STAYCATION 2025
With the Summer EV road-trip and vacation season in full swing, we’re sharing travel tales from some of the membership. This is from Bob and Lucy Cuthill and their 2018 Chevy Bolt.
We have done our fair share of international travels over the years but with the
current state of world affairs 2025 looked like a good year for a staycation. So
early in the new year we sat down with the maps and started looking at places we
might like to go. With friends from previous work experience and lots of Bob’s Air
Force contacts there was plenty to chose from.
The plan slowly came together and centered on Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Regina. Throw in a stop in Saint Walberg to see the Imhoff Museum (Google that if you like) and a side trip
to visit Waterton Lakes National Park, and the framework for our trip was set.
Then Bob using his military planning experience started fleshing out the details of places to stay with EV chargers or at least a nearby Casino. Each day was planned with either a 250 km drive and a visit or sightsee or two 250 km legs to get to the next interesting stop.
For recharging the 2018 Bolt to 90%, or 100% for the longer legs we installed phone apps for Shell Recharge, FLO, BC Hydro and PetroCan and as a backup planned on taking Bob’s new laptop.
Tuesday May 27th was set at the departure date. The trip was to take about three weeks and cover some 4,500 km plus local drives to visit friends and sightsee. We got off to a good start with breakfast on an early BC Ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen. We arrived in Hope for a lunch stop and charge top
up at the PetroCan on the old Hope/Princeton Highway. But neither charging point would accept my VISA card so we found a BD Hydro affiliate a short distance from a restaurant. Off to our first overnight stop at Merritt.
On the way stopped for a refreshing cool drink at Spence’s Bridge which surprisingly had two fast
chargers in their parking lot. Arrived at our Hotel in Merritt and parked at the charging station. This was a new one on me so downloaded the Noedoo app to my phone and zip-zop we were charging.
But when I went to pay for supper my card was declined. A quick phone call to VISA revealed they had put a hold on my card earlier in the afternoon after noting two suspicious transactions which I
confirmed were fraudulent. They cancelled my card immediately.
Fortunately, Lucy and I both travel with two different cards each so no great loss. The next leg was a short 125 km run to Kelowna but this would involve starting with a long steep uphill climb. We had only previously seen short uphill runs on the Malahat but cruising at 100 kph it was quite disconcerting to see usage rates upwards of 50 kw and average consumptions in the low 30kwh/100 km for the
first time. Once on level ground the rates dropped considerably and by the time
we had done the long downhill regen braking into Kelowna the average
consumption was almost back to normal in the low 13skwh/100 km.
Our next leg was a 350km run to Golden with a lunch stop and charge top up at Revelstoke.
The Shell Recharge station was only a block away from the hotel and while there I checked out the PetroCan chargers another block down the street. Very disappointed to find both PetroCan chargers with out of order signs.
Our next leg was a very short 155km run to Banff but with a tourist stop in Field BC. In the late 1940s Lucy’s father had left the Saskatchewan farm for the winter to try and earn a little more money with working the mines in Field. We toured the town leaving the Bolt at a Flow level 2 then drive a short distance to the base of the mountain to view the mine sight.
Two nights were planned in Banff. 57 years earlier we tried to honeymoon there but really couldn’t afford the price of a hotel so stayed just down the road in Canmore. So we finally got our honeymoon in Banff, did all the touristy things and even found a parkade in town with 3 hours of free parking and charging.
Off towards Calgary. But first a stop southwest of the big city in Millarville for supper with friends before heading into southeast Calgary for our three nights with one of Lucy’s previous work mates. Our visitor’s parking spot included a block heater plug in which was still active. So on a whim I got the 110v transformer and plug in out of the trunk and started a one day recharge (another freebie). This stay included lunch with some old Air Force friends before proceeding north 300km to Leduc for a three day stay. Bob’s brother was in poor health and in hospital so this stop was very timely.
More Air force friends and a bit of recharging. That included another free stop at the Leduc recreation center where the four FLO chargers indicated that the first 8 hours of parking and charging were – yes- FREE. Then we were off to LLoydminster, 285 km and the Micro hotel with its Noodoe charger and the Casino next door.
The drive to Saint Walberg and the Imhoff Museum took most of the next day and 210 km. We recharged to 100% this time for the 300km run to Saskatoon and a visit with friends there. Lots of charging stations nearby to chose from for the next leg of 260 km to Regina. The charger at Wheaton Chev Olds was
conveniently located but I should have read the fine print on the display.
$30/hour was definitely the most we paid any time on the trip. The next morning was breakfast with Air Force friends then an afternoon drive250 km to Swift Current. We had managed to find a nice hotel with luck a nearby Casino. One of Lucy’s relatives joined us over the next two days and kept Lucy company in the Casino. Our stay also included a 165 km round trip drive to Lucy’s home town of Shackleton and a visit to the family plot in the cemetery just outside of town.
Charging in Swift Current was either at the Mall or Canadian Tire, very convenient and again no waiting. The chargers advertised in the pictures at PetroCan were non-existent due to recent construction and no updates recently on the app.
This then started out homeward bound legs. The first stop was Medicine Hat where the Best Western had two charge stations. As we had arrived early a trip to the Medicine Hat Mall was in order. There was a FLO charging station there but at $35 an hour we gave it a miss in favor of the freebie at the hotel.
We were now used to prairie highway driving with long stretches of flat so our consumption was back in the good figure range. Our next leg took us 302 km from The Hat to Waterton Lakes National Park. We had to option of topping up in Lethbridge but things were going well and we found the FLO fast chargers in the central parking lot with both stations available. A beautiful spot to visit.
It was just a short 57 km hop to our overnight at Pincher Creek. Still heading west we were back in hill climbing country with drives to Cranbrook (244km), Castlegar (229 km), and Osoyoos (221 km). Lots of charging stations and no waiting at any of them.
Now on the last leg home. We had visited Manning Park a number of years ago and noted there were two BC Hydro fast chargers. Now my phone app. indicated five fast chargers available. So more steep hill climbing but it was only 180 km to the park. And on arrival the chargers were all there. But where the original two chargers could only handle one car at a time, the three new ones can handle two
cars at a time. So with all this capacity there was obviously no waiting. And as a bit of a bonus, right next door there were ten Tesla chargers. And so the final leg of 257 km took us the BC Ferry Terminal at Tsawwassen, to Swartz Bay and 32 km home.
All in all the odometer on the Bolt showed we covered 5,076 km over 22 days.
The car performed flawlessly and charging was never a problem or a wait. In fact, the only problem with charging was trying to decide which one of the several or many available we would use. Overall we spent about $285 on charging. In retrospect we feel we could never have done this trip when the car was new in
2018 as the charging infrastructure was not there. Since then it has blossomed and continues to grow. PetroCan however was the only disappointment – not accepting credit card, out of service or non-existent. Our main suppliers were BC Hydro, Shell Recharge, FLO and Noodoe. Many were moving to charge by
consumption as opposed to time plugged in – a welcome transition but remember to read the information provided at the station first. It was a lot of fun and the thorough preplanning paid off. We would not hesitate to try another long range trip in the future.
