Ready for the winter holiday charging rush?

Every winter holiday, it's almost as busy at the popular charging stations as at the starting line of the Olympics. Do you check where there's the least congestion before you whizz down the slopes or strap on your cross-country skis? Do the same before your charging stop with Elton, and you'll get to your winter fun faster⛷️

Elton predicts the charging pattern before the holidays

We extracted data from the charging app Elton from last year's winter holiday, and we have a couple of recommendations for all electric car owners. Two days stand out as a kind of mass start for electric car charging during winter holidays. Last year we saw that the Friday before, 24% more charging occurred than on other Fridays in February, and on Saturday 40% more charging occurred than on other Saturdays. Sunday is as usual the busiest day of the week, so if you have the option, it might pay off to drive on Thursday already.

Have you already planned to drive Friday, Saturday or Sunday? Fear not, we have good advice for you too!

Check expected availability

Do you like Google's feature that shows how busy a destination is before you make the trip? We have something similar in Elton. Click into a station on the map, and you can see when during the day and which days it tends to be available, based on charging patterns from the last four weeks. In addition, you can see availability right now, with real-time data. If you're driving with a partner or good friend, you can for example let them find available stations in the app along the way, so you're sure to drive into somewhere without a queue.

Little expert tip from Jørgen Elton himself: If you see that a charger is often busy on weekends, there's a greater chance it will be busy right before holidays.

Is the cold to blame?

There are mainly two things that create charging queues along main roads: Major travel days and weather conditions. It seems like winter holiday will be a bit extra cold this year no matter where in Norway you are, so be prepared to have to charge a bit more often. You might have to find some stations you've never charged at before. Are you a charging expert in the cold? If not, check out this article we wrote when it was extremely cold in November, and you'll become one in no time!

Ready for news from Elton?

Do you like planning routes and being a bit early with your travel plans? Then we have an exciting surprise for you soon! Our development team is creating something incredibly cool, I can't say more. Stay tuned in the app over the next few weeks!

Charge stress-free in the cold, download Elton