Driving an EV the Length of Japan: 3,000 km of Real Charging Data
From Sapporo to Kagoshima in a domestic EV. Charger availability, weather, energy use, and lodging — all logged.
"Is it actually practical to drive an EV across Japan?" This piece answers that with measured data — Sapporo to Kagoshima.
Headline numbers
- Distance: 3,142 km
- Total charging stops: 18
- Average efficiency: 6.8 km/kWh
- Waiting in queue: 2 occasions (both on Tomei)
Route
Sapporo → Hakodate → Hachinohe → Sendai → Tokyo → Nagoya → Osaka → Hiroshima → Hakata → Kagoshima. Highway-dominant, no detours. Up to 400 km/day, averaging ~300 km.
Pleasant surprise
Regional roadside stations are quietly building out fast charging. That matters: you no longer need to live on expressway-only chargers, which is mentally freeing.
The flip side: metro-area service areas get genuinely crowded; avoid evening arrivals. Front-load charging in the morning.
Trip cost
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Charging | ¥22,300 |
| Lodging (10 nights) | ¥98,400 |
| Food | ¥41,200 |
| Tolls | ¥34,500 |
| Total | ¥196,400 |
Roughly ¥30,000 cheaper than the equivalent ICE trip. The EV advantage holds — provided you have home charging.
Related: data for EV trip apps
EV navigation, charger-locator apps and onboard infotainment all need data. A travel eSIM avoids roaming overage and works the moment you land.
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