Mopey
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- John
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2019
- Threads
- 18
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- 588
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- 1,407
- Location
- Alaska
- Vehicles
- 21 MME GTPE, 22 Lightning Lariat
- Thread starter
- #1
The first Mach-E charging, at Alaska's first CCS DC Fast Charger*, was a success. The 50Kw DC charger was installed a few miles south of the entrance to Denali Park in late July and, thanks to some previous issues with the credit card reader, the charger was configured in the "No Charge" mode. The unit is a dual cable (CCS and Chaedmo with a Tesla adapter attached). So, something for everybody on a single charger - the wave of the future, hopefully.
No real surprises with an actual charging rate of 44.4kWh up to 80% then dropping to 22.2kWh above 80%. I charged to 82% and used 50kW in 74 minutes. Through the great efforts of a couple of entrepreneurs from southern Alaska (ReCharge Alaska), an EV enthusiast landowner near Denali Park, and a grant from the interior Alaska COOP utility (GVEA) it is now possible for most newer models of EVs to drive from Fairbanks to Anchorage without spending 4-5 hours charging at a campground. The location also makes it possible to visit Denali Park from either city, and make it back, without spending that same half a day charging somewhere. For now, Alaska's DC chargers will be limited to 50kw while the state's regulatory agencies catchup to the 21st century. A state sponsored DC fast charging network is well under way, so in a couple of years there should be DC chargers every 90 miles or so on the state's 3 main highways connecting Fairbanks and Anchorage with the Canadian border. The Canadians are doing their part and are busy building fast chargers along western and northwestern Canadian roads.
The Mach E was an AWD LR Battery FE from Fairbanks. The DC charger was a 50kw Tritium Model (Australian Manufacturer).
The landowner\site host let me drive his Model Y while we were waiting. Better performance than the Mach E but the interior really is bland. I also found the single landscape display very busy and hard to quickly find the info I was looking for. Also weird not having a start button. The owner did complain how his Y never really shutdown completely and unplugged, in cold weather he would lose 5-7% charge overnight. I left my Mach E out in cold weather, not plugged in, and lost less than 5% charge in 5 weeks. He is seriously looking at buying a Mach E or Lightning.
A few pictures to show how DC charging is done the Alaskan way - no sipping your foo-foo, Capa-latte, bat-regurgitated coffee from the Starbucks next door while you play video games on your phone in your well-lit and pristine asphalt parking lots. Oh yeah, no toilets either, so plan on bringing your empty Starbucks coffee cup along.
* Full disclosure: There is a 25kWh charger at a Chevy dealer in Wasilla, just north of Anchorage, but I assumed no Mach Es have charged there yet.
No real surprises with an actual charging rate of 44.4kWh up to 80% then dropping to 22.2kWh above 80%. I charged to 82% and used 50kW in 74 minutes. Through the great efforts of a couple of entrepreneurs from southern Alaska (ReCharge Alaska), an EV enthusiast landowner near Denali Park, and a grant from the interior Alaska COOP utility (GVEA) it is now possible for most newer models of EVs to drive from Fairbanks to Anchorage without spending 4-5 hours charging at a campground. The location also makes it possible to visit Denali Park from either city, and make it back, without spending that same half a day charging somewhere. For now, Alaska's DC chargers will be limited to 50kw while the state's regulatory agencies catchup to the 21st century. A state sponsored DC fast charging network is well under way, so in a couple of years there should be DC chargers every 90 miles or so on the state's 3 main highways connecting Fairbanks and Anchorage with the Canadian border. The Canadians are doing their part and are busy building fast chargers along western and northwestern Canadian roads.
The Mach E was an AWD LR Battery FE from Fairbanks. The DC charger was a 50kw Tritium Model (Australian Manufacturer).
The landowner\site host let me drive his Model Y while we were waiting. Better performance than the Mach E but the interior really is bland. I also found the single landscape display very busy and hard to quickly find the info I was looking for. Also weird not having a start button. The owner did complain how his Y never really shutdown completely and unplugged, in cold weather he would lose 5-7% charge overnight. I left my Mach E out in cold weather, not plugged in, and lost less than 5% charge in 5 weeks. He is seriously looking at buying a Mach E or Lightning.
A few pictures to show how DC charging is done the Alaskan way - no sipping your foo-foo, Capa-latte, bat-regurgitated coffee from the Starbucks next door while you play video games on your phone in your well-lit and pristine asphalt parking lots. Oh yeah, no toilets either, so plan on bringing your empty Starbucks coffee cup along.
* Full disclosure: There is a 25kWh charger at a Chevy dealer in Wasilla, just north of Anchorage, but I assumed no Mach Es have charged there yet.
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