Model S Plaid & Mach E Rt 1 Roadtrip by MKBHD

[timbop]

But it sounds like you’re just making excuses for the Ford (or more-so the crappy stations they stopped at) by saying they chose a bad route

Not making excuses, just pointing out that this was a worst-case scenario - especially since the lone charger up by lake placid was being repaired. Let's be honest - northeastern NY state is not highly populated and thus the reason for the sparse coverage. ANY other destination but the northeastern corner of NY and they would have had alternatives. I'm not saying it was intentional, but looking at the map on plugshare and it is clear that area of New York is a virtual CCS desert, which is why they had to head over to vermont:

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[Stang68]

Not making excuses, just pointing out that this was a worst-case scenario - especially since the lone charger up by lake placid was being repaired. Let's be honest - northeastern NY state is not highly populated and thus the reason for the sparse coverage. ANY other destination but the northeastern corner of NY and they would have had alternatives. I'm not saying it was intentional, but looking at the map on plugshare and it is clear that area of New York is a virtual CCS desert, which is why they had to head over to vermont:

I mean yes, it’s definitely not a great area for CCS but that’s also the point, and it’s far from just that block of the US that has that problem. And I think there are many accounts and stories on this forum (good and bad) showing us the highs and sometimes dangerous lows of CCS charging.

Edit: also, the route back for them seemed 100% completely fine. So it’s not as disastrous an area as you say it is…they clearly made it work. But the real problem here lies in the Ford navigation they were using (which lets be honest has tried routing all of us to charge at a Harley shop). We know not to trust it but new EV owners won’t.

 

[timbop]

I mean yes, it’s definitely not a great area for CCS but that’s also the point. And I think there are many accounts and stories on this forum (good and bad) showing us the highs and sometimes dangerous lows of CCS charging.

Yes, but in most cases there are reachable alternatives that aren't far out of the way.

But you're right, all trips should be possible without compromises or planning.

 

[Stang68]

But you're right, all trips should be possible without compromises or planning.

That’s the goal right? Road-tripping as easy as with an ICE vehicle.
We’ll get there one day, and hopefully sooner than later what with the large EV adoption happening in the industry. For now, I really do think I’ll be relying on EA stations when possible. A new one just opened up in New Hampshire which will make my upcoming NJ>NH trip all that much easier.

 

[Ma9573]

Those results are interesting...I just basically did a 1,000 mile trip. Total time 19 hours and 3 minutes.

Last week I drove from Oakland to Eugene, Oregon. Began at 90% charge, charged twice for a total of 58 minutes, total miles driven was 520 in 9 hours 23 minutes. Had 80 miles left on the GOM when I arrived. This was mainly on I80, I505, and I5, which has a decent portion at 70 miles per hour.

Today I just drove from Bandon, Oregon to Danville, CA. 501 miles in 9 hours, 40 minutes with 70 minutes of charging and 100 miles on the GOM when I arrived. A significant portion was on rural roads from Bandon to I5 with speed limits ranging from 40 to 55mph.

I'd imagine for a 1,000 mile drive you could easily do it in 19 hours of you're in an area with good EA coverage and with a decent portion of the route at 70mph speed limits. I've never used the car's navigation to plan charging stops, and honestly think it's quite silly when a phone's interface is so much faster and easier to use. I just used Google maps to search for EA charging stations. Took like 30 seconds at each step to plan the next one ?‍

Caveats being that I have a Route 1, only drove at 1-3 miles above the speed limit to maximize range, and that I5 has plenty of EA coverage.

 

[KDub]

Those results are interesting...I just basically did a 1,000 mile trip. Total time 19 hours and 3 minutes.

Last week I drove from Oakland to Eugene, Oregon. Began at 90% charge, charged twice for a total of 58 minutes, total miles driven was 520 in 9 hours 23 minutes. Had 80 miles left on the GOM when I arrived. This was mainly on I80, I505, and I5, which has a decent portion at 70 miles per hour.

Today I just drove from Bandon, Oregon to Danville, CA. 501 miles in 9 hours, 40 minutes with 70 minutes of charging and 100 miles on the GOM when I arrived. A significant portion was on rural roads from Bandon to I5 with speed limits ranging from 40 to 55mph.

