Road trips
Thunder Bay to Winnipeg EV charging stops and winter range
In January, 11 of 53 EVs make the 696 km drive; 0 need one stop or fewer.
- distance
- 696 km
- make it in January
- 11 of 53
- make it at −20 °C
- 6 of 53
- January average
- −16 °C
- fast-charging hubs
- 11
West of Thunder Bay, Highway 17 crosses Northwestern Ontario through Upsala, Ignace, Dryden and Kenora before reaching the Manitoba prairie. January averages here are the coldest of any corridor in the set, so winter range matters as much as charger spacing.
I'm driving Thunder Bay → Winnipeg in .
696 km · about −16 °C along the road in January · 11 fast-charging hubs along it
Which EVs make it
3 of 53 comfortably, 8 tight, 42 not recommended.
Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD
463 km official range · NACS port · Tesla · Heat pump: yes
- Range in January
- 324 km
- at −16 °C, highway, full battery
- Longest stretch
- 138 km
- Dryden to Kenora
- Charging stops
- 3
- Fewest stops that work
- Time
- 11:30
- Drive 10:00 + charging 1:30 = 11:30
- Charging cost
- $31–$50
- Estimate · public DC only, not the charge at home
Comfortable. Every stretch between charges leaves about 20% or more of the usable range spare.
The road, stretch by stretch
Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD, Thunder Bay to Winnipeg: Comfortable, 3 stops. Longest stretch without a compatible fast charger: 138 km, Dryden to Kenora. 11 compatible fast-charging hubs on the way.
- km 347 to 485: 138 km, comfortable
- km 9 to 137: 128 km, comfortable
- km 137 to 243: 106 km, comfortable
- km 243 to 347: 103 km, comfortable
- km 488 to 588: 100 km, comfortable
Your stops
NRCan/AFDC data lists stations; it cannot tell us which are broken today. Each backup is a fallback, not an uptime guarantee. Check PlugShare or the network app before you leave.
Stop 1: Ignace, ON · Tesla · 250 kW
km 243 · arrive 25%, leave 52% · about 10 min · $5–$10
Backup: Upsala (Tesla, 6 DC ports, confirmed Jun 18, 2026), km 137.
Stop 2: Dryden, ON · Tesla · 250 kW
km 347 · arrive 20%, leave 64% · about 16 min · $8–$15
No compatible backup in reach. Plan this stop carefully.
Stop 3: Kenora, ON · Independent · 50 kW (adapter)
km 488 · arrive 20%, leave 74% · about 62 min · $17–$24
- Single port: higher risk
- Adapter needed
Backup: Kenora (Tesla, 6 DC ports, confirmed Jun 18, 2026), km 485.
Winnipeg
km 696 · arrive with about 10%
The same trip in other months
Estimate notes for this car
- At least one stop is on a network not in our price table: a typical $0.45–$0.65/kWh is used.
Every EV on Thunder Bay to Winnipeg: July, January and −20 °C
Ranked by the January result. Temperatures are ECCC 1991–2020 monthly means averaged over Thunder Bay, ON, Sioux Lookout, ON, Kenora, ON, Winnipeg Richardson (Airport), MB; the cold-snap column uses a flat −20 °C.
| EV | Plug | July | January | −20 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 Premium RWD | NACS | Comfortable2 stops | Comfortable3 stops | Comfortable3 stops |
| Tesla Model Y RWD | NACS | Comfortable2 stops | Comfortable3 stops | Comfortable3 stops |
| Tesla Cybertruck AWD | NACS | Comfortable2 stops | Comfortable3 stops | Comfortable3 stops |
| Polestar 4 Long Range Single Motor | CCS1 | Comfortable2 stops | Tight2 stops | Tight3 stops |
| Hyundai IONIQ 9 Essential RWD | NACS | Comfortable2 stops | Tight2 stops | Tight2 stops |
| Polestar 3 Dual Motor | CCS1 | Comfortable2 stops | Tight2 stops | Tight3 stops |
| Hyundai IONIQ 5 Preferred Long Range | NACS | Comfortable2 stops | Tight3 stops | Not recommended— |
| Nissan LEAF S+ | NACS | Comfortable2 stops | Tight3 stops | Not recommended— |
| Hyundai IONIQ 6 Preferred RWD | CCS1 | Comfortable2 stops | Tight3 stops | Not recommended— |
| Chevrolet Blazer EV LT AWD | CCS1 | Comfortable2 stops | Tight3 stops | Not recommended— |
