Hi all, Newbie question. I plan to take an extended road trip in the near future. Should I worry about booking EV hotels? How to plan EV hotels strategically (e.g. California to Denver, with many national park stops)? My Tesla S could tell me where the nearby EV hotels are located, but I think I should book hotel in advance. Maybe the general question is what is the one thing you wish you'd known before you booked your hotel stay for your EV road trip? Any pointers are greatly appreciated.
I haven't road tripped in an EV yet, but besides the common-sense calling ahead and asking if they offer an EV charger, one should probably ask if they could be reserved specifically for your vehicle on the night that you plan to be there. It's great that a hotel has a charger, but if other travelers plug in ahead of time, well...
My experience is chargers are turned off by the maintenance man to avoid parasitic EVs. Local people who come to charge but not spend the night. So call ahead and make sure the circuit is turned on. Bob Wilson
I just took a road trip and I called the hotel in advance to make sure I could charge once I arrived. In my case there was no charger at the hotel so I had to use a public L2 charger during my day of walking around. You can use the "A Better Route Planner" Web site to plan you trip before hand.
[QUOTE="Domenick, post: 72075, member: 3" It's great that a hotel has a charger, but if other travelers plug in ahead of time, well...[/QUOTE] Or a person with a ICE who has just found an empty parking slot. I see the at my Y. A lot of of the times, it is occupied by someone who wants to run in and out and often make time a long time.
Definitely book hotels with EV chargers in advance, and call to make sure they have one available for your stay. Using tools like "A Better Route Planner" can help you find charging spots on your trip.
Yup. Most hotel chargers are slower types which is fine for overnight, so don’t make the mistake I did of having Plugshare set to show only fast chargers (wanted for stops during the driving day) because then you won’t see any of the hotels.
Also, if you want a nice scenic stop, Blue Mountain Resort is a great choice with awesome facilities and beautiful views. It’s perfect for a relaxing break on your journey.
I’ve taken several 1,000+ mile road trips (mostly between Florida and Wisconsin) in my 2022 Ioniq 5. I always stay at hotels with Level 2 chargers using PlugShare to locate them. I do reserve my room before the trip, but have never called ahead to check availability. I always have a rock solid Plan B in case the hotel’s charger is unavailable, but have had to resort to that alternative only once that I can remember (all the chargers were in use). I also charge up to 100% at the hotel overnight when on road trips. I found it helpful to also have a J1772 to Tesla adapter to use when the only charger available at the hotel is a Tesla destination Level 2 charger. Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
I prefer to stay at hotels with a L2 charger. But in case you can't here are two alternatives I use: charge to 80% at a close by DCFC then plug my level 1 charger into an outlet at the hotel to bring me to 100% overnight. I padlock my L1 cord to the car wheel or door handle to prevent theft. Saves time (and money in Canada where you pay for DCFC by the minute). Or plug in at a L2 nearby your hotel if it looks like a safe place to leave your car overnight. Also: find out in advance if there is a cost to charge at the hotel overnight, normally there isn't but at some hotels L2 charging is an absolute rip-off. You might need to play with the filters on Plugshare to show "private chargers" to locate hotels with chargers. Also, if you have the choice, try to find a hotel with more than one charger since you might not be the only EV there.
At this point I can't imagine rolling up to a motel with a L2 and not finding that someone else is going to be on it [or them] all night, rendering all the searching useless. _H*
I usually find pairs of NACS and J1772, L2 chargers. My Tesla can use either. But my favorite is when I go to witness the Starship launches: The restaurant "Hopper Haus" has two NACS and one J1773. Easy walking distance from the Southwind Inn, my dogs love the walk. After they close around midnight, no one charge/parks there . . . except for me. Bob Wilson
I've seen it happen to someone - someone else because I was the one who got there first. Like Bob says more L2 plugs and carrying a NACS/J1772 adapter lessen the possibility. Showing up early also helps. I also recommend leaving a "charging now" sign-in on plugshare to say when you will be finished and it's OK to unplug you.
