3,800 mile drive, first real world experience

RickMachE

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Did a 2 day trip from MI to Florida.

Summary - EA's network is crap, and/or the Mach-E cannot consistently communicate it's desired level of charge. I will pursue with both to see what I can find out.

Highest rate seen was 125kw. Most often above 100 but not 125. Saw an Audi connected to 150 charger, and it quickly maxed out at 150, so this is a Ford issue, not an EA issue.

Tip - EA 150kw chargers will generally charge faster than 350kw chargers, at least for our Mach-E. Since we can't top 150, or even exceed 124 in my 2 day experience, why even try a 350?

Failing - FordPass doesn't tell you the location of the EA charging locations it maps to for easy lookup in PlugShare. Tip - find location with EA app, then lookup on PlugShare.

Failing - FordPass doesn't let you create detour, like avoiding the 24/7 backup when crossing from Ohio into Kentucky on I-75. Nor does it allow you to set arrival state of charge.

Tip - at ~73 mph, getting 2.7 - 2.8 miles per kWh, i.e. just under 250 range. Since generally going from 80% to 20%, max range between stops is around 140 miles. With two people, charging allows separate bathroom trips into Walmart with time to spare.

Tip - at 90mph, feels like 75... Yikes!!!

Tip - if you want to switch to EA's Pass+ once your Ford free hours are gone, finish using them, end session. Then turn off Plug and Charge, then use EA app, after upgrading to Pass+ instantly.

Left with 100% charge. Thought car would still be running with AC on, it wasn't. Started trip with damp tee shirt... It is amazing to me that Ford did not put in ventilated / cooled seats. Big miss for me.

Used 3 mapping apps. FordPass fed to car with trip setup prior, ABRP also trips setup, Google maps to ensure route is proper, and no refueing stop is too far off road.

First stop set the tone for the day. EA, Huber Heights, Ohio. Connected to 350 charger, maxed out at 35. Switched to other 350, same result. After wasting 20 minutes, EA told me to try 150 charger, which charged over 100. Left at 80%.

Tip - other drivers are generally clueless. 2 Bolts charging, one told me that "charging is ramped down during the peak hours". Other said " I just plug in, have no idea of speed". At another stop, helped an 80 yo VW driver charge. He had no clue how to do anything, and then told me that the VW was the same as the Mach-E... Audi driver with car full of kids and temp tag had no idea she should use the 350kw...

Tip - Many Walmarts have water fountains tuned off due to pandemic, can't refill water bottle.

As expected, FordPass recalculated route. ABRP let me adjust the POC leaving the location, and I discovered the slider to adjust battery to match reality as I drove.

Next stop was Georgetown, KY. Arrived with 18% charge, learned that vehicle warns at 20%, hit OK to clear warning. Left with 69%.

Tip - EA has so many broken and malfunctioning chargers, if you want to accurately report issues to them, write things down. At one stop, two chargers were down with large wet areas around them. Coolant leak? FordPass battery charge log doesn't show location unless you click through to detail.

Tip - free charging hour receipts from Ford don't show specifics of which charger you were on.

Next was Williamsburg, KY. 1 malfunctioning 350, 1 dead 150. Successful on 2nd 350.

Next was Knoxville, TN. First charger worked. WTH! ?

Arrived at hotel in Dalton, GA. After a dozen phone calls during trip planning, found LaQuinta with brand new chargers. Using ABRP, planned trip with 30% SOC for arrival, which would allow ability to make next EA charger. When I called hotel, they knew zero about chargers, said they would research them. Called back a few days later as requested, they still didn't know, so they went out and looked. Clipper Creek. No other info. Teslas and other vehicles have charged. "Round end on hose". Note - I added charger to PlugShare, noting that it was a 7.2kw charger.

Car was done charging just before 6AM. Set preconditioning for 7:40AM, car was icy cold inside ?. Due to humidity, shirt was again went and lack of ventilated seats was again noted. ?

Great to have 100% charge. Got 50 minutes of driving before hitting 80%.

First stop Stockbridge, GA. Wasn't scheduled, but since we needed a bathroom break, decided to do it at an EA stop and charge. Worked fine...

Next stop Cordless, GA. Fine.

Then Valdosta, GA. One broken charger.

Bushnell, FL. 350 dropped to 64 quickly. So did second 350. 150 was fine. Transitioned to Pass+ for last 4 kw. Faster than Plug and Charge.
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TRP

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I have used the Georgetown KY EA and everything worked fine at that time.

The low battery warning can be changed to suit your needs in the menu, 10,20 or 30% I believe are the choices.

I seem to have better luck with the EA network than some other folks. You can look fat the locations on plugshare and the EA app and see which machines are working or occupied, this does help.

The Ford nav finds charge locations very reliably for us but there is no option for arrival at destination SOC, so it can and will get you there but with minimal juice left perhaps.

As for hotels, most clerks have no clue. Cudos for updating plugshare with it

I also leave a review on plugshare at each stop or shortly after.
 
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RickMachE

RickMachE

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Trying to figure out my miles per kWh usage on this trip. Most of the time it was 2.7 or 2.8, driving 73 - 75 mph with AC on, and a heavy foot for passing.

Decided that since we started using the Ford free charging, and used it up, the kWh used part should be easy. Forgot to set Trip 1 for the trip. Let's see...

248 Ford hours at start of trip.
Battery was at 100%, i.e. 88 kW.
Used 4kW at our last stop on EA account.
Arrived at our son's house with 11%(?) remaining. So roughly another 78 kW.

248 + 88+ 4 + 78 = 418 kW.

