Hurricane Milton EV "Hurrivac" trip report

[Tampamike]

TLDR:
No big issues and lots of traffic. Looked easier to get a charge than to get a fill up in some places.

The longer version:

Decided to go to a friend's house near Athens, GA after a timely invitation. Left the house on Monday to beat the rush. Didn't work. The rush had already started. Left with 2 of us, lots of stuff, two ebikes on the back and a 99% charge. I75 was fulling up fast and the car's nav took us west to the coastal route north which was half highway and half secondary roads. Lots of traffic going through the towns at the lights. There were some sheriffs out there directing the northbound traffic through but not everywhere.

Charging - 4 stops, which was one or maybe two more than I would have in a normal situation. I decided to charge at targets of opportunity as I was concerned with the possibility of full stations. Checking availability with apps, there were some full, like small EA stops.
1) Tesla SC about two miles off the highway in Brooksville, FL. Wide open except for the bright red cyber monster that pulled in. Funny thing was (besides the truck) was that he was asking me charging questions as he was new to EV's and kind of didn't have a clue. Went there at only about 70% just to keep relatively topped off.
2) Tesla SC at WawWa in Crystal River - complete zoo (some WaWa's are that way a lot anyway). Cars circling for gas and heavy traffic on the roads. There were a couple empty slots at the SC but none that I could use. We got the heck out of there and kept going.
3) Tesla SC in Alachua, about 1 1/2 mile off the highway north of Gainesville. Almost empty and no problem.

I75 thinned out north of Gainesville. Saw something I hadn't seen before. They opened the inside shoulder for traffic. I think it helped but it wasn't great driving on it because it was a little narrow with rumble strips to navigate.

4) Tesla SC in Valdosta behind a gas station. Lots of empty slots with parking spots on both sides - angled on one side and straight on the other. On an angled park job the cord won't reach because of the right wheel hitting the curb.
5) Mercedes at Buc-ee's near Macon - superbly engineered electrons at a small premium. Pay through Chargepoint. If you haven't been to a Buc-ee's, it generates it's own atmosphere. Gotta see it to believe it.
So - 4 charges, one pass and no real issues.

Going home on Friday was a little different. Same traffic story. Car took the scenic route again. Saw a lot of rural Florida.
1) Buc-ee's again. It was mobbed. I think it was at capacity. Tesla and Mercedes were busy but not completely full. Took the Benz trons again because it was easier.
2) Pilot/Flying J at Tipton, GA. Worked great and it had a roof! There was a Circle K with chargers right across the street. The environment is definitely improving.
3) FPL at Lake City, FL. This was the only real problem. One unit was listed as out and two more I tried and they didn't work. Didn't have to wait as another car was leaving.
4) EVConnect at a city maintenance facility in Dunellon, FL. Pretty isolated location but they had two units with 4 useable plugs. Had a fault after a few minutes on one, so I just moved to the other and had success.

Biggest issue was traffic heading north. I think it was actually easier to charge at some locations than it was to get gas.

We lucked out. No damage or flooding, just lots of branches down. Only lost power for a few minutes. Could have been a lot worse.

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[New2EV]

Nice write up. I was wondering about the experience of anyone leaving before the hurricane. I'm on the other side of the state, just south of where the hurricane exited. Since most of central FL experienced gas shortage and we didn't lose power, we've been driving mine around to avoid having to find gas for our ICE. It's been nice not having to worry about that...but it's likely a completely different story if power had gone out

 

[Tampamike]

Nice write up. I was wondering about the experience of anyone leaving before the hurricane. I'm on the other side of the state, just south of where the hurricane exited. Since most of central FL experienced gas shortage and we didn't lose power, we've been driving mine around to avoid having to find gas for our ICE. It's been nice not having to worry about that...but it's likely a completely different story if power had gone out

I don’t know. Buddy of mine is worried about getting gas right now because there’sa lot of stations that are out. The ones that aren’t are jammed with long lines. If I had a full charge and stayed, if I’m only driving around here, I could go for up to two weeks without recharging if the power went out.

 

[New2EV]

I don’t know. Buddy of mine is worried about getting gas right now because there’sa lot of stations that are out. The ones that aren’t are jammed with long lines. If I had a full charge and stayed, if I’m only driving around here, I could go for up to two weeks without recharging if the power went out.

I had that hurricane experience when I first moved here. 6 days without power and everyone constantly on the hunt for gas to run generators. It's what made me buy a diesel generator as diesel was much easier to find (and store). Now with the MachE, I don't even bother going to a gas station before a hurricane.

 

[david_quick]

Going to bookmark this for those inevitable questions that pop up, “What do you do in an evacuation like for a hurricane?”.

