Are EVs Ready for the Summer Road Trip?

The all-American pastime of the summer road trip is alive and well. The Transportation Department reported travel rose to over 3 trillion miles in 2023, setting a new yearly record and topping pre-pandemic levels for the first time. All predictions point to 2024 beating that already sky-high number.

The majority of road trips will take place with gas-powered vehicles, but electric vehicles are gaining market share. There are approximately 3 million EVs on the road in the U.S., and although sales have slowed recently, the market is predicted to account for roughly 8% this year in the U.S. This has us wondering: Are EVs up for the all-important road trip?

The seemingly endless headlines about EV range anxiety and charging station shortages may influence EV shoppers to believe that hitting the road for a long trip in an EV is a great way to end up stranded on the side of the highway with no help in sight. But what’s the experience of actual EV drivers?

In a recent survey, The EV Ownership Lifestyle, CDK asked 300 EV owners about road trips and specifically range concerns, worries over lack of charging stations, and the fact that it takes longer to recharge than fill up a gas-powered car. Despite all the nervous clucking in the media, the owners in the study didn’t seem to encounter these concerns.

Most owners (88%) took at least one road trip a year in their EV, and nearly a third (32%) took three or more road trips a year. However, owners still seemed to keep a close eye on range.

The commonly accepted sweet spot of range for current EVs on the road is between 250 and 300 miles. Most owners (62%) kept their trips to under 500 miles, which likely required only one stop to recharge. Far fewer hit the road for the long haul with only 2% saying they traveled more than 1,500 miles.

The Short Trip Sweet Spot

All signs point to EVs being up to the task of the summer road trip, but there’s no getting around the fact that accessing charging stations isn’t always easy. Drivers must consider range. This is why EVs excel at shorter trips. If you’re just going to the lake or visiting family the next town over, getting there and back on one charge should be a snap.

The Cross-Country Drive

There’s a reason fewer EVs owners go all-out with a cross-country trip. Any way you look at it, the EV road trip isn’t the same as one in a gas car. While traveling in a gas-powered car, few people spend much time thinking about or looking up gas stations along the route in advance. Drivers are confident they’ll encounter plenty of easy-to-spot places to fill up well before they risk running out of gas.

In contrast, a long-distance EV trip requires plenty of planning. In our survey, 85% of EV owners had to plan their trips around available EV charging networks. Almost the same number (80%) made hotel or online rental decisions based on charging availability.

Planning a trip based on charging can add time to routes. While nearly a third (32%) said an EV didn’t add time to their road trip, a similar number (29%) said it added two hours or more.

Longer trips require more time thinking about the next charge, searching online for charging stations, and waiting for the car to charge.

How Customers Can Get the Most out of an EV Road Trip

The key to an enjoyable EV road trip is planning. If customers are interested in an EV and have questions, you can start with the following tips to ease their minds.

• Maximize range. Minimize battery use by laying off the heating and AC whenever possible and go easy on the accelerator to help extend range.
• Double-duty charge stops. Plan charging stops around activities or meal breaks. Many charging stations are located in shopping centers and near restaurants so combine charging with a meal break or supply run.
• Map it out. Locate public charging stations before hitting the road with apps like PlugShare and ChargePoint.
• Stay at EV-friendly locations. Many hotels offer EV charging as an amenity but read reviews if possible to find out how crowded they might be. Vacation rentals via popular apps like VRBO or Airbnb are another way to ensure charging is available at your destination.

As summer heats up, rest assured that EVs are up to the task of the all-important road trip. As long as drivers plan ahead for charging stations and budget enough time to charge, the summer road trip can be electric.