We've launched an all-new help center to better serve your needs, which includes updated Trip Planner resources. Feel free to check out our guide:
Trip Planner: Complete guide to planning your first trip
-------------
Trip Planner is back in action! This newly rebuilt Trip Planner has a lot of new requested features so we'll go through how to use them here. Please send any feedback or bug reports by clicking the Menu dropdown and Submit Feedback.
Notice: To create or edit trips, we require your screen to be a minimum of 1200px wide.
This is the optimal minimum resolution because with the Trip Planner bar fixed to the right, you need enough real estate to view and browse the map, while also looking at location details on the left.
We have made updates to make the Trip Planner responsive for mobile & tablet devices, so you can still view your previously planned trips on the go.
To begin, please add your Starting Location and Destination.
The map will automatically route your driving directions and populate the map with charging stations along your route.
Please keep in mind, your filters still apply!! You may open up your filter settings and update them to refresh the map markers as per usual.
Options will appear on how you would like to proceed in planning your trip.
The Info icon will pinpoint this location on the map.
The X icon will remove or clear this stop from your trip (2 stops minimum).
The Add Stop buttons will add an additional stop appropriately depending on between which stops you click it.
You may also notice that you can Drag and drop the icons to rearrange the order of your trip.
You can click the Center button at any time to zoom onto and center your whole trip on the map.
Toggling on Overview will hide all extra markers and show only the stops in your trip for a cleaner, easy to see view (overview mode).
Toggling off Overview will revert the map back into "editing mode" in which you can proceed to update your trip.
Once you're done, you can click the Elevation button to see the elevation profile of your entire trip.
Remember to name your trip and click the save button. You can save and load trips between the web and the iOS/aOS app.
Next to the trip name there is also a reverse trip button to easily plan your trip back. Whenever you change your trip name, the save button will "Save as" a new trip!
You can also click on the View Directions Popout to view your planned trip route on Google Maps. From there, you can Send directions to your phone.
Note: Some locations do not match name for name between PlugShare charging locations and Google's locations. To correct this, we only pass through addresses and coordinates for a better match.
Adding Locations
There are many ways to add location stops to your trip, so mastering a few trips will allow you to quickly plan our trips in no time!
1. Choose a PlugShare Location
Simply click on a PlugShare location as usual and you will see the Check In button replaced with Add to Trip.
Clicking this button will either insert it into your first empty stop OR right before your destination.
2. Search for a Location
You can type in a location name or address and select from the list of choices. This works similarly to the standard search on the top left.
As a reminder, the first few options (up to 3) are general Google locations (purple map pin), whereas the rest are PlugShare Charging Location Pins.
Tip: If you have geolocation settings enabled, you can type "My Location" to set a stop to your current location. Alternatively, if you have a Home Charger publicly shared, you can type "Home".
3. Click on a point on the map
You can click on Point-of-Interests or literally any point on the map to bring up an information window.
Similarly to PlugShare locations, you can Add to Trip and then Remove from Trip.
Trip Planner Options
There are multiple options and settings to help you find the perfect charging locations for your trip. Let's look at some ways to find what you need.
By default, the Show Along Route Only box is checked. This means that when the Trip Planner draws a route from your origin to destination (and stops in between), it will try to show you all of PlugShare charging locations along that path. The radius can be adjusted up with the slider to find more results. You can also toggle between Imperial and Metric units by clicking on the button or any of the dotted units.
If you want to search for a location where you generally know where you want to go on the map, you want to uncheck the Show Along Route Only checkbox and then zoom in the map to where you want to go. With the box unchecked, the map will show markers unrestricted, just as if you were using PlugShare normally.
The Range Estimate helps you better identify manageable stops for your trip. This number is typically automatically set based on your vehicle's estimated max range, but you are free to adjust it down to a safer number.
A green circle will be drawn on the map (on your latest pre-destination location, to help you pick your next stop). Keep in mind that the circle does not account for pathing, elevation, road or weather conditions.
We also show useful red/green indicators between your stops based on an absolute calculation of distance between stops and your set max range.
The Wait Times allows users to add wait / charging times at stops between your start and destination. This will only add an additional counter for "total time including waiting" and will not affect anything else. Standard intervals are in half-hours but you can type in any decimal/fraction that you want.
You also have the option to Avoid Tolls, Highways, and Ferries, similar to what Google Maps offers. Toggling these will automatically update your trip route with these restrictions applied.
Filters
Filters are applied as normal to which PlugShare Charging Locations are displayed, so make sure to double check your filters!
With amenity filters newly being added, you can now filter down to find places that have Hotel/Lodging, Dining, Restrooms, and more!
We have the Hotel/Lodging amenity filter here for quick access as most of you will probably find it useful for your long distance trips, while the rest can be accessed through the standard Filters menu. Click the settings gear icon to automatically bring up the Filters menu.
Feedback & Thank You!!
Thank you for taking the time to try out the new Trip Planner! We hope it meets your basic trip planning needs and more. We have worked to make this as intuitive and user-friendly as possible but we know that there are still some rough spots around the edges. If you have any feedback, please do send it in and we will do our best to continuously improve on this new tool!
Note: An advanced step-by-step trip planner is also available on the iOS app, and a basic trip planner is available on the Android App. We are working to bring the step-by-step planner to the web soon.
Additional features and improvements are in the works so stay tuned!