Your first EV road trip: the checklist to run before you go

Driving an EV out of town is easier than most people expect, but it does need a different kind of planning from a petrol car, because charging stations are still nowhere near as dense as fuel stations.

1. 1Plan your charging stops in advance. Use an app to find stations along your route and pick at least two per leg, in case a charging point is out of order or there is a queue.
2. 2Never let the battery drop below 15% on the road. Start looking for a station at 30% so you still have plenty of options.
3. 3On DC charging, stop at 80%. From 80 to 100% the system slows the charge right down, so you spend a lot of time waiting for very little range.
4. 4Run the air conditioning as normal. Speed is the real enemy of range: at 120 km/h you use roughly 25% more energy than at 90 km/h.
5. 5Download every major charging network app and link your payment card before you leave home.
6. 6Always keep an AC cable in the car. Plenty of hotels let you plug in free overnight.
7. 7Bas EV customers who add the unlimited charging pass for THB 199 per day can charge at any partner station with nothing more to pay on the spot.