Hot Road Trips

How to Ensure Your Hybrid or Electric Vehicle Goes the Distance on a Road Trip

Get your car family road trip ready

Car journeys with the family can be notoriously tough affairs. If you’re trying to keep your kids occupied while negotiating long stretches of road, the last thing you need is the car giving up the ghost. This is something many people worry about because when they purchase a hybrid or an electric vehicle, they don’t think it will go the distance. Many people purchase hybrid or electric vehicles but only use them for shorter journeys. How can you ensure that you get the most out of a hybrid or electric vehicle on a road trip?

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Choose the Right Vehicle

First, you need to find the right vehicle to ensure you can get more mileage. Many hybrid car providers like Edmunds offer the 2022 Tesla Model Y, which has an estimated range of between 279 and 281 miles, but newer models can go up to 390 miles. These are, however, just estimates and will depend on how you drive.

The Right Driving Methods

There are a number of factors that can minimize your range. For example, over-accelerating is the same as revving the engine, and rather than getting into the habit of speeding up quickly to match the flow of traffic, choosing the routes that provide a more consistent speed can make a big difference in the battery life. In addition, minimizing the energy usage in the car will also help, for example, reducing the air conditioner or heater usage where possible.

Map Out Your Journey in Advance

You can plan your road trip but you also need to plan your road trip to locate the charging stations. There are a number of apps you can use, for example, ChargeHub, that can help you locate chargers on your route. But you should also take into account your driving habits and look for chargers ahead of time, so you don’t scramble for a charger when you’re down to your last five miles!

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Plan Your Charging Around Activities or Breaks

One of the biggest issues with electric or hybrid vehicles is the amount of time it takes to charge. It can take up to an hour to get your battery up to 80% capacity. You can choose hotels that are near charging stations or you can plan your charging stops around scenic locations or long break times.

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Be Ready

You can plan your journey around charging stations, however, that doesn’t mean that it will be up and running by the time you get to it. It’s important to have a backup plan in place, for example, finding residential chargers that you can reach out to if there is a problem. It’s also a good idea to avoid driving into remote areas with one charging station when your battery is low.

That’s A Wrap!

A road trip is an amazing way to see the world, but if you’re going to worry about whether your car can go the distance, these are a few things that can make a massive difference to an amazing journey that is benefiting the planet.

Disclaimer: Links in this page are meant to help you find relevant information and book attractions easier by linking directly to specific pages on partner websites (i.e. TripAdvisor, Vegas.com). If you click a link, we may earn a small commission on transactions. This helps support the cost of running our website, and it adds absolutely no extra cost to you as the consumer. Thank you, we appreciate your support! You can read more on our disclosure policy.

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Author

I am a busy mama with 3 delicious babies and a serious itch for travel and writing (when I am not bartending, that is)! After graduating from Cal State San Marcos with a B.A. in Communications, I decided to start a family and pursue a career in freelance writing. I created HotMamaTravel as an outlet to do what I love while sharing useful travel tips and inspiration with others. Our mission is to show parents how to master travel with kids, while keeping your Saturday-night selves. We call it "Family travel...with a twist".

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