Per Google Timeline, Sunday was 651 miles, Monday was 554, for a total of 1,205 miles.

1,205 / 418 = 2.88 kw/mile

Costwise, if I use $0.31 for all the on the road hours, that's $78.12 (that's the EA Pass+ rate in states that charge by the kW. States that charge by the minute should actually be lower. Our electricity cost at home is $.125, so that's another $11.00, and my son's cost is $0.10, so that's another $7.80. Total cost is $96.92 or 8 cents per mile.

If I drove our F-150, I would have average 18 mph at say $3.25 per gallon, or $217.57. If I drove our Fusion Energi getting say 35 mpg, it would have cost $111.89.
 
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RickMachE

RickMachE

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We completed our trip by heading back up to South Carolina, and then on to MIchigan. Used mostly EA chargers, and they basically are a crapshoot. Some locations work perfectly, others have machines down, or machines that don't work properly. One was in a gas station parking lot, and the bathrooms were not ideal.

The biggest issue with charging is wasted time as you try other units at the location, call EA, etc. Once our account got jammed up, and EA had to fix it. So the next location it wouldn't work, and we called and held for 10 minutes before using a credit card for a higher rate. Was going for a refund on the higher rate, but on the stuck one they didn't charge us so it was a win-win.

Hotel in SC had a 5.3kw charger delivering 4.8kw to the vehicle. Took nearly 13 hours each night...

On way home EA was a nightmare. We skipped the lousy location in Huber Heights, OH,, took a small detour to use another location, one station faulted multiple times. And while we can make it from our home to that area (Cincinnati), we can't make it back. Stopped at a technical college in Lima, OH advertising 50kw. It was 24.7 (as Plugshare reported). Charged to 15 miles more than the distance home, made it with the following on our display. Reported to ChargePoint and got a refund, but not our time back.

Have not computed our miles per kw for the ride home yet, but trip odometer says 3.1. That's higher than the way down south.
Ford Mustang Mach-E 3,800 mile drive, first real world experience Pushing it
 


RockwallRick

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Did you try the one in Gainesville and was the gas station parking lot the one in Lake City? Also how bad were the love bugs going back?
 

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If I drove our F-150, I would have average 18 mph at say $3.25 per gallon, or $217.57. If I drove our Fusion Energi getting say 35 mpg, it would have cost $111.89.
What about time lost on charging? And stress (if any) caused by charging problems? Does it worth it for long trips, or better rent a minivan? ;)
 

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Tip - EA 150kw chargers will generally charge faster than 350kw chargers, at least for our Mach-E. Since we can't top 150, ora even exceed 124 in my 2 day experience, why even try a 350?
While many EA chargers top out in the 120s, some 350kW chargers exceed 150kW at the start of the charge.
 
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RickMachE

RickMachE

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Did you try the one in Gainesville and was the gas station parking lot the one in Lake City? Also how bad were the love bugs going back?
We skipped Gainesville due to the bad reviews.

Yes, Lake City was the gas station.

Love bugs were next to non-existent. I washed the car yesterday, and every bug came right off like it was on butter.
 
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RickMachE

RickMachE

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While many EA chargers top out in the 120s, some 350kW chargers exceed 150kW at the start of the charge.
So few did over 150, and stayed there so little time, that it's a non-issue based on our experience in maybe a dozen locations.
 
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RickMachE

RickMachE

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What about time lost on charging? And stress (if any) caused by charging problems? Does it worth it for long trips, or better rent a minivan? ;)
Time lost on charging problems is a big waste of time. I noted in my EA thread about wasted time and effort.

Renting a minivan would be multiples of the cost.
 
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TRP

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According to my EA charge logs, the 350kw machines regularly start at 207 while the 150kw machines start at about 156. I don't know how long they stay there but I try and use the 350kw machines whenever possible
 
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RickMachE

RickMachE

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According to my EA charge logs, the 350kw machines regularly start at 207 while the 150kw machines start at about 156. I don't know how long they stay there but I try and use the 350kw machines whenever possible
I found the charge logs don't match what the screen on the charger says. I have never seen over 156, yet the logs show 207.
 

TRP

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I found the charge logs don't match what the screen on the charger says. I have never seen over 156, yet the logs show 207.

I'll watch more closely. I've had receipts emailed that showed that rate as well, guess it could be a bug
 

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Trying to figure out my miles per kWh usage on this trip. Most of the time it was 2.7 or 2.8, driving 73 - 75 mph with AC on, and a heavy foot for passing.

Decided that since we started using the Ford free charging, and used it up, the kWh used part should be easy. Forgot to set Trip 1 for the trip. Let's see...

248 Ford hours at start of trip.
Battery was at 100%, i.e. 88 kW.
Used 4kW at our last stop on EA account.
Arrived at our son's house with 11%(?) remaining. So roughly another 78 kW.

248 + 88+ 4 + 78 = 418 kW.

Per Google Timeline, Sunday was 651 miles, Monday was 554, for a total of 1,205 miles.

1,205 / 418 = 2.88 kw/mile

Costwise, if I use $0.31 for all the on the road hours, that's $78.12 (that's the EA Pass+ rate in states that charge by the kW. States that charge by the minute should actually be lower. Our electricity cost at home is $.125, so that's another $11.00, and my son's cost is $0.10, so that's another $7.80. Total cost is $96.92 or 8 cents per mile.

If I drove our F-150, I would have average 18 mph at say $3.25 per gallon, or $217.57. If I drove our Fusion Energi getting say 35 mpg, it would have cost $111.89.
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