Range Anxiety
Range anxiety is not something I experienced until today. It was our first long trip with our new Bolt (and no backup gas engine). We would need to plan this out. We decided to travel from Minneapolis to Duluth – a 150-mile trip from our house. We knew there was a new DC fast charger along the Canal Park in Duluth, so the plan was to drive up there, recharge the car for a few hours while we ate lunch and visited some of the shops, then drive back. While we knew our 200+ mile range battery should get us up there just fine, we were still a little paranoid. What if the only fast charger in Duluth wasn’t working, or what if a gasoline vehicle was parked in the spot so that we couldn’t access it? (Sadly, this happens quite a lot at charging stations, but more on that topic later). Our backup plan was that we would be resigned to using a Level 2 charger (there were several of those), which would mean spending an extra 4-5 hours in Duluth. Not a bad proposition on a lovely summer day.
Another factor in our range anxiety was that we would be traveling on the interstate the whole way. At 70 mph, we figured our efficiency and range were likely to drop. Would we actually be able to make it to Duluth on one full charge? To play it safe, we decide to make a pit stop in Pine City, which has a DC fast charger located next to its thrift store. (While this may sound strange, it’s surprisingly common for thrift stores to have some kind of electrical charging available. Again, more on that in a later post.) We topped off our battery for 15 minutes, gaining back an extra 30-40 miles and were on our way.
We made it to Canal Park in Duluth without a problem and found the DC fast charger station open. We did notice however about 50% of the Level 2 charging spots were taken by gasoline vehicles (a growing-pain right now for EV owners until more people are educated – or towed). At Canal Park, we only had to pay the parking lot fee; charging was free! While I’m sure this policy will eventually change, right now it’s a fabulous incentive to get EV owners to visit Duluth and spend money at the local businesses.
We parked for 3 hours, enjoyed a lovely lunch at Canal Park Brewery, and walked around a bit while our Bolt finished charging. With a 210-mile estimated battery range, we left for home with confidence. In the end, we made it home with still an estimated 67 miles to spare. All in all, a great first trip.
Another factor in our range anxiety was that we would be traveling on the interstate the whole way. At 70 mph, we figured our efficiency and range were likely to drop. Would we actually be able to make it to Duluth on one full charge? To play it safe, we decide to make a pit stop in Pine City, which has a DC fast charger located next to its thrift store. (While this may sound strange, it’s surprisingly common for thrift stores to have some kind of electrical charging available. Again, more on that in a later post.) We topped off our battery for 15 minutes, gaining back an extra 30-40 miles and were on our way.
We made it to Canal Park in Duluth without a problem and found the DC fast charger station open. We did notice however about 50% of the Level 2 charging spots were taken by gasoline vehicles (a growing-pain right now for EV owners until more people are educated – or towed). At Canal Park, we only had to pay the parking lot fee; charging was free! While I’m sure this policy will eventually change, right now it’s a fabulous incentive to get EV owners to visit Duluth and spend money at the local businesses.
We parked for 3 hours, enjoyed a lovely lunch at Canal Park Brewery, and walked around a bit while our Bolt finished charging. With a 210-mile estimated battery range, we left for home with confidence. In the end, we made it home with still an estimated 67 miles to spare. All in all, a great first trip.
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