Fast Charging On Road Trips

[Mandretti]

Just finished an 800 mile road trip through Eastern WA and OR in my 2021 Premium AWD EXT, my first with Tesla chargers in the mix. I used ABRP with subscription to do the planning and bottom line; first trip EVER where I had no issues whatsoever.

We”ve had soooo many bad experiences with EA that my wife put her foot down and said “no more road trips, we’re taking the Subaru!!!”. But after trying Tesla charging in town and seeing how easy it was I was able to convince her to give it another try.

I added Tesla into my ABRP mix, changed usage to be a bit more conservative. I wound up with a plan that had EA and Tesla within a short distance of each other, which made me so much more at ease. Especially since our route’s charging infrastructure was quite sparse.

For the first time in 4 years EA charging went well. No lines, no one running around trying to figure out which charger was going to work, no waiting five minutes for the charger to connect, and then not work. Tesla charging is amazing. Chargers available and working, connecting took seconds.

I also finally learned to trust the plan and not second guess it like I was doing with the Ford app. I had to stop more times than I would like, but that’s the way with this car and somewhat sparse infrastructure.

Finally!!!!

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[2FlyMache]

Yeah, I think EA chargers have gotten better over the last couple years. The Tesla chargers have been very reliable for me but man I hate the short cords and parking like an idiot to use them

 

[dan_meh]

I see that you joined in 2021, so I’m assuming that you experienced EA since 2021. I joined the EV crowd in 2024, so I started using EA in late 2024. I was always confused about the bad reputation of EA. It worked for me in 2024!

I realize that I skipped the first generation EA equipment. I used first generation equipment once, at the Winchester location. It worked well, but the screen was bubbly and burnt out. And they have since replaced the old bubble screen equipment with the latest generation, the one I’m used to.

So it’s probably worth everyone’s time to give it another try. If you see the latest generation dispenser in PlugShare, it’s probably good to go.

 

[lmme25b]

So it’s probably worth everyone’s time to give it another try. If you see the latest generation dispenser in PlugShare, it’s probably good to go.

This interesting State of Charge interview with EA execs came out the other day. It's worth a watch to get some more background on their past struggles, current state and future plans.

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[Space_Pony]

Tesla chargers are generally less expensive so until EA drops their prices I'll stick with the lower priced chargers.

 

[IgorKl]

I dropped EA usage as soon as I got NACS adapter. I had visited EA about 4-6 times since April 2024. 75% it was either line of juice hungry EVs or broken chargers. My ABRP settings have only one preferred charging network and trips going flawless.

note:
1. I'm trying to use mega along highways
2. I'm checking if any time restrictions exists (example mega site at Tejon Outlets along i-5 CA closed 11 p.m. -4 a.m.)
3. if I need charging during overnight city stay I check charging prices since Tesla actively use TOU and sometimes after 9 p.m. or before 9 a.m. cheaper.
4. do not be shy to try to help fellow EV owner if you see that there is a struggle with adapter or charging in general. A lot of people use public charging 1st time during the road trips and it may create unnecessary frustration.

 

[Makiato]

Just finished an 800 mile road trip through Eastern WA and OR in my 2021 Premium AWD EXT, my first with Tesla chargers in the mix. I used ABRP with subscription to do the planning and bottom line; first trip EVER where I had no issues whatsoever.

We”ve had soooo many bad experiences with EA that my wife put her foot down and said “no more road trips, we’re taking the Subaru!!!”. But after trying Tesla charging in town and seeing how easy it was I was able to convince her to give it another try.

I added Tesla into my ABRP mix, changed usage to be a bit more conservative. I wound up with a plan that had EA and Tesla within a short distance of each other, which made me so much more at ease. Especially since our route’s charging infrastructure was quite sparse.

For the first time in 4 years EA charging went well. No lines, no one running around trying to figure out which charger was going to work, no waiting five minutes for the charger to connect, and then not work. Tesla charging is amazing. Chargers available and working, connecting took seconds.

I also finally learned to trust the plan and not second guess it like I was doing with the Ford app. I had to stop more times than I would like, but that’s the way with this car and somewhat sparse infrastructure.

Finally!!!!

We Don't do a lot of road trips, but the last one to EA Washington & Back (Anacortes) was similar to your experience. EA charging recognized our credit with FORD, and just debited that;, and TESLA destination chargers were flawless & fairly inexpensive. Electric Cars. what a great thing.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I just did two road trips in the Mach E (MD to SC and AR) and one in the Lightning (MD to western NC) in the last 5 weeks. ABRP did a great job of planning and highway routing. However, remember to switch to some other navigation for close in. I had it miss my navigation to my destination twice.

ABRP is still inadequate for pulling a trailer behind my Lightning though. Ditto for Apple Maps. Ford Connected Navigation is best for that. Now if they would only add Tesla chargers to Ford Connected Navigation. Any progress on that one Brian / @Ford Motor Company ? I'm not paying for Ford Connected Navigation again until it includes Tesla chargers.

