Driver Stories | Road Tripping in Our EV: Sydney to Byron

Every month more than 160,000 Australian drivers use Chargefox to charge their EVs and keep moving. From time-to-time we feature a story from one such EV driver and this time it’s Anna’s turn.‍

We’ve had our electric BMW iX3 for just over two years now, but last January marked our first proper long-distance road trip, Sydney to Byron Bay, with our two kids and surfboards in tow.

Before setting off, we used Chargefox to map out our route. We planned an overnight stop in Crescent Head and wanted to make sure we could access fast chargers along the way. Our EV has a range of around 400km, though we quickly discovered the surfboards on the roof reduced that quite a bit.

Our first stop was the small town of Karuah, about 2.5 hours north of Sydney, where we found a couple of fast chargers. The kids were happy to stretch their legs and grab a bite to eat. Luckily, the stations were available and Chargefox had already told us that in advance.

From there, it was another 2.5 hours to Crescent Head, where we stayed overnight at the beautiful Sea Sea Hotel. We were able to plug the car into a charger in the hotel car park for a gentle ‘drip charge’ while we slept.

The next day, we hit the road again, stopping after 1.5 hours in Coffs Harbour at the NRMA Boambee fast charger for a quick top-up and photo with the Big Banana! before continuing the final 2.5 hours to Byron Bay.

There, we discovered a fast charger tucked behind the Stone & Wood Brewery in the industrial district. The night before our return, we headed to the brewery for dinner and conveniently left the car to charge up ready for the drive home the next morning.

We enjoyed the drive and the charging stops so much that we took the exact same route home. The need to charge gave us the chance to slow down, explore a few new spots, and take in the scenery along the way. Next time though, the surfboards are going inside the car, lesson learned!

Anna lives in Bondi, shes a mum and a co-founder of Earthlings United, a planet friendly kids’ clothing label.

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