First Road Trip?

[Mach T]

I define a road trip as having to stop for a public charge. When we left the house to go from the northern suburbs of Detroit to a party in Toledo, I figured 190 miles of range to go 140 miles would be sufficient, so not really a road trip. Now, I am familiar with the term "guessometer", but at 19 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 mph, guessometer doesn't begin to describe it. I was actually losing 1.4 miles of range for every mile I was driving.

So, anywho, I used the Ford pass app and found an EVgo station at a McDonald's 2 miles from our party. With wind chills at 6F, I struggled like hell to get the charge cable into the charge port and still am not sure how I finally got it to happen. The charge rate was pretty quick, and we were ready to go, BUT - for the life of me I could not get the cable back out of the charge port while pushing every release button I could find. Now I weigh 195 and lift weights and there was an even bigger person there who could not get it out either. Turns out, you HAVE TO USE THE KEY FOB to lock and then unlock your car, and then the cable comes right out! Who knew?!?

So with 108 miles showing on the guessometer and 72 miles to go, we drove 62 mph and turned off every electrical accessory except the radio and made it home with 25 miles to spare! Lol

Well thanks for reading my first novel about the Mach-e charging experience and I hope you found something of value in it.

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[Tampamike]

I’m guessing that you didn’t use the car‘s nav to the destination? The GOM is even less correct when it doesn’t know that you’re taking a road trip. Next time, note the range estimate when you get in the car. Then put in your destination in the onboard nav. Watch the GOM recalculate to something considerably less than what you first saw because now it knows you’ll be driving at highway speeds instead of around town speeds.

As far as the cable lock goes, there was an update this year that locks the cable if the car is locked. It’s supposed to unlock if you are near the car with a fob or PAAK phone in your pocket. I think sometimes that feature doesn’t work. Unlocking the doors should do it though.

 

[Mach T]

I used Android auto which I figured the car would also read, but I guess not. And I do use paak but my phone had died and my auxiliary charger for some reason would not charge my phone and I wasn't in the car long enough to get a significant charge out of the console mat charger. In summary, it was a bad night for electronics all the way around. But lessons were definitely learned. Thanks for the tips

 

[WallyS56]

I used Android auto which I figured the car would also read, but I guess not. And I do use paak but my phone had died and my auxiliary charger for some reason would not charge my phone and I wasn't in the car long enough to get a significant charge out of the console mat charger. In summary, it was a bad night for electronics all the way around. But lessons were definitely learned. Thanks for the tips

After 11,000 miles of roadtrips, I’ve found that occasionally I have to end the charge using the charge companies apps to find and initiate charging (and get their discounts). I always keep plug and charge off and primarily use Tesla and EA chargers.

 

[RickMachE]

I define a road trip as having to stop for a public charge. When we left the house to go from the northern suburbs of Detroit to a party in Toledo, I figured 190 miles of range to go 140 miles would be sufficient, so not really a road trip. Now, I am familiar with the term "guessometer", but at 19 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 mph, guessometer doesn't begin to describe it. I was actually losing 1.4 miles of range for every mile I was driving.

So, anywho, I used the Ford pass app and found an EVgo station at a McDonald's 2 miles from our party. With wind chills at 6F, I struggled like hell to get the charge cable into the charge port and still am not sure how I finally got it to happen. The charge rate was pretty quick, and we were ready to go, BUT - for the life of me I could not get the cable back out of the charge port while pushing every release button I could find. Now I weigh 195 and lift weights and there was an even bigger person there who could not get it out either. Turns out, you HAVE TO USE THE KEY FOB to lock and then unlock your car, and then the cable comes right out! Who knew?!?

So with 108 miles showing on the guessometer and 72 miles to go, we drove 62 mph and turned off every electrical accessory except the radio and made it home with 25 miles to spare! Lol

Well thanks for reading my first novel about the Mach-e charging experience and I hope you found something of value in it.

Driving 80mph kills range. Add in 19 degrees and running the heat and you lose more range. You should avoid the term "lose X miles of range for every mile I was driving" since it's not meaningful.

The charge port locking is a new feature. You need to have the vehicle unlocked or the fob in your pocket (or PaaK). White release button next to the charging port, and you should be all set.

To go 140 miles with a 91kWh battery, leaving home with 100%, you would need an efficiency of 1.54 miles per kWh. That's a non-issue - except you were driving 80mph and likely blasting the heat.

Use heated seats and steering wheel. Charge to 100% before departure, and set a departure time while plugged into 240v. 140 miles is easy to achieve under the right conditions.

 

[dan_meh]

I’m with you: a road trip is anything that requires public charging. It’s amazing how long I go with private charging (my favorite thing about driving an EV - no public fueling stations !)

Before I let my “a car is an appliance” wife take her first solo road trip, I made her plug in. We went to a local DCFC and just went through the motions. I tried hard to avoid mansplaining, but it is a thing. It’s not like putting gas in the car.

Listening to your experience and thinking about mine, I think part of the delivery experience should be plugging in. Especially when the dealer has DCFC.

 

[Sikkun]

Battery range EPA rating is for like 60 maybe 65…deff not 80.

 

[mdwinther35]

Google maps/Android auto gives you estimated battery level on arrival. Interesting that it didn't appear to feed your route info back to the GOM though, I'll have to pay closer attention to that next road trip.

 

[Mach T]

Part of dealer training the customer when delivering a new car - excellent idea!

 

[YeOldeTraveller]

Google maps/Android auto gives you estimated battery level on arrival. Interesting that it didn't appear to feed your route info back to the GOM though, I'll have to pay closer attention to that next road trip.

Google Maps tells the car the distance to the next stop, and if that stop is a charger. AFAICT, the GOM will only update based on the on-board navigation, and just gives the no-route value if using Google Maps through AA. I have found the Google Maps arrival SoC estimate to be pretty good. I have lost a couple % from the initial estimate in this recent cold snap, but nothing concerning.

There are now a few good stops south of Detroit on I-75 if you need a top up. There is a Red E site at a BP in Newport, and there is a Pilot at Exit 210 (first exit south of the state line).

 

[ex2bot]

I live south of Lansing. The temps this month in southern Michigan have been brutal. I typically charge to 90% in the winter. Heated seat and steering wheel and heat on low auto at about 70 degrees works great.

 

[Mach T]

Thx for the tips

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