AVÉQ Roadtrip 101 on August 29: Registration Is Open Again

AVÉQ Roadtrip 101 on August 29: Registration Is Open Again

Planning a long EV trip is easy when every charger works, the weather cooperates and the car's estimate is perfect. The useful skill is knowing what to do when one of those assumptions fails.

That is the idea behind AVÉQ's Roadtrip 101 training in Montreal on August 29. The small-group program combines route planning, charging apps and a practical exercise in an EV. There is one important update before anyone makes plans: the official form is accepting participants for both novice sessions again as of 1:30 p.m. EDT on August 11, 2026.

Both sessions briefly appeared full earlier the same day, so availability is clearly moving. Advance registration is mandatory. Complete the official form and wait for confirmation rather than arriving without a booking. This article is a sourced preview of what the training covers and a practical checklist you can use for your own trip.

Registration status and event details

AVÉQ's official event page displays the registration link. When we rechecked the linked registration page at 1:30 p.m. EDT on August 11, both the 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. novice options displayed an Add a participant control.

The same options had appeared full earlier on August 11. That change may reflect cancellations, added capacity or a form update, and we are not claiming to know which. Check the official page immediately before registering, complete every step and do not travel to the site expecting entry without confirmation.

What AVÉQ says the training covers

The following program details come from AVÉQ. They are not based on DriveChina attendance or testing.

Each session is described as approximately 90 minutes of theory followed by 60 minutes of practical work. The classroom portion covers:

• estimating energy consumption and interpreting displayed range;
• choosing charging stations and mobile applications;
• using the vehicle's navigation system, A Better Routeplanner and the Circuit électrique app;
• understanding charging curves, stops and backup plans;
• preparing for occupied or unavailable stations;
• asking questions in a small-group setting.

The practical portion uses the participant's own EV when available. AVÉQ says each participant is paired with a volunteer mentor to plan a real route, compare the stops suggested by different tools and add a nearby charging stop. The group then goes toward a nearby DC fast charger to compare consumption with the route plan, check charger availability and prepare a backup.

For a participant who has never used a DC fast charger, the event description includes a real charging session. It also mentions configuring the Circuit électrique's Autocharge feature when it is not already activated.

You do not need to own an EV to take part in the exercise. AVÉQ says a volunteer can guide a prospective owner through it in the volunteer's vehicle. That makes the format relevant to someone trying to understand how long-distance EV travel differs before buying.

The organizer says participants receive a recap of the theory portion. It also specifies that no accommodation, meal or Circuit électrique charging credit is provided.

DriveChina's checklist for preparing a long EV trip

The event facts end above. The checklist below is DriveChina advice for any Canadian EV trip, whether or not you attend Roadtrip 101.

1. Start with usable range, not the brochure maximum

Estimate the trip using the conditions you expect: highway speed, temperature, wind, elevation, passengers and cargo. Leave a reserve instead of planning to reach every stop at nearly zero. The car's displayed range is an estimate, not a promise.

For the Canadian context, our cross-Canada EV road-trip guide explains where route planning becomes more demanding.

2. Build a primary stop and a real backup

A backup charger should be reachable with the energy you expect to have if the primary station is occupied or unavailable. Saving a station 80 km beyond the first one is not a backup if the car cannot safely reach it.

Check the network, connector, advertised power and recent status before departure. Our Canadian charging-network guide explains the major networks and the app setup that can save time at the charger.

3. Set up the apps before leaving

Install the apps you expect to use, create accounts and confirm your payment method while you still have reliable internet. Save the network's support number. If the car has a built-in planner, compare it with another tool rather than assuming both use identical consumption and charger data.

4. Learn how your car prepares its battery

Some EVs can precondition the battery before DC fast charging, often when a fast charger is selected in the built-in navigation system. The method varies by vehicle. Check the owner's manual before the trip instead of trying to discover it at the station.

5. Adjust the plan for winter

Cold weather changes consumption, charging speed and the reserve needed between stops. A summer route should not automatically become a January route with the same margins. Our Canadian winter-range guide explains the main losses and planning adjustments.

6. Recheck the next stop while charging

Use the charging stop to confirm weather, road conditions and the current status of the next station. Decide what battery percentage you actually need for the next leg. Charging longer is not always safer if it creates unnecessary delay, but leaving without enough reserve is worse.

What this preview does not claim

DriveChina has not attended this August 29 event, tested its route, evaluated its mentors or received an endorsement from AVÉQ. No participant result or organizer quotation is presented here. The program and capacity information come from the two official pages linked above.

The publication date of this preview remains August 11, 2026. The registration status was corrected the same day as new availability appeared. If the event changes later or post-event learning becomes available from a named source, a material update will receive a separate modified date.

Roadtrip 101's registration status changed within hours, which is exactly why time-sensitive service reporting needs a visible check time. The practical questions are just as real. Drivers want more than a charger map. They want to know which estimate to trust, what their backup actually is and how to recover when a plan changes.

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