The Great American Road Trip Goes Electric
The great American road trip is about to go electric. More and more travelers are seeking fuel-efficient vehicles for both everyday use and for travel—especially with the high price for fuel.
Even rental car companies are capitalizing on the trend. Hertz has purchased 100,000 Teslas to add to its rental fleet. It is a signal of a societal shift in the country as more people are transitioning to vehicles powered by electricity.
As more and more EVs hit the highways, a new study from travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip has identified the top destinations for EV road trips.
The study analyzed 13 popular routes and noted the best ones based on the percentage of free chargers per stop, number of charge points per stop, number of level three chargers per stop, quality of national parks, quality of attractions and experiences and quality of restaurants.
California, where electric vehicle sales are surging, topped the list. The Pacific Coast Highway scored a 6.48 out of 10 points. The route scored high in four of the six categories, including the number of charge points per stop (10), quality of attractions and experiences (8.97), quality of restaurants (7.63) and quality of national parks (7.52). The route covers 655 miles of the Californian coastline with nearly 5,500 electric charges along it, and 93 percent of them are at least a level 2 charge.
Natchez Trace Parkway, traversing Tennessee and Mississippi, was in the number-two spot, scoring a 5.91. The 444-mile route explores the beautiful sights in the rural southeast and features 360 chargers with almost 80 percent offering a ‘fast charge’, minimizing the risk of running low on battery.
The Appalachian Trail, from Maine to Georgia, scored a 5.42 with high-quality restaurants (9.21), quality of national parks (8.48) and quality of attractions and experiences (7.95). Charging infrastructure on this route could use some improvement. The 2,200-mile journey features more than 1,000 EV chargers, but 91 percent of them are located in New York.
The Atlantic Coast, including Massachusetts, New York, North and South Carolina and Florida, scored a 5.38, and the Oregon Trail through Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Illinois, New York and Massachusetts scored 5.32.
“With the cost of travel increasing, many Americans are opting for road trips,” said Sarah Webber, director of marketing at InsureMyTrip. “However, the price of gas is also going up, which is why some are considering electric cars to get them to their vacation destination. Our hope is this list of routes will make the decision to go electric easier and encourage travelers to take that road trip.”