Mach-E Rally Road Trip - Leg 1 - MI -> OK

[YeOldeTraveller]

Base trip is 900 miles. I planned the trip using A Better Route Planner. Since I have a NACS to CCS1 adapter, ABRP proposed 6 charging stops with 5 of those Tesla. This routing was more direct than the CCS-only routing and avoided Chicago.

The first stop was at a Meijer in Fort Wayne, IN. I was aiming for the Tesla site, so did not notice that there was an Electrify America site immediately adjacent. Activated the Tesla post using the app to get the discount. Charge started without issue from 34%. Peak rate of 160 KW was seen almost immediately, and then only briefly. Rate hit 140 KW at 40%. I made a visit to the Meijer, so I don't have data for the middle of the charge. Rate was 110 KW at 60%, and had dropped 90 KW when I stopped the charge at 70% after 18 minutes. 33.8 KWh was delivered.

The next location was a Tesla site in Speedway, IN (basically Indianapolis). There was not a suitable stall open when I drove by, there was not spot to the right of the rightmost post, and the location was tight due to the traffic pattern entering that location going in front of the Tesla stalls. This is when I made my first mistake. I abandoned my attempt on that site, and looked for another site nearby.

I used PlugShare (not the mistake), and found a Ford dealer nearby with a pair of dual-ported Blink chargers. I didn't check for Check-Ins (the mistake). After getting there, and finding them all the way in a corner and all but blocked, I was able to try to connect. The first plug I tried would not seat due to dirt or mud in the contacts. I was able to connect the second plugs on that unit. I activated the unit with a credit card as I could not determine which unit and plugs to active in the FordPass app. This unit is rated 180 KW in PlugShare, but I only got 47 KW out of it. This was the rate for the entire session. It took 38 minutes to deliver 31 KWh raising the SoC from 13% to 48% which would give me enough to reach the EA station in Terre Haute which I did research in PlugShare. Ultimately, I should have picked the next planned stop, and let the Ford Nav in the car figure out options.

The only issue with the third stop (other than it was not supposed to be the third stop) was construction at the WalMart near the chargers. They were accessible, but it was tight, and you are largely blind to one side when leaving. Due to the time, I got dinner while charging. I started at 21%, saw a peak of 143 KW, got dinner, was back in time to see 90 KW at 73%, and I stopped the charge at 80%. Session was 27 minutes long and delivered 55 KWh.

I wanted to get to the Flying J on the other side of St. Louis, so I was going to need a stop before then. I gave the Ford Nav the destination of the Flying J, and it suggested a stop on the EA in Effingham, IL. I went with that, knowing that there was a Tesla site in the same town that I could use.

I stopped at the EA site in the parking lot of the Firefly Grill. (The Firefly Grill is worth the stop on its own, but I was behind when I planned to get there and already had dinner.) This is an upgraded site, and everything worked as it was supposed to. I tried to activate the charger with the app before plugging in, so I could get the member discount, but this charger would not activate before I plugged in. I plugged in, and Plug and Charge did its thing and started charging. Annoying, but not enough to stop and try something else. (I have since disabled Plug & Charge as that only works for Tesla and EA where I currently have memberships that provide discounts.) Starting from 49%, I got a peak of 152 KW. This dropped to 130 KW at 54%, 120 KW at 59%, and 100 KW at 69%. I stopped the charge at 84% after 21 minutes and the delivery of 32.4 KWh.

The next one was odd. I have found the Pilot Flying J installations of EVgo chargers to be highly reliable, so I was confident of a charge at the Flying J in Sullivan, MO. I was quite surprised to find the cabinet on the near side open as I approached the chargers under their canopy. There was a Tesla parked between the two units, who I now assume was the technician's car. I pulled around to the other side of the other unit, and it was power off. Hoping for a quick fix, I made a quick trip to the facilities in the Flying J. Still no joy when I got back, so I went to my back up, the EA station at the Walmart on the other side of the highway. (There was a PlugShare report from earlier in the day about the charger being ICE'd by a Corvette Club, but obvious issues with the installation.) The session at the EA station was on a 350 KW unit and started at 13%. The rate went quickly over 150 KW, eventually climbing to 158 KW for the peak. I have much detail for this session. For time to charge: 40% at 10 min, 51% at 15, 61% at 20, 70% at 25, 78% at 30, and 80% at 31 minutes. Rate for SoC was 150 KW at 32%, 140 at 34%, 130 at 35%, 120 at 58%, 110 at 60%, 100 at 69%, 90 at 74%, 84 at 79%. I spent some time trying to book a hotel room, but gave up and stopped the charge at 90% after 45 minutes and the delivery of 72.6 KWh.

There was a room at the hotel I wanted to stop at. I started the Climate while getting dressed and packed. With the outside temperature at 50F, I was happy to find the air, seat, and steering wheel nice and warm when I got in.

