Exactly, that's the whole point. Planning only works when nothing goes wrong. But real life isn't a perfect plan. You get a flat tire, a station is broken, or traffic adds an extra hour. That's when you really need more stations around, not just the ones on your route. If the network was thicker, those backup options would actually exist. Right now, you're just hoping your plan doesn't fall apart.
Yeah but "plan my stops ahead" only works if everything goes to plan. What about when you hit bad traffic and your battery is lower than you thought, or the one station you counted on is out of service? That's when the real lack of stations hits you. It's not about the route you pick, it's about the backup plans you don't have.