No more road trips with our Mach-E. A 2 hour drive to Joshua Tree turns into a 3 hour drive.

[Phil Martin]

Let's see - Ford is mandating that dealers put in DC fast chargers. There are about 2,000 dealers that have agreed to do so.



You should never buy an EV. You get out, connect, get back in the car. When it's done (25 - 35 minutes, not 45-60), you get out and unplug.

But it's clear, EVs aren't for you. Don't buy one.

I'd have to be an idiot if I bought one, I drive more than most here, 50+K every year. Our 2.5 year old plug-in hybrid already has over 115K miles on it. That would be too many countless hours and too much frustration at CCS chargers with any BEV.

You're using ideal conditions, of course. Be realistic and include the planning, re-routing, weather, temps, waiting, and frustration just like the OP mentioned.

Charging in abandoned parking lots/Walmart parking lots for 40+ minutes is not the future of travel...Neither is needing multiple charging apps. Then another app just to plan and study your routes. Then another app to read through reviews to try and figure out if the chargers on your travel route actually work or not. Then phone calls to EA, etc to do the notorious charger resets.

I was a EV advocate but the OP is 100% correct. The CCS fast charging network is in very sad shape, so bad that the government is having to inject billions to keep it from total collapse. The simple truth is there is no money to be made in design, installing, maintaining and operating a independent charging network. I always read on forums "within five years, things will be much better". What's going to magically happen in five years? Are owners/operators of charging networks going to magically start generating vast profits enough to be self sustaining and entice others to join? LOL.

Tesla thrives in charging because they hook each car they sell into their charging network. A better charging experience, the more cars they sell. The CCS network has no such advantage. In fact it's the opposite, the more uptime the CCS network invokes, the more expensive it is to operate. That's why half the chargers are always busted, how do you profit selling electricity from $80K chargers a piece? The CCS model should mimic Tesla's to survive.

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[mwtechy]

https://www.teslarati.com/wyoming-phase-out-evs-2035/

Maybe this will be declared illegal as states interfering with interstate commerce since that belongs to the federal gov.

As far as lack of capacity on the grid, we're well overdue to start building new nuclear power plants that have better safety than anything that has failed so far. Not to mention we don't all have coal and wood stored in our basements anymore, not that our houses are even small enough anymore to be warmed by wood fireplaces. Grids going down means food and $ lost not to mention lives lost today while just a 100 years ago it didn't. Our girds need to be more distributed, people need to install solar roofs...lots of things need to change for the better and EVs are just another factor pushing things in that direction not the only one. We've all become fat happy little consumers unaware of how quickly things can change when we depend so heavily on the current power grid. Blaming EVs for its failures is just a joke to me. Free market republicans denying what should happen when demand increases is also funny to me. Demand increases, power companies build more ways to make money off of that demand by building new power plants and getting the federal or state governments to pay for it.

Graphene/solid state batteries will change things drastically making EVs the ones with the longer range. Today already they can't keep EVs on the lot because the cost of gas and lower maintenance means an EV pays for itself long term. It's clear the market has already chosen which way to go with this.

All that being said, once gas subsidies worldwide go away things will change even more. When refineries begin shutting down prices will go up even more. I fully expect in 30 years for gas cars to be the luxury item not the other way around. But on the bright side they already know how to generate gas from thin air making it carbon neutral so it's likely to never fully go away.

 

[Subdude]

I have a few points:

• Are you using Plug & Charge? You shouldn't have to mess with station activation. You can also set up Autocharge+ on EVgo.
• You can check EA live availability in the Ford navigation system. Assuming the data is correct, you could have seen the EA station was full on the way there and stopped somewhere else. Or done the same in the EA app.
• After having trouble at the first EVgo station, why didn't you go to the other EVgo station 1 mile away that has great reviews on PlugShare? The one you tried has horrible reviews.
• I think having your wife block a charging spot so you could jump the line wasn't cool. First come first serve is how it always should work.
• If your car has trouble with DCFC stations, it may need an OBCC module update to improve compatibility. You can check with Mike G to see if it's available for you car (you may have gotten it as an OTA).
• Tesla route planning and Supercharger availability is certainly better, but like you said you can only blame so much on Ford here. It's not Ford's fault the charging stations are busy or broken. The Ford nav also tells you where to stop and how much to charge too just like Tesla.
• Stopping at the station at night on the way back probably would have been the better choice. Not as busy. Pro tip right there, travel/charge at night so you get empty stations and higher charge rates. 12 PM to 6 PM on a weekend is the worst time to go to an EA station.