Only two stops on day two of this leg of the trip. The first was at the Tesla installation at the Buc-ee's in Springfield, MO. This site has the v4 dispensers with active Magic Docks. While did not need to, I still used the rightmost stall. Activation through the app went as it was suppose to, and the adapter released as expected, and charging started at 19% with a quick run to a peak of 159 KW. I didn't stay around, and getting in and out of the Buc-ee's takes plenty of time. I also bought breakfast. By the time I was done eating that, I was at 83% receiving 42 KW. The session was 34 minutes long and delivered 59.8 KW.

The second charge used the EVgo chargers at the Flying J in Joplin, MO. the interesting thing here was that the Auto fuel pumps were being replaced and were unavailable. Activation was with Autocharge+, so plug in, and that is all that is needed. I started at 54%, so I only went up to a peak of 145 KW. This was at 120 KW at 57%. I used the available squeegees to clean the front and back windows. By the time I was done with everything here, I was at 84%. The session was 21 minutes and delivered 28.2 KWh.

I was able to complete the trip to Muskogee, OK on that charge, arriving with over 30%.

Bonus Charge while eating dinner. There is a Francis Energy installation in the parking lot of the Colton's in Muskogee. I initiated this using the Francis Energy app, and received at rate of 40 KW to start which rose to 42 KW during the charge. This was perfect as I was not looking for the charge to take less time than dinner. I was by myself, so dinner did not take that long, and I went from 31% to 63% in 41 minutes receiving 27.9 KWh.

I intend to use the In-Car Nav for the next leg to Colorado to see how it does. I will vet the planned chargers, and I will be sure I have the range to reach alternates. But that will be after I am done with my business in Muskogee.

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[Mach1E]

Looking forward to the day when road trip stories are all about the destination and what you saw along the way instead of all the things that went right (and mostly what went wrong) with charging.

 

[Tampamike]

Looking forward to the day when road trip stories are all about the destination and what you saw along the way instead of all the things that went right (and mostly what went wrong) with charging.

It’s already here, man. I always find places to see along the way with my MME. It’s just the geeky nature of the forum that brings out all the nitty gritty details. Trust me, we’re all having fun out there with our high tech toy and it’s gettin‘ a lot better recently.

 

[YeOldeTraveller]

Looking forward to the day when road trip stories are all about the destination and what you saw along the way instead of all the things that went right (and mostly what went wrong) with charging.

Totally agree.

My notes are all on the charging, which, while challenging at times, were successful, and most of the drama was self-induced. I think it is important to remember that the one "station down" event had a backup less than a mile away.

I should have also included the joy of running through the mountains in Missouri using adaptive cruise control. The available power that allows holding the set speed effortlessly both up and down the inclines was fantastic. And the instant response to any request for power is wonderful.

 

[HuntingPudel]

Looking forward to the day when road trip stories are all about the destination and what you saw along the way instead of all the things that went right (and mostly what went wrong) with charging.

The trips I have taken to my co-worker’s duck club have been totally uneventful. Aside from the fact that I drive hammer-down with the Blazer (and don’t need to stop in either direction) when I do those runs, it’s much the same. ??

 

[Mach1E]

Totally agree.

My notes are all on the charging, which, while challenging at times, were successful, and most of the drama was self-induced. I think it is important to remember that the one "station down" event had a backup less than a mile away.

I should have also included the joy of running through the mountains in Missouri using adaptive cruise control. The available power that allows holding the set speed effortlessly both up and down the inclines was fantastic. And the instant response to any request for power is wonderful.

Honestly not a dig on your story. Stories like these help set expectations and help others prepare.

More just a general “wish” that talking about your experience charging on the road is so boring that there’s no story to tell.

Drove, charged, drove again, charged. Anything interesting happen? Nope! And that’s a good thing.

 

[Droonoc]

Totally agree.

My notes are all on the charging, which, while challenging at times, were successful, and most of the drama was self-induced. I think it is important to remember that the one "station down" event had a backup less than a mile away.

I should have also included the joy of running through the mountains in Missouri using adaptive cruise control. The available power that allows holding the set speed effortlessly both up and down the inclines was fantastic. And the instant response to any request for power is wonderful.

This was my take away from our first road trip in our GT last month. The car was absolutely a pleasure to drive and did most of the thinking for me regarding available charging. Adaptive Cruise with Lane Centering was awesome and really does take some work off the driver for long trips. Most importantly though, the available power and sport tuned suspension is a blast to drive through the mountains!

 

[Fremont Kid]

Totally agree.

My notes are all on the charging, which, while challenging at times, were successful, and most of the drama was self-induced. I think it is important to remember that the one "station down" event had a backup less than a mile away.

I should have also included the joy of running through the mountains in Missouri using adaptive cruise control. The available power that allows holding the set speed effortlessly both up and down the inclines was fantastic. And the instant response to any request for power is wonderful.

