Drive an EV across the country using ultra-fast chargers

A drive from the nation’s capital to Los Angeles usually takes about 40 hours of pure driving — and that’s without stopping for charging breaks if you’re in an electric vehicle. 

But on Wednesday, charging network Electrify America finished its first cross-country route with fast-charging available all along the way. That means every 70 miles on the 2,700-mile journey you can find a charger. 

The best part is that the route on Interstates 15 and 70 includes super-fast chargers at public stations. recharging cars at speeds up to 350 kilowatts. That means you can get juiced up in about 20 minutes and carry on. With the average electric vehicle boasting a range of about 200 miles, recharging won’t take an hour or longer like on slower “regular” chargers. 

Here’s the map again to see the different routes and where the charging stations are located.

Electrify America’s first route crosses through 11 states, and in September another cross-country route will open from Jacksonville, FL, to San Diego. West and east coast electric trips are already connected from Seattle to San Diego and Portland, ME to Miami, respectively. 

The EV-friendly routes connect the nearly 2,000 DC fast chargers Electrify America has around the country. 

For other cross-country planning in an EV, look at apps like PlugShare or wait for Apple’s updated iOS 14 with its new EV route planning built into Apple Maps. Tesla owners already are connected to the EV-maker’s Supercharger network with fast charging available across the country.