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ChasingCoral

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Sufficient DCFC coverage is part of it (many areas are still deserts), but so is the different types of vehicles. Probably be years yet before something big like a Suburban can make it 300+ miles in BEV form (without being prohibitively expensive, anyway). And before we have anywhere close to as many BEV models available for purchase as we have ICE and hybrid.

Slowly shifting, but ICE (and hybrid) will still fill a lot of needs for many years.
Quite true. If you need the space or trailering of a Suburba-beast or pickup, the market isn't there yet.

I'm just pointing this out for those keeping around an ICE vehicle just because of concern the Mach E can't do road trips. For most of the US interstate system, charger coverage is plenty for Mach E road trips already and getting better all the time.
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dbsb3233

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The number one reason more people don't buy EV's is because there aren't more EV's to buy. The dealership lots are full of ICE cars ready to be bought but the EV's have to be "scored". EV's are rarely stockpiled on sales lots unless it's an undesirable EV with a high price and limited range and performance. All the good ones sell just as quickly as they are built.
That's a reason, but I wouldn't put it at #1. I'd put a number of things ahead of it:

- Price. BEVs tend to cost upwards of $15k more in actual purchase price than the comparable ICE (although many still qualify the huge tax subsidies).
- Poor fit. For many people, a BEV just doesn't work well for their situation. Paricularly if they live somewhere they can't get easy/cheap charging at home.
- Just not interested. Millions of people simply don't want one, and prefer ICE or hybrid instead.

Availability is a factor too, yes. The hottest new vehicles are usually the ones that go quickest (BEV and ICE). But check inventories and you'll find a lot of Chevy Bolts on lots. There's another thread here about Audi e-trons not moving that fast too. Really depends more on the vehicle model, not whether it's BEV vs ICE per se.
 

ChasingCoral

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Availability is a factor too, yes. The hottest new vehicles are usually the ones that go quickest (BEV and ICE). But check inventories and you'll find a lot of Chevy Bolts on lots. There's another thread here about Audi e-trons not moving that fast too. Really depends more on the vehicle model, not whether it's BEV vs ICE per se.
Availability is definitely a factor. Most BEVs on the market are either
compact dork-mobiles (my Leaf, Bolts, i3, etc.), overpriced (Audi, Jaguar, Polestar, etc.) or esoteric (Tesla). The Mach E is a real game-changer in this category. Fortunately, more options are coming fast in 2021 and 2022. Many people would be OK if a familiar car came in a BEV option or if companies made familiar styles BEV. The huge demand for the eKona is a good example of this (but is small like Leaf and Bolt).
 

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Quite true. If you need the space or trailering of a Suburba-beast or pickup, the market isn't there yet.

I'm just pointing this out for those keeping around an ICE vehicle just because of concern the Mach E can't do road trips. For most of the US interstate system, charger coverage is plenty for Mach E road trips already and getting better all the time.
That's true, particularly on the coasts. The "hard to get to in a BEV" places tend to be more inward between the coasts, but that's getting better. Still a long way from full coverage, but if your destination is close to an interstate rather a ways off of it, then good chance it can be done in a BEV that has good range like the MME now.

Then it's more a matter if someone wants to put up with the compromises required with road refueling or not. Definitely takes longer, and usually requires more careful planning.
 


ChasingCoral

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Then it's more a matter if someone wants to put up with the compromises required with road refueling or not. Definitely takes longer, and usually requires more careful planning.
Yes, it does take a bit longer but not as much as most people imagine. We didn't spend a lot of time twiddling our thumbs watching Marlin charge on our road trip. In fact, my videos become more sparse because we were busy getting food, eating, shopping, etc. during those stops. We did slow down a little, sitting down to eat more than we used to but I think that was a good thing. Combining dining or overnight stops with charging cut down the excess time.

More careful planning? Not much really. We made our hotel reservations from the road just like we normally would these days. The only difference was we looked for hotels that either offered chargers or had one nearby. On the flip side, we would look up the places the Sync 4A navigation told us to charge on Google Maps to see where we might want to eat.

The great thing about the Sync 4A navigation is it really took care of the charging planning for us -- down to how long to stay at the charger, often recommending leaving at something like 64% instead of staying to 80%. That cut down on time at chargers. The FordPass and EA apps both allow monitoring from the phone rather than baby-sitting the charger.

