially since I’ve got snow tires on it and everything. But I’m feeling a bit anxious about holiday traffic at charging stations after hearing some not-so-great stories from last year.

What’s everyone thinking? Any advice?

2

What were these “horrible holiday travel stories”? Were they specific to EVs?

3

MAKENA said:
What were these “horrible holiday travel stories”? Were they specific to EVs?

Haha, fair question. Mostly about long lines and busy chargers during the holidays, which would mainly affect EVs.

4

@Mark
There were definitely some issues last year with holiday travel, even here in California.

5

emma said:
@Mark
There were definitely some issues last year with holiday travel, even here in California.

California has horror stories about traffic on just a random Wednesday at 3 pm in July.

6

@MAKENA
I haven’t driven in CA yet, but I’ve seen all those stories. Guess I’ll be prepared!

7

MAKENA said:
What were these “horrible holiday travel stories”? Were they specific to EVs?

LA to SF 3-hour wait at EA charging station

8

@Michael
Honestly, that’s kind of on them. There were other spots nearby without waits, but they wanted free charging.

9

MAKENA said:
@Michael
Honestly, that’s kind of on them. There were other spots nearby without waits, but they wanted free charging.

What was their mistake?

10

Michael said:

MAKENA said:
@Michael
Honestly, that’s kind of on them. There were other spots nearby without waits, but they wanted free charging.

What was their mistake?

All the comments were pointing out other nearby stations, like EVGo, that had no lines. They chose the free one and waited.

11

Michael said:

MAKENA said:
@Michael
Honestly, that’s kind of on them. There were other spots nearby without waits, but they wanted free charging.

What was their mistake?

Or they could’ve had a Tesla!

12

Michael said:

MAKENA said:
@Michael
Honestly, that’s kind of on them. There were other spots nearby without waits, but they wanted free charging.

What was their mistake?

When I did that route, I didn’t have to rely on EA. So many charging options, plus adapters for Tesla stations now.

13

Christmas should be okay because people spread out their travel days more. Thanksgiving can be more challenging, especially that Sunday after.

14

diallo said:
Christmas should be okay because people spread out their travel days more. Thanksgiving can be more challenging, especially that Sunday after.

I’m thinking of doing nighttime driving to avoid potential wait times and be strategic about it.

15

@Mark
Another big factor is where you’ll be driving.

16

diallo said:
@Mark
Another big factor is where you’ll be driving.

I’ve done Colorado to Illinois before, but this time it’ll be Colorado to Ohio, so a bit further.

17

Mark said:

diallo said:
@Mark
Another big factor is where you’ll be driving.

I’ve done Colorado to Illinois before, but this time it’ll be Colorado to Ohio, so a bit further.

The Midwest is usually pretty smooth for charging. Plus, I bet more CCS folks will use Tesla adapters this season, which should help free up CCS spots.

18

@diallo
Been driving a Tesla in the Midwest for almost a decade, and congestion’s rarely an issue. Superchargers in MN, WI, IA, IL, and MI are hardly half full, and there are tons of new stations popping up.

19

@diallo
Glad to hear that! Also saw OoS’s videos saying “the US charging network has never been better” which is reassuring.

One time on the CO-IL trip, an EA station was 0/4 functional for days. Thankful there was an EVGo nearby!

20

@Mark
Yeah, in the Midwest, you’re rarely waiting. I see more chargers popping up each time I travel through, so it’s getting even better.