| BMW i4 eDrive40 | CCS1 | Comfortable2 stops | Tight3 stops | Not recommended— |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV LT FWD | CCS1 | Comfortable2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Cadillac Optiq Luxury RWD | NACS | Comfortable2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| GMC Hummer EV Pickup 2X | CCS1 | Comfortable2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Toyota C-HR SE FWD | NACS | Comfortable2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Ford F-150 Lightning Pro 4x4 SuperCrew | CCS1 | Comfortable2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E Select | CCS1 | Comfortable2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Volvo EX90 Twin Plus Performance (7-seat) | CCS1 | Comfortable2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Lexus ES 350e Signature | NACS | Comfortable2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Kia EV6 Land AWD GT-Line | NACS | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Lexus RZ 350e Signature | NACS | Comfortable2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Hyundai Kona Electric Preferred | CCS1 | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Audi Q4 e-tron 45 RWD | CCS1 | Not recommended— | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Chevrolet Silverado EV LT (Standard Range) | CCS1 | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck (Standard Range) | CCS1 | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| GMC Sierra EV Elevation | CCS1 | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Toyota bZ Woodland AWD | NACS | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Honda Prologue EX-L AWD | CCS1 | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor Plus | CCS1 | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Subaru Trailseeker Touring | NACS | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Polestar 2 Single Motor | CCS1 | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Rivian R1T Dual Motor | NACS | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Volvo EX30 Core | CCS1 | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Volvo EC40 Twin Core | CCS1 | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Toyota bZ XLE FWD | NACS | Tight3 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Volvo EX40 Core Twin Motor | CCS1 | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| VinFast VF 8 Eco | CCS1 | Not recommended— | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Chevrolet Bolt LT | NACS | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Kia Niro EV Wind | CCS1 | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Genesis GV60 Advanced AWD | NACS | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Subaru Uncharted FWD | NACS | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Kia EV4 Light FWD | NACS | Tight2 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Kia EV6 Light RWD | NACS | Tight3 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Subaru Solterra Convenience | NACS | Tight3 stops | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Nissan LEAF S | NACS | Not recommended— | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Kia EV9 Light RWD | NACS | Not recommended— | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Kia EV3 Light FWD | NACS | Not recommended— | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Nissan Ariya SV FWD | CCS1 | Not recommended— | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| MINI Countryman SE ALL4 Elementary | CCS1 | Not recommended— | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Kia EV5 Light FWD | NACS | Not recommended— | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Volkswagen ID.4 RWD 62 kWh | CCS1 | Not recommended— | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| MINI Cooper SE Classic | CCS1 | Not recommended— | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
| Fiat 500e Base | CCS1 | Not recommended— | Not recommended— | Not recommended— |
Longest gaps between compatible fast chargers
Which chargers count depends on the plug and on Supercharger access, so the same road has four different gap maps. The three longest stretches for each group:
| Rank | Tesla | NACS-port (non-Tesla) | CCS1 with Supercharger access | CCS1, no Supercharger access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 138 kmDryden → Kenora | 234 kmThunder Bay → Ignace | 234 kmThunder Bay → Ignace | 338 kmThunder Bay → Dryden |
| 2 | 128 kmThunder Bay → Upsala | 138 kmDryden → Kenora | 138 kmDryden → Kenora | 188 kmKenora → Dugald |
| 3 | 106 kmUpsala → Ignace | 103 kmIgnace → Dryden | 103 kmIgnace → Dryden | 141 kmDryden → Kenora |
Fast chargers on Thunder Bay to Winnipeg
24 public DC fast-charging sites at 11 charging hubs within 5 km of the route, from the NRCan/AFDC station list (snapshot Oct 16, 2026). Pricing is shown as the network reports it. A listing is not a guarantee the charger works today.