 

[AhardFSU]

TLDR:
No big issues and lots of traffic. Looked easier to get a charge than to get a fill up in some places.

The longer version:

Decided to go to a friend's house near Athens, GA after a timely invitation. Left the house on Monday to beat the rush. Didn't work. The rush had already started. Left with 2 of us, lots of stuff, two ebikes on the back and a 99% charge. I75 was fulling up fast and the car's nav took us west to the coastal route north which was half highway and half secondary roads. Lots of traffic going through the towns at the lights. There were some sheriffs out there directing the northbound traffic through but not everywhere.

Charging - 4 stops, which was one or maybe two more than I would have in a normal situation. I decided to charge at targets of opportunity as I was concerned with the possibility of full stations. Checking availability with apps, there were some full, like small EA stops.
1) Tesla SC about two miles off the highway in Brooksville, FL. Wide open except for the bright red cyber monster that pulled in. Funny thing was (besides the truck) was that he was asking me charging questions as he was new to EV's and kind of didn't have a clue. Went there at only about 70% just to keep relatively topped off.
2) Tesla SC at WawWa in Crystal River - complete zoo (some WaWa's are that way a lot anyway). Cars circling for gas and heavy traffic on the roads. There were a couple empty slots at the SC but none that I could use. We got the heck out of there and kept going.
3) Tesla SC in Alachua, about 1 1/2 mile off the highway north of Gainesville. Almost empty and no problem.

I75 thinned out north of Gainesville. Saw something I hadn't seen before. They opened the inside shoulder for traffic. I think it helped but it wasn't great driving on it because it was a little narrow with rumble strips to navigate.

4) Tesla SC in Valdosta behind a gas station. Lots of empty slots with parking spots on both sides - angled on one side and straight on the other. On an angled park job the cord won't reach because of the right wheel hitting the curb.
5) Mercedes at Buc-ee's near Macon - superbly engineered electrons at a small premium. Pay through Chargepoint. If you haven't been to a Buc-ee's, it generates it's own atmosphere. Gotta see it to believe it.
So - 4 charges, one pass and no real issues.

Going home on Friday was a little different. Same traffic story. Car took the scenic route again. Saw a lot of rural Florida.
1) Buc-ee's again. It was mobbed. I think it was at capacity. Tesla and Mercedes were busy but not completely full. Took the Benz trons again because it was easier.
2) Pilot/Flying J at Tipton, GA. Worked great and it had a roof! There was a Circle K with chargers right across the street. The environment is definitely improving.
3) FPL at Lake City, FL. This was the only real problem. One unit was listed as out and two more I tried and they didn't work. Didn't have to wait as another car was leaving.
4) EVConnect at a city maintenance facility in Dunellon, FL. Pretty isolated location but they had two units with 4 useable plugs. Had a fault after a few minutes on one, so I just moved to the other and had success.

Biggest issue was traffic heading north. I think it was actually easier to charge at some locations than it was to get gas.

We lucked out. No damage or flooding, just lots of branches down. Only lost power for a few minutes. Could have been a lot worse.

I stayed in my home in Riverview. I put the shutters and sat thru it as the edge of the hurricane eye came through Riverview. I charged my Mach E to 80% before the hurricane came through. No damage here at the house and my neighborhood, which has 2,000 homes didn't lose power. Lot of oak trees and telephone poles down.

Glad to here that there were no major issues at your place. It's funny that you mention the FPL charging station in Lake City. I stopped there to charge in April of this year on my way to Destin. I was able to successfully charge there and all of the chargers worked. I like your strategy of avoiding stations that are likely to be full.

 

[Tampamike]

I stayed in my home in Riverview. I put the shutters and sat thru it as the edge of the hurricane eye came through Riverview. I charged my Mach E to 80% before the hurricane came through. No damage here at the house and my neighborhood, which has 2,000 homes didn't lose power. Lot of oak trees and telephone poles down.

Glad to here that there were no major issues at your place. It's funny that you mention the FPL charging station in Lake City. I stopped there to charge in April of this year on my way to Destin. I was able to successfully charge there and all of the chargers worked. I like your strategy of avoiding stations that are likely to be full.

Yeah, I’ve charged there before with no problem. I was surprised that I failed on two units that were not noticed “out.” In general, it seems the FPL network is pretty reliable. Some are a little slower - 80 kw’s, but not prohibitively so, as the price is right. I hope they keep building more.

 

[AhardFSU]

Yeah, I’ve charged there before with no problem. I was surprised that I failed on two units that were not noticed “out.” In general, it seems the FPL network is pretty reliable. Some are a little slower - 80 kw’s, but not prohibitively so, as the price is right. I hope they keep building more.

