Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Just when we thought we had figured out how to master a long road trip in an electric vehicle (EV), Mother Nature delivered one last lesson.
Why it matters: We almost ruined our 2,500-mile electric adventure from Michigan to Florida and back because we had too much confidence in our car’s driving range.
- As we neared home in metro Detroit, a rapid drop in temperature, along with snow and slush, made us feel range anxiety again.
We blame Ohio. The state is billed as a growing hub for battery and electric vehicle manufacturing, and yet the stretch of I-75 from Cincinnati to Toledo is practically a charging desert when it comes to fast charging. direct current, the kind you want on a road trip. .
Get up to speed quickly: My husband and I drove from Michigan to Florida last month in a Kia EV6 on loan from the automaker’s press fleet.
- It took us four days to get there, not because of car limitations, but because we planned to make stops in Washington, DC; Wake Forest, North Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina.
- After three weeks working remotely in the Sunshine State, we headed north on a different route, with a planned stop in Nashville.
We used route planning apps like PlugShare, A Better Routeplanner and Chargeway to find out when and where to charge.
- A built-in route planner (like Teslas) would have been better, but our ad hoc system worked fine.
- It was a remarkably stress-free trip for the most part, until we got to Ohio.
Details: We were hungry and tired when we left Kentucky and crossed the Ohio River into Cincinnati late Sunday.
- We could have been home by midnight if we had driven a gas car, even if we stopped for dinner.
- But since we needed to add time to load, and there were limited options along the way, we decided to get a hotel room for the night.
Yes, but: Our charging options didn’t look their best in the light of day.
- We had to choose between going slightly out of our way to find an ultra-fast DC charger or waiting for a much slower charging station at a car dealership or adult education center.
- Kia’s 800-volt charging system is the fastest in the industry, so we opted to stick with Electrify America and EVGo fast chargers, even if it meant taking a couple of small detours.
- We had to get off I-75, for example, and head east on I-70 for about five miles to get to an Electrify America station in a Walmart parking lot in Huber Heights, in east of Dayton.
- We charged to 96%, good for 249 miles of range. Home was 215 miles away, so we figured we’d arrive with about 34 miles, or 15%, on the battery.
What happened: By the time we reached a freeway rest stop in Bowling Green, the temperature had dropped into the low 40s.
- As we crossed into Michigan, snow and sleet began to fall, and so did our range. We nervously watched as that 34-mile cushion began to shrink.
- Cold weather can significantly reduce the range of an electric vehicle, and here was living proof.
At 10%, with 21 miles remaining, We received a low battery warning.
- At 8%, with 17 miles remaining, the car informed us that it was “blocking outside air for comfort,” meaning recirculating our body heat. But then the windows started to fog up.
- Luckily, it was when we pulled into General Motors headquarters at the Detroit Renaissance Center, with four EVGo fast chargers out front.
The intrigue: We were only eight miles from home, usually about a 23-minute drive, but we weren’t going to take any more chances.
- I put on my hooded parka, got out and plugged the car in.
- For 35 minutes, long enough to complete the New York Times crossword puzzle, we stayed warm inside the car as it charged from 7% to 82%.
- We finally got home a little after 5pm on Monday.
The bottom line: Our electric car road trip was an adventure, full of excitement until the very end.
