Florida Trip Advice

[FinCrimesJD]

Hey all,

I'll be doing a cross country drive here in a few months to get a feel for using an EV for road trips and wanted some advice, especially from the Florida owners.

My journey is going to take me from the Midwest, down through central Florida, then down to the Keys, then back home. I am planning on purchasing a Tesla adapter for times when a destination charger can be used since I highly doubt any U.S. superchargers will be adjusted to CCS anytime soon and I don't want to assume all types of charging CCS/Tesla would be available.

For those in Florida or anyone who's taken a similar journey, what advice (apart from watching the vehicle's charge) does anyone have? Any specific locations to avoid, see, etc. especially at or near charging stations? For those that have done the drive, what hiccups did you encounter?

Thank you all in advance.

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[TGIF]

I live part time in the Florida panhandle. Fast chargers are rarely found here, although there are a number of Level 2 chargers. I recommend you plan your basic route carefully. ABRP and PlugShare seem to be pretty accurate.

 

[voxel]

There are plenty of chargers along the Turnpike (Ronald Regan) and I-95 along the east coast. You should not have any issues.

The problem is side trips off those highways can be sketchy north of Orlando. PlugShare will show you CCS chargers that are at Harley dealerships or parking garages only open during daytime business hours. Stick with EA, FPL Evolution, Duke, and EVGo chargers.

Once you hit Port St. Lucie and West Palm... there are CCS chargers everywhere.

 

[BryCola]

I just got back from a trip to south Florida on Monday...from South Carolina. It was a 10 hour drive, and I had no problems at all finding Electrify America chargers going down the east cost of Florida on 95. As a matter of fact, I was pleasantly surprised at the whole process. The plug and play worked perfectly. I got between an 80% and 90% charge in 20 to 30 minutes. I used that time to take a break and have lunch, or just walk around Walmart to stretch my legs for a few minutes. My first road trip in my Mach E was great. I was surprised that I only saw one other Mach E though.

 

[timbop]

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...ning-with-abrp-abetterrouteplanner-com.12504/
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/scarlett-the-road-warrior-with-scars-to-prove-it.10369/

 

[Tampamike]

I live in Tampa and have driven north plenty of times and down to Key West once. I-75 is covered pretty well. Gainesville Target EA has been a problem spot as it there have been frequent inop chargers. There’s an EA near Naples for the trip across the Everglades. I believe there is one on Key Largo and then there is one EA at a bank parking lot in Key West. MKe sure you have the EA, FPL Evolution , ChargePoint and EVGo apps. That pretty much covers it. It’s a piece of cake. You won’t need the Tesla adaptor.

 

[FinCrimesJD]

I live part time in the Florida panhandle. Fast chargers are rarely found here, although there are a number of Level 2 chargers. I recommend you plan your basic route carefully. ABRP and PlugShare seem to be pretty accurate.

That's sort of the thought process I had, map out the general route down using a few apps while also knowing the car navigation will be there to help as well, but be mentally prepared to adjust things accordingly.

 

[RockwallRick]

Don’t travel during Love Bug Season!!! ( May or September )

 

[FinCrimesJD]

There are plenty of chargers along the Turnpike (Ronald Regan) and I-95 along the east coast. You should not have any issues.

The problem is side trips off those highways can be sketchy north of Orlando. PlugShare will show you CCS chargers that are at Harley dealerships or parking garages only open during daytime business hours. Stick with EA, FPL Evolution, Duke, and EVGo chargers.

Once you hit Port St. Lucie and West Palm... there are CCS chargers everywhere.

Thats good info to have! My preliminary route has me cutting through Orlando since that's near where I have famil, then cut to the east coast, but I was thinking of crossing down through the gulf side to head towards Tampa to scout relocation locations in the hopefully near future.

