Myth-busting: Is it really impossible to do longer journeys in an EV?

There is a romantic notion attached to the internal combustion engine. It is one that has been glamorised by Hollywood and numerous novels for decades, with lead characters whimsically travelling across vast landscapes with only "a few dollars" in their pocket "for gas".

Of course, stopping at obscure gas stations to pick up beef jerky and a bulldog bobblehead only serves to immortalise a Route 66 road trip, but that's not to say fossil fuel is integral to a memorable journey.

Hop in a Polestar 3 with a fully-brimmed battery and you could, theoretically, travel from The Tower of London to Edinburgh Castle without stopping. Of course, this is going to be dependent on driving style and external weather conditions, but worst case, you might have to stop to charge just once. 

Alternatively, you could load up the same car at one of Santa Barbara's beautiful Californian beaches and drive to Las Vegas in a single stint—so long as your bladder can withstand the five and a half hour journey (LA traffic permitting, of course).

Electric vehicles simply aren't the underpowered and short-of-range inner-city 'run-arounds' that sections of the mainstream media like to make out they are. Quiet, comfortable, and hugely capable, they are more than a match for their gas-guzzling counterparts.

In the UK, the AA, which provides one of the most popular breakdown services in the country, found that the proportion of 'out of charge' EV breakdown call-outs, which are calculated as a percentage of all EV breakdowns, were at a record low of less than 2% (1.85%) in 2024. The rolling 12-month figure for 2023 was 2.26%. 

This report is from a company that deals with a staggering 8,000 breakdowns a day across all vehicle types. Despite the proliferation of petrol stations, it still has to deal with around 1% of its call-outs relating to internal combustion engine cars running out of fuel.

Navigation tools

The myth that it's impossible to travel big distances with minimal interruption to your journey is unfounded, as Polestar equips all drivers with the tools to plan and execute the perfect road trip.

However romantic an old paper map might seem, the ability to effortlessly punch a destination into Google Maps via a slick infotainment system is just a lot easier. You can even use voice control if prodding with digits feels too taxing.

What's more, the Google ecosystem is baked into the vehicle, so it knows the real-time state-of-charge (SoC) status of the car and will recommend charging stops along the route if required.

For example, if you decide to embark on the epic 740-kilometre trip from Polestar's spiritual home in Gothenburg, Sweden, to the sights, sounds, and nightlife of Berlin, Germany, Google Maps will automatically factor in the most time-efficient charging stops, even calculating the amount of time it will take to reach the required battery charge status at each rest point.

This paints the most accurate picture possible of how long the entire journey will take, from start to finish.

Google Maps will then offer real-time updates on the number of chargers available at the selected destination. If it's looking busy, the system will recommend alternatives so you aren't hanging around. The EV community can also add reviews, images, and information about each charging stop, so you can decide whether it's a nice place to hang out and stretch your legs.

Navigating via the built-in Google Maps system is a boon, even allowing users to send complicated road trips—featuring multiple stops—directly from a smartphone to a car.

So, if plans change while you are supping on a frothy coffee (because you've just been served a trending nearby destination on Tik-Tok) it's as simple as hitting a button on your phone and letting the good times roll.

Hassle-free charging

The public charging network has expanded rapidly over recent years, and Polestar owners can access some of the fastest and most comprehensive charging stalls from the likes of Ionity, TotalEnergies, and, more recently, Tesla's vast, fast and super reliable Supercharger network.

But charging is time-consuming, fiddly and confusing, right? Well, Polestar recently introduced Plug & Charge to its new flagship SUV, the Polestar 3, in order to simplify and speed up the process.

Rather than having to download bespoke apps, hunting for an RFID tag, or vaguely waving a bank card in the general direction of a charging outlet, Plug & Charge acts as a digital wallet, safely storing encrypted payment details on the vehicle's infotainment system.

This means Polestar 3 owners can simply plug their vehicles into 9,500 High Power Charging points, including selected Ionity and Mer locations in Europe, and the charging process commences automatically.

The hassle-free payment system will be rolled out to other models in the future, but the Polestar Charge app also helps consolidate payment for numerous charging stations, offering access to over 850,000 public points across Europe, as well as subscription based fast charging with discounted rates at thousands of public charging locations. Cheaper and easier.

Pit stop 

In Europe, the law states that even truck drivers have to take a break of at least 45 minutes for every four and half hours of continuous driving. Right now, the aforementioned trip from London to Edinburgh will take more than eight and a half hours. 

Despite the fact that you wouldn't even need to charge a Polestar 3 Long range Single motor model to cover the distance, it's highly likely (and highly recommended) that you are going to want to take a 45-minute break.

In that time, you could receive a 10 to 80% charge from a DC rapid charging outlet, meaning you'd arrive in Scotland with enough battery left to enjoy the local distilleries, mountains and, if you're lucky, loch-based monsters.