The more experience I gain with long-distance electric driving, the more I’m convinced our focus around EVs has been entirely on the wrong things. When most of us picture a road trip, we imagine leaving in the morning, driving for a while, stopping for gas somewhere along the way, and eventually reaching our destination. In that context, it’s understandable that electric driving seems intimidating when you hear charging can take an hour or more instead of five minutes. And it’s just as understandable — coming off more than a century of nearly identical driving habits — that it’s hard to wrap our heads around the idea that EV road trips don’t operate this way at all.
Not only is it possible to take a road trip in an EV without ever touching a fast charger, but you might do it entirely by accident. That’s exactly what happened to me when I set out for southern Georgian Bay in a 2024 Toyota bZ4X to kick off summer road trip season. Through the entire five days my daughter and I spent touring from Toronto through Barrie to Wasaga Beach, Collingwood, Blue Mountain, and Tobermory, we covered more than 650 kilometres and never touched a fast charger once in a car with an advertised range of 367 kilometres.
How? It’s simpler than you might think. We started our trip with enough charge to get us to our first destination, and then we used slow chargers at our accommodations each night to start every morning with 100% charge. It’s convenient, it saves a bundle relative to gas, and it shatters every narrative around how EVs are doomed to fail because fast charging isn’t convenient. You don’t always leave your house in a gas-powered car with a full tank, and that’s what we’re used to. But if you own an EV and can install an at-home charger, you’ll start every day with a full battery. The gas-powered way of thinking suddenly no longer applies.
In practice, this means the majority of EV drivers only rarely need a Level 3 charger. Fast charging is not the most important metric when it comes to how EVs work in daily driving; in fact, it’s not even in the top three. When we open our eyes to that, everything clicks and many more of us will be ready to take the leap.
2024 Toyota bZ4X
For this very teenager-friendly road trip around southern Georgian Bay, our test vehicle is the 2024 Toyota bZ4X. In Canada, it’s sold in two iterations. The front-wheel drive (FWD) version has 201 horsepower and an estimated range of 406 kilometres. We’ll be assessing the all-wheel drive version, which has 214 total system horsepower and a 367-kilometre range.
Did I go into this with some apprehensions? Sure. The bZ4X started its life with a recall and stop-sale because its wheels were falling off, and Driving.ca’s own David Booth reported the bZ4X as having disastrously slow fast charging rates. Booth’s tests were in much colder weather, which I knew wouldn’t be an issue here. What I didn’t know as we packed our bags is that any fast charging concerns would be irrelevant.
Once behind the wheel, I warmed up to the bZ4X very quickly. Its power and delivery both feel great, and it comes with an excellent balance between suspension stiffness and on-road comfort. Plus, the bZ4X consistently exceeds its own battery usage estimates — at least, it does in hot summer conditions requiring plenty of AC. In EVs, conservative battery use estimates are definitely the right side of error.
There’s only one level of regenerative braking adjustment in the bZ4X: on or off. Typically, this is something I’d criticize. Rivals from Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and BMW offer multiple stages of regenerative braking, allowing drivers to find the level that feels most comfortable. However, in the bZ4X the default mode feels natural enough to me that I never felt the need to change it, so I didn’t miss this functionality at all.
And speaking of comfort, the bZ4X has great seats, too. The armrests around the driver’s seat are level and create an excellent surface for resting elbows. Though the deeply inset digital instrument cluster isn’t pretty, it is functional in that all the information is easy to scan at a glance and fits nicely around the steering wheel. It’s very easy to settle in here for a long drive.
One of the criticisms the bZ4X gets is around its size. Despite being similar in length to the current crop of popular EVs such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Ford Mustang Mach-e, and others, the Toyota bZ4X has less interior volume than those vehicles at 2,673 litres. With only two of us in my household, I’d happily trade that off for the bZ4X’s maneuverability in tighter spaces. Its 784-litre cargo hold offers plenty of room for our two-person luggage load, and even bags for three would have been an easy fit. A family of four might not have quite as easy a time depending on everyone’s heights and packing habits, but a bZ4X is much more accommodating in that sense than a Chevrolet Bolt or a Nissan Leaf.
