Do any of the route planners consider how far you’ll be from a charger at your destination, or does the planner assume you’ll be able to charge at your destination? For example, will the route planners have me arrive at a destination with say, 8% when the nearest charger is 10% away from the destination?
ABRP (A Better Routeplanner) lets you set the desired state of charge (SOC) you want to have at your destination.
MAKENA said:
ABRP (A Better Routeplanner) lets you set the desired state of charge (SOC) you want to have at your destination.
They’ll soon add an option for stops and destination points to ensure you have enough charge for the ‘next closest’ L2/L3 charger, in case the planned stop is out of service.
@zendaya
That’s a great idea. I’ve done something similar by checking PlugShare to see what’s nearby when planning stops.
Some apps or built-in navigation systems (like in BMW i4) let you set a desired charge percentage at your destination. The BMW defaults to 10% SOC, but you can adjust it. For more advanced planning, ABRP is one of the best third-party apps.
ABRP lets you set your desired SOC at arrival. It can’t know for sure if you can charge at your destination, so if you’re unsure, it’s a good idea to set an appropriate buffer or plan your route for a return trip.
I plan trips with overnight L2 charging in mind. If I can’t charge at my destination, I plan the trip as a round trip to make sure I can get back or find a charging stop.
Sometimes, I plan the whole round trip to see if it changes the recommended charging stops or times.
emma said:
Sometimes, I plan the whole round trip to see if it changes the recommended charging stops or times.
Great idea. Thanks.
That’s exactly what arrival SOC settings are for. In ABRP, I planned a trip to Dover and set an 80% SOC at arrival. It adjusted the route to have me charge at a hub in Dover rather than on the way.
It depends on the route planner. Tesla’s nav displays a warning if you’re heading into an area with no nearby Superchargers. If you can’t charge at your destination, you can plan a multi-stop route, with the nearest fast charger as an endpoint. It’s also worth checking PlugShare for nearby L2 chargers.
Tesla’s native nav does this. My Model 3 kept offering to reroute me to chargers when I planned to arrive at a remote destination with only 7% SOC. It didn’t know I had L2 charging waiting for me there.
If you can’t charge at your destination, plan the round trip. That way, it ensures you have enough charge for both legs of the journey.
What EV do you have or are considering?
Always plan your trip carefully and lay out charging stops in advance.