Hi, I’m Katy — I’ve been with the team at Electric Vehicle Charging Installations for about a year and a half. I handle admin, marketing, office management, and accounts – basically, I wear a few hats – and with those hats, I try to learn as much as I can about EVs and charging. So please sit back and let me tell you a story about our first long-distance EV road trip,

I’m honestly surprised I haven’t been banished from the business for these rookie errors!

It’s been about four months since we welcomed the Kia EV5 into our lives. Working at an EV charger installation business means I’ve picked up a fair bit just by listening and asking questions — and occasionally pretending I knew what I was talking about. But nothing teaches you faster than a real-life test: an EV road trip driving from Beldon to Denmark, WA.

Two humans (my wife Rae and I), one dog (shout-out to Rebel), and a crash course in EV charging, range anxiety, and what not to do when you leave town in an electric car.

Our EV Road Trip Begins: Charged (Sort Of)

We made sure the car was fully charged before our five-hour drive. First planned stop: the Woolshed in Williams — home to three Tesla fast chargers.

Pro tip: check the type of charger at your stop and download any required apps or set up payment ahead of time. If you’re already nervous about range, the last thing you want is to be downloading new apps and entering card details with 10 km left, and sometimes a minimal internet signal!

We arrived at Williams with about 50% battery and charged up to 70%.

Lesson #1: Patience is vital for long-distance EV road trips. “Fast” chargers aren’t always as fast as you think.

Mount Barker… and Mild Panic

Our plan was to stop in Mount Barker if needed — it’s only 20 km from Denmark. We rolled in with 20% battery (estimated 70 km left) to find the chargers in use and no cables attached supplied.

Thankfully, we had our CCS cable, but after checking the time and doing the mental math (and mostly ignoring the tiny voice in my head screaming “WHAT IF”), we decided to risk it and push on to Denmark.

Then came the dreaded 5% warning. Cue low-level panic.

Dashboard screen showing low EV battery warning at 5% during road trip.
Navigating range anxiety: Our EV dashboard showing a 5% battery warning during our EV road trip.

We started switching off entertainment and other power drains — which, of course, also shut off our maps. Trying to get the map on my phone to work with patchy country internet turned into a comedy sketch. I managed to screenshot directions during a rare moment of signal — old-school UBD vibes — and somehow we rolled into our accommodation with 10 km left. Crisis averted. For now.

The Denmark Dilemma: One Charger, No Cable

PlugShare showed one public charger in Denmark — only 3 km away. Relief! We even brought a cable… only to discover that we had a home plug-to-Type 2 cable, while the charger required a Type 2-to-Type 2 cable. Rookie mistake.

Pro tip: if you own an EV, purchase a Type 2-to-Type 2 travel cable. Don’t even question it. It is like private health insurance, you don’t really need it, but when you do, YOU REALLY DO!

Plan B: Buy two 10m extension leads (thanks, IGA Denmark….$60 well spent) and run power from the yurt we were staying in. Upside: charging worked. Downside: at about 1 kW per hour from a PowerPoint, we weren’t going anywhere for a while. This meant time to relax, reset, and bond — good for us, less good for our itinerary.

Kia EV5 charging outdoors during road trip.
Charging our Kia EV5 with a very long extension cord during our EV road trip to Denmark.

Our EV Road Trips Home Commences: Better Prepared (Kind Of)

On Monday, we had 56% and a new plan: drive to Albany and charge properly.

First attempt: Tesla chargers at the Visitor Centre — but the cable didn’t reach our port. I asked Rae if the cables extended. She said no. Do they? Still not sure. Arguing wasn’t worth wasting more battery or sitting in tense silence for the five-hour drive home.

Luckily, Chargefox DC fast chargers with attached cables were nearby (and we already had the app.. winning!). Coffee and snacks from Kate’s Place, Rae spent some time learning about our Kia EV-5 from EVSE YouTube videos (which, amusingly, later revealed an adapter in the boot she hadn’t realised we had).

We topped up to 80% (note: try to avoid fast-charging over 80% unless necessary — it’s better for the battery), then stopped again in Mount Barker for a 15% top-up and Williams for a final charge before heading home.

We pulled into our driveway with 20% battery left… and still married.

So here are five tips I’ve learned for your first EV road trip — so you don’t make the same mistakes we did!

  1. Plan your route — and your apps. Know charger locations, networks, and have payment sorted beforehand.
  2. Know your cables. Not all chargers come with cables, and not all cables are compatible with all chargers. Type 2-to-Type 2 is essential for most public AC chargers.
  3. Allow time — and patience. Charging can take longer than you expect.
  4. Have backups. Extension leads, charging at your accommodation, or alternative routes — always have a Plan B (and maybe a Plan C).
  5. Keep your sense of humour. Things will go wrong. Laugh about it — later.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. With the right mindset — and the right cable — an EV road trip can be amazing. Plus, it’s a great way to learn about your car, your partner, and how far a little charge (and a lot of coffee) can take you.

Don’t suffer from range anxiety like I did! Contact us today for a free quote on an EV charger installation at your home or business (plus a travel cable) and make sure you are fully prepared for your EV road trip!

Connect With Us 

Electric Vehicle Charging Installations
Email: info@evci.com.au
Phone: 0491 604 384
Website: evci.com.au
Follow us on Facebook / Instagram for the latest updates.

We look forward to hearing from you and helping you make informed choices that align with your eco-conscious lifestyle.