EV road trips: planning charging stops you'll actually like

On an electric road trip, you stop where the chargers are. The trick is making those stops worth it, since you'll be there for twenty minutes or more.

#Plan charging and breaks together

A fast charge takes about as long as a meal or a restroom break and a stretch. Pick chargers at exits that also have a clean restroom and somewhere to eat, and the wait stops feeling like a wait.

#Look at what's around the charger

Many fast chargers sit in the parking lots of travel centers, big-box stores, and restaurants. Some are at quiet lots with nothing open nearby. Before you commit, check what's within walking distance and whether it's open when you'll arrive.

#Arrive with a buffer

Plan to reach each charger with a comfortable margin of range. Cold weather, headwinds, hills, and high speeds all use more energy than the estimate. A buffer also covers a broken or busy charger.

#Have a backup at every stop

Chargers go out of service, and popular ones fill up on holiday weekends. Know where the next charger is before you need it, ideally one on a different network.

#Charge to what you need, not to full

Fast charging slows down as the battery fills. On most cars, stopping around 80 percent and charging again later is quicker than waiting for a full battery.

#Night charging needs more care

At night, choose chargers at busy, well-lit places with a store or restaurant that's open. A lot behind a closed building is a lonely place to wait at 2 am.

#Let the app watch the road

Best Exit's drive screen shows the best stop ahead as you drive, picked for the restroom you use and what you need, and can say it out loud so you don't have to look. After you stop, it asks how the restroom was, so the next driver knows.

How was your stop? Rate the restroom in about ten seconds. Rate

Stopped here? Rate the restroom.

Reviews come from the Best Exit iPhone app. It asks right after you stop, so scores come from people who were just there.

iPhone app coming soon