We took our first long road
We took our first long road trip last fall, through remote parts of CA and Arizona that often had no cell signal.
The best advice i can give is to 1) stay at hotels with chargers
or 2) plan to stop every few hours for breaks at fast chargers. Electrify America chargers were the best ones we found, overall.
The majority of our charging was free, including a charger at the Grand Canyon that was somewhat hidden (which we located, thanks to Plugshare).
Yes, it takes more planning to road trip in an EV. Yes, we encountered broken chargers - and once, a brief waiting line.
I’m hoping to soon see gas stations reconfigure with at least a few chargers, and places for customers to sit outside.
The good news is that hotel chains (including La Quinta) seem to understand that this amenity is important. Even the owner of a tiny inn where we stayed asked me how she could install a charger, because she gets so many requests from EV owners. Another hotel in Sedona had a dedicated EV space plus a free charger. We made sure to thank the manager and explain that we chose that hotel because of the charger (in addition to the great reviews).
Incentives could help expand our charging networks the way gas stations expanded along Route 66, due to demand. I wish more of our elected officials would drive EVs on long road trips to see for themselves how important it is for local, state, federal govts to help business owners add chargers, especially in shopping centers near major highways.