FPL does seem to be reliable for the most part. I used the FPL station in Ft Walton Bch when I was in Destin and it wasn't a bad experience. As you said the speeds are a little slow, but they'll do in a pinch.

 

[Sikkun]

3) FPL at Lake City, FL. This was the only real problem. One unit was listed as out and two more I tried and they didn't work. Didn't have to wait as another car was leaving.

I have had issues with that station before. Both times I just kept trying until a machine finally connected. Not sure what’s up with it because it gets a decent amount of traffic.

 

[timbop]

TLDR:
No big issues and lots of traffic. Looked easier to get a charge than to get a fill up in some places.

The longer version:

Decided to go to a friend's house near Athens, GA after a timely invitation. Left the house on Monday to beat the rush. Didn't work. The rush had already started. Left with 2 of us, lots of stuff, two ebikes on the back and a 99% charge. I75 was fulling up fast and the car's nav took us west to the coastal route north which was half highway and half secondary roads. Lots of traffic going through the towns at the lights. There were some sheriffs out there directing the northbound traffic through but not everywhere.

Charging - 4 stops, which was one or maybe two more than I would have in a normal situation. I decided to charge at targets of opportunity as I was concerned with the possibility of full stations. Checking availability with apps, there were some full, like small EA stops.
1) Tesla SC about two miles off the highway in Brooksville, FL. Wide open except for the bright red cyber monster that pulled in. Funny thing was (besides the truck) was that he was asking me charging questions as he was new to EV's and kind of didn't have a clue. Went there at only about 70% just to keep relatively topped off.
2) Tesla SC at WawWa in Crystal River - complete zoo (some WaWa's are that way a lot anyway). Cars circling for gas and heavy traffic on the roads. There were a couple empty slots at the SC but none that I could use. We got the heck out of there and kept going.
3) Tesla SC in Alachua, about 1 1/2 mile off the highway north of Gainesville. Almost empty and no problem.

I75 thinned out north of Gainesville. Saw something I hadn't seen before. They opened the inside shoulder for traffic. I think it helped but it wasn't great driving on it because it was a little narrow with rumble strips to navigate.

4) Tesla SC in Valdosta behind a gas station. Lots of empty slots with parking spots on both sides - angled on one side and straight on the other. On an angled park job the cord won't reach because of the right wheel hitting the curb.
5) Mercedes at Buc-ee's near Macon - superbly engineered electrons at a small premium. Pay through Chargepoint. If you haven't been to a Buc-ee's, it generates it's own atmosphere. Gotta see it to believe it.
So - 4 charges, one pass and no real issues.

Going home on Friday was a little different. Same traffic story. Car took the scenic route again. Saw a lot of rural Florida.
1) Buc-ee's again. It was mobbed. I think it was at capacity. Tesla and Mercedes were busy but not completely full. Took the Benz trons again because it was easier.
2) Pilot/Flying J at Tipton, GA. Worked great and it had a roof! There was a Circle K with chargers right across the street. The environment is definitely improving.
3) FPL at Lake City, FL. This was the only real problem. One unit was listed as out and two more I tried and they didn't work. Didn't have to wait as another car was leaving.
4) EVConnect at a city maintenance facility in Dunellon, FL. Pretty isolated location but they had two units with 4 useable plugs. Had a fault after a few minutes on one, so I just moved to the other and had success.

Biggest issue was traffic heading north. I think it was actually easier to charge at some locations than it was to get gas.

We lucked out. No damage or flooding, just lots of branches down. Only lost power for a few minutes. Could have been a lot worse.

Good to see that you made it through OK!

 

[ChasingCoral]

TLDR:
No big issues and lots of traffic. Looked easier to get a charge than to get a fill up in some places.

The longer version:

Decided to go to a friend's house near Athens, GA after a timely invitation. Left the house on Monday to beat the rush. Didn't work. The rush had already started. Left with 2 of us, lots of stuff, two ebikes on the back and a 99% charge. I75 was fulling up fast and the car's nav took us west to the coastal route north which was half highway and half secondary roads. Lots of traffic going through the towns at the lights. There were some sheriffs out there directing the northbound traffic through but not everywhere.

Charging - 4 stops, which was one or maybe two more than I would have in a normal situation. I decided to charge at targets of opportunity as I was concerned with the possibility of full stations. Checking availability with apps, there were some full, like small EA stops.
1) Tesla SC about two miles off the highway in Brooksville, FL. Wide open except for the bright red cyber monster that pulled in. Funny thing was (besides the truck) was that he was asking me charging questions as he was new to EV's and kind of didn't have a clue. Went there at only about 70% just to keep relatively topped off.
2) Tesla SC at WawWa in Crystal River - complete zoo (some WaWa's are that way a lot anyway). Cars circling for gas and heavy traffic on the roads. There were a couple empty slots at the SC but none that I could use. We got the heck out of there and kept going.
3) Tesla SC in Alachua, about 1 1/2 mile off the highway north of Gainesville. Almost empty and no problem.

