public charging
Top tips for beating the festive rush
No stress please, it's the holidays
No doubt about it, the festive season can be a busy time for drivers: heading to the shops for presents, visiting winter attractions and traveling to celebrate with friends and family. It’s joyous, but it can be a juggle with a lot to think about. So here’s a little stocking filler from us to you. Three tips to make your EV driving as chilled as possible during the most wonderful time of the year. (And you don’t even need to write us a thank you letter.)
1. Know your ABC
A good mindset to have in the run-up to the holidays is ‘Always be Charging’ (ABC). At home, make sure you plug in your EV whenever you shop for festive food or browse online for gifts. That way you’ll always be journey ready whenever you need to set off.
And while turkeys may be stuffed, EV batteries shouldn’t be. Leave a little space in there – it’s best to always charge your EV to around 80% to keep the battery in great shape. However, there may be a rare occasion ahead of a long trip, where a 100% charge is required. While this is not recommended practice as a consistent habit, 100% as a one-off should not significantly affect your battery performance in the long-term. (Double-check your user manual first.)
When you do hit the road for those family visits or shopping sales, you can also help recharge your battery while on the move using regenerative braking, if available in your EV. It converts some of the energy lost during braking into electricity, which is then stored in the vehicle’s battery.
2. Time your ride
Timing is everything during the holidays, that’s for sure. During busy periods, make an early start or drive late at night when the roads – and charging points – are likely to be quieter. You might find that driving to the family home on Christmas Day itself is a better choice, with a lot fewer journeys happening on the 25th.
With the risk of less-than-ideal weather in the holidays, driving long distances should also be timed with the forecast in mind. Always plan your route ahead of setting off, and anticipate rain, snow and icy conditions that might impact on battery life and charger availability. Our driving in winter weather tips will help put some ease into your seasonal journey.
3. Plan your route
Driving to see your loved ones over the holidays can involve long-distance driving to different parts of the country, and well outside of your usual charging zones.
To help you with this, make sure to download our bp pulse app ahead of the big festive get-away to find your nearest charging points, and check availability by charging speed and connector type.
Have a very happy holiday journey with bp pulse.
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Date
11 November 2024
author
Ross O'Brien
Director of Operations
bp pulse Americas
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