Best road trip charging strategy

Stang68

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Heading on my first longer trip in the Mach E and had a question about charging strategy.

I was wondering if getting super low on the battery and then charging at a fast charger (at hopefully 150kw before ramping down) is the right move, or should I do more frequent stops at a higher state of charge that likely will be shorter stops?

Some EVs can charge extremely fast from a low state of charge but from what I've seen, the Mach E's charge curve is nothing great. And my GT does not have the revised charging curve at 80%.

Thanks
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hybrid2bev

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Heading on my first longer trip in the Mach E and had a question about charging strategy.

I was wondering if getting super low on the battery and then charging at a fast charger (at hopefully 150kw before ramping down) is the right move, or should I do more frequent stops at a higher state of charge that likely will be shorter stops?

Some EVs can charge extremely fast from a low state of charge but from what I've seen, the Mach E's charge curve is nothing great. And my GT does not have the revised charging curve at 80%.

Thanks
Charger hopping is by far the fastest strategy.

Even with the updated charging curve on my car, I planned our 2,200 mile roundtrip with ABRP. Charged up enough at each stop to get to the next charger with 15%-20% SOC remaining as a buffer (to account for wind, rain, traffic, elevation changes). Which means I would leave the charger with anywhere from 40% to 80%.

On our lunch/dinner break (sit down restaurant) I would let it charge up as far as it could (95%+) since we were stopped/eating. Charging up more at lunch/dinner allowed me to skip 1 charger each way.
 
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Stang68

Stang68

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Charger hopping is by far the fastest strategy. Even with the updated charging curve on my car, I planned our 2,200 mile roundtrip with ABRP. Charged up enough at each stop to get to the next charger with 15%-20% SOC remaining as a buffer (to account for wind, rain, traffic, elevation changes). On our lunch/dinner break (sit down restaurant) I would let it charge up as far as it could (95%+) since we were stopped/eating. Charging up more at lunch/dinner allowed me to skip 1 charger each way.
Thanks and yeah, seems like that is the way to go. Going deeper into the battery pack for less stops will lead to just more time charging since the curve isn't all that great. The Lightning, on the other hand, seems to hold 150kw for much longer.
 

RickMachE

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Conversely, charging to 80% earlier in the day could make your later stops shorter.
 

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Charger hopping is by far the fastest strategy.

Even with the updated charging curve on my car, I planned our 2,200 mile roundtrip with ABRP. Charged up enough at each stop to get to the next charger with 15%-20% SOC remaining as a buffer (to account for wind, rain, traffic, elevation changes). Which means I would leave the charger with anywhere from 40% to 80%.

On our lunch/dinner break (sit down restaurant) I would let it charge up as far as it could (95%+) since we were stopped/eating. Charging up more at lunch/dinner allowed me to skip 1 charger each way.
Sorry, but what is ABRP?
 


ebeponyan

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It depends. In general, charge hopping at low percentages will be faster, but why wait for shorter amounts of time when you can not wait at all? See if you can plan charging sessions around meals, bathroom breaks, or other activities (buying more ice for the frunk, stopping by a museum, walking around a historical district). EA chargers tend to be fastest, but a 50kW Chargepoint while you wander around town can be a better overall experience than a Walmart bathroom in strip mall hell right off the highway. All depends on your priorities.
 

silverelan

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Hey @Stang68, you could see about getting 21P22 installed at your dealer if you have time. Mine did the job in 2.5 hours. 21P22 gets you 15 minutes charging from 80% to 90%.

The MME extended range pack charges fastest for 20 minutes flat, resulting in a 40% SoC gain. It makes zero difference on a 150kW or 350kW charger, the results are always the same even if the peak speeds vary. After 20 minutes, the MME ER packs drop to 80kW and sit there til 80%.

Here's one theoretical strategy to max out range vs. charging time, assuming 220 miles freeway range:

100% -> 40% (132 miles)
20 mins charge to 80%
80% -> 10% (154 miles)
Lunch charge to 80%
80% -> 10% (154 miles)

That's ~300 miles of range with a single stop for 20 minutes or 450 miles if you also add a 41 minutes lunch charge.
 
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Stang68

Stang68

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Hey @Stang68, you could see about getting 21P22 installed at your dealer if you have time. Mine did the job in 2.5 hours. 21P22 gets you 15 minutes charging from 80% to 90%.

The MME extended range pack charges fastest for 20 minutes flat, resulting in a 40% SoC gain. It makes zero difference on a 150kW or 350kW charger, the results are always the same even if the peak speeds vary. After 20 minutes, the MME ER packs drop to 80kW and sit there til 80%.

Here's one theoretical strategy to max out range vs. charging time, assuming 220 miles freeway range:

100% -> 40% (132 miles)
20 mins charge to 80%
80% -> 10% (154 miles)
Lunch charge to 80%
80% -> 10% (154 miles)

That's ~300 miles of range with a single stop for 20 minutes or 450 miles if you also add a 41 minutes lunch charge.
I would like the revised charging curve but don't know if I want the dealer messing with software stuff right now, heard some less-than-positive stories. An OTA would be great!
 

TheVirtualTim

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Schedule more frequent charging stops ... but with shorter charges.

Avoid letting the car get below 15% (that's tough on the battery) and when charging, avoid fast-charging beyond 80%.

Fast charging is already a bit hard on the battery ... so no need to pile on with extra stresses.

This strategy isn't just better for the battery ... it's actually the fastest way to make the trip because you get the fastest charging speeds when the battery isn't particularly full. The greater the state of charge, the slower it continues to charge the remaining amounts. After you pass 80% there are usually diminishing returns to the point that it'll be faster to get in car and drive to use of some of that state of charge again and get you back into the range where charging is faster.
 

Mach-E VLOG

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I've read about the different strategies and tried many of them on our road trips. In the end, I keep it pretty basic.

The Mach-E charging curve is pretty flat until 80%. If you don't have the update, going over 80% is painful. If you do have the update, it is still about 50% slower than at 79%.

So, I usually charge to close to 80% and then head out to the next stop. I may stretch a leg and go above 80% some while charging or down to the single digits before the next charge. I plug in, and the Mach-E will charge at about 125kW then drift down to 100kW for a while before getting to about 80kW all the way up to 80%.

I'm sure there are a few minutes difference in my "strategy" and I could maybe come in low every time to get a bit faster charging. I might also save a few minutes by unplugging a few minutes earlier. But in the end, I just charge for 30 to 45 minutes and drive for about 3 hours. No stress and my breaks are relaxed.

Of course, a lot of this is dependent on the route you are driving. My road trips have taken me along routes that are well covered by EA.
 

moparguy

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MY strategy is to leave home at 100%, then try to charge again near 20%-30% to 80% and repeat.
I would also try to plan to charge big chunk somewhere if I am stopping for lunch/dinner so that way it's fewer stops.

If I am stopped for lunch, I would definitely charge the car to the max I can, 100% if possible, it slows down anyway to preserve the battery, so it's not like you are charging at 150 kWh all the time.
 
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Stang68

Stang68

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Well the road trip was a success. Great car for long hauls. BlueCruise is fantastic. No issues charging, would like a better curve though, like the Lightning’s.

Only downer of the trip? Having an Ioniq 5 pull in to an EA station after I started charging, seeing them zoom past my state of charge, and pull away 😅 My wife noticed and when I said it was a hardware limitation I couldnt help but feel completely inadequate lolol luckily the Mustang still looks better!
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