Drivers might be more willing to take EVs on road trips, but high charging costs could put a damper on the fun, at least north of the border.
Or maybe not — as with EV range, your mileage may vary.
CP24 News out of Canada brings us the story of a Chevrolet Equinox EV driver in Manitoba who needed to charge at a dealership while on a road trip. He was charged nearly $700 CAD for a little under two hours of charging.
The dealership claims it was upfront with the driver about its $5.99 per minute fee and an EV advocacy group wondered if the motorist got hit with higher fees for leaving his car there after it reached full charge, thus blocking a spot.
The dealer also expressed sour grapes about even having a charger — the store didn’t want to spend the money on one and claims to have never sold an EV.
This is a one-off incident and it appears to be a “he said, he said” situation in terms of communicating costs. But there’s a lesson here for any EV owners who haven’t road tripped before — have a plan on where you’ll charge in advance, and check rates in advance if at all possible. It would also be helpful if you can see if chargers are working — I believe some apps indicate status — before you go. A backup plan may be necessary.
With increasing ranges and shrinking fast-charge times, an EV road-trip is still possible. Just be ready to plan more thoroughly than you would with an ICE vehicle, confirm costs in advance, and be ready to adjust to any problems.
[Image: Chevrolet]
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