| Site | km | Network | Plugs | DC ports | Max kW | Last confirmed | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunder Bay, ON · km 0 · 12 DC ports · CCS1, NACS, CHAdeMO | |||||||
| Thunder Bay, ON - Tesla Supercharger1221 Arthur Street WestOpen to other EVs | 0 | Tesla | NACS | 6 | 250 | Jun 18, 2026 | — |
| C00243 Thunder Bay EV251 Arthur Street W | 0 | Shell Recharge | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 3 | 50 / 50 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Scotiabank745 Hewiston St | 3 | Independent | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 1 | ? / ? | Apr 12, 2021 | Free |
| Badanai Motors Inc Thunder Bay - DC399 Memorial Ave | 5 | FLO | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 2 | 50 / 50 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Thunder Bay, ON · km 9 · 2 DC ports · CCS1, CHAdeMO | |||||||
| PETRO-CANADA B 54415 - 11063 Dawson Road | 9 | Petro-Canada | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 1 | 350 / 75 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| PETRO-CANADA B 54415 - 21063 Dawson Road | 9 | Petro-Canada | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 1 | 350 / 75 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Upsala, ON · km 137 · 6 DC ports · NACS | |||||||
| Upsala, ON - Tesla Supercharger4810 Highway 17Teslas only | 137 | Tesla | NACS | 6 | 250 | Jun 18, 2026 | — |
| Ignace, ON · km 243 · 6 DC ports · NACS | |||||||
| Ignace, ON - Tesla Supercharger304 Main StreetOpen to other EVs | 243 | Tesla | NACS | 6 | 250 | Jun 18, 2026 | — |
| Dryden, ON · km 347 · 7 DC ports · CCS1, NACS, CHAdeMO | |||||||
| Dryden, ON - Tesla Supercharger640 Government StreetOpen to other EVs | 347 | Tesla | NACS | 6 | 250 | Jun 18, 2026 | — |
| DGM SHOP DGM CP 250 #1489 Government St | 348 | ChargePoint | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 1 | 62 / 62.5 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Kenora, ON · km 485 · 6 DC ports · NACS | |||||||
| Kenora, ON - Tesla Supercharger1229 Highway 17Open to other EVs | 485 | Tesla | NACS | 6 | 250 | Jun 18, 2026 | — |
| Kenora, ON · km 488 · 1 DC port · CCS1 | |||||||
| Essex Powerlines Corp200 Lakeview Dr | 488 | Independent | CCS1 | 1 | 50 | Sep 15, 2026 | — |
| Prawda, MB · km 588 · 6 DC ports · NACS | |||||||
| Prawda, MB - Provincial Rd 506 - Tesla Supercharger506 Provincial Rd 506Open to other EVs | 588 | Tesla | NACS | 6 | 250 | Jun 18, 2026 | — |
| Dugald, MB · km 676 · 2 DC ports · CCS1, CHAdeMO | |||||||
| PETRO-CANADA B 36718 - 255097 Provincial Rd 207 | 676 | Petro-Canada | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 1 | 350 / 75 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| PETRO-CANADA B 36718 - 155097 Provincial Rd 207 | 676 | Petro-Canada | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 1 | 350 / 75 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Winnipeg, MB · km 685 · 12 DC ports · CCS1, CHAdeMO | |||||||
| Vickar Community Chevrolet - DC964 Regent Ave West | 685 | FLO | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 2 | 50 / 50 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Birchwood Volkswagen1310 Regent Avenue West. | 685 | Chargelab | CCS1 | 2 | 24 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Birchwood Kia Regent1364 Regent Ave W | 685 | Independent | CCS1 | 1 | 20 | Sep 15, 2026 | — |
| VICKAR NISSAN LEVEL 31424 Regent Ave W | 686 | ChargePoint | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 1 | 62 / 62.5 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| C80056 Winnipeg EV50 Sage Creek Blvd | 686 | Shell Recharge | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 3 | 50 / 50 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Saint Boniface157 Vermillion Rd | 688 | FLO | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 2 | 50 / 50 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Winnipeg Gas Bar (Dakota) - 850 Dakota St, Winnipeg850 Dakota St | 690 | FLO | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 1 | 100 / 100 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Winnipeg, MB · km 695 · 9 DC ports · CCS1, NACS, CHAdeMO | |||||||
| FLO - Cadillac Fairview - Polo Park1485 Portage Ave | 695 | FLO | CCS1, CHAdeMO | 1 | 50 / 50 | Oct 16, 2026 | — |
| Winnipeg, MB - Tesla Supercharger1485 Portage AvenueOpen to other EVs | 695 | Tesla | NACS | 8 | 250 | Jun 18, 2026 | — |
Questions
- Do most EVs make the Thunder Bay to Winnipeg drive in winter?
- In January (about −16 °C on average along the route), 11 of 53 EVs in our catalogue make it: 3 comfortably and 8 with a tight margin. In a −20 °C cold snap the count is 6 of 53. These are estimates from official range, ECCC climate normals and the NRCan/AFDC charger list, not road tests.
- What is the longest gap between fast chargers from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg?
- It depends on the plug. For CCS1 cars with Supercharger access, the longest stretch without a compatible DC fast charger is 234 km (Thunder Bay → Ignace). For Teslas it is 138 km (Dryden → Kenora), for other NACS-port cars 234 km (Thunder Bay → Ignace), and for CCS1 cars without Supercharger access 338 km (Thunder Bay → Dryden).
- How many charging stops does a Tesla Model Y RWD need from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg in January?
- 3 stops in our January estimate (comfortable), about 1:45 of charging on top of 10:00 of driving. Planned stops: Ignace, Dryden, Kenora.
