I was wondering how others cope with longer journeys in their EVs.
We have a 2019 ZE40 and so the range is well under 200 miles, especially when it's colder. Before our first longer trip I was a little apprehensive I must admit - How far should I push it before topping up the charge? Where are the compatible chargers (not all have type 2)? Will they work? Etc. Etc.
My wife and I are both retired and so these journeys aren't a race against time. "I have a plan" I thought! Why not compile and print out a spreadsheet with all the possible charging stops we would be likely to use? This has worked brilliantly and we now have stress free longer journeys.
On the spreadsheet I have things like... Address and post code, Distance from home, Power of charger in kWs and number of them on site, the company (Pod Point, BP Pulse etc.) and the cost per kWh. I also have a column for notes such as any parking charges, cafe available etc.
I now have a collection of these, which was easy to do after setting up the spreadsheet template. I mainly use ZapMap for the information. I just check for any updates before using a spreadsheet again.
As an example, we had three nights away in Gillingham, Kent, starting from Southampton. I planned coffee and lunch stops where we could also top up Zoe. We did over 350 stress free miles that long weekend.
Thanks for that RM. Really interesting to have the display showing the route etc. for us to see.