 

[Lonesparrow67]

I think another major factor, not yet mentioned is, that it depends largely on your geographical area....

Here in the Northeast (New England) there are a few alternate choices (EA, Electrify America, etc.), but a lot of those sites have older equipment, are less reliable, have a limited number of stations (compared to Tesla SC), and are generally vastly more expensive to use...

Tesla is definitely King up here, is generally cheaper, and I have never had an issue at a Tesla SC site...They just work...period...and consistently, and at a cheaper price....

 

[dan_meh]

I think another major factor, not yet mentioned is, that it depends largely on your geographical area....

I agree! The journey is a long one. All of us were born into a world of mature, well-distributed gas fueling stations. Although some areas of our globe are mature, many aren’t.

I also agree that without the Supercharger Network, we would be well behind the curve. Watch any Friday update from The Network Architect and you see how Tesla is ahead and growing faster than fast charging competitors.

 

[Jerrytball]

I’ve got a question on charging cost versus the amount of time you’re plugged in? I’m sure this has been answered, but I wasn’t able to find. Period.
So for example, you plug in at electrify America they’re charging whatever $.36 a kilowatt. Takes you 45 minutes to get to whatever percentage you’re trying to get to. Then let’s say the next time you wanna charge the exact same percentage and you go to let’s say a Tesla supercharge station that brings that same percentage up in 15 minutes let’s say at the same cost per kilowatt. Buy it charging faster. Are you saving a lot more money in the long run or is there a trade-off for the quicker charge? Does it come out the same? Whatever $15 or 20 bucks. I’m not sure if I’m asking that correctly but in a nutshell, if you’re able to charge it faster to me you’re paying for 15 minutes at $.36 a minute or you’re paying $.36 a minute for 45 minutes but getting the same amount of kilowatts. Go ahead call me whatever you want lol it’s a stupid question but I wanted to ask it.

 

[ChrisO]

I’ve got a question on charging cost versus the amount of time you’re plugged in? I’m sure this has been answered, but I wasn’t able to find. Period.
So for example, you plug in at electrify America they’re charging whatever $.36 a kilowatt. Takes you 45 minutes to get to whatever percentage you’re trying to get to. Then let’s say the next time you wanna charge the exact same percentage and you go to let’s say a Tesla supercharge station that brings that same percentage up in 15 minutes let’s say at the same cost per kilowatt. Buy it charging faster. Are you saving a lot more money in the long run or is there a trade-off for the quicker charge? Does it come out the same? Whatever $15 or 20 bucks. I’m not sure if I’m asking that correctly but in a nutshell, if you’re able to charge it faster to me you’re paying for 15 minutes at $.36 a minute or you’re paying $.36 a minute for 45 minutes but getting the same amount of kilowatts. Go ahead call me whatever you want lol it’s a stupid question but I wanted to ask it.

The charges are based on the price per kWh not how long it takes. The only exception to this is an "idle charge". To discourage people plugging in and going off somewhere long past the time where the charging has completed, some charging networks will charge for an "idling fee" based on time.

 

[Jerrytball]

The charges are based on the price per kWh not how long it takes. The only exception to this is an "idle charge". To discourage people plugging in and going off somewhere long past the time where the charging has completed, some charging networks will charge for an "idling fee" based on time.

That’s what I thought thank you but I was just curious do Tesla supercharge stations charge faster than most of these places around or is it the car itself that makes it charge quicker?

 

[ChrisO]

That’s what I thought thank you but I was just curious do Tesla supercharge stations charge faster than most of these places around or is it the car itself that makes it charge quicker?

Not that I have ever seen for the Mach-E and potentially for other cars it could be slower.
The Mach-E has a top charge rate of 150 kWh (in practice I have never seen it start with more than 145 kWh). So basically, any charger that is 150 kWh or more should be able to keep up with the Mach-E's demand. And what really limits it is the charge curve of the batteries in the Mach-E. It might start out at 145 kWh, but by the time you get to 80% it will be around 80 kWh.

The EA chargers around here are either 250 kW or 350 kW so nowhere near this limit. Whereas I think there are still some 150 kW SuperChargers around here.

 

[Makiato]

Not that I have ever seen for the Mach-E and potentially for other cars it could be slower.
The Mach-E has a top charge rate of 150 kWh (in practice I have never seen it start with more than 145 kWh). So basically, any charger that is 150 kWh or more should be able to keep up with the Mach-E's demand. And what really limits it is the charge curve of the batteries in the Mach-E. It might start out at 145 kWh, but by the time you get to 80% it will be around 80 kWh.

The EA chargers around here are either 250 kW or 350 kW so nowhere near this limit. Whereas I think there are still some 150 kW SuperChargers around here.

One other minor consideration: the chargers are rated at UP TO 250 or 350kW. if there are 8 spots, all are full and charging, that can affect at what rate you charge. No affect on the price. As previously stated you are Buying kW's not minutes. Just like gallons at a gas station.

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