My primary criticisms of the Toyota bZ4X are twofold. One is that it’s not especially stylish, inside or out. This might lead some fashion-conscious buyers to overlook it, which is a shame. The other is the asking price, which at $65,808 fees in as tested is too high, rebates notwithstanding. Too much of the competition comes with better range and more interior space. But if Toyota could find a way to even slightly undercut its main rivals, the bZ4X would be a very easy car to recommend.
A five-day, fast-charge-free road trip to southern Georgian Bay
Our zero-emissions road trip to southern Georgian Bay begins in Toronto’s east end as I pick up the Toyota bZ4X from the automaker’s head office. After all the fuss above about the benefits of overnight charging, isn’t it ironic — don’t you think? — that the driver before me didn’t fully charge the vehicle before returning it. This means we start out with 261 kilometres of range available, which the car tells me is a 73% charge. No matter: we only have 128 kilometres to go to our first stop. With the cruise control pegged at 105 km/h—because excessive speed is one of the worst range killers — we reach Horseshoe Resort north of Barrie in a straight shot with no issues. The car’s usage matches the distance bang-on despite liberal use of air conditioning.
Treetop Trekking our way through Horseshoe Resort
Shortly after arriving at Horseshoe, we find the expansive bank of Level 2 chargers operated by Flo, where I plug the car in. We grab some lunch at the Crazy Horse Sports Bar and Grill, check into our room, and spend a fun afternoon swinging and ziplining through the forest at Treetop Trekking.
Meanwhile, plugged in for roughly six and a half hours, the bZ4X goes from 130 km to 306 km of charge, reaching 90% before we leave the resort for dinner at HQ Restaurant in nearby Craighurst. (Get the lasagna. It’s phenomenal.)
But here’s the catch: the chargers at Horseshoe don’t charge by the hour. Instead, plugging in costs $15 per session. This can be great if you never leave the resort since you can maximize your charge while always paying a flat rate. In my situation, though, I would have to pay twice to plug back in after returning from dinner. Since the initial charge gave us more than enough range to get us through the next day, I skip the second session and park in a standard space overnight.
With a little pool time, a good night’s sleep, and a visit to the hearty breakfast buffet under our belts, we’re back under way the next morning. It’s beach day!
Visiting Wasaga Beach, the longest freshwater beach in the world
Did you know Ontario is home to the world’s longest freshwater beach? Wasaga Beach is 14 kilometres long, making it three kilometres longer than the world’s second-longest freshwater beach. (That title goes to Sauble Beach at 11 kilometres, which is also in Ontario. How fortunate we Ontarians are to have all this at our doorstep!)
We depart from Horseshoe Resort, pass back through Craighurst — stopping for treats at Chelsea Chocolates because all road trips need good chocolate — and drive for roughly half an hour to reach the sandy shores of Wasaga Beach.
More than 1.5 million people visit Wasaga Beach each year, so it’s important to anticipate crowds and plan ahead. We arrive early enough to grab a parking spot at Area 2 of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park and walk along the boardwalk to the main beach. There, we check off the lazy beach day essentials: go for a swim, do some shopping, grab lunch, and enjoy ice cream from a Wasaga Beach classic, Mr. Norm’s Nephew.
A great summer getaway at Blue Mountain
Once we’ve had our fill of beach time, we hop back in the car and continue west. A quick stop in downtown Collingwood allows us to escape a rainstorm in a cozy café before landing at our next stop, Blue Mountain Resort.
As we arrive for an indulgent two-night stay in a two-bedroom suite at the Westin Trillium House, we learn the hotel has a valet perk for EV drivers. While you’re out enjoying the resort’s amenities, the valet will shuffle EVs through the chargers in the parking garage to ensure everyone has a full charge before departure. Self-parking is $20 per night while valet parking is $30, so this presents a $10 per day premium. In my view, this convenience is well worth the extra cost.
With a pair of play-all-day passes, we take several rides up the open-air gondola and down the Ridge Runner Mountain Coaster. That’s on top of canopy and ropes courses, mini-golf, hilarious giant water tricycles, and more. We browse through shops and enjoy meals ranging from burgers and pizza to high-end Greek food. There’s even more we don’t take advantage of like ziplining, a private beach, and a public pool with a water slide. As a summertime family getaway, Blue is a blast!
When it comes time to depart the Westin, we have a 100% charge showing 349 kilometres. Yes, this is less than Toyota’s declared top range for the bZ4X, but this is normal in EVs. It’s a scorcher of a day, and the bZ4X is predicting we’ll burn a little more energy due to the road and climate conditions. Regardless, this is plenty to keep us going to Tobermory, our fourth and final Georgian Bay destination.
