Trackworthy and still brightest orange after 10 days of travel through innumerable microclimates, the Genesis GV60 Magma glided 2,650 kilometres through British Columbia on electricity alone. Here, it is parked in the mountain town of Lillooet. (Steven Bochenek photo for Vacay.ca)
Theories aren’t much comfort in the rain at 1 a.m., 1,500 kilometres from the nearest qualified mechanic. Even proven ones. 1) In theory, driving throughout rural British Columbia in an electric vehicle is doable. “You just need to plan,” helpful SEO-charged bloggers cheerlead. And 2) Resisting the urge to push a hot-off-the-production-line GV60 Magma, the most powerful vehicle luxury Korean automaker Genesis has built, is also theoretically doable.
I’m in the middle of a 3,400-km, 12-day B.C. adventure (including 850 km aboard ferries). Each day requires at least one major charge to the muscular EV’s battery. The cheerleaders are right: Such ambitious EV trips do require planning. You’ll need phone apps, virtual go-betweens for your vehicle to commune with the companies providing your juice.
In theory, they should all work. But not every day goes as planned. Or night, it would appear.
Bright orange even in low light, the juice-loving Magma’s down to around 20 km left of range. Why? Thirty hours ago, before boarding a strictly scheduled ferry from northwest Vancouver Island, an attempted overnight charge on another app failed. Buckle up. If this Tesla station in Prince Rupert (home to Canada’s deepest natural harbour!) doesn’t launch, here, now, in the middle of the night, this road story might take an ugly turn. We’ll know if it works any second.
For now, enjoy these insights and tips for travelling rural and lovely B.C. They may break your friends’ thumbs-up and heart emoji buttons.
Walk Amid Mountainous Trees on the West Coast
The world’s only inland rainforest is in the heart of British Columbia. Ancient Forest Provincial Park in Prince Rupert offers a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk for hundreds of metres. (Steven Bochenek photo for Vacay.ca)
Assuming you manage to charge in Prince Rupert, nearby Butze Rapids has a gorgeous 5-km hike. The giant trees and inlet views are adjective bandits. Note the warnings about bears; if you meet one, don’t make your 5-km walk a 5-km run. Instead, stand your ground and act menacingly big like Rebecca from “Ted Lasso.” Tip: Even if your walk is bearless, you’ll need hiking boots.
Back on Vancouver Island, Cathedral Grove and the Pacific Rim National Park’s rainforest trails are easy pairs of hikes (with roadside parking) for the time-starved who demand maximum ROI per step. Many trees are so huge they’d require your high-school chess club all linking hands to hug them. And the canopy’s so high, your spirited “halloo” from below may take an extra second to be heard by the eagles and owls.
MORE B.C.: Squamish Canyon Dominates
About 830 km away in Prince Rupert, the 3-km boardwalk in Ancient Forest Provincial Park guides you past immense copses in what is the world’s only inland rainforest. Misty, wet and steep, it also requires hiking boots despite its partial wheelchair accessibility. Spoiler alert: You won’t be the first person to think of LOTR. One of the more eccentric giant trees whose branches stretch upwards like supplicating arms features an interpretive sign declaring it Treebeard. Hastier hikers may miss that bit of humour.
A 10-minute drive from the town of Quesnel, Pinnacles sounds like an ’80s nightclub but is a provincial park whose 2-km there-and-back hike includes the finest collection of hoodoos west of Drumheller, Alberta. In autumn, the trembling aspens surrounding these elegantly freakish natural rock formations compete for your attention in wanton neon yellow.
Glorious Sunsets in B.C.
Perspective? You would need a squad of five NBA stars linking hands to hug this tree in Vancouver Island’s world-famous Cathedral Grove. (Steven Bochenek photo for Vacay.ca)
The higher the mountain chain, the more dramatic the twilight panorama. Halfway to the Yukon, the ski town of Smithers nightly débuts skies worthy of a Turner exhibition. And Pemberton, two-thirds of the way from the northern end of the Sea-to-Sky Highway, ought to lobby for renaming the route Sky-to-Sea.
Back at sea level, the accurately named Long Beach near the village of Tofino features 16 km of Canada’s finest legal tranquilizers every evening. With its slight bend and petite islets, Tinwis Beach is especially recommended.
Lastly, the evening ride to Nanaimo from West Vancouver and languid Inside Passage to Prince Rupert each present skies so exciting, BC Ferries could charge extra.
Carrying On the Craft-beer Revolution
From B.C. to California, the West Coast still leads the world, bringing quality ale from small breweries to the people … often paired with meaty streety dude-food. We grateful visitors can thank them the best way we know, by enjoying.
Next time you’re in Prince George, visit Trench Brewing. Order a lusty Viking Amber Ale with the Meat Sweats Tray. As the name suggests, the platter almost defies digestion. Eschew the comforter atop your bedsheet and sleep well in your trench-trance.
Speaking of lusty Vikings, 330 km down the road in 100 Mile House (a four-hour drive, punctuated by the above hour in Pinnacles) the Cask & Cleaver Brewery celebrates its braumeister’s Norwegian heritage. Runes, drinking horns, helmets, shields, and cleavers festoon the brewery’s branding and gastropub. Vegetarians beware, and beer lovers, be hungry. Pretty much every meal is smoked.
How EVs Differ from Gas-powered Cars
In Chun T’oh Whudujut/Ancient Forest Provincial Park, a toppled giant tree is still positioned for easy passage beneath. (Steven Bochenek photo for Vacay.ca)
In late September and early October, may you too be blessed with my lovely weather. Keep in mind, B.C. law insists on winter tires by October 1, or tire chains on hand.
Throughout the entire 12-day odyssey, there was never any snarly traffic beyond West Vancouver. Still, much of the northern highway route is classic two-way with an occasional brief third lane for passing. Plus, even the most serpentine mountain passes occasionally elongate into straightaways, showing off up to a kilometre of nothing in the oncoming lane while a 40-foot logging truck literally lumbers just ahead.
Play it safe. In a fight between you and a 40-foot logger, you will lose. But when you get room, enjoy passing in your Magma.
Nothing beats an EV for torque. The Magma boasts 582 lb. ft. thereof, almost instantly available. Being electric, the motor is either on or off. Without gears to shift through, plus a peak output of 641 hp, EVs can catapult from 0 to 100 kph faster than it took to read this sentence. The “gas” pedal doesn’t so much accelerate as teleport you into the near future, an orange rush.
Remember that bit above about resisting temptation in theory? Such sudden greedy uses of the accelerator rob an EV’s range, fast.
Range Anxiety Attacks on EV Trip
On the rainy set of what could be the “Twilight” series, the Genesis gets plugged into the Tesla Supercharger. (Some Tesla chargers will juice rival brands if they use Tesla’s standard port, as the Magma does.) Tesla’s app recognizes it by telling me to plug in—which I’ve just done—inspiring little confidence. And this is the good app!
Tip: Read the minute text closely because the only button it offers here at the beginning of your user experience is an invitation to “Cancel Session.” Do not quit the app. Give it a minute. It should work, in theory.
Did you hear that grumbling? This long-after-midnight minute recognizes a compatible, if rival, vehicle. The panel says you’re charging. A second later, a muffled robotic voice announces from within the Magma that it’s receiving juice. My blood pressure drops while the charge rises.
Forty-five minutes later, I check into a local Prince Rupert hotel. The theory is sound, and soon I’m sound asleep.
Note: Destination BC and Genesis Canada supported the author’s trip. No organization reviewed the article before it was published.