I'd imagine for a 1,000 mile drive you could easily do it in 19 hours of you're in an area with good EA coverage and with a decent portion of the route at 70mph speed limits. I've never used the car's navigation to plan charging stops, and honestly think it's quite silly when a phone's interface is so much faster and easier to use. I just used Google maps to search for EA charging stations. Took like 30 seconds at each step to plan the next one ?‍

Caveats being that I have a Route 1, only drove at 1-3 miles above the speed limit to maximize range, and that I5 has plenty of EA coverage.

Good to know the Bay A

Those results are interesting...I just basically did a 1,000 mile trip. Total time 19 hours and 3 minutes.

Last week I drove from Oakland to Eugene, Oregon. Began at 90% charge, charged twice for a total of 58 minutes, total miles driven was 520 in 9 hours 23 minutes. Had 80 miles left on the GOM when I arrived. This was mainly on I80, I505, and I5, which has a decent portion at 70 miles per hour.

Today I just drove from Bandon, Oregon to Danville, CA. 501 miles in 9 hours, 40 minutes with 70 minutes of charging and 100 miles on the GOM when I arrived. A significant portion was on rural roads from Bandon to I5 with speed limits ranging from 40 to 55mph.

I'd imagine for a 1,000 mile drive you could easily do it in 19 hours of you're in an area with good EA coverage and with a decent portion of the route at 70mph speed limits. I've never used the car's navigation to plan charging stops, and honestly think it's quite silly when a phone's interface is so much faster and easier to use. I just used Google maps to search for EA charging stations. Took like 30 seconds at each step to plan the next one ?‍

Caveats being that I have a Route 1, only drove at 1-3 miles above the speed limit to maximize range, and that I5 has plenty of EA coverage.

Also have a CA Route 1 in the Bay Area. Sounds like a great and successful road trip. The West Coast has better EA coverage because of higher EV adoption but I suspect things will get better across the country.

Electrify America's app works with Android Auto and CarPlay. I think that is the another option to plan. Find the charger you want in EA's app (likely includes more reliable availability info) and then navigate to it - Android Auto then switches to Google Maps for the nav. Have to download the EA app to your phone.

 

[timbop]

That’s the goal right? Road-tripping as easy as with an ICE vehicle.
We’ll get there one day

Not to be pedantic, but this is EXACTLY the point I have been trying to make that you've been arguing about.

His route illustrates we're not yet at the ultimate goal. A different route would not have demonstrated that. Yet another could have proven even Tesla isn't there. He framed his test as being "scientific" and proving a Tesla is similar to an ICE and the Mach E is far from it. That's bullshit because he stacked the deck in favor of the Tesla.

 

[Stang68]

Not to be pedantic, but this is EXACTLY the point I have been trying to make that you've been arguing about.

His route illustrates we're not yet at the ultimate goal. A different route would not have demonstrated that. Yet another could have proven even Tesla isn't there. He framed his test as being "scientific" and proving a Tesla is similar to an ICE and the Mach E is far from it. That's bullshit because he stacked the deck in favor of the Tesla.

The fact of the matter is that it happened and the Tesla had zero issues making the trip and the Mustang had many more issues. Even when they DID get to a charger, it wasn’t working, which seems to be way too common. Even the route home the EA chargers were barely functioning. The route wasn’t the problem, since we’ve seen this be the issue way too often in other parts of the country.

You saying the route was bad and it was a conspiracy to make the Mustang look bad goes against all of the anecdotal evidence we’ve seen on this very forum.

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

Edit: also, the route back for them seemed 100% completely fine. So it’s not as disastrous an area as you say it is…they clearly made it work. But the real problem here lies in the Ford navigation they were using (which lets be honest has tried routing all of us to charge at a Harley shop). We know not to trust it but new EV owners won’t.

This has never happened to me, but I also use the straightforward filters the system provides to avoid L2 chargers, etc. So, no, let's be honest, not all of us have been routed to a Harley shop.

There are multiple threads on here where the end result is "oh I never used the filters in the nav system."

The nav system isn't perfect, but it's a lot better when you use it properly.

 

[timbop]

The fact of the matter is that it happened and the Tesla had zero issues making the trip and the Mustang had many more issues. Even when they DID get to a charger, it wasn’t working, which seems to be way too common. Even the route home the EA chargers were barely functioning. The route wasn’t the problem, since we’ve seen this be the issue way too often in other parts of the country.

You saying the route was bad and it was a conspiracy to make the Mustang look bad goes against all of the anecdotal evidence we’ve seen on this very forum.