I75 thinned out north of Gainesville. Saw something I hadn't seen before. They opened the inside shoulder for traffic. I think it helped but it wasn't great driving on it because it was a little narrow with rumble strips to navigate.

4) Tesla SC in Valdosta behind a gas station. Lots of empty slots with parking spots on both sides - angled on one side and straight on the other. On an angled park job the cord won't reach because of the right wheel hitting the curb.
5) Mercedes at Buc-ee's near Macon - superbly engineered electrons at a small premium. Pay through Chargepoint. If you haven't been to a Buc-ee's, it generates it's own atmosphere. Gotta see it to believe it.
So - 4 charges, one pass and no real issues.

Going home on Friday was a little different. Same traffic story. Car took the scenic route again. Saw a lot of rural Florida.
1) Buc-ee's again. It was mobbed. I think it was at capacity. Tesla and Mercedes were busy but not completely full. Took the Benz trons again because it was easier.
2) Pilot/Flying J at Tipton, GA. Worked great and it had a roof! There was a Circle K with chargers right across the street. The environment is definitely improving.
3) FPL at Lake City, FL. This was the only real problem. One unit was listed as out and two more I tried and they didn't work. Didn't have to wait as another car was leaving.
4) EVConnect at a city maintenance facility in Dunellon, FL. Pretty isolated location but they had two units with 4 useable plugs. Had a fault after a few minutes on one, so I just moved to the other and had success.

Biggest issue was traffic heading north. I think it was actually easier to charge at some locations than it was to get gas.

We lucked out. No damage or flooding, just lots of branches down. Only lost power for a few minutes. Could have been a lot worse.

Glad you're getting the real story out. Too many people, including on here, who seem to think they know it all based on FUD.

 

[mkhuffman]

Thanks for the thread! This is about what I expected, except I did expect the DCFC stations to be more congested than you found. That is good news. And also glad to hear you didn't have any damage at your home.

 

[67 Stang Convertible]

Going home on Friday was a little different. Same traffic story. Car took the scenic route again. Saw a lot of rural Florida.
1) Buc-ee's again. It was mobbed. I think it was at capacity. Tesla and Mercedes were busy but not completely full. Took the Benz trons again because it was easier.

[/QUOTE]
Just an FYI, went to that Buc-ee's on Friday Oct. 3rd and Sunday Oct 5th. Yes there are ChargePoint Mercedes Chargers. But there are also V3 Superchargers on the back of the property for those interested. I did have to wait about 3min for a Tesla Charger (all stalls were full and it was in the middle so I took up 2 spots!! I took a few "glares my way" and then went into the Walmart of Gas Stations!!! Not my cup of tea as they say; but my daughter gets a kick out of the place.

 

[Tampamike]

Going home on Friday was a little different. Same traffic story. Car took the scenic route again. Saw a lot of rural Florida.
1) Buc-ee's again. It was mobbed. I think it was at capacity. Tesla and Mercedes were busy but not completely full. Took the Benz trons again because it was easier.

Just an FYI, went to that Buc-ee's on Friday Oct. 3rd and Sunday Oct 5th. Yes there are ChargePoint Mercedes Chargers. But there are also V3 Superchargers on the back of the property for those interested. I did have to wait about 3min for a Tesla Charger (all stalls were full and it was in the middle so I took up 2 spots!! I took a few "glares my way" and then went into the Walmart of Gas Stations!!! Not my cup of tea as they say; but my daughter gets a kick out of the place.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I figured with all the urgent demand at the time, that it was more prudent to just roll to the open MB charger and not take up two spots. I did swing by the Tesla side first to see if there was an end unit open but there wasn’t. The price difference, I think, was $0.51 vs $0.37 with Teslas membership.

 

[ADDZ71]

Just a side note to others who lose power from a natural disaster or other reason. We live in Western NC and I found that having a small backup battery (Jackery 1000) to run the necessities (refrigerator specifically) was a very efficient method. It ran our fridge for 12-14 hours on a charge and took about one hour to recharge using our small Honda generator. I should have used the MME to recharge the battery but I did not think about it. The way we operated prevented the generator from running for long hours making noise and consuming excessive gasoline. I think for sure my next vehicle will have V2H capability as we still were without running water since we are on a well that requires 240 service.

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