In a nutshell, I feel like you took the EA station availability for granted traveling at a peak time, which caused you to get angry because it was busy. If you're in a hurry, you should check the station status on the way and divert to an alternate charging station if necessary. The EA stations can get really busy at peak times, which is why traveling early in the morning or at night is better. You should set up and use Plug & Charge to save the aggravation, that works way better than using a credit card. Getting that OBCC update may help too. But if you're that angry, go ahead and sell the Mach-E and get a Tesla. They're cheap right now.

 

[Subdude]

I'd have to be an idiot if I bought one, I drive more than most here, 50+K every year. Our 2.5 year old plug-in hybrid already has over 115K miles on it. That would be too many countless hours and too much frustration at CCS chargers with any BEV.

You're using ideal conditions, of course. Be realistic and include the planning, re-routing, weather, temps, waiting, and frustration just like the OP mentioned.

Charging in abandoned parking lots/Walmart parking lots for 40+ minutes is not the future of travel...Neither is needing multiple charging apps. Then another app just to plan and study your routes. Then another app to read through reviews to try and figure out if the chargers on your travel route actually work or not. Then phone calls to EA, etc to do the notorious charger resets.

I was a EV advocate but the OP is 100% correct. The CCS fast charging network is in very sad shape, so bad that the government is having to inject billions to keep it from total collapse. The simple truth is there is no money to be made in design, installing, maintaining and operating a independent charging network. I always read on forums "within five years, things will be much better". What's going to magically happen in five years? Are owners/operators of charging networks going to magically start generating vast profits enough to be self sustaining and entice others to join? LOL.

Tesla thrives in charging because they hook each car they sell into their charging network. A better charging experience, the more cars they sell. The CCS network has no such advantage. In fact it's the opposite, the more uptime the CCS network invokes, the more expensive it is to operate. That's why half the chargers are always busted, how do you profit selling electricity from $80K chargers a piece? The CCS model should mimic Tesla's to survive.

I've had my 2022 Mach e a month and am still learning. Trying to plan a trip from NC to TX in a week or so and have been scouring the Internet trying to plan the trip. The Ford nav app won't give me a route that goes through Atlanta. I have to put in NC to Atlanta as one trip and then go from there. I would like to stop overnight a couple of times but can't figure out the best way to find hotels that offer charging. Any advice for planning a trip like this would be deeply appreciated. If I get to TX without too much trouble, I may go on to the west coast. I'm not on a schedule . . .

 

[AllenXS]

I've had my 2022 Mach e a month and am still learning. Trying to plan a trip from NC to TX in a week or so and have been scouring the Internet trying to plan the trip. The Ford nav app won't give me a route that goes through Atlanta. I have to put in NC to Atlanta as one trip and then go from there. I would like to stop overnight a couple of times but can't figure out the best way to find hotels that offer charging. Any advice for planning a trip like this would be deeply appreciated. If I get to TX without too much trouble, I may go on to the west coast. I'm not on a schedule . . .

Map of Hotels with EV Charging | PlugShare

Expedia also has EV charging as a searchable item (amenities)

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

I've had my 2022 Mach e a month and am still learning. Trying to plan a trip from NC to TX in a week or so and have been scouring the Internet trying to plan the trip. The Ford nav app won't give me a route that goes through Atlanta. I have to put in NC to Atlanta as one trip and then go from there. I would like to stop overnight a couple of times but can't figure out the best way to find hotels that offer charging. Any advice for planning a trip like this would be deeply appreciated. If I get to TX without too much trouble, I may go on to the west coast. I'm not on a schedule . . .