Actually, the vast majority of reports are that SOME of the stations at a location don't work but at least 1 station worked so drivers can get a charge. Yes, sometimes the stations charge at a paltry 34kw, but a completely unavailable station is rare. @Mach-E VLOG, @OutofSpecKyle, @dbsb3233, that guy sergio, and a ton of other road warriors here have plenty of successful road trips without running into a station that is completely down.

I'm done going around in circles.

 

[Stang68]

This has never happened to me, but I also use the straightforward filters the system provides to avoid L2 chargers, etc. So, no, let's be honest, not all of us have been routed to a Harley shop.

There are multiple threads on here where the end result is "oh I never used the filters in the nav system."

The nav system isn't perfect, but it's a lot better when you use it properly.

100% agree, you have to use the filters but so often it will at first be like “go to this awful charger on your route!” Lol
I hope the folks on the Lightning forum are ready for the influx of new EV users ?

 

[Stang68]

Actually, the vast majority of reports are that SOME of the stations at a location don't work but at least 1 station worked so drivers can get a charge. Yes, sometimes the stations charge at a paltry 34kw, but a completely unavailable station is rare. @Mach-E VLOG, @OutofSpecKyle, @dbsb3233, that guy sergio, and a ton of other road warriors here have plenty of successful road trips without running into a station that is completely down.

I'm done going around in circles.

You’re even adding more asterisks here lol

I’m sure Tesla fans are already making your “BUT THE ROUTE” statement into a bumper sticker ?

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

funny, all this based on a single video. there's an email list where I work for EV owners, and this video was posted to it a few hours ago. it's already been torn apart.

One of the funny statements was this one, from a Model 3 owner:

But have to say, there is a LOT of room for improvement on the in-built navigation. Sometimes almost useless (without the premium subscription).​

so yes, I'm hoping Ford is taking notes, or really one note - "don't let the Stans yet again say that Ford should just do everything Tesla does" because yet again, that would just be dumb.

 

[Stang68]

funny, all this based on a single video. there's an email list where I work for EV owners, and this video was posted to it a few hours ago. it's already been torn apart.

One of the funny statements was this one, from a Model 3 owner:

But have to say, there is a LOT of room for improvement on the in-built navigation. Sometimes almost useless (without the premium subscription).​

so yes, I'm hoping Ford is taking notes, or really one note - "don't let the Stans yet again say that Ford should just do everything Tesla does" because yet again, that would just be dumb.

For sure, every platform will have its issues. But Ford (and more-so the infrastructure of high quality CCS options) seems to be lagging. It’ll get there though, and sooner than some people think. Also, charging *speed* is going to be huge. We won’t see that benefit but future Mach Es will and it’s great.

 

[dbsb3233]

Question - do any of these 3rd party apps work through Android auto (and show up on the main screen), or so you need to mount your phone somewhere and nav off of that. The latter seems far more painful.

Personally, I research any road trip route extensively at home first to know where all the charges are that I plan to use, and any alternates for backup. I don't just get in the car and go without knowing I can get a route to work. There's still many routes that just aren't covered well yet. When it isn't, I'll take our Escape instead if I need to. I won't take a BEV on a road trip unless I'm fairly confident in the charging route.

I don't use the Ford nav. I'm a Google Maps guy. I use it heavily at home and on my phone. So I use it in the car too (Android Auto). I bookmark my planned chargers ahead of time. But I usually remember them all anyway after researching first. I just have AA navigate from leg to leg ("Hey Google, navigate to Green River Utah Electrify America").

I've done 3 road trips through CO/UT/NV/CA. Done 40+ DCFC charges. EA is far and away the preferred charging choice for it's consistency and dependability. Hasn't been perfect, but I've never left a station without getting a charge. 2 were slowed (41 kW), and maybe a quarter had glitches getting the session started (various issues with phone connectivity, the EA app, specific chargers at the station, etc). Annoyances to plow through. But 75% of my EA sessions were problem-free. And none of them ever failed once I got the session going past the first minute.

I've used a few ChargePoint DCFCs too with success, but they were newer chargers (the old Efacec machines are reportedly incompatibale, so I always check Plugshare first to make sure it's not those).

I know the goal for the industry is to be able to "just get in the car and go" like an ICE car can. We're not there yet, but it gets closer every year. That will take lots of DCFC station redundancy like we have with gas stations. That rarely exists yet.

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