Mach-e for Road Trips just sucks. Not even close. More expensive than gas

[NerdUno]

MORAL OF THE STORY: EVs are great for around town and suck for road trips. The same greedy ba$tards that sell gas are now selling electricity. And guess what? The price gouging continues.

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[Madtroniks]

I have done this trip multiple times and what worked best for me was to use the A2Z adapter at one of the approved Tesla Superchargers open to non-tesla and also sign up for the Tesla membership rates.

The plan cost $12.99 and it's good for 1 month (savings of 10 cents per kW). I typically pay around 33 cents to 38 cents per kW at Tesla. The main thing is having reliable and plentiful chargers.

I typically stop at Buc-ee's or Woody's.

 

[ericNdfw]

Access to Superchargers via the Tesla adapter and magic dock makes this so much easier, but not any cheaper, really. (but I've never expected DCFC to be cheaper)

My anecdotal, Texas roadtrip comparison:

I just road tripped from DFW to/from Austin last week. I stopped at the Buc-ee's in Temple, TX each way for 30 minutes charging from 25-30% to just over 80% and the total cost for the two sessions (using Plug-and-charge so no discount) was $42.98. The time spent was perfect for using the restroom, grabbing lunch and responding to a few work emails so I consider the "slowness" a wash as I probably would have made a similar pit-stop in a gas car anyway.

Regular unleaded at that location was a very low $1.79/gal
Tesla (non-discounted) was $0.47/kWh.
My home rate is $0.125/kWh
Total distance driven was about 418 miles.

Cost to charge to 100% at home (88kWh usable SOC): $11
Supercharger costs: $43
Total costs: $54

Gallons of gas needed at 25MPG about 16.72, cost at $1.79/gal = about $29.93

So it cost me about $13 $24 more to drive the Mach-E than our ICE SUV assuming we got 25 MPG, which, at 75-80 MPH, might be doubtful.

(Note: A Tesla charger subscription would have saved me about $10 but the $7 $13 subscription fee would have offset most of that)

PS: That Buc-ee's has 48 v3 chargers plus 20 more v4 chargers about to come online as well as a bunch of Mercedes (ChargePoint?) CCS chargers. Places like this almost guarantee zero waiting.

UPDATE 9/18: Apparently, I can't do math, the $13 difference quoted above did not include the $11 for the full charge I started with, so the EV trip actually cost me about $24 more, not $13. However, looking at GasBuddy.com this morning it seems that super low gas price is gone and it's now $2.47/gal at that Buc-ee's which changes the gasoline costs to $41.29, coincidentally, this brings the difference right back down to just under $13 ?.

 

[RickMachE]

(Note: A Tesla charger subscription would have saved me about $10 but the $7 subscription fee would have offset most of that)

Especially when the subscription fee is $12.99...

 

[ericNdfw]

Especially when the subscription fee is $12.99...

lol - yes. Not sure where I got $7 from ??. (updated my post)

UPDATE: I must have been thinking of the EA Plus plan

 

[david_quick]

Ok fellas, y'all right - my math sucks - here is the fixed numbers.

506 miles, 2.4 efficiency, $89 (70 kWh at my home @14 cents)
F150 would have cost $88 at 15mpg.

I drove most of the trip at 75, some at 70 and some at 80.

And yes, i got 500 kWr free from Ford, so I didn't pay anything for EA, but I am figuring it for when that's run out. Although I don't think it will, since damn, that's expensive. And yes, i guess i could subscribe to EA, but since i got 30k without them, well...

I ordered my Tesla convertor months ago - still waiting.

I’m curious. I drove Seattle to Missoula Mt., 500 miles, over two mountain ranges in a 23 GT and only stopped 4 times to charge with one just to add 50 miles before the first mountain pass and I averaged 2.9 m/Kwh. 70 mph in WA, 75 in ID, 80 in MT (once you got to flat(er) land).

This was the first leg of a 3000 mile road trip. Most of which was 80 mph in MT and WY and I still managed 2.8-3.1.

How did you manage 1.9?

 

[PKrasAshland]

Ok fellas, y'all right - my math sucks - here is the fixed numbers.

506 miles, 2.4 efficiency, $89 (70 kWh at my home @14 cents)
F150

After 30k, I finally did my first road trip in my Mach-e (Houston to Dallas and back, leave Friday, back Saturday)

253 miles. Cost was $0.14 at my house, and $0.56 at each of 3 EA stops I had to make. Total cost $48. 133 kWh used. Efficiency was 1.9 - wow.
Stopped twice in Ennis, TX Walmart - 3 of 4 chargers out of service - had to wait for the 1 working one. Total time 75 minutes.
On the way home, had to wait again for the 1 working charger, total wait time 90 minutes.
Third stop was a little better (Huntsville), 3 of 4 working, but 1 was 30kWhr only ... I got the high speed, wait 20 minutes.