 

[FinCrimesJD]

Don’t travel during Love Bug Season!!! ( May or September )

We have that here in South Dakota as well, which is why I got the PPF treatment! Lol Hopefully we'll get some cool days or rain storms to help lessen any "bug swarm" drive through we encounter. I'll make sure to plan some extra cash just for car washes. Lol

 

[FinCrimesJD]

I just got back from a trip to south Florida on Monday...from South Carolina. It was a 10 hour drive, and I had no problems at all finding Electrify America chargers going down the east cost of Florida on 95. As a matter of fact, I was pleasantly surprised at the whole process. The plug and play worked perfectly. I got between an 80% and 90% charge in 20 to 30 minutes. I used that time to take a break and have lunch, or just walk around Walmart to stretch my legs for a few minutes. My first road trip in my Mach E was great. I was surprised that I only saw one other Mach E though.

Considering how many forum members are down there, yeah, that strikes me as odd too.

Glad to hear the trip went well. I hope to have a similar experience because putting approx. 5k miles round-trip on a new car is a new experience for me.

 

[FinCrimesJD]

I live in Tampa and have driven north plenty of times and down to Key West once. I-75 is covered pretty well. Gainesville Target EA has been a problem spot as it there have been frequent inop chargers. There’s an EA near Naples for the trip across the Everglades. I believe there is one on Key Largo and then there is one EA at a bank parking lot in Key West. MKe sure you have the EA, FPL Evolution , ChargePoint and EVGo apps. That pretty much covers it. It’s a piece of cake. You won’t need the Tesla adaptor.

I figure the adapter will help out a bit while still here in the Midwest and for peace of mind, but hoping like you said, that I won't need it.

All things considered, you guys seem fairly covered by charging networks so I'm pretty stoked to see how things play out.

 

[Norm in NC]

Just completed a 2,800 mile trip from Raleigh to Ft. Lauderdale, up to Stuart and Palm Coast, then to New Orleans. FL was easy. With ABRP, you might be routed from I-95 to the Turnpike for an FPL charger, but EA was about everywhere. As others have stated, from 20-80% takes about 25 minutes @ 150. I bought the Tesla adapter from the maker but didn't need it. While staying with a friend, I used the adapter that came with the car and plugged it into a 110 socket overnight.
Really pleased with the car.
It's smooth and quiet. The tight suspension makes it a bit "hoppy" on some concrete roads. Good city car in New Orleans.
It's fun to visit with other EV owners at some of the chargers.
Note: You won't get electrocuted if you plug in while it's raining.
Good spot for your phone while running CarPlay is tucked behind the screen, just to the right of the starter button. A bit of cool air will keep the phone from overheating.
A nice aside - the clothes rod for the back seat is close to the front seats. When you take clothes out, passengers can actually sit in the back seat without hitting the rod.
With ABRP, check the various stops to see that the chargers are all working and review what's in the vicinity. Very helpful. Also, the FordPass has a great section to find chargers.
The MME looks great with the Ocean in the background.
People want to look at the car - everywhere!
Enjoy your trip.

 

[Haven]

I took a trip from Michigan all the way to Naples via I75 as I stayed for 3 months in the winter. I found Electrify America for most of the trip and the plug and charge works perfectly. i stayed with family and spent $150 to have a 240v circuit put in so I could use my mobile charger while there. The navigation system worked great with via points to charge.

I did take a trip north of Tampa/St Pete on the west side and found several level 2 chargers in Tarpon Spring and then again in St Pete that were not functional even though the online apps said they were good. I spent some time trying to find a place to plug in. I ended up charging at a Nissan dealership as it was close to my hotel. I asked and they let me charge there twice. So the lesson is to plan according when you are off the major highways and have multiple options should you encounter any issue. That way you wont stress too much.

I used Plug Share and ABRP. Get very familiar with these apps if you are not already. ABRP can give you some other options that the nav system might overlook and save you a stop. I also found the trip planning feature in Ford Pass to be helpful too. Given it was my first long trip, I planned with a few different tools to get the results I wanted and have backup options too.

I don’t think you will need a Tesla adaptor either.

Have fun!

 

[Zer0t]

Download FPL evolution app.
https://www.fpl.com/electric-vehicles/evolution/home.html

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