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Taking your EV on holiday? Read our tips, tricks and tales

2 min to readLeasing
In Europe, the summer holidays are just around the corner – and with airlines struggling to cope with the surge in traveller numbers, many people are opting to drive to their destination. This could be a cause for nerves among any new electric vehicle (EV) drivers with uncertainty about range and charging, but there’s no need to worry!
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In Europe, the summer holidays are just around the corner – and with airlines struggling to cope with the surge in traveller numbers, many people are opting to drive to their destination. This could be a cause for nerves among any new electric vehicle (EV) drivers with uncertainty about range and charging, but there’s no need to worry!

At LeasePlan, we’ve been driving EVs for years. We’ve collected some top tips from our colleagues to make your electric road trip a (summer) breeze …

Which app is right for you?

Chargemap – great for a European road trip

Chargemap is one of the most popular charging apps and is trusted by a large community of users. The contributions of EV drivers – including photos, ratings and updates – are essential to the app’s success. However, for journeys outside Europe we recommend looking at more local apps.

Pros

  • Filtering possibilities, including cable type, networks and station ratings
  • Allows you to adjust battery start and end levels
  • Features users’ photos and ratings of charging stations

Cons

  • Chargemap pass is heavily promoted in the app
  • No option to select alternative routes

Shell Recharge – find a charger quickly and easily

Shell Recharge focuses purely on chargers – and it does the job well! The app has information on 300,000 charging points in Europe, with real-time details on prices and charger availability. With a simple design and an intuitive user interface, it’s a pleasure to use. The only thing missing is a route-planning feature (but there are plenty of other apps for that).

Pros

  • Fast, easy-to-use mobile app
  • Great network coverage

Cons

  • No route-planning feature

A Better Routeplanner – good for planning longer journeys ahead of time

A Better Routeplanner(ABRP) is best for mapping out longer trips, ahead of time. You’re able to customise your journey in great detail, including information such as your EV make and model, starting battery charge, extra weight, maximum speed and battery degradation. You can also choose the types of chargers or charging network you prefer. The biggest downside is the design: it’s not easy to navigate on a mobile, so we recommend using your desktop. Even so, it takes a bit of clicking around to find everything you might need.

Pros

  • Can select your car make & model 
  • Lets you adjust your battery’s starting level and estimated degradation 
  • Possible to choose stops at specific locations or with certain facilities

Cons

  • Web version isn't easy to use
  • No overview of charging station availability

Published at June 6, 2022
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June 6, 2022
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