If I drive my F150, range is 550 miles, so NO stops, and gas at US$2.60 a gallon, cost is $43 - $5 LESS than the EV.

Just wow - I get it why people don't want to buy EVs. I am lucky, it's my 2nd car, and I love my Mach-e for getting around town, but these Public Chargers are a joke.

Peace

would have cost $88 at 15mpg.

I drove most of the trip at 75, some at 70 and some at 80.

And yes, i got 500 kWr free from Ford, so I didn't pay anything for EA, but I am figuring it for when that's run out. Although I don't think it will, since damn, that's expensive. And yes, i guess i could subscribe to EA, but since i got 30k without them, well...

I ordered my Tesla convertor months ago - still waiting.

I don’t know about your conclusion….it is still great to take our EVs on the road. But EA’s 56 cents per kWh is kind of a ripoff..especially in places that have low electric charges, like my home state of Oregon. Like you, I figure the cost is roughly the same as gas, which is about $3.20 here. ( I am waiting for my Tesla converter too. )

 

[DesignMatters]

BEV’s are fantastic commuter cars and terrible road trip cars. Always have been, always will be which is why ICE hybrid is the way forward for most consumers and certainly ideal for single vehicle households. EV’s great commuters for affluents and virtue signaling greenies — NG for most consumers. Sales and product investment proof it out in free market economies.

 

[Riotous]

BEV’s are fantastic commuter cars and terrible road trip cars. Always have been, always will be which is why ICE hybrid is the way forward for most consumers and certainly ideal for single vehicle households. EV’s great commuters for affluents and virtue signaling greenies — NG for most consumers. Sales and product investment proof it out in free market economies.

Exactly, on all points.

 

[FrederickIsavian]

After 30k, I finally did my first road trip in my Mach-e (Houston to Dallas and back, leave Friday, back Saturday)

253 miles. Cost was $0.14 at my house, and $0.56 at each of 3 EA stops I had to make. Total cost $48. 133 kWh used. Efficiency was 1.9 - wow.
Stopped twice in Ennis, TX Walmart - 3 of 4 chargers out of service - had to wait for the 1 working one. Total time 75 minutes.
On the way home, had to wait again for the 1 working charger, total wait time 90 minutes.
Third stop was a little better (Huntsville), 3 of 4 working, but 1 was 30kWhr only ... I got the high speed, wait 20 minutes.

If I drive my F150, range is 550 miles, so NO stops, and gas at US$2.60 a gallon, cost is $43 - $5 LESS than the EV.

Just wow - I get it why people don't want to buy EVs. I am lucky, it's my 2nd car, and I love my Mach-e for getting around town, but these Public Chargers are a joke.

Peace

You are not wrong, I was thinking of driving my Mach-E from Washington DC to Clearwater Florida and after some Calculations I decided on taking my Petrol car that gets 27MPG High Way instead. I think my EV Is great for in town and around my work where I charge it free at work. Anything more than 100 miles I use my ICA.

 

[Phil-Springs]

After 3 years of my ownership, I still use the MME for day trips that require one charge that can be done at the trip destination (Detroit area to Kalamazoo with DCFC while having lunch, or to Frankenmuth with a L2 charging for all time we were there, or to Toledo with a quick 15-minute stop to get 20 kWh to be able to come back home). For longer trips that require longer or multiple charges I prefer to use my wife's CRV - it is not as nice to drive, but faster and way less stressful.

But this is me, and I didn't even try to compare the cost.

Yes, I have "tweener" days where I am pushing the range and might have to charge a bit as I travel for work. I have zero concerns about using my mach e. It it just those longer trips that are different . Some will be okay with the increased complexity and time, some won't.

 

[superdave80]

How are you comparing prices? Seems like you are only looking at EA, which owns their network and controls pricing.

I was comparing within a certain charging network (EA, in this case). If their electricity cost varies so much from state to state, why are they charging the same amount?

 

[RickMachE]

I was comparing within a certain charging network (EA, in this case). If their electricity cost varies so much from state to state, why are they charging the same amount?

They are not charging the same amount at every location. Using the EA app, in 5 minutes you can figure that out.

 

[superdave80]

They are not charging the same amount at every location. Using the EA app, in 5 minutes you can figure that out.

OK, I guess I will have to clarify a bit to move this along: Why is EA charging .56 near me here in California, and the same .56 in Texas, where electricity is less than half the cost?

 

[WallyS56]

Here in the Bellingham, Washington area, I fill up my ‘93 F150 for $3.49 at Costco (as of last week); I charge the Mach E at home for 8 cents a kWh.
What’s this free kWh allowance at EA? I purchased a 2024 Premium last month and haven’t seen it the two times I charged at EA.
Also planning a 3,000+ mile road trip in October. I do have the Tesla adapter.
Any advice and planning tips would be appreciated. What are the best apps?

Thanks.

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