Planning a road trip

aschliem

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Hi - I am trying to plan a lengthy road trip and find chargers along the way in the Ford pass app. I’ve seen comments stating to select the trips option on the map.

I don’t see this as an option. Is it possible I am missing something or doing this wrong?

Thanks!
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AKgrampy

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Hi - I am trying to plan a lengthy road trip and find chargers along the way in the Ford pass app. I’ve seen comments stating to select the trips option on the map.

I don’t see this as an option. Is it possible I am missing something or doing this wrong?

Thanks!
Do not have my Mach but just went to Map on Ford PASS. Clicked on map. Clicked on map icon a second time and charging was an option. Brought up local charging stations and some in Anchorage 350 miles away) Seems like a starting point for you. May get a better search on your screen in the car than on Ford Pass. Good luck! Some good YouTube videos describing options to plan a road trip.
 
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Tampamike

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Hi - I am trying to plan a lengthy road trip and find chargers along the way in the Ford pass app. I’ve seen comments stating to select the trips option on the map.

I don’t see this as an option. Is it possible I am missing something or doing this wrong?

Thanks!
In the app, select the “map” icon at the bottom. You should then see the map with a window containing 6 icons - one is “charging.” If you tap that, it will show you the chargers in the displayed map area. Zoom the map in or out or move to a different area and do it again and it will show you the chargers in the new area.
The Trip Planner will find chargers along the way based on you start and endpoint.

Do yourself a favor - get the Electrify America and PlugShare apps. You will probably be mainly using EA chargers. Get the Pass+ membership at $4/month. You will make that back on the first charge. You can disable that membership level at the end of your trip and not pay any more monthly fees.
PlugShare is a good source for seeing reviews of stations, I.e., is it working and also it is a good source if you are going off the interstates and need some other options besides EA.
Good luck.
 

Quick Sliver

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I would strongly suggest using a 3rd party app like plugshare for your trip planning. The ford pass app is fine, but plugshare has charger reviews from a bigger pool of EV users, so your reviews are likely to be more current.
 

NJDevFan30

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A few suggestions:

1. Start by planning your trip with abetterrouteplanner.com. It'll give you a level of comfort with what charging options are available, how often you need to charge, fall back options, etc. It can be conservative but for a first trip, better that way than the other way around.

2. Plugshare is great for checking on charger availability while on the go... are bays occupied, out of order, consistently reliable, etc.

3. I like the built in navigation but it has limitations. For long trips with multiple charge stops I'd suggest starting with ABRP and supplementing with the built-in navigation.

@Mach-E VLOG made a video with good info on the planning tools. www.macheforum.com/site/threads/road-trip-planning-tools.8318

I did a write-up of a trip from NJ to St. Louis and back, which may have some helpful pointers.
www.macheforum.com/site/threads/2000-mile-road-trip-charging-and-efficiency-of-the-mach-e.9316/
 


Tampamike

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Me? I didn’t like ABRP much. I don’t use it. Maybe I’m just limiting my apps and research options - this internet thing can be a rabbit hole.

I’ll start pre-trip planning with EA; I know I’ll be using them mostly. I’ll use PlugShare to check the status of my preferred stops and I’ll also use it a lot when I go off the beaten interstate path. The result of the pre-trip plan is that I pretty much know where I’m going to stop before I get in the car. Then I put the route in the car and let it figure stops on its own. That gives me a second opinion and it usually agrees with my pre-planning. It does, sometimes, find other viable DCFC’s (EVGo, ChargPoint) that I hadn’t considered.
Get the ChargePoint app too - there are a lot of those level 2 chargers in towns that you might use for a few miles when eating or sightseeing. A lot of those are free and they seem to work better through the app then through the car.

I wish there was some more commonality, like an all-purpose app but, alas, there isn’t. I have 8 different apps and accounts on my phone. I’m sure if I head west, I’m gonna need a few more too.
 

RickMachE

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Here's how to get to Trips.

1. Open FordPass.
2. Click on Map.
3. Click on Map again.
4. Click on Trip Planner.
5. Click on Create New Trip Plan.

As stated, you also want to use ABRP, PlugShare, and EA apps. PlugShare is invaluable to learn of issues at planned stop. ABRP gives more flexibility than FordPass. EA, after you use your free hours, is cheaper with Pass+. ABRP allows you to put in % you want to arrive at a charger with, temperature, etc., and adjust the slider while driving to match the battery. And restrict to a preference of EA chargers.

And, plot the route with GoogleMaps, ensuring you aren't being taken on way out of the way by the above for no reason.
 

MachEUser

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I'll echo ABRP and plugshare are the way to go. I think the plugshare reliability ratings are particularly useful. If you are at 5-10% expecting to charge at a charger but it is out of order, it can be detrimental to the trip.

Keep in mind the range is affected by temperatures in case you traveling in colder areas. May have to plan shorter intervals but long trips are very doable with planning.
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