How do I plot a route for my electric car?

What about long trips in our electric car? We are regular visitors to Dingle, though we live in Kilkenny. I have tried to plot a way down, stopping to recharge, but I have to admit I am a bit confused about charge points on route.

Pat O Connor (Kilkenny)

Feb 2016 Filed under: electric cars

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Expert answer

Hi Pat,

The flippant answer to this would be 'buy a Tesla...' But they're expensive as hell so maybe not an option. The actual answer is I don't know for sure because I've never tried it in an electric car, but, from my reckoning, assuming you're driving a Leaf with a range of about 160km, you should be able to get from Kilkenny to Cork in one hop, find a charger, top up, and then get to Killarney. The trick will be to stay off the motorways and stick to slower roads.

After Killarney I'm just not sure. Dingle is a long way off and I'm not sure what the charging point situation is along the way.

Best bet is to consult the ESB's charge point map and plan your route around that.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe