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Top 10 tips for stress-free holidays in your electric car

September 18, 2023
September 18, 2023 - Top 10 tips for stress-free holidays in your electric car
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We have invested in a fully electric car which has a range of over 200 miles, which is fantastic for the shorter journeys around home. However, electric car charging on a long journey can be a little more challenging!

Electric car charging on long journeys

Our first holiday using our electric car to to Cornwall highlighted some of the trials and tribulations of electric car charging. We didn’t know that car charging anxiety was a thing before then!

The first challenge is deciding where to charge your electric car when you don’t know the area. Our journey was 275 miles door to door which meant at least one stop off. Most motorway service stations have fast car charging stations, varying from 50kwh to 350 kwh. If all goes to plan, a good break halfway there for an hour not only refuels the car but also rests and refreshes the driver.

That all seems very simple and in an ideal world there should be no problems.

However, it is not as easy as it sounds, so read our top 10 tips for hassle free electric car charging below.

Electric car charging stations

With a petrol or diesel engine, you would dare to run the car down to the last 20 miles of fuel, knowing that there is always a petrol station nearby to fill up. With an electric car, charging stations are fewer, so you have to plan further ahead. As the miles count down on the dashboard, anxiety increases, especially if you pull into the services to find the charger not working or a long queue.

Another source of tension is the vast range of networks available. Many use different apps, so when you come to charge for the first time you have to go through the initial logging on and entering payment details before you can even plug in.

This added more time to the journey and by the end of our holiday, we ended up with 6 different apps on our phone. Some apps were much better than others so you could enjoy your coffee and monitor the charge level, but others were very basic.

Queuing up for charging can be frustrating. Around 30% of cars sold in the last 6 months are electric, but the infrastructure for charging is still developing. Hopefully, this will continue to improve in the near future.

Another worry was that we didn’t know the area and didn’t want to arrive with a low charge, so made a second charging stop just to be on the safe side.

Our holiday accommodation in Cornwall didn’t have electric car charging facilities. Luckily we found a local fast car charger for occasional use during our stay. What a relief! And the best thing was there was never a queue.

Electric car charging

Top 10 tips for stress-free electric car travel

On our long journey, we learnt a lot along the way. Here’s our top 10 tips to reduce stress and anxiety.

  1. Use the Zap Map app and enter your route. This will give you electric car charging points along the way and even indicates fast and rapid charging points. Some cars have a similar facility on their Sat Nav.
  2. Allow plenty of time for your journey as charging takes longer than quickly filling up with petrol. To optimise charging time, charge only up to 80% - it takes just as long to charge your EV from 80% to 100% as it does from 20% to 80%.
  3. Reduce anxiety by recharging well before you need to, just in case the chargers are out of service or there is a long queue - then you can just move on to the next one.
  4. Don’t bother using the standard slower chargers. We found it is quicker to wait in a small queue for the fast charger than plug in to the slow charger.
  5. Drive in eco mode and use the brake facility to maximise the mileage range.
  6. Price per kwh varies considerably, ranging from free to 69p per kwh, so make a note of easy to use, cheaper chargers on your regular routes.
  7. Don’t be afraid to ask other electric car owners for help. It was our first long journey and they are a very friendly, helpful and likeminded bunch.
  8. Ask your holiday accommodation host where the nearest rapid chargers are if they don't have charging on site.
  9. Save time by locating car chargers near the attractions you want to visit during your holiday.
  10. Don't be tempted to run a standard electric extension from a domestic 3 pin plug while on holiday - this could overload the ring main and cause issues.

Don't forget to move you car out of the EV parking space as soon as it's charged up to prevent unnecessary stress for other EV drivers!

fast electric car charger

We found a great CCS fast charger at one service station; whilst quite a bit more more expensive, it saved a lot of time.

In the future, car charging will become easier as the infrastructure improves. Electric cars are so much better for the environment as they have zero exhaust emissions. They are also more energy efficient with around 70% of the power produced by the battery making it to the wheels, compared to only 20% of power produced by a combustion engine.

Destress and charge up for free when you say at Hoe Grange Holidays!

We have always offered guests free EV charging at Hoe Grange during their stay, but now fully understand how much this eliminates stress and worry and allows for a relaxing holiday! We have three charging points too, so there's plenty of space for multiple cars to charge at once.

You can definitely recharge your car battery as well as your own when staying at Hoe Grange. And the best thing is that our electricity is mainly generated using renewable solar and wind power, so you'll be reducing your environmental impact even further!

David 


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Hoe Grange Holidays Tripadvisor Comments...