As you get into CO you should notice two things:
First, the MO 'mountains' are really large hills compared to CO mountains. I attended grad school in southern Illinois so I am familiar with such. But, still scenic and fun to drive through!
Second, plenty of chargers along I-25 north to south. I am not familiar with chargers from OK to the east.
Question: Did you prepare a paper chart with rows and columns or a spreadsheet to record the charging details? A lot of beneficial detail that could be recorded on a prepared chart or spreadsheet.

 

[Rudy Bega]

Base trip is 900 miles. I planned the trip using A Better Route Planner. Since I have a NACS to CCS1 adapter, ABRP proposed 6 charging stops with 5 of those Tesla. This routing was more direct than the CCS-only routing and avoided Chicago.

The first stop was at a Meijer in Fort Wayne, IN. I was aiming for the Tesla site, so did not notice that there was an Electrify America site immediately adjacent. Activated the Tesla post using the app to get the discount. Charge started without issue from 34%. Peak rate of 160 KW was seen almost immediately, and then only briefly. Rate hit 140 KW at 40%. I made a visit to the Meijer, so I don't have data for the middle of the charge. Rate was 110 KW at 60%, and had dropped 90 KW when I stopped the charge at 70% after 18 minutes. 33.8 KWh was delivered.

The next location was a Tesla site in Speedway, IN (basically Indianapolis). There was not a suitable stall open when I drove by, there was not spot to the right of the rightmost post, and the location was tight due to the traffic pattern entering that location going in front of the Tesla stalls. This is when I made my first mistake. I abandoned my attempt on that site, and looked for another site nearby.

I used PlugShare (not the mistake), and found a Ford dealer nearby with a pair of dual-ported Blink chargers. I didn't check for Check-Ins (the mistake). After getting there, and finding them all the way in a corner and all but blocked, I was able to try to connect. The first plug I tried would not seat due to dirt or mud in the contacts. I was able to connect the second plugs on that unit. I activated the unit with a credit card as I could not determine which unit and plugs to active in the FordPass app. This unit is rated 180 KW in PlugShare, but I only got 47 KW out of it. This was the rate for the entire session. It took 38 minutes to deliver 31 KWh raising the SoC from 13% to 48% which would give me enough to reach the EA station in Terre Haute which I did research in PlugShare. Ultimately, I should have picked the next planned stop, and let the Ford Nav in the car figure out options.

The only issue with the third stop (other than it was not supposed to be the third stop) was construction at the WalMart near the chargers. They were accessible, but it was tight, and you are largely blind to one side when leaving. Due to the time, I got dinner while charging. I started at 21%, saw a peak of 143 KW, got dinner, was back in time to see 90 KW at 73%, and I stopped the charge at 80%. Session was 27 minutes long and delivered 55 KWh.

I wanted to get to the Flying J on the other side of St. Louis, so I was going to need a stop before then. I gave the Ford Nav the destination of the Flying J, and it suggested a stop on the EA in Effingham, IL. I went with that, knowing that there was a Tesla site in the same town that I could use.

I stopped at the EA site in the parking lot of the Firefly Grill. (The Firefly Grill is worth the stop on its own, but I was behind when I planned to get there and already had dinner.) This is an upgraded site, and everything worked as it was supposed to. I tried to activate the charger with the app before plugging in, so I could get the member discount, but this charger would not activate before I plugged in. I plugged in, and Plug and Charge did its thing and started charging. Annoying, but not enough to stop and try something else. (I have since disabled Plug & Charge as that only works for Tesla and EA where I currently have memberships that provide discounts.) Starting from 49%, I got a peak of 152 KW. This dropped to 130 KW at 54%, 120 KW at 59%, and 100 KW at 69%. I stopped the charge at 84% after 21 minutes and the delivery of 32.4 KWh.

The next one was odd. I have found the Pilot Flying J installations of EVgo chargers to be highly reliable, so I was confident of a charge at the Flying J in Sullivan, MO. I was quite surprised to find the cabinet on the near side open as I approached the chargers under their canopy. There was a Tesla parked between the two units, who I now assume was the technician's car. I pulled around to the other side of the other unit, and it was power off. Hoping for a quick fix, I made a quick trip to the facilities in the Flying J. Still no joy when I got back, so I went to my back up, the EA station at the Walmart on the other side of the highway. (There was a PlugShare report from earlier in the day about the charger being ICE'd by a Corvette Club, but obvious issues with the installation.) The session at the EA station was on a 350 KW unit and started at 13%. The rate went quickly over 150 KW, eventually climbing to 158 KW for the peak. I have much detail for this session. For time to charge: 40% at 10 min, 51% at 15, 61% at 20, 70% at 25, 78% at 30, and 80% at 31 minutes. Rate for SoC was 150 KW at 32%, 140 at 34%, 130 at 35%, 120 at 58%, 110 at 60%, 100 at 69%, 90 at 74%, 84 at 79%. I spent some time trying to book a hotel room, but gave up and stopped the charge at 90% after 45 minutes and the delivery of 72.6 KWh.

