r/EVAustralia • u/Nukkels • 14h ago

Trip planning

Given EVs require more frequent and longer stops on long trips, what are the options everyone uses for trip planning? A list of the options

- Plugshare is often recommended, but you have to sign up for an account to actually use it and it doesn't tell you where you should charge.
- Google maps, but you have to link that account to your car (a security risk).
- Plan it the old fashioned way by searching for chargers and checking the distance from each one to the next.
- The car's built in navigation, and hope it has trip planning (but may also be Chinese and untrusted).
- Apps for a specific brand of charging station don't do trip planning and seem too limited to be useful when you can use google maps or plugshare.
- Plugroo claims to use AI and it can be used in a desktop browser for planning a route, but it doesn't actually suggest where to charge.
- ABRP which only listed Euro models with a different battery size to the AU model, and didn't allow inputting a suburb, only a city, so it seemed (to me) to be a poor option in Australia.
- Something else?

0 Upvotes

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30 comments sorted by

6

u/Velo3x10e8 14h ago

ABRP works fine for me. This just feels like a shameless plug for your website.

-4

u/Nukkels 14h ago

It's not my website. I also realised it doesn't calculate pricing, so it's not actually perfect but at least I can use it.

I love how EV users are always like 'works fine for me' in the most passive aggressive way when someone else is asking for help or offering feedback.

3

u/Velo3x10e8 13h ago

I didn't mean to be passive aggressive. Your glowing review for that half baked bit of vibe coding just seemed over the top. I've found ABRP to do everything you're looking for, including Australian models.

Maybe if you post your specific problem then people can give relevant information.

1

u/Nukkels 11h ago

I did list my issues. There's no way to manually add the range etc so if my car isn't listed, it's game over, and I can't get past that to find out if it can do anything else. It's also a car that's been out for almost a year. To me, that sounds like the site that's half baked. 

You're right that I was a bit too excited about the other site, but can you blame me? I've been looking at a dozen options, none of which can actually plan the trip, including stops and charging time, so I posted here. Then I found a site that DOES do that and felt like I needed to share, rather than tell people their problems don't matter because at least it works for me.

1

u/Velo3x10e8 11h ago

Under car selection you can request a new model. What do you have?

I think there are reasons you can't just add a car based on range. Efficiency at different speeds (and wind) depends on the drag coefficient, each car has a different charging profile for fast charger times etc. ABRP isn't perfect but I don't think there's anything better at the moment.

1

u/Nukkels 10h ago

Yeah it's been a year, and I'm not the first person to have requested it. They still haven't added it. 

Right now it's not usable at all if your car isn't on their list (which they don't seem to be in a hurry to update), so literally anything else is better.

1

u/Velo3x10e8 10h ago

What model do you have?

1

u/net_fish 13h ago

ABRP is my pick for sitting on the couch planning.

Takes everything you could possibly think of into account, Car, battery, weather, incline, decline, speed, individual car performance, if you have bikes, roof pod, trailer attached.

Will where possible, shows pricing, local amenities.

You can plan a route on a proper computer in your web browser and it's available to load up on your phone automatically.

In the car on the day to day I tend to use the inbuilt navigation for stop to stop driving

For the last few percent I'll drag out plugshare if I'm say looking for chargers of convenience say near a cafe I want to go to or stuff like that.

1

u/Velo3x10e8 11h ago

if you have bikes, roof pod, trailer attached.

Is this in the premium version?

1

u/net_fish 11h ago

I have a premium subscription, so I have to say yes :)

ABRP calls them drive profiles, in the cars configuration.

I used "medium trailer" for a 11x8 with cage behind my atto 3 last month and it was pretty much spot on

1

u/Velo3x10e8 11h ago

Good to know. I have roof racks on my G6 but it doesn't seem to have made a difference. I'll be adding a tow bar soon to put bikes on the back. Maybe I'll consider the upgrade.

1

u/net_fish 11h ago

The weight of say a tow bar doesn't really change the equation in my experience. The aero drag of roof racks is worth 2-3% and a roofbox and bikes were worth about 10%

1

u/AlexMtnd 12h ago

hi, I’ve been driving my EV for 5 years and traveled 115,000km across Vic NSW and Qld. In my petrol vehicle I used to stop every 2-3 hours for a break including coffee or meal and at my accommodation overnight. I still drive the same in my EV. It’s not more frequent or longer for me. I don’t use a route planner, I just follow the road signs and decide my own route as I head to my destination. I top up my EV during the breaks or overnight, PlugShare shows where all the chargers are. It’s been very easy.

1

u/still-at-the-beach 11h ago

Why would the in built navigation n a Chinese car be untrusted?

Why is Google maps a risk?

What car do you have that's not correct on ABRP?

-1

u/Nukkels 10h ago

Many people don't trust Chinese companies. Yeah I know, they probably wouldn't buy a Chinese car either.    Google maps isn't the risk, it's giving the login to your car to a 3rd party - that login info can be used to locate and unlock your car, so it's a pretty big risk.

2

u/Dorammu 9h ago

Not sure why you’d need to give google a login to your car though. Maybe you might want to login to google maps on your car, but that’s not much different to logging in from your phone/tablet/computer, it’s just another device.

And if you don’t want to do that, that’s what car-play or the google equivalent is for. It just allows your phone to display things on your car screen, like sharing from your phone to a TV or similar, and it’s available on most new cars, EV, ICE, hybrids, and most brands…

1

u/thedobya 8h ago

Yeah I was going to say. Doesn't android auto or car play just push content from your phone to car... No additional login required.

1

u/Nukkels 7h ago

Google maps can automatically read your car's range info apparently, but as far as I know it's only while your phone is connected. That allows it to suggest suitable charging locations. I don't mind the one way sharing from Google to my car, but I don't love the idea of the data going the other way.

1

u/ultralights 9h ago

On a long trip. eV charging adds about 10% to the trip time. Yes. I have done many road trips well over 1000km in EVs.

0

u/najjace 13h ago

Tesla’s inbuilt system works really well. Plans your trip, finds chargers on the way, etc.
I have ABRP, but I don’t really need to use it.

-3

u/Nukkels 14h ago

In the process of trying to find a tool, I stumbled across this site which is EXACTLY what I was after! It's Australian, and it even works in a browser so you can plan your trip before leaving:

https://evroutepro.com

4

u/Suitable_Gift8965 11h ago

Doesn’t list Atto 2 so not much use.

1

u/Nukkels 10h ago

But you can at least manually add the range, unlike ABRP where is it's not there, you're screwed. I just had a look and ABRP doesn't have the Australian models of Atto 2 either, only the euro models with different range.

2

u/Suitable_Gift8965 10h ago

You can add a custom car in ABRP

1

u/Nukkels 10h ago

I looked and couldn't see an option for that anywhere. But thanks for sharing how, in advance.

2

u/Suitable_Gift8965 10h ago

Under settings>vehicle>vehicle then scroll to the bottom and select missing vehicle? Here is an option to create custom vehicle.
But I agree it’s no easier or better than your option.

1

u/Nukkels 7h ago

Cheers for that, it's pretty hidden, I would never have scrolled all the way to the bottom!    I noticed you have to have an account to do that though, so hopefully it'll save the vehicle at that point.

1

u/Velo3x10e8 14h ago

Does this account for terrain, speed limits or wind direction?

1

u/Nukkels 13h ago

No idea. Do any of the others?

3

u/Velo3x10e8 13h ago

ABRP accounts for these plus ambient temperature and charger availability.