Road-trip-ready range: Everything you need to know
If you’re like most Canadians…
Making the switch to an electric vehicle may not be as big of a change as you think. Particularly, when it comes to how far you can drive it. With good charging habits and a basic understanding of EV batteries, you’ll feel confident behind the wheel of your All-Electric ID.4.
Go far in your electric car
Range over the years
The range potential of electric vehicles has improved significantly over the last few years. From the first Volkswagen Elektro-Golf in 1972 to the 2024 ID.4, range sure has come a long way. Fun fact: a Volkswagen ID.4 driver set the Guinness World Record for the fewest number of charging stops in an electric car crossing Canada. Covering over 7,000 km from St. John’s to Victoria, the journey required just 18 charging stops.
Your average daily commute
Chances are, you don’t drive as much as you think you do. In fact, the average Canadian drives less than 42 km a day. That’s just about one tenth of the range potential of the 2024 ID.4*, which means you may only need to charge your EV about once a week.
*Estimated combined range determined using Natural Resources Canada’s approved test methods, with a fully charged battery and ideal driving conditions is 468 km for the 2024 ID.4 Pro RWD. Refer to vehicles.nrcan.gc.ca for details. Different vehicle configurations will have different ranges. Actual driving range will vary based on driving and charging habits, weather and temperature, terrain, use of HVAC and accessories, battery age and vehicle condition.
Coast-to-coast coverage
If you’re planning an extended journey, no problem. There are approximately 20,000 charging ports at around 9,000 public charging stations across Canada, around 4,000 of which are DC Fast chargers that can charge an EV battery from 10% to 80% in around 30 minutes.**
Rest assured, you should find plenty of convenient options along your route. Plus, with EV charging apps like FLO and Electrify Canada, the experience is smoother than ever. You can load up your account, begin charging, pay, and receive notifications—all from your phone.
** Estimated charging times are provided as a reference only. Charging times will vary and depend on a variety of factors, including ambient temperature, charger type, battery condition and initial state of charge, vehicle condition and others. Frequent and consecutive fast charging can permanently decrease battery capacity.
All on a single charge
Your EV can take you quite far before you have to plug it in again.
From Toronto to Windsor (369 km)
From Montréal to La Malbaie (397 km)
Vancouver to Kelowna (389 km)
Golden rules for charging
Along with driving habits, there are ways to get better range that have to do with properly maintaining your EV battery.
It’s relatively simple to take care of your high-voltage battery. Just stick to these two rules, and you've pretty much accomplished the most important things.
For daily usage, Volkswagen recommends setting the charging target at 80%. Before long trips, Volkswagen recommends setting the charging target at 100% for the highest possible range, and then driving off as soon as possible after charging is completed.
If the vehicle will be unused for longer than 12 hours, leave it parked with a battery charge level of at least 30% and no more than 80% (e.g., at the airport before a trip).
Breakthrough braking
Regenerative Braking converts braking friction into energy that goes back into your battery. Overall, it helps extend your range and turns every traffic jam or red light into a green victory.
It’s smooth sailing from here
Driving at moderate speeds can help maximize your mileage, so try limiting fast acceleration and use cruise control whenever it makes sense and is safe to. Turning on Regenerative Braking also makes a difference. Moral of the story: unless your daily commute is taking you to another province and back, you shouldn’t even have to think about plugging in before driving home.
There you have it. Now that you know the range of capablilites of an EV and the robust charging infrastructure across the country, you’re ready to hit the road with confidence. Safe travels!