There was a room at the hotel I wanted to stop at. I started the Climate while getting dressed and packed. With the outside temperature at 50F, I was happy to find the air, seat, and steering wheel nice and warm when I got in.

Only two stops on day two of this leg of the trip. The first was at the Tesla installation at the Buc-ee's in Springfield, MO. This site has the v4 dispensers with active Magic Docks. While did not need to, I still used the rightmost stall. Activation through the app went as it was suppose to, and the adapter released as expected, and charging started at 19% with a quick run to a peak of 159 KW. I didn't stay around, and getting in and out of the Buc-ee's takes plenty of time. I also bought breakfast. By the time I was done eating that, I was at 83% receiving 42 KW. The session was 34 minutes long and delivered 59.8 KW.

The second charge used the EVgo chargers at the Flying J in Joplin, MO. the interesting thing here was that the Auto fuel pumps were being replaced and were unavailable. Activation was with Autocharge+, so plug in, and that is all that is needed. I started at 54%, so I only went up to a peak of 145 KW. This was at 120 KW at 57%. I used the available squeegees to clean the front and back windows. By the time I was done with everything here, I was at 84%. The session was 21 minutes and delivered 28.2 KWh.

I was able to complete the trip to Muskogee, OK on that charge, arriving with over 30%.

Bonus Charge while eating dinner. There is a Francis Energy installation in the parking lot of the Colton's in Muskogee. I initiated this using the Francis Energy app, and received at rate of 40 KW to start which rose to 42 KW during the charge. This was perfect as I was not looking for the charge to take less time than dinner. I was by myself, so dinner did not take that long, and I went from 31% to 63% in 41 minutes receiving 27.9 KWh.

I intend to use the In-Car Nav for the next leg to Colorado to see how it does. I will vet the planned chargers, and I will be sure I have the range to reach alternates. But that will be after I am done with my business in Muskogee.

How did the Rally drive?

 

[YeOldeTraveller]

As you get into CO you should notice two things:
First, the MO 'mountains' are really large hills compared to CO mountains. I attended grad school in southern Illinois so I am familiar with such. But, still scenic and fun to drive through!
Second, plenty of chargers along I-25 north to south. I am not familiar with chargers from OK to the east.
Question: Did you prepare a paper chart with rows and columns or a spreadsheet to record the charging details? A lot of beneficial detail that could be recorded on a prepared chart or spreadsheet.

I have a notebook for recording the details I observe. My long-term plan is to use something like Car Scanner to record data automatically. I now know better what I want to record, so will likely have prepared charts for future trips.

I planned the trip in A Better Route Planner and recorded the planned stops.

I am quite familiar with the CO mountains. I am looking forward to getting there with my Rally.

 

[YeOldeTraveller]

How did the Rally drive?

It drives great. The car responds to the peddle immediately, and with gusto.

 

[wmonroy323]

Currently doing a 2021 Mach e 2000+ miles from Ohio -> California.

 

[bbulkow]

Base trip is 900 miles. I planned the trip using A Better Route Planner. Since I have a NACS to CCS1 adapter, ABRP proposed 6 charging stops with 5 of those Tesla. This routing was more direct than the CCS-only routing and avoided Chicago.

The first stop was at a Meijer in Fort Wayne, IN. I was aiming for the Tesla site, so did not notice that there was an Electrify America site immediately adjacent. Activated the Tesla post using the app to get the discount. Charge started without issue from 34%. Peak rate of 160 KW was seen almost immediately, and then only briefly. Rate hit 140 KW at 40%. I made a visit to the Meijer, so I don't have data for the middle of the charge. Rate was 110 KW at 60%, and had dropped 90 KW when I stopped the charge at 70% after 18 minutes. 33.8 KWh was delivered.

......

Thanks for the report!

Interested in your efficiency and speed, given that you have the 2024 Rally. There's some theory the changes in motors and cooling system have given efficiency gains, but it's possible that was eaten up by being a funner car to drive faster

If you have a trip back, just setting your trip meter when you leave and reading when you arrive home will give an efficiency rating, you'd have to work out your speed yourself (I wish the trips app was more feature rich).

 

[Brons2]

With 34% battery I probably would have tried to go down the road to the next charger unless it was really far.

 

[YeOldeTraveller]

With 34% battery I probably would have tried to go down the road to the next charger unless it was really far.

Only second trip beyond my home area, so I might look harder at alternatives now. However, that particular stop is at a town that only had 62 KW just a few months ago, and being able to get a full-speed charge allows me to take the more direct route.

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