Ways to plan your driving routes

[Evholic_101]

Hi! What other ways do you guys plan your driving route? (excepting the known route planners).

 

[Billj]

I think there are two good ways to do this. The built-in planner. Or A Better Route Planner. The only benefit to ABRP that I can find is it will allow round-trip planning, which is a necessity if you cannot charge at your destination for the trip back. Or to route to Superchargers because the built-in planner does not believe we can charge there yet. (you can, but it's a hack/cheat).

 

[AcuraRex]

There are several web-based tools, and ChargeHub is a great one. It provides a simple map of chargng stations, making it easy to find one nearby or plan trips.

 

[Billj]

I forgot about ChargeHub. Will it work on Apple CarPlay? I know A Better Route Planner will.

The big drawback I see to any of these systems, over the built-in mapping/routing software, is they do not know the current State-of-Charge of the vehicle, and cannot automatically initiate fast charge prepping.

(Not true of all EV's. Friend's Mach-E for example, Apple Maps can do all that. It knows your current charge level to more accurately route plan, can initiate battery prep, etc.)

 

[sherwin143!]

For me, the most important tools for road trips are:

1. AAA: You never know when you might need a tow or some roadside assistance.
2. Google Maps: It's indispensable for planning routes, finding points of interest, and navigating unfamiliar areas.
3. The understanding that no plan survives contact with the enemy, or in this case, the open road! "Vacation" is always subject to change.
4. I like to keep things flexible. I'll pick a general direction and just go, stopping whenever something interesting catches my eye. I have my trusty Suburban for solo trips, the camper when the kids or grandkids are along, and I usually book hotels when I travel with my brother. He's... well, let's just say he's not the most adventurous traveler.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you'd like me to try a different tone or focus.

 

[Rex.Stew]

Hi! What other ways do you guys plan your driving route? (excepting the known route planners).

I’m guessing you’re talking about planning charging stops. You’ll need third-party apps like PlugShare or ABRP for that. I’m a fan of ABRP myself.