We Created a Florida Fishing and Camping Road Trip to Test the Limits of an Electric RV

How fishing plans, campground stops, and real-world EV travel shaped our 30-day test

The plan looked good on paper. Life on the road would decide. | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

In the previous article, I introduced the all-electric RV that would serve as our home for 30 days. But once the vehicle was sorted, the real challenge was designing a travel route and schedule that allowed fishing options, range-testing long travel days, changing weather, fun, local experiences and the logistics of everyday life on the road, without turning the experience into a constant search for EV charging stations and a place to park. So, we chose the destinations carefully, and just as importantly, chose the best spots to call home base at each stop.

As each destination was added to the list, one detail became clear—each location we wanted to fish, explore and experience had a KOA campground nearby. Earlier this year, we had taken a two-week RV trip to Texas, staying at KOAs along the way and loving them. Long before KOA officially joined this project as a sponsor, they were already providing answers for one of the biggest unknowns of our electric RV travel plan—reliable, safe, accessible places to stay in each location.

Opportunities for fishing were the absolutely nonnegotiable part of this trip. | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

Since the timing of this trip would have us experiencing the outdoors from late fall into early winter, we thought it made sense to head south. And since Charleston, South Carolina is our home base, a tour of Florida sounded like a great fit.

I did a quick, high-level search in an attempt to gauge how thorough the EV charging infrastructure is in Florida. A good amount of way points showed up on the map, but they were definitely densest near the bigger cities along the coasts. The options through the center of the state were a bit more sparse. So, traveling those routes needed to be included in this test.

With the Grounded all-electric RV secured and the infrastructure in place, the route itself would be the real challenge. We planned 30 days on the road, covering a roughly 1,600-mile loop from our home near Charleston, South Carolina, down the East Coast of Florida, all the way to Key West, then back north through the center of the state, and swinging over to the Gulf coast for our final stop on the way home. The goal wasn’t to build the most efficient itinerary, but instead create a fun, fishing, outdoors-focused, travel adventure that would expose both the strengths and limitations of all-electric RV life.

Seven Stops, Seven Very Different Tests

Our route included great, classic Florida destinations with a variety of distances and density of charging locations between them. | Google Maps

Stop One: St Augustine

St. Augustine ticked all of the boxes for having strong local history and charm, plus outdoor adventure opportunities. And at 275-miles from our starting spot, and our RV’s 270+-mile range, it would likely require a charging stop, but it would be interesting to confirm actual real-world range.

Stop Two: West Palm Beach

This area has so many diverse opportunities for fishing and outdoor fun, just a short distance in any direction, that it seemed the perfect place to call home for a couple days. Plus, this was the only campground on our list that offered a campsite with its own personal EV charger.

Stop Three: Key West

According to the app I used, there was just one EV charging location on Key Largo, close to “mainland” Florida, and then just one other charger, all the way out on Key West. If charging anxiety was going to be a thing, this would test it.

Stop Four: Okeechobee

As a bass fishing guy, this seemed like a must-see location when planning a fishing-centric trip around Florida. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, the EV charging stations are fewer and farther between in this central part of the state. Would that cause any additional stress?

Stop Five: Walt Disney World

Even a lot of hardcore anglers don’t realize that Walt Disney World offers guided bass fishing excursions right in Seven Seas Lagoon in the middle of the park and a huge campground at Fort Wilderness.

Stop Six: Orlando/Kissimmee

Obviously, the Kissimmee area is well known for its bass fishing opportunities. And since we would be coming from three days in nearby Disney, a quick stop for a little more fishing sounded like a great idea.

Stop Seven: Crystal River

If we had more time, we would have looked at a few more areas along Florida’s Gulf Coast, but since we could only pick one, Crystal River made a lot of sense. It’s loaded with fishing and outdoor opportunities, and it has that slightly “off the beaten path”, old-school Florida feel that made me wonder how our high-tech RV might fit in.

What We Needed the RV to Do

The Grounded RV certainly looked like a nice place to live on the road, but how would it hold up to our test? | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

To be perfectly honest, each one of the bullet points below could end with "...without leaving us stranded somewhere with a dead battery." Like I mentioned, we're inexperienced EV-ers, so we just didn't know what to expect.

• Get us from the highway to the campground to the water
• Provide reliable transportation without disrupting plans
• Stay charged without becoming the focus of every day
• Store wet or dirty fishing gear
• Power computers and camera gear
• Serve as a workspace, cook space and living space
• Offer enough room and comfort that a happy couple stayed happy

What We Didn’t Know Yet

The only way to find out if this electric RV is a fit for the job is to hit the road and see how it goes. | Photo by Kurt Mazurek

On paper, the plan made sense. But in reality, nothing about travel, especially fishing and outdoor-dependent plans ever goes exactly as you’ve planned. Plus, this is our first experience with any sort of all-electric vehicle, let alone a 24-foot RV.

The Real Test Was About to Begin

Over the next several articles, I’ll get into the details of how each stop actually played out, from campground reviews, charging access, fishing highlights and recommendations, hidden gems for food and fun, and all the surprises, good and bad, that created our adventure travel memories. Coming up with our route was only the beginning. The real experiences and results of our electric RV test came once we started logging miles.

The journey begins with our first stop in St. Augustine, Florida.