4 months, 4000 miles, first road trip. No drama (well, maybe a little...)

[condition5]

Yes, I know. People road trip in EVs all the time and it's not a big deal or that special. But it was MY first time...so I paid extra attention. 4 months --to the day-- and 4000 miles since delivery, and just completed my first overnight trip with reliance on public charging.

It wasn't awful.

We were traveling from the mid Atlantic piedmont to the Delaware ocean. About 155 miles each way, with another 75 or so miles of Delaware shoreline trips for calendar items there. Except for some thunderstorms (that created the little bit o' drama), the weather was benign. 50s-70s. The eastbound travel includes a 600' descent over about 50 miles to sea level at the Chesapeake, with a similar climb out on the return leg.

If we had NO other business at the beach. APRB suggested a 100% charge could get us there and back with --wait for it-- 3% charge remaining. This was not a margin I'd EVER be comfortable with it, and our destination errands sealed the fate for NOT trying this.

Happily, our booked hotel had a charger. So...I watched unconcerned as the chargers we passed en route rolled past on the the center display. When we finally finished ALL of our business, I rolled into the charger station with 40% charge remaining. I also rolled into a neighborhood that was ENTIRELY dark....a car had taken out power lines within sight of the hotel. It was after midnight before power was restored, and even then, the charger remained offline because it remained out of contact with its network.

By 6am it was good to go and the weather-related drama was over. Charged to 74% in 4 hours (199 miles range on the GOM for a 155 mile trip). Arrived home with 13% battery and 35 miles on the GOM. The range ring on the nav display appared to show a little more (direct vs road mileage difference?)

So. I'm ready to hit the road again. This time with charging EN ROUTE!

Sponsored

 

[Tampamike]

Just a tip - don’t count on that 300+ range if you’ll be driving at Interstate speeds of 75-80 mph. A good, safe estimate that I use is about 2.5 miles/kw driving 79 mph on BlueCruise. Any miles travelled at slower speeds on secondary roads or time spent crawling in traffic will increase that number upward. Don’t let that Guess-o-meter trick you.

 

[condition5]

Just a tip - don’t count on that 300+ range if you’ll be driving at Interstate speeds of 75-80 mph. A good, safe estimate that I use is about 2.5 miles/kw driving 79 mph on BlueCruise. Any miles travelled at slower speeds on secondary roads or time spent crawling in traffic will increase that number upward. Don’t let that Guess-o-meter trick you.

For sure.
We sailed through some traditional areas of congestion (Bay Bridge in Annapolis, I'm talking to you) that would have definitely forced a stop for charging. Once past the usual weekend/holiday choke points (which start MANY miles east of the bridge, and continue for many more west around Naptown) I sure relaxed

 

[Tampamike]

For sure.
We sailed through some traditional areas of congestion (Bay Bridge in Annapolis, I'm talking to you) that would have definitely forced a stop for charging. Once past the usual weekend/holiday choke points (which start MANY miles east of the bridge, and continue for many more west around Naptown) I sure relaxed

Actually, the traffic congestion would increase your range. Slowing down from typical highway speeds to much slower congestion speeds brings the miles/kw number higher. In general, slower speeds equal longer range. So, while, in your head, you’re thinking, “Oh no, am I gonna make it,” your range is actually increasing. If you’re ever in a situation on the road where you are wondering if you’ll make it to the next charger or home, slow down - you’ll go farther.

 

[condition5]

Actually, the traffic congestion would increase your range. Slowing down from typical highway speeds to much slower congestion speeds brings the miles/kw number higher. In general, slower speeds equal longer range. So, while, in your head, you’re thinking, “Oh no, am I gonna make it,” your range is actually increasing. If you’re ever in a situation on the road where you are wondering if you’ll make it to the next charger or home, slow down - you’ll go farther.

Good advice.
I'm thinking now of my range on a dark night...with rain. When it's cold

So: The increased range resulting from the slower speeds of congested roads will tamper my frustration with that traffic?
Who knew electricity and traffic jams could be theraputic? Not me, until now

 

[Tampamike]

Good advice.
I'm thinking now of my range on a dark night...with rain. When it's cold

So: The increased range resulting from the slower speeds of congested roads will tamper my frustration with that traffic?
Who knew electricity and traffic jams could be theraputic? Not me, until now

Well then you need a good plan and a good plan isn’t “my GOM says I can go 300 miles so I should be ok.” Stay safe.

 

[RickMachE]

Never rely on hotel charging. Always have DCFC backup.

 

[Tampamike]

So: The increased range resulting from the slower speeds of congested roads will tamper my frustration with that traffic?
Who knew electricity and traffic jams could be theraputic? Not me, until now

Could be. Depends on whether you’re a glass half full or half empty kind of person.?

 

[GareBare]

We, too, are just finishing up our first four months with our new MME and have made trips from North Carolina to South Carolina and also to the North Carolina beaches. It’s been a learning experience with chargers, and twice I’ve had to sit there before charging while I logged in and set up an account that Ford didn’t cover, but I am developing a good trip resource file for future travels.

But I will never go anywhere without preplanning potential charging stations. I also don’t trust the built-in maps on the MME and prefer using Google maps which gives me better information.

 

[Teslaeata]

Yes, I know. People road trip in EVs all the time and it's not a big deal or that special. But it was MY first time...so I paid extra attention. 4 months --to the day-- and 4000 miles since delivery, and just completed my first overnight trip with reliance on public charging.

It wasn't awful.

We were traveling from the mid Atlantic piedmont to the Delaware ocean. About 155 miles each way, with another 75 or so miles of Delaware shoreline trips for calendar items there. Except for some thunderstorms (that created the little bit o' drama), the weather was benign. 50s-70s. The eastbound travel includes a 600' descent over about 50 miles to sea level at the Chesapeake, with a similar climb out on the return leg.

If we had NO other business at the beach. APRB suggested a 100% charge could get us there and back with --wait for it-- 3% charge remaining. This was not a margin I'd EVER be comfortable with it, and our destination errands sealed the fate for NOT trying this.

Happily, our booked hotel had a charger. So...I watched unconcerned as the chargers we passed en route rolled past on the the center display. When we finally finished ALL of our business, I rolled into the charger station with 40% charge remaining. I also rolled into a neighborhood that was ENTIRELY dark....a car had taken out power lines within sight of the hotel. It was after midnight before power was restored, and even then, the charger remained offline because it remained out of contact with its network.

By 6am it was good to go and the weather-related drama was over. Charged to 74% in 4 hours (199 miles range on the GOM for a 155 mile trip). Arrived home with 13% battery and 35 miles on the GOM. The range ring on the nav display appared to show a little more (direct vs road mileage difference?)

So. I'm ready to hit the road again. This time with charging EN ROUTE!

Great to hear your successful road trip.

That will boost your confidence.

Just looked at my road trip history:

Road trip mileages………Total…Average
In the 100s…………………60…….156
In the 200s…………………84……..260
In the 300s…………….…..96….….347
In the 400s………………..19……..426
In the 500s………………..11……..553
In the 600s…………………2………671
In the 700s…………………2………733
In the 900s…………………1………913

My confidence is sky-high?️

Just what a car ?

Sponsored