Lake Eire is unusually shallow for a great lake. This means its one of the first ones to warm up in the summertime, and thus an excellent idea for an early summer camping trip. Rondeu provincial park sits on Lake Eire about half way down the lake, and approximately 290 km from Toronto. Yes, further than the EPA rated range of my 2018 Nissan Leaf, but a quick stop at a Ivy charger in Brantford solves that problem nicely, plus a few nearby food outlets and a Dollarama to entertain the kids nicely.
We decided to charge in Brantford, mostly as we have stopped there before and we have found Ivy to be a reliable charger network. Alternatively, there are a couple of Flo stations in Woodstock, and a second Ivy charger near London, both within range of the 2018 Leaf from Toronto. As the second leg from Brandford sits at about 180 km, we decided to take Hwy 3 instead of the 401 once we got south of London. This allows us to slow down, but as its a shorter route, the time difference in the end is minimal. Further I suspect the kids would have wanted a refreshment stop anyways, so the additional time on a 300 km run or so, is minimal compared to a gas car or a longer range EV.
We booked an electric campsite, which is handy, as we have both a regular household outlet and a TT-30 RV outlet that I have an adapter for. This allows me to charge the Leaf slightly quicker at 16 A instead of the usual 12 A from the household outlet. The campground was very nice, with several beaches within walking distance.
We did not know this, but apparently there are camper rental services that will set up a camper for you if you like, there is even an optional setup service available. This way, I could actually enjoy a large camper at my campsite for a modest fee, without having to worry about towing it. Seems like a fine way to enjoy RV camping without the associated hassle of towing, storing and maintaining an RV.
After a fine couple of days enjoying Rondeu, it was time to head back to the city, we took the same way back, stopping in Brantford again for charging of both ourselves and the car at the Ivy station.
Electric car adventures 