Today, we'll talk about the problems you may encounter on long trips during holidays and give you some travel tips. With the popularity of cars, self-driving tours are no longer new. In the past, we have also provided many travel guides before the holidays. In the era of gasoline cars, we emphasized checking the car before departure, maintaining good rest, and planning the route. These are all familiar to everyone. This time, we will mainly talk about the characteristics of new energy vehicles.
■ Route planning
Route planning is a must for self-driving tours. Traffic jams on highways are common. It is necessary to plan alternative routes to avoid congestion before departure.
For users of new energy vehicles, in addition to avoiding congestion, planning the charging route is also important. Avoid charging at highway rest areas during peak traffic periods. It is advisable to plan to charge at fast-charging stations near the highway exit. Nowadays, in addition to service areas, new energy manufacturers will also build stations near highways. You can reach the fast-charging station within 3-5 minutes after exiting the highway. This will not affect your trip.
There is a problem of predicting the range of your car's battery while driving on highways, so you need to plan ahead and know how far you can drive before you need to charge. To do this, you should pay attention to your car's electric consumption while driving on highways in your daily use. After all, highway electric consumption is usually higher than low-speed electric consumption.
Using the navigation system built into your car's infotainment system is more practical. Many new energy vehicles have car navigation systems that combine the vehicle's current battery level, driving distance, and charging station distribution to provide suggestions on where to charge and how much remaining battery power there is at the charging station, which is more practical than simply planning the route on a mobile phone.
In some brand's app, you can also plan the route in advance and send it to the car's infotainment system, so you don't have to wait until you're in the car to plan the route.
After Tesla opened its charging stations to other brands, the resources of charging stations near highways are now quite complete. You don't need to just focus on the charging piles in the service area. Take a look at the charging stations near the highway exits, which are more convenient.
According to the map recommended by the car's infotainment system, find the nearest highway exit and search for nearby charging stations. This planning can at least ensure that you have an alternative option to exit the highway and charge when there is congestion in the highway rest area.
■ What should you do if your tire loses air?
While traveling, it is not uncommon to encounter a flat tire due to a puncture. The best solution, of course, is to repair the tire or replace it with a full-size spare, but if you find yourself in an unfamiliar place and cannot find a tire repair shop, it can be quite inconvenient. Many new energy vehicles do not come with a spare tire, and most provide tire repair tools. For vehicles that do not even provide tire repair tools, we strongly recommend that users purchase a can of tire sealant as a backup. At least, having tire sealant can help users deal with minor punctures. A can of tire sealant costs around 100 yuan and can be used 1-2 times, which is similar in price to a tire repair, and can support the vehicle to travel about 100 kilometers at a maximum speed of 80 km/h, which is enough to get to the nearest tire repair shop. Of course, tire sealant can only be used as a temporary measure, and the tire should be inflated as soon as possible and repaired at a repair shop.
■ It's important to have enough dry food and water for a long journey.
Although there are convenience stores at every highway service area, the problem is that during peak hours, it may take a long time to enter the service area, seriously delaying your travel time. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare necessary water and dry food in advance to avoid any inconvenience.