Planning EV Routes With Charging Stops

Planning an EV route with charging stops means knowing before you leave where you can charge along the way, instead of relying on the road to relying on a station showing up.

Where to enable

Step 2 in the route planner, "⚡ Consider EV charging stations" toggle

Where stations appear

3 each at start, destination and every break, within about 3 km

Available to

from the Plus plan

On a combustion-engine tour, refueling is a minor concern: fuel stations are dense enough that the route never needs to account for them. It's different with an EV. The question of where along the route a suitable charging station stands is part of the planning, especially on country-road tours away from motorway fast chargers.

Why does the charging station belong in route planning?

The charging station belongs in route planning because a charging stop changes the course of the route. A detour of a few kilometers to a station shifts every subsequent arrival time, and with it the segment-by-segment weather forecast for the rest of the tour. Anyone who only plans the charging stop on the road is essentially planning a new route.

Fahrklar therefore starts at the points where a stop is likely anyway: at the start, at the destination, and at every break that break planning suggests. Right there, the map shows the three nearest charging stations within a radius of about three kilometers. That keeps the selection manageable and means a charging stop tends to coincide with a coffee or rain break, instead of being an additional interruption.

Does Fahrklar have an EV vehicle type?

No. Fahrklar distinguishes the vehicle types motorcycle, convertible, bicycle and e-bike, but there's no dedicated type for an EV. The charging-station display is deliberately vehicle-independent: it's a route option in step 2 of the route planner that can be enabled regardless of the chosen vehicle type. That means it can also be used by someone planning a route for a motorcycle who wants to know where charging options lie along the route.

How does a charging station become part of the route?

A charging station is added to the route with one click. On the map, every station found appears as a lightning-bolt icon. Clicking it prompts a brief confirmation and then inserts the station as a waypoint at the position that makes the most sense for the route — that is, where it causes the smallest detour. Fahrklar then automatically recalculates the route, including weather analysis and break suggestions.

This is purely manual selection. Fahrklar doesn't plan on its own which station to charge at or for how long, and it doesn't know your vehicle's state of charge or charging curve. The display provides the locations; the decision stays with you.

What does the weather have to do with the charging stop?

Weather and charging stop are connected through the break. Fahrklar's weather-coupled break planning preferentially places a break in the route segment where rain is expected. If the charging stop coincides with that break, the car charges while the rain passes through, and the rest of the route stays drivable dry. Because charging stations are shown exactly at the break points, this combination is the normal case, not the exception.

Fahrklar's practical tips for an EV tour

• Set the complete route with all destinations first, then enable the charging-station option in step 2.
• Prefer a charging station at a break you were planning anyway, so charging and resting coincide.
• After inserting a station, check the recalculated arrival times and the weather timeline once more.
• On country-road tours, plan earlier than on motorway legs — stations are sparser there.
• Cross-check the displayed locations against a charging app before the trip if a specific connector type matters.