After almost having our 2007 Impala for 10 years, major work needed to be put into it… again! Last time we did major repairs, I had told my husband that it was the last time we were putting that much money into the car. Next garage visit, we needed to make a decision. I had not planned that it would come this fast… wipers stopped working (good thing I was in the office parking lot, it was raining cats & dogs). If only it was just the wipers! So after much liberation, we decided to do it and purchased a new car… and go 100% electric!
This purchase came just a week shy of a planned trip back home to Edmundston. Why not make this trip interesting and use the new car?
Yeah… we thought that it would take us an extra hour tops to make it home. Stop twice to charge and voila! I wish it would have been that simple…
First bad decision, we left during rush hour…
Just there, it took us almost 2 hours to make to St-Hyacinthe (which usually takes us 30 minutes). This is just a miner set back, we figured we should still make it there not too late during the night.
Since we just got the car, we don’t quite know how long it will take to fully charge it full. So we thought, might has well do a quick pit stop (since we’ve already been in the car for over 2 hours) and charge it.
Yves had taken the liberty of mapping all the high speed charging station that were on our road, so we were all set. Enter the address in the GPS and follow the road!
First stop – Drummondville
I packed some snacks so we took that pit stop to fuel up ourselves before we hit the road again. We already knew that our second stop would be Laurier-Station since the charge station is at a Tim Hortons… who can say no to a coffee!
Second Stop – Laurier-Station
Up to this point, it is passed 9pm and well, according to my calculations, we should have been passed Quebec City by now if we want to make it to Edmundston at a reasonable time. Then again, life is short so might as well enjoy the ride!
Now that we are all ”fueled” up, we hit the road again. We look at our potential next stop, which I think will potentially be our last one… or so I thought!
Third Stop – Montmagny
We get to this stop and we hit a delay… someone it at the charge station. Second thing we had not planned. I guess that the other person was probably empty on charge because it took a good 25 minutes before the charge station was available.
By the time we were able to charge, we were way passed the 10h30pm… this will be a long night!
While the car is charging, we wonder a little bit outside and I found that it is getting colder. Could this be the third thing we had not planned… the shift in temperature, which will affect our electric autonomy?
Forth Stop – La Pocatière
The shift in temperature did affect our autonomy! Also, we still have over 2 hours of road left and it is passed midnight. Since nothing is opened, might as well get some shut eye while it charges.
We hit the road, again! I was sure that we would be OK to make it to Cabano for a final charge before we get home. Enter the Cabano address in the GPS… ”you may not have enough autonomy to make it to your destination. Would you like to find a charging station?” WHAT? We just charged… why does it have to be below 0 degrees?
Fifth Stop – Rivière-du-Loup
First thing I had told my husband was that I didn’t want to arrive at 3 am. I guess that is out of the question now since it’s already 2 am. We might as well get more shut eye here while it charges… I’m starting to question if we will make it to Edmundston before the sun rises!
Final Stop – Cabano
My first impression when we parked was WOW, this place looks amazing… we need to stop here when we head back home! Yeah, I am already anticipating our trip back.
Well, look at this… the sun is starting to rise! Get another bit of shut eye while we can.
We finally made it to my parents house it was 6h30am… a full 13 hours 30 minutes after we had left Montreal’s South Shore! Although we were tired, we did a quick round up of what the trip costed us in electricity. The cost from Montreal to Edmundston was 29.29$ of electricity. Not too bad!!!
The only thing is, we needed to do the same thing going back. We planned to leave early afternoon so we would make it home early evening. The stops above were the exact same ones we did going back. Except this time, we had the chance to admire some scenery… and got to see the different cities during the daylight, when there is life!
After 11hours on the road, we made it home. The return trip cost us a little less: 27.54$ Although the trip back was still long, it did appear to go faster. Just the fact that everything was opened made it was more interactive.
Although the overall trip did cost us only 56.83$ round trip of electricity, we all agreed that this was an adventure that we would not do again for a short weekend. Don’t get me wrong, we are glad that we are now 100% electric. However, for a short weekend visit, we want to be able to spend more time with our family… and not spend it in a car travelling. However, if you want a great bonding experience, take a road trip… and take your time!
