With the surge in both popularity and availability of all electric vehicles, many drivers are looking to adapt their habits to suit the range of their new EV. As the owner of a Mercedes EQ or other luxury electric vehicle, you may be wondering if a road trip is possible in an electric car. The answer is: yes! With a few extra steps, you can enjoy a traditional road trip without worrying about running out of battery. Read our article to find out more about how to plan a road trip in an electric vehicle.
How to Plan a Long Trip in an Electric Car
1. Plan Your Route
The first and most important step in planning your road trip in an electric vehicle is to route your trip ahead of time. This will allow you to research stops ahead of time. Ideally, you should plan to stop where you can fast charge your vehicle while stretching your legs, have lunch, or get a coffee refill.
If you own an EQ, Your Mercedes me Connect app will show you all available charging stations along your route. Just be sure to enable Mercedes me Charge. You can filter charging stations based on type and location to further facilitate your travels. Since you will need around thirty minutes to charge to 80 percent, it’s a good idea to plan these fast charging stops around meals, shopping, or when the children need a play break.
If you do not have a Mercedes Benz EQ, you can just as easily find charging stations along your route via various apps. Your luxury EV may have its own platform, or you can download PlugShare, Electrify America, or another charging location service to your phone.
If you are planning on stopping somewhere for the night, make sure your hotel or accommodations offer overnight slow charging (level 1 or 2). This information may be available on the website, or you can call ahead to ensure there is onsite or nearby vehicle slow charging. You will need about twelve hours to get a decent charge, so try to time your overnight stay according to this window.
2. Know Your Range
Obviously, being well and truly acquainted with your vehicle’s limitations is a must when attempting any kind of road trip. In an electric vehicle, this includes your vehicle’s battery range. You will not want to plan stops according to the vehicle’s maximum range, since this number can be less depending on terrain and weather conditions.
That being said, you also don’t want to stop too frequently to charge the EV battery on a road trip. Most experts agree that the longevity of an electric motor depends on sporadic DC (fast) charging, interspersed with more frequent AC (slow) charging. This helps maintain the integrity of the vehicle by allowing the ions within the battery to slowly stabilize. (Read more about fast charging vs slow charging an EV).
So how often should you charge your electric vehicle on the road? Ideally, you should be stopping when your battery has reached around 10 percent. Again, a lot of factors will affect the mileage around when this percentage will occur. Give yourself a little wiggle room.
For example, let’s say you are in a Mercedes EQS SUV 580+ 4Matic, which has a maximum range of 285 miles. You will want to stop no later than at around the 256th mile for a charge, which is around ten percent left of the maximum range. Again, many things affect the maximum range, so you may want to give yourself a little more flexibility and plan a stop at around the 230th mile marker just to be safe.
3. Maximize Your EV’s Range
To give yourself even more peace of mind when on a long road trip in your electric car, you can take steps to maximize the optimal range of your EV. If possible, try to avoid using the air conditioner and heater and be sure to use ECO mode in your Mercedes EQ to save energy using regenerative braking. You can also maximize the range of your EV by ensuring you start the vehicle in a temperate environment, such as a garage. This may not always be possible, but cold temperatures do tend to have a negative effect on the range of electric cars.
4. Have a Plan B When on A Road Trip in an Electric Car
Although more and more fast charging stations are popping up every day, electric cars are still best suited to urban areas. This means you will need to be flexible about where you go and where you stop. You will want to avoid areas with only one charging station, for example, which may be inoperable on that day. You will also want to avoid overly remote areas where you will be unable to contact roadside assistance, if needed.
Text Drive the Best Luxury Electric Vehicles
If you have yet to take the plunge in purchasing your first all electric vehicle, why not start with the very best? Stop by the Mercedes Benz of Littleton dealership to test drive one of our gorgeous EQ vehicles, from the zippy and luxurious EQS Sedan to the family friendly EQE SUV. Call or go online today to view our full inventory.
Connect with us
