Tesla Super Charging station located at the CrossIron Mills Mall late at night in Calgary, AB.

Randy: One of the first couple of questions people have asked me about driving an EV is “where do you charge it?” and “how long does it last on a charge?”.

To best answer the first question, literally everywhere. After 8 weeks and over 5,000 kilometers under my belt in an EV, you start to realize there are charging stations in places you didn’t even realize. Previously, like everyone else, I had been driving a gas-powered vehicle and never really noticed EV charging stations popping up everywhere. The first major commitment to owning an EV is having a fast charger installed in your home, after that you will soon realize that there are destination charging stations in malls, hotels, city parkades, numerous retail stores, government buildings and now Petro Canada stations.  Petro Canada with its commitment to “keep Canadians moving” has recently installed level 3 DC fast-charging stations from coast to coast along the Trans Canada Highway. The “range anxiety” you feel the first couple days of driving an EV fades away quite quickly. Curious about EV charging stations around you? Open Google Maps and type “EV charging” in the search bar, you will be amazed.

To best answer the second question, “how long does it last on a charge” you need to think about the first question. The short answer is 2-4 days, depending on the distance of your commute and the type of EV you are driving of course. Here is the shortest “long answer” I can give you;  If you think of your EV as a smartphone, most of us will plug it in when we get home from work and then unplug it in the morning, that is what you end up doing with an EV. The EV I am driving is always charged up because it is so quick and easy to do when I get home. You will stop thinking in terms of going from “fill up” to “fill up” and start thinking in terms of just keeping it charged up, like your smartphone.

For more information about Petro Canada’s commitment to keep Canadians moving, visit Petro Canada’s website to view their EV charging network.

– Randy McMahon is our Prairies Remarketing Manager for Jim Pattison Lease. In this EV blog series, he documents his own experience and opinions from driving a Tesla Model S to provide first-person insights into owning an electric vehicle.