I spent a trip to the East Coast last summer in my electric vehicle worrying whether I would make it between charging pit-stops in unfamiliar territory. This year, same trip, I realized my range anxiety subsides when I surrender control to my car’s internal route planning software.
Instead of mapping out my own charging strategy using various apps on my smartphone, and factoring in a significant buffer in my EV’s state of charge, I let the machine do the planning.
Initially, I feared pulling into an empty lot in my Hyundai Ioniq 5 somewhere just off a lonely stretch of highway, no charger to be seen and no one to blame.
But the route planning software was a terrific co-pilot for me and my family. It directed us to fast-chargers over the 3,400-kilometre journey from Toronto to Nova Scotia and back that required fewer stops than last year. Whereas I might have grown nervous when my battery’s state of charge dipped below 30 per cent, the car’s software was confident with a far slimmer 10 per cent safety buffer.
I mention this not because I think you might be fascinated with my personal journey through the other side of range anxiety – that nagging fear that your battery will run dry and strand you. And I’m not bragging about pulling up to a charging site with just 9 per cent charge left on my battery.
Rather, I mention this because my use of navigation software reinforces a suspicion of mine: Charging infrastructure is largely invisible to anyone outside of EV owners, and that could be an impediment to broadening the appeal of electric vehicles.
Many prospective EV owners and skeptical holdouts clinging to their gas-guzzlers might not be aware of the charging options available to them, and assume that charging infrastructure is lousy. No wonder: I have yet to see a road sign clearly indicating a charging station ahead.
I’ve had some discussions with readers, where they’ve said that they can’t possibly own an EV where they live because of the lack of charging options. With a quick search on a charging app, though, I can see that that’s not the case.
But I get it. If you can’t see the charging infrastructure, you might be reluctant to embrace EVs. And if you’re reluctant to embrace EVs, you might not see the charging infrastructure.
Just to be clear, I’m talking about fast-chargers here. These are charging stations that are essential on longer road trips. For regular commuting, home charging or slower public chargers can be far more convenient and cheaper.
For our trip to the East Coast, we definitely relied upon fast-chargers – about three times a day. You won’t have trouble finding good chargers in Quebec and along major routes in Ontario. The good news is that New Brunswick has improved its charging infrastructure over the past year.
New Brunswick Power Corp. has expanded its network by 60 per cent since 2023, with funding from Ottawa’s Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program. It now has 48 public chargers at 36 sites, according to the province’s electric utility.
In my experience, that was enough to travel stress-free.
One standout that our route planning software directed us to is located in the lot of the visitor information centre in Sackville, N.B. There, three fast-charging ports handled a steady stream of drivers when we were there. Three ports are great, because you rarely have to wait for one to become available.
Inside the centre, my family and I bought home-baked goods to go with our drinks and perused local crafts.
No lineups. No fumes. No big trucks. Just a peaceful place for us, and our poor dachshund, to take a break during the 30 minutes or so that it took to get our battery charged above 80 per cent.
Another standout location is the parking lot of the Amsterdam Inn & Suites, beside the locally renowned Potato World museum and restaurant, in Florenceville-Bristol, N.B., just off the main highway. There, we discovered another three charging ports that could easily handle the steady demand from EVs.
This time, we treated ourselves to tourist tees from the Potato World store, along with coffee and snacks from the hotel, proving that EV charging sites can be good for business.
Does anyone apart from EV drivers know about these charging options?
I realize that must look like a ridiculous question, given that drivers with gas-guzzling cars don’t need to know where to get a charge for their non-existent electric vehicles.
But greater awareness through signage – the same ones that tell us about fuel, bathrooms and Tim Hortons – might help correct the impression that inadequate EV charging infrastructure is a reason why demand for these vehicles has hit a soft spot.
Road signs won’t supplant my route planning software, but it might let more EV holdouts know what they’re missing.