Looking to skip the lines at the airport but still have a vacation? Take a look at the “New to EVs?” road trip guide, grab your favorite charging app and see how far Canada’s public fast charging network can take you
Whether you’re looking for a summer getaway or a winter adventure, it’s time to take the plunge in your electric vehicle and explore how far Canada’s public charging network can take you.
Electric Range Canada has rounded up the 10 best road trips in Canada to take with an electric vehicle, whether you’re driving coast to coast or taking a short jaunt in between.
Each of the following road trips are supported by public EV chargers with speeds over 50 kW and which support all vehicles.
Montreal to Quebec
If this is your first electric car trip, a gentle ride with plenty of public fast chargers, beautiful scenery, and decadent food may be just the thing for you.
The corridor between Montreal and Quebec offers public charging stations every few dozen kilometers along the highway – one of the most densely populated EV charging routes in the country.
Mainly operated by the Hydro-Québec Electric Circuit network, the charging stations are fast and powered by 100% renewable hydroelectricity.
Plus, you can drop by and tip your hat to Bécancour, Quebec – one of the focal points of Canada’s EV battery supply chain.
Canmore, AB to Vancouver
If you prefer more dramatic views and have no problem pausing to greet a moose or bear crossing the road, the drive through the Canadian Rockies is a fantastic EV adventure.
As well as traversing Banff National Park, one of Canada’s natural treasures, you’ll do so noise-free and emission-free, which is good for local wildlife.
The chargers are located just before Banff in Canmore and then just across the provincial border in Field, BC.
Once you get this far, the ride to Vancouver is seamless. Chargers are conveniently placed along the highway, and if you feel like taking a detour, there’s ample coverage in the off-road communities.
Saint John, NB to Digby, NS
This electric vehicle road trip not only involves visiting some of the most beautiful places in the Atlantic region, but also allows you to try another means of transport: a car ferry.
Starting in Saint John, you can spend a few days visiting dormitories and sites around town (the Bay of Fundy has no shortage of wonders to see). When you’re ready, pick up your last load in town, then board the ferry for a relaxing two-hour crossing to Digby, Nova Scotia, where you can admire the bay (and delicious seafood) from the side of Nova Scotia.
Do you feel more ambitious? From Digby, push on to Halifax. The charging network is so constructed that you can comfortably loop the entire peninsula.
Prince Edward Island Coastal Route, PEI
Maybe you’ve always been a fan of Anne of Green Gables, or maybe you just can’t get enough of the red dirt and sandy beaches. Either way, the ring road around Prince Edward Island is now fully electrified, making it an ideal destination for a road trip.
Whether you start the loop from Charlottetown, take the bridge from New Brunswick, or take the ferry crossing from Nova Scotia, chargers are available along Routes 1 and 2 as far east as Souris and as far northwest as Unionville. to be able to see the island from end to end.
Summerville and Charlottetown have a surprising number of public charging stations (compared to EV adoption). So your main concern when you’re downtown will be where to find the best lobster rolls, not charging stations.
Gaspe, Que.
If you haven’t been to the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec, you might want to seriously consider adding it to the top of your list. The peninsula offers stunning ocean views, quaint rainbow cottages, magnificent cliffs, and some of the most magnificent hikes in Canada. Gaspé will make you gasp, huh?
Although public charging stations are more spread out along the peninsula road than on the well-covered Montreal-Quebec artery, they are there at regular intervals and often enough that you can get around the whole peninsula.
Do not hesitate to add the Gaspé stage once you arrive in Quebec (the journey along the St. Lawrence River to the peninsula is well covered by public charging infrastructures). It’s about seven to eight hours further north, but worth it.
Channel-Port Aux Basques in Gros Morne, NL
Newfoundland and Labrador is a unique province. With rocky ground as far as the eye can see, a great music scene and a wacky sense of humor, any road trip on the island would prove both challenging and fun.
If you’re a slightly more experienced electric vehicle driver and are confident in your vehicle’s range capabilities, why not push the limits and race from the ferry docks at Channel-Port Aux Basques (where the Nova Scotia boat drops you off) and take the scenic tour to Gros Morne National Park? A public charging station awaits you in the park and the road in between has adequate, if not overwhelming, EV charger coverage.
But once you get to Gros Morne, a billion-year-old cliff awaits you, along with a calm unmatched in Canada’s other national parks and all the hiking trails you could want, all enhanced by the silence of your zero-emission journey. Just watch out for moose on the road.
Ucluelet to Tofino, BC
Follow the sea-ravaged coastline to the western tip of Vancouver Island between Ucluelet and Tofino and you’ll spend 34 minutes admiring some of the most breathtaking scenery Canada has to offer.
While the highlight of the trip is undoubtedly the coastline, the challenge is getting to Ucluelet. Unless you’re lucky enough to live in the shade of ancient cedar forests between Ucluelet and Tofino, you’ll have to make a rather ambitious drive from Victoria to get there.
The road leading just past Nanaimo is very well covered by EV chargers – no
problem. However, once you leave Highway 19 and start heading towards Port Alberni, things get a bit more sparse.
There are still more than enough charging options to get you and back safely, but if you’re a new EV driver who suffers from range anxiety, maybe save that trip until you’re done. be a little more confident in the range of your EV.
Saskatoon to Cochin, Sask.
If you were told that all there is to the Prairies is flat land, big skies and wheat, you were wrong. Did you know that Saskatoon is nicknamed “the city of bridges” (it has eight breathtaking bridges that span the South Saskatchewan River)?
Cochin is a resort town located on the shores of Jackfish Lake, a popular fishing spot.
It’s easy to take an EV ride between Winnipeg and Cochin, with a halfway stop in North Battleford. There are no EV chargers in Cochin, so North Battleford is the last EV charging stop on the route.
While Saskatchewan is notorious for its slow EV adoption rates and inconsistent public charger coverage, this particular Saskatoon-Cochin corridor has more than enough charging infrastructure to ensure a smooth journey.
Winnipeg to Brandon, Man.
Winnipeg is another province that sometimes raises eyebrows for its EV adoption numbers (or lack thereof). Main complaint is that charging coverage stops north of Selkirk (in fairness there is a station in Dauphin – definitely the northernmost fast-charging station in the province) and otherwise EV drivers are confined from east to west on Highway 1.
Well, the numbers don’t lie and this criticism is not without merit. Manitoba has limited fees if you deviate from the beaten path at all; however, one more reason to bring electric vehicles to the province and show that there is a demand for more infrastructure.
Winnipeg is a pulsating cultural epicenter, while Brandon is home to much of the province’s history and industry. A trip between the two cities will boost the presence of electric vehicles, and you’re sure to learn a lot about Canadian culture while you’re there.
Victoria to St. John’s
Crossing Canada is a trip every Canadian should take at least once and an electric vehicle means you can enjoy huge cost savings without compromising that grand tour experience. So stay on the Trans-Canada Highway all the time or jog on the back roads, public charging networks have provided solid coverage that will support many different varieties of The Great Canadian Road Trip.
You can make the trip fast, you can make it slow. From east to west or from west to east. Driving from Victoria to St. John’s can take five days or two weeks.
The beauty of travel is that you can set the pace, and scheduled recharging stops will give you plenty of time to absorb and enjoy the sights. Recharge the car, recharge.