Tobermory, a gem atop the Bruce Peninsula
Tobermory is a postcard-perfect village at the northern edge of Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula. Its small but bustling main street is lined with interesting shops, multiple ice cream stands, a kid-favourite candy store, a craft brewery, multiple restaurants offering classics from pizza to Greek food or all-you-can-eat fish and chips, and more.
On land, Bruce Peninsula National Park encompasses much of the top of the peninsula as the northernmost reach of the UNESCO Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve. The western shore has the shallow sandy beaches that are common along Lake Huron, while the eastern side along Georgian Bay is dominated by rugged carved-out dolomite rock formations and water so brightly turquoise you could mistake it for the Caribbean.
The park’s signature hike is to the Grotto, a picturesque spot along the eastern shore that showcases these traits in dramatic fashion. It takes some planning to make this trip in the summer months: parking must be booked in advance and is available only in four-hour time slots. As its many visitors will attest to, the views are well worth the effort. If you’d like a better chance of having them to yourself, try visiting in the early morning or during the off-season.
The other protected area around Tobermory is Fathom Five National Marine Park. This became Canada’s first water-based national park when it was established in 1987. To make the most of Fathom Five, a boat tour from Tobermory is essential. Our voyage with Bruce Anchor Cruises sails over shipwrecks in Tobermory’s Big Tub Harbour before setting off toward Flowerpot Island. Here, we hop off the boat and hike out to see the island’s famous sea stacks up close. We eat our picnic lunch and take in our last views over Georgian Bay before returning to the mainland and heading toward home.
Here’s the thing about Tobermory and EVs: if you check Google Maps for charging stations, you won’t find any. This could lead you to assume taking an EV to Tobermory is a bad idea. However, if you check an alternate source such as PlugShare, you’ll find there are plenty of Level 2 chargers in town. We’re more than 10 years into mainstream electric driving. Reliable data on public charging should be easier to find by now.
After an overnight charge at the Escarpment Heights Motel, we leave Tobermory at 100% with 360 km on the battery and 275 km ahead of us on the road home. We stop for dinner at a fabulous farmhouse-chic restaurant in Markdale called Marilynne, not the least bit concerned that this community along Highway 10 doesn’t have a single charger to speak of. We arrive home with 118 km left on the battery, the bZ4X bettering its own estimate by more than 30 kilometres.
I didn’t actively set out to complete this entire trip on overnight charging, but it turned out to be easy. And it saves an appreciable amount of money, too. Our total charging cost was the $15 session at Horseshoe and the $10 per night premium at the Westin for valet parking. The Escarpment Heights Motel in Tobermory allowed us to top up at no charge. This means, all told, we spent $35 on electrons for nearly 650 kilometres of driving. In a typical gas-powered compact SUV, fuel for this distance would have cost more than twice as much.
Debunking myths about electric driving
This road trip highlights several persistent misconceptions about EVs.
If you’ve never driven an EV before, you might assume it involves a lot of waiting around. We’ve now taken several EV road trips that prove that’s not the case. Last summer, when we took an EV road trip into Quebec, the only time we needed a fast charge was on the highway run across the 401. This road trip within Ontario takes that another step further: because we skipped the longer up-front drive, we eliminated the need to use fast chargers at all.
You’ll read a lot of reports saying the bZ4X AWD’s 367-kilometre range is lower than average. That’s true, but how often do you drive more than 367 kilometres in a day? Can you install a Level 2 charger at home so you’re ready to access that entire range each morning? These are far more relevant questions than the number of minutes you’ll spend waiting at a fast charger you may only need once in a blue moon.
There are definitely still some situations for which EVs aren’t the right fit. If you’re the type of driver who frequently drives very long distances in one go, then you’re probably not the ideal candidate for an EV just yet. And if you live somewhere that can’t accommodate a Level 2 home charger such as a condo or a rental, then you also might want to wait to make the switch.
But outside these scenarios, don’t get sucked into the doom and gloom around public fast charging. Instead, assess your road trip habits and how you actually drive on a daily basis.
Chances are you’ll find — especially if you live, work and play in southern and central Ontario — that electric driving is far more accessible than you think.
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