- Are there backup chargers along the Thunder Bay to Winnipeg route?
- NRCan/AFDC lists 24 public DC fast-charging sites at 11 charging hubs within 5 km of the route. In our January plan for the Tesla Model Y RWD, 2 of 3 stops have a compatible backup in reach. The data cannot say which chargers are working today, so check PlugShare or the network app before you leave.
More routes and winter guides
- Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay723 km via Hwy 17 (Wawa, Marathon, Nipigon).
- Winnipeg to Regina579 km via TCH 1 (Brandon).
- All 18 routesPick any route and month and rank every EV in our catalogue.
- EV winter charging gapsOne car, every road: where the longest stretch without a charger is.
- EV winter range in CanadaCAA's 14–39% winter band and how to plan a buffer.
How the estimate works
What we model
- Highway range = official NRCan range × 0.90 (steady 100–110 km/h) × the share of range kept at that temperature: 56% at −30 °C, 66% at −20 °C, 76% at −10 °C, 86% at 0 °C, 95% at 10 °C, 100% at 20 °C. Cars with a confirmed heat pump lose a quarter less (for example 75% instead of 66% at −20 °C). An unknown heat pump counts as none.
- Temperature is the 1991–2020 ECCC daily mean for the month, averaged over 2–4 weather stations along the road. Cold snaps use a flat −20 °C or −30 °C.
- You leave full and keep a 10% reserve, so the first leg can use 90% of range. Each later leg runs from 10% to 80% (70%). A trip is comfortable when every stretch uses at most 80% of that, tight when it works with less margin.
- A charger fits when it has your car's plug and access: CCS1 sites need a CCS1 car or a carried adapter, Tesla Superchargers need a Tesla or a car with Supercharger access, "Teslas only" sites count only for Teslas. Restricted and limited-hours sites are never planned.
- Stops are the fewest that work, counting the drive off the highway and back. Each stop gets the nearest other compatible hub that is reachable from the previous stop and still reaches the next one.
- Charging cost uses the network's price from our public-charging table, plus 8% charging loss. Networks not in that table use a typical $0.45–$0.65/kWh. It leaves out the charge at home before you leave.
Not modelled
Wind, hills and mountain passes, snow on the road, winter tires, speeds above 110 km/h, passes that are colder than the route average, and chargers that are broken or busy. Charge times assume you navigate to the charger so the battery is preconditioned; without it, winter charging is much slower.
EV North estimates (no published source)
- The temperature table, the heat-pump factor and the 0.90 highway factor. No highway winter test with a stated temperature and baseline was available to calibrate them.
- Average DC power = min(90 % of charger kW, 55 % of the car's peak kW)
- Unknown charger power assumed 50 kW; unknown car peak assumed 150 kW
- Cold-charging slowdown ×1.10 at 0 °C, ×1.25 at −10 °C, ×1.40 at −20 °C, ×1.60 at −30 °C (with preconditioning)
Sources behind the model
- CAA - Winter EV Test Drive (14 vehicles, Canadian conditions) (checked Oct 2026)
- ECCC Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (checked Oct 2026)
- AAA (2019): 41 % range loss at −6.7 °C with cabin heat, combined city/highway dynamometer test (checked Oct 2026)
- Recurrent 2025/26 winter study: 78 % of ideal range at 0 °C, 70 % at −7 °C; heat pumps add about 10 % at 0 °C (checked Oct 2026)
- Geotab fleet data: EVs can lose up to 50 % of range at −20 °C (checked Oct 2026)
- NAF/Motor El Prix winter test, Jan 2026 (via FIA): 24 EVs, down to −32 °C, average 38 % below WLTP (checked Oct 2026)
- NLR / AFDC Alternative Fuel Stations API (Canada data from NRCan) (checked Oct 2026)
- Tesla - Supercharging other EVs (North America) (checked Oct 2026)
- Tesla Canada Supercharger fee pages, DriveTeslaCanada network reporting, Ivy/Electrify Canada/Petro-Canada pricing pages (checked Jul 2026)
Data sources
- Road geometry © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), routed with OSRM. Routes fetched Oct 16, 2026.
- Fast chargers: NLR / AFDC Alternative Fuel Stations API (Canada data from NRCan), public DC fast sites within 5 km of each route. Snapshot Oct 16, 2026. It lists stations; it cannot say which are working today.
- Temperatures: ECCC Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020, checked Oct 16, 2026.
- Charging prices: Tesla Canada Supercharger fee pages, DriveTeslaCanada network reporting, Ivy/Electrify Canada/Petro-Canada pricing pages, checked Jul 30, 2026. Vehicle range, battery and plug data come from each car's page in our catalogue.