  • star rating  A beautiful place to stay! Amazingly run family business! Everyone were very welcoming, friendly and cozy! The skylark pod we stayed in was very clean, cozy and well equipped! The... read more

    sophiee249
    January 2, 2020

    star rating  We stayed in Rainster cabin for a long weekend 6 th to 9 th September. This was my 5 th visit to the amazing Hoe Grange. I had visited before... read more

    Jan Horsman J
    September 17, 2019

    star rating  Recently spent a week in "Pinder" and had a lovely time. The location is stunning - the site is nestled in a beautiful valley on the edge of the Peaks... read more

    Peachey167
    July 16, 2019
  • star rating  We stayed in the Skylark pod last October (2018) and had a lovely time. There was homemade, rustic goods (bread, biscuits etc) when we arrived. Felicity and David who run... read more

    KBarry
    September 15, 2019

    star rating  We spent four nights at Hoe Grange and had a lovely time. The location is fantastic and right next to the High Peak Trail. The cabin was very clean and... read more

    Big_Al_0000
    July 16, 2019

    star rating  On arriving at Hoe Grange in a downpour, we doubted if we’d made the right decision to go glamping, but after the warm welcome from David and a quick tour,... read more

    karenmD4738KD
    June 25, 2019
  • star rating  We stayed in Pinder cabin and had a lovely stay, the cabin was spacious and comfortable, nice and warm after cold days out. The children loved meeting the animals and... read more

    Tiggywinkle15
    November 5, 2019

    star rating  Felicity and David made us feel very welcome right from our booking. The pods are well equipped and spotlessly clean. The area is very peaceful with great views and we... read more

    Adventurer_12121
    January 30, 2020

    star rating  We stayed for a night in one of the cabins . The cabin was spotless and very well equipped , lots of extra touches were added like fresh eggs and... read more

    Ajtravels14
    February 3, 2020
  • star rating  lovely surroundings real farm country with chickens paying you a visit nice decking area to chill at the end of the day accommodation very good plenty to do nearby... read more

    vincent s
    July 28, 2019

    star rating  Lovely place to holiday near to interesting locations and easy access to the High Peak trail and Carsington Water. Part of a working farm with fresh produce to enjoy during... read more

    Angie B
    August 3, 2019

    star rating  We have just returned from a short stay in one of the pods on site at Hoe Grange Holidays. We couldn’t recommend them enough. The pod has everything you could... read more

    Catboy86
    August 17, 2019
  • star rating  Stayed last week, from 6th to 13th September in the log cabin called Hipley. This was amazing, it was our first visit but certainly not our last. Gold standard disability... read more

    548julie
    September 14, 2019

    star rating  What can I say?
    Absolutely superb!
    We have just returned from a family weekend staying in Daisybank cabin and the Skylark pod.
    It was our first trip away with my... read more

    Wheelieuser
    June 13, 2019

    star rating  We wanted a complete break and some peace and quiet and this was perfect. The caravan was secluded with beautiful views over the countryside. Everything was spotlessly clean and well... read more

    joanne B
    June 4, 2019
  • star rating  Arrived and was shown to our pod, fantastic location and the pod was very good indeed plus we had home made bread and milk and tea and coffee. A... read more

    mickvfr
    July 28, 2019

    star rating  What a wonderful find. As our first experience of needing accessible accommodation we could not have wished for better. Beautiful well equipped lodges in lovely surroundings. We stayed in both... read more

    L9943KBlesleym
    April 3, 2020

    star rating  We had a lovely time staying in one of the incredibly well equipped pods. I bought my pony along and we had some great rides on the high peak trail.... read more

    plopster1
    June 7, 2019
  • star rating  For the second year running, we have had a great family holiday at Hoe Grange. We had one cabin for the week, for two sisters and our elderly wheelchair-using... read more

    EJYork2013
    June 25, 2019

    star rating  What a lovely weekend away! We stayed in the lovely gypsy caravan, which was a wonderful and really unique experience. We took along our two horses, who also had a... read more

    rachelthomas2015
    June 18, 2019

    star rating  We love this place. Very wheelchair friendly, really well equipped and comfortable, with easy access by car to lots of places of interest particularly Crich Tramway Village, Chatsworth, Bakewell and... read more

    dghiggs61
    October 25, 2019
  • star rating  We've just returned from our second visit to Hoe Grange. The suggested riding routes with stunning scenery were enjoyed by my daughter and I while the menfolk were delighted with... read more

    Jdrichie12
    July 11, 2019

    star rating  We love this place. Very wheelchair friendly, really well equipped and comfortable, with easy access by car to lots of places of interest particularly Crich Tramway Village, Chatsworth, Bakewell and... read more

    David H
    October 25, 2019

    star rating  We stayed in Skylark, one of the two glamping pods available at Hoe Grange in February 2020.

    Felicity & David welcomed us when we arrived to show us around... read more

    HelenLCarter
    February 6, 2020
  • star rating  It's been three years since we last visited but once we arrived it certainly didn't feel like it!
    We stayed in Hipley again which had had a refurbished wet... read more

    ElizabethA717
    September 21, 2019

    star rating  Another great holiday at Hoe Grange - such a great place for us all to holiday as a family - this time with a baby, a 3 yr old, a... read more

    Thesamps
    October 4, 2019

    star rating  Loved every minute of our stay, and so did the family and friends that came to stay. Excellent facilities in our cosy Hipley log cabin. By far the best... read more

    krimpenijssel
    October 25, 2019
  • star rating  Myself and my sister travelled to Costa Rica and Panama via Viva Holidays Ltd. The holiday was exceptional and one to be treasured forever. Andrew at Viva Holidays... read more

    Paula C
    July 4, 2019

    star rating  Second visit to the accessible holiday cabins at Hoe Grange. David and Felicity were as helpful and friendly as ever. We had a welcome pack of freshly baked bread, butter,... read more

    Charlotte M
    August 7, 2019

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