Editorial Policy — EV Travel Planner

Who We Are

EV Travel Planner is an independent editorial site run by Branden Flasch. I'm an Application Engineer at Alpitronic, a manufacturer of DC fast chargers, and a daily EV driver. I built this site because most "best of" lists for EV gear are written by people who don't actually own EVs. I do, my partner Bethany does, and we use this stuff every week.

This page explains exactly how we pick products, how we make money, and where our biases sit. If anything here is unclear, email us and we'll fix it.

How We Select Products

Every product we recommend has to clear four filters before it gets a spot on a list:

1. Real-world use case. Does this solve a problem an actual EV owner has? If a "must-have accessory" is just a generic gadget with a Tesla logo on it, it doesn't make the cut.
2. Manufacturer specs we've verified. We pull spec sheets, owner's manuals, and FCC/UL listings directly from manufacturers when possible. We don't repeat marketing claims we can't verify.
3. Aggregated user reviews. We read through Amazon, Reddit (r/TeslaModelY, r/ElectricVehicles, r/F150Lightning), forums, and YouTube reviews. We weight long-term reviews heavily — anything that breaks at 6 months matters more than a 5-star unboxing.
4. Hands-on testing where possible. When we own the product or can borrow it, we use it. We note in the review when something is "tested" vs "researched."

Products that fail any filter don't appear on the site, even if the affiliate commission would be lucrative.

Independence

We are not paid by manufacturers to recommend specific products. No brand has editorial input on our rankings. We don't accept sponsored "review" placements.

We do earn affiliate commissions. When you click a link to Amazon (or another retailer) and buy something, we get a small percentage at no extra cost to you. The commission rate is the same across most products in a category, so there is no financial incentive for us to push a worse product over a better one. When commission rates do differ, we err toward the better product anyway — losing trust costs more than the marginal commission delta.

If a product we previously recommended turns out to have a serious flaw (recalls, widespread failures, safety issues), we update or remove the recommendation. We do not delete bad reviews to protect commissions.

Testing Methodology

Where we have the product in hand, our testing covers:

• Daily-driver use for at least 30 days when feasible
• Edge cases: cold weather, road trips, extended parking, etc.
• Compatibility: we note exact vehicle/year/trim combinations tested
• Failure modes: what happens when it breaks, and how the company handles warranty claims

For products we haven't physically tested, we say so explicitly. We rely on:

• Manufacturer datasheets and spec sheets
• UL, FCC, and safety certifications
• Aggregated owner reviews from at least three independent sources
• Long-term durability reports from owner forums

We never describe a product as "tested" if we haven't used it.

How We Handle Prices

You'll notice we rarely show specific dollar amounts on product pages. That's intentional. Prices on Amazon and other retailers change constantly — sometimes hourly. Showing a price in our copy means we'd be lying to you within 48 hours.

Instead, we link directly to the retailer where you can see the current price. We describe rough price tiers (budget, mid-range, premium) so you have context, but the live number is always one click away.

How We Update Content

Every guide and product page shows a last-updated date at the top. We review high-traffic pages quarterly and update them when:

• A product is discontinued or replaced
• A new model launches that changes our recommendation
• Specs or compatibility change (e.g., NACS adapter rollout)
• A recall or widespread defect surfaces

We don't update the date just to game search engines. If we change something substantive, the date moves. If we don't, it doesn't.

Conflicts of Interest

I work full-time at Alpitronic, which manufactures commercial DC fast chargers (the kind you see at Electrify America, EVgo, and other public networks). This is a potential conflict of interest, so let's address it directly:

• We do not recommend Alpitronic products on these consumer-focused sites. Alpitronic builds 400+ kW commercial DCFC units — they're not consumer products and you can't buy one for your garage.
• We do not write about Alpitronic competitors in a way that would benefit my employer. When we cover public charging networks, we focus on the driver experience (uptime, pricing, plug compatibility), not on the underlying hardware vendor.
• My professional knowledge informs but does not bias the content. Working in this industry gives me deep insight into CCS, PLC communication, and charger reliability. I use that knowledge to help readers, not to push any vendor.

If you ever feel a recommendation reads like an industry insider pitching a buddy's product, call us out.

How to Contact Us

Questions, corrections, tips, or product suggestions: email branden@bflasch.com. We read everything and respond when we can.

If you spot an error, please flag it. Getting things right matters more than being first.

You can also follow Branden's EV content on YouTube at Branden Flash.