Jasper to Vancouver EV Road Trip report

After close to three months of travelling across the country, I am finally at the last leg of my trip – Jasper to Vancouver. With a lack of Superchargers on the Yellowhead Highway, this is another interesting route. Thankfully, there are plenty of BC Hydro EV chargers making it easy, with the right charging adaptors of course. Still, there were some challenges along the way including malfunctioning fast chargers.

Before jumping into this Jasper to Vancouver report you might want to check out my initial plan and charging projections.

Toronto to Vancouver – EV Road Trip Plan

With that, here is my last leg of this cross-country EV road trip – Jasper to Vancouver.

What To Do While You Charge in Jasper?

The Canadian Rockies town of Jasper has no shortage of natural beauty to explore. On my previous day between Calgary and Jasper, I stopped at the nearby Columbia Icefields Discovery Centre and took in the Skywalk. From there I stopped at Athabasca Falls and enjoyed a nice stroll along the river.

I arrived early evening and celebrated my amazing day out with a flight of beer and dinner at the Jasper Brewing Company.

My intention was to get up early the next day and take the Jasper SkyTram up Whistlers Mountain. Aside from a beautiful view of Jasper and beyond, there are plenty of trails to explore. That said, I woke up to heavy overcast. A quick look at the webcam on top of the mountain showed nothing but white.

I have been up the tram before so wasn’t too bummed about it and certainly recommend it if you are in town! Other past visit recommendations include a visit to Maligne Canyon, a boat ride around Maligne Lake, and a round of golf at the Jasper Fairmont Lodge. Of note, there is a Tesla destination charger at the lodge.

Where To Charge and Stay in Jasper?

Speaking of Tesla destination chargers, if the Fairmount Lodge is out of your price range or booked up, don’t worry. There are plenty of accommodations with charging nearby. This is because the Parks Office in the centre of town has two Tesla destination chargers and two J1772 chargers for use free of charge!

On top of that, since my visit, a Tesla Supercharger was brought online. Next to that is a Flo charger with CSS and CHAdeMO connectors.

I stayed at Whistler’s Inn simply because it was affordable and a short walk from the Parks office chargers where I left my car for the night.

If you are spending more time in the park I highly recommend the Fairmont Jasper Lodge which I have stayed at on previous trips. It is a destination in itself with plenty of activities to enjoy on the grounds.

Jasper to Mount Robson

As mentioned, my day started early with intentions of going up Whistlers Mountain. I tried to wait out the clouds with coffee and a massive scone at the Bear Paw Bakery but it wasn’t happening. I had been blessed with incredible weather the whole trip so shouldn’t complain. As such, I hit the road with a 95% charge.

Mount Robson, the highest point in the Canadian Rockies, is just 87 km west of Jasper. I didn’t need to stop and charge however there are free fast chargers available so opted to top up and stretch my legs. My NAV estimated a 75% charge arrival and was bang on.

My intention was for a quick top-up however, despite repeated attempts, the fast-chargers were not working. I ended up using the free J1772 charger and spent 40 minutes strolling the grounds to gain ~10% charge.

Mount Robson to Kamloops

Since I was off the Supercharger network, punching in my route home suggested a speed of under 95 km/h to arrive in Kamloops with -3%. Not sure how that math works but clearly need to rely on other options. Thankfully BC Hydro has a good network of chargers along Highway 5. I stopped 122 km down the road at the Blue River fast charger and put my CHAdeMO adaptor to good use. In 20 minutes I added 15 kWh for a total of $4.10.

I left Blue River with a 70% charge and an estimated 8% left at the Kamloops Supercharger. This was a bit close for me so I opted to top up in Little Fort at the free rest stop fast charger. After a short stop, I was at a more comfortable arrival estimate of 22%.

Kamloops to Vancouver

I only had to spend 10-minutes charging in Kamloops but decided to charge longer and skip a stop in Merritt. I walked over to the nearby Aberdeen Mall to pick up some eats at the amazing Fresh St. Market. Highly recommend for meals and groceries to go.

My intnetion was to overnight some where between Jasper and Vancouver however I was making great time. It was the final leg of a long trip across the country so decided to press on through. I did stop for a quick 9-holes of golf in Hope before continuing on. After thant it was a short top up at the Hope Supercharger. From there it was a breezy ride to the finish line.

Lessons Learned

Even though this Jasper to Vancouver EV road trip, overall, went well, the broken charger at the Robson Mountain visitors centre enforces a couple of things;

• Having different adaptors means you have options should the unexpected happen.
• If a fast charger is broken, you might have time to kill.

Thankfully I experienced this broken fast charger in a beautiful spot with much to explore. Spending an extra 40 minutes walking around the base of Robson Mountain was no big deal to me. If you are travelling with small children, I can see how these scenarios could be challenging. Again, plan ahead.

Jasper to Vancouver EV Road Trip – Charging Costs

So what did this 796 km Jasper to Vancouver road trip cost me in time and money?

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If you are thinking about placing a Model Y order, be sure to use my referral code and get 1,500 Supercharger kilometres!

*As of Sept 2021, Tesla has put a pause on referrals 😞 I will update if/when they reinstate it.