The advent of the electric vehicle revolution began more than a century ago, with those first attempts driven by a mere need to experiment. Even though interest waned in the years that followed, the recent resurgence of the electric vehicle manufacturing space stems from many reasons, including the need for the urgent global switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy and availability of more cost-effective technology for production.
However, the attention is slowly shifting to the cost of driving an EV. Afterall, the world is gradually and steadily replacing much of their combustion engines with EVs, leading to a surge in global EV registrations. As of 2023, there were 26 million units on roads across the globe, with projections suggesting it’ll hit 77 million by 2025. There is a growing consciousness within the automobile space and among EV owners that, perhaps, battery-powered vehicles offer a road trip advantage. Many EVs can go on for hundreds of kilometers, but you need to plan the trip in a way that is cost effective, eco-friendly and sustainable.
Hitting the road on a budget
The first thing to do is to properly ideate your trip. Although charging stations are springing up in a plethora of locations in many countries of the world- including India- this is still largely dependent on density, the EV population of the area, the nature of the route, how busy the route gets, and the presence of any other facilities, such as restaurants, malls, parks, etc. Charging up an EV takes a longer time than fuelling up a regular car, so it’s important to plan the journey in a way that helps maximise your time while you’re charging.
Taking advantage of free or discounted charging stations is another way to embark on that long trip on a budget. You’ll find some malls and mega supermarkets offering discounted charging to customers. Perhaps, topping up your battery power to the maximum at any of such places before taking off can cut down your trip expenses significantly. If you’ll need to make a stop at night during the trip, use a hotel with a charging facility, which would most likely be free or discounted for the guests.
Using mobile apps to plan your route can also help point you to the right places to charge your EV, save some time, and have a more fulfilling ride. This will ensure that you find charging stations when the need to charge your EV arises, and that charging is cost effective. Thankfully, India’s EV charging companies are racing with time and putting in place the necessary charging infrastructure to support EV penetration in the country. As of February 2024, India had more than 12,100 public EV charging stations across its cities, with a target to raise the number to 18,000 by 2030.
Furthermore, it is important to understand how EVs work. There’s a misconception that driving slowly conserves battery power. While slower speeds do reduce battery consumption, the trade-off is prolonged travel time. It’s best to go at mid-speed, preferably within a range of 60 to 80 miles per hour, especially when going on a long trip.
Leveraging energy efficiency for long-distance trips
Overall and, perhaps, the most important information to note when considering an EV for long-distance travel is its energy efficiency. Compared to fuel, it is more cost effective to use an EV. Besides, it is cleaner and safer to the environment to use an EV because it is powered by renewable energy. Beyond the economic and environmental benefits of electric vehicles, savvy travellers armed with the right information can uncover numerous ways to cut costs on extended journeys.
