Technical guide: where to charge your electric car on the road to the beach

The transition to electric mobility in Brazil faces its biggest practical test during road travel, specifically on journeys towards the coast. Unlike urban use, where domestic charging meets demand, traveling requires technical knowledge about public charging infrastructure. The increase in the fleet of BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) and PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles) exposes the critical need to map electric corridors, understand the charging curve and manage energy consumption on high-speed highways and steep mountains.

Infrastructure specifications and road autonomy

To determine where to efficiently charge your electric car on the road to the beach, you must first understand the technical variables that influence range and stopping time. The Brazilian infrastructure is mainly divided into two types of chargers: AC (Alternating Current) and DC (Direct Current).

• AC chargers (Wallboxes): They generally operate between 7.4 kW and 22 kW. They are found in hotels, shopping malls and long-stop restaurants. They recover around 40 to 50 km of autonomy per hour. Inefficient for quick “pit stops” on the road.
• DC Chargers (Fast Chargers): They operate from 50 kW to 350 kW (HPC – High Power Charging). They use CCS2 or CHAdeMO connectors. They are essential for travel, capable of increasing the SoC (State of Charge) from 10% to 80% in intervals of 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the vehicle’s reception capacity.

Energy consumption (kWh/100km) increases drastically above 100 km/h due to aerodynamic resistance. On the other hand, the descent of the mountain offers an ideal scenario for regenerative braking, where the electric motor acts as a generator, returning energy to the battery and increasing autonomy at virtually no cost.

Strengths and weaknesses of electric travel

The electric driving experience on highways presents different dynamics from internal combustion vehicles (ICE).

Strengths:

• Cost per kilometer: The cost of electricity, even at paid charging stations, tends to be 60% to 80% lower than that of gasoline or ethanol.
• Descent efficiency: On mountain sections, electric vehicles do not suffer from brake overheating (fading) to the same extent as ICE vehicles, as they use regenerative engine braking, which simultaneously recharges the battery.
• Acoustic comfort: The absence of engine noise and vibration reduces driver fatigue in common traffic jams when arriving at the coast.

Weaknesses:

• Autonomy anxiety (Range Anxiety): The density of fast chargers is still low compared to gas stations.
• Recharge time: Even in DC, the time is greater than the liquid supply.
• Queues and availability: On holidays, the probability of finding chargers busy or inoperative is high, requiring redundancy in planning.

Recharging procedures and route planning

To mitigate risks, the driver must follow a technical planning protocol. Improvisation is the number one factor in EV travel failure.

1. Mapping via dedicated apps

Don’t just rely on road signs. Use applications that aggregate real-time data on the status of charging stations.

• PlugShare: Allows you to filter by connector type (CCS2, Type 2) and power. Essential for reading the “Check-in” of recent users and checking whether the equipment is operational.
• Google Maps/Waze (Integrados): Vehicles with Android Automotive OS (such as Volvo and Renault) calculate stop and SoC upon arrival automatically.
• Operator Apps: Have installed and registered apps from the main networks (e.g. Tupinambá, Shell Recharge, EZVolt, EDP) to release recharge via QR Code or RFID.

2. SoC Management (State of Charge)

Avoid arriving at the charger with less than 10% or charging above 80% at fast stations.

• Load curve: Charging speed drops drastically after 80% to protect battery cells. Insisting on a fast charger up to 100% is technically inefficient and harms infrastructure turnover.
• Safety margin: Plan stops when the battery reaches 20%, ensuring sufficient autonomy to reach an alternative charging station if the main one is broken.

3. Thermal optimization

Batteries work best at ideal temperatures (between 20°C and 30°C).

• Preconditioning: If the vehicle has a native navigation system, enter the charging station as the destination. The system will manage the battery temperature so that it accepts maximum charging power immediately when connecting the cable.

Comparison: electric vs. combustion on the coastal path

Technical analysis considering an average route of 200 km (round trip) with elevation variation (descent and ascent of mountains).

• Vehicle A (Medium Gasoline SUV):
• Average consumption: 10 km/l.
• Estimated cost (Gasoline at R$5.80): R$116.00.
• Behavior: Significant wear of pads when descending; high consumption on the way up (approx. 6 km/l).
• Logistics: Supply in 5 minutes.
• Vehicle B (Electric Medium SUV – 60 kWh):
• Average consumption: 18 kWh/100km.
• Estimated cost (Public recharge at R$2.00/kWh): R$72.00 (can be zero if charged at home or free points).
• Behavior: Gain of approx. 3-5% battery on descent via regeneration; high consumption on the way up, but compensated by instantaneous torque.
• Logistics: Need for planning. If the car’s range is less than 300 km (WLTP), a 30-minute stop may be necessary.

The technical feasibility of traveling by electric car to the coast is proven, surpassing combustion vehicles in operational cost and drivability, especially in mountainous areas. However, the success of the operation strictly depends on logistical planning. The driver must not only know where to charge the electric car on the road to the beach, but also monitor the availability of points in real time and have adapters or cables (such as a portable emergency charger) for critical situations. For profiles that cannot tolerate load management time, plug-in hybrids still represent the safest transition.