#LeadingTheCharge
the Electric Vehicle enthusiasts group

It's a small mindset change

Driving an EV changes the way you live in more ways than one

How often do you leave for work or to drop off the kids and find the car was left nearly empty?

And those stops on a road trip, short, but always an inconvenience.

Driving a Plug-in Electric Vehicle means some things change. Besides all the fun things, performance, quietness and low running cost, there is a change in the way you think about filling up. An EV is more like your cell phone, you top it up when you can or charge it overnight so that it is ready for the next day.

Sure, you need to remember to do it when you get home. But because you do it every time and it only takes a few seconds, it quickly becomes a habit. And the huge benefit is you have a full tank of energy every morning when you leave. There are also plenty of parking areas that have free charging stations you can get a wee top-up while you shop. They might not be fast, but the slow ones are mostly free, and you needed to park anyway!

People talk about "range anxiety" with an EV. And it's true that for a couple of weeks, you might worry about the amount of range left, but you quickly come to understand what your car can do and where you can top up. You are much less likely to get range anxiety around your hometown when you leave each day with a full tank, but it is a different story on a long trip.

When you drive an oil-burning car, you get used to there being a fueling station every 50km or less. And because it is just a 5 min stop, you just wait until the next one rather than making plans for a fuel stop. With an EV, there are pretty much charging stations every 75km on the main routes. It is true that the time to fill up is a bit longer than 5 minutes.

An EV driver tends to make plans where they are going to stop and ensure that there is something to do at that location. You have a couple of options, you can make a few quick stops 15-30 minutes and keep the car in the lower part of the charge zone. This part charges very quickly. Or you can stop for longer, 40-80 minutes, and take the car from low right up to full.

A great many cars now have 240 km or more of range. That is over 3 hours of driving, and EV owners find if they stop for an hour every 3, overall, they enjoy the trip much more. Arrange the charge on a meal stop or near some park and get everyone out of the car for some playtime. Or, just take a short walk. Most owners enjoy these moments.

Driving near your home, you never need to stop to fill up. So for 90% of your year, you can forget about that. On a road trip, it might take a little longer to make the same journey, but most people find that it becomes a more enjoyable event.