A Better Route Planner might be a good tool for you.

https://abetterrouteplanner.com/

 

[devmach-e]

https://www.teslarati.com/wyoming-phase-out-evs-2035/

Purely symbolic, and not legally binding. Just lame posturing and negative virtue signaling.

 

[mkhuffman]

Five pages?

Here is the summary: DCFC sucks. And I 100% agree.

I will say it is taking longer to get unbearable than I thought it would. I expected every DCFC stop would require a wait by the end of last year. My trips have not reached that point yet. But still. It does suck. And my wife hates it, so there is zero chance she is getting a BEV any time soon.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

Five pages?

Here is the summary: DCFC sucks. And I 100% agree.

I will say it is taking longer to get unbearable than I thought it would. I expected every DCFC stop would require a wait by the end of last year. My trips have not reached that point yet. But still. It does suck. And my wife hates it, so there is zero chance she is getting a BEV any time soon.

Two years ago, when I bought these cars, I was sure DCFCing was on the upswing. There were grand plans to add more stations. I figured in a couple years this stuff would be super easy. Instead it’s gotten harder. There are more stations. But less WORKING plugs. And with more congestion. So I agree it is becoming unbearable and may reach even my breaking point soon.

 

[KevinS]

As I said earlier, this ain't for everyone.

Personally, if I were a frequent road-tripper, I'd get a PHEV.

However, I'm not and have only had to use a DCFC about 6 times (had to count it up!) since getting the car in October 2021. Having a dog helps, because the stop gives her a bathroom break as well.

 

[KevinS]

Two years ago, when I bought these cars, I was sure DCFCing was on the upswing. There were grand plans to add more stations. I figured in a couple years this stuff would be super easy. Instead it’s gotten harder. There are more stations. But less WORKING plugs. And with more congestion. So I agree it is becoming unbearable and may reach even my breaking point soon.

All the free charging plans some manufacturers are offering is the issue. In contrast, I haven't even touched my 250kW credit that expires in October yet.

 

[mkhuffman]

All the free charging plans some manufacturers are offering is the issue. In contrast, I haven't even touched my 250kW credit that expires in October yet.

Absolutely. Free sounds great but it really isnt. Everything needs a cost associated with it or it creates unlimited demand. With a severely limited supply, shortages are the result.

Seriously, there are people who could charge at home but are using a DCFC because it is free. And don't get me started about the "free" chargers in my office parking garage. The freeloaders there are off the charts.

 

[jetermeyer]

EU just required iPhones to have USB C charge port. Making apple get rid of their unique plug. There is talk about the same for Telsa. In the end Tesla will need to convert. Their charging infastructure will become more valuable if they open it up. It will be charging as a service to generate more revenue. We see these challeges all the time in technolgy and they take time to work themselves out. I home charge and take 250 mile trips all the time. Agreed I won't take it on longer trips especially if time is an issue. Lucky enough to have an ICE vehicle for those trips. So perfect solution and in the past 2 years put way more miles on my MME then ICE based on normal trips. Tesla had to invest in charging or they had no product as early entry. The new infa bill is investing billions in of charging stations. At some point Tesla's model unless they open it up will not be able to compete price wise with of EV companies that didn't have to invest in charging stations.

 

[Mirak]

This thread is volume 1,385 of: new EV owner discovers and whines that road trip charging can be a real pain in the ass, and then 29 forum users helpfully respond “it’s really quite simple - just take these 14 steps next time.”

Rinse, repeat.

 

[Joanna84]

Then you're not on the right highways... Ford has over 3,000 dealers. Many are visible from the highway.

Based on your comments, I wouldn't keep the car. It's not for you. Simply reading your posts since July screams that. And you've had it for 6 months and didn't turn on Plug and Charge, which is a day 1 thing to do, to use your free charging hours? What app are you using to charge?

But of course that's your choice to keep it or not, you've just had a pissed off bent for 6 months of posts.

Does using plug and charge still mean you can't get the lower EA membership rate or did they fix that?

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