There are some Walmarts that could use more dining choices though! My guess is this will be a chicken and egg situation. The presence of chargers may help Walmart to lease space in more of their lots to strip shop eateries. I recommend the brand new Eggs Up Grill at the Florence, SC Walmart EA station, for example. It is one of multiple eateries in a strip right at the chargers. I could definitely see EA chargers as good places for food trucks, pop-up BBQ stands, etc.
 

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Yes, it does take a bit longer but not as much as most people imagine. We didn't spend a lot of time twiddling our thumbs watching Marlin charge on our road trip. In fact, my videos become more sparse because we were busy getting food, eating, shopping, etc. during those stops. We did slow down a little, sitting down to eat more than we used to but I think that was a good thing. Combining dining or overnight stops with charging cut down the excess time.
Yep, it just takes a slower approach. And some people do that in ICE already. The difference is in ICE or hybrid people have the choice (to take long stops or not). In a BEV there's no choice. Basically have to make that choice before buying (if planning to use it for any road trips).
 

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Most of the requests in this thread fall into one of two camps: we need more highway waypoints, or we need more around large population centers. I’ve got one that checks both boxes (perhaps you’ve heard me complain about this before....)

Kansas City sits smack dab in the middle of the US on the intersection of two of the longest, most driven interstate highways in America: I-70 and I-35.

EA currently has a total of one station in the vicinity, but it is in Independence, MO, along I-70 but far to the east of KC and nearly 20 miles from the junction with I-35. Not only is the location inconvenient as a waypoint, it is also not situated in a convenient endpoint or area where many EVs are likely to drive around or “reside.”

Johnson County, KS, the western suburbs of KC, straddles the I-35 corridor. It is one of the top 100 wealthiest counties both in terms of per capita and median family income, and ranks just outside the top 100 in terms of overall population. It is both an optimal waypoint near the I-70/35 junction, and an optimal endpoint where a great many EVs drive around and reside. Look no further than the fact that Tesla has located two Superchargers here.

But there is not a single DCFC CCS solution here - only a few crappy 50kW boxes, neither of which even worked during my most recent trip. It is a fast charging desert when it should be an oasis. So I get a little frustrated when I see over a dozen stations around a few select metro areas, and dozens more planned for areas that already have multiple solutions.

I’ve suggested this to EA. I’ve gotten the same email in response. I’ve sent suggestions to ChargePoint. I’ve sent suggestions to the major retailers in the vicinity. I’ve done all I can do but it is pretty frustrating.
 

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The great thing about the Sync 4A navigation is it really took care of the charging planning for us -- down to how long to stay at the charger, often recommending leaving at something like 64% instead of staying to 80%. That cut down on time at chargers. The FordPass and EA apps both allow monitoring from the phone rather than baby-sitting the charger.
Yeah, that app monitoring of the charge session is huge, to follow the progress, but especially to make sure it doesn't fault out. Last thing I'd want is to start the charge, head into Chili's for 40 minutes, then return to the car to find it crapped out after 4 kWh.

Does the EA app show the power level being actively supplied? That would be really nice, since the car doesn't.
 

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So I get a little frustrated when I see over a dozen stations around a few select metro areas, and dozens more planned for areas that already have multiple solutions.
Agreed, it's frustrating that EA is flooding some cities with in-city chargers when there's so many between-city stretches that need coverage. I'd rather that be the priority. I live near Denver, and EA stations are popping up like weeds here. 15 now, with 8 more coming. It's crazy. (And I won't use them since they're all within home-charge distance from me). Las Vegas is going from 1 station to 10 soon.

Apparently it has something to do with this partner program with Lyft...

https://media.electrifyamerica.com/en-us/releases/85

In your area, EA really needs to add a station in Emporia at the I-35/I-335 junction. There's even a Walmart there that's ideal for it, with tons of restaurants close by.
 

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Most of the requests in this thread fall into one of two camps: we need more highway waypoints, or we need more around large population centers. I’ve got one that checks both boxes (perhaps you’ve heard me complain about this before....)

Kansas City sits smack dab in the middle of the US on the intersection of two of the longest, most driven interstate highways in America: I-70 and I-35.

EA currently has a total of one station in the vicinity, but it is in Independence, MO, along I-70 but far to the east of KC and nearly 20 miles from the junction with I-35. Not only is the location inconvenient as a waypoint, it is also not situated in a convenient endpoint or area where many EVs are likely to drive around or “reside.”

Johnson County, KS, the western suburbs of KC, straddles the I-35 corridor. It is one of the top 100 wealthiest counties both in terms of per capita and median family income, and ranks just outside the top 100 in terms of overall population. It is both an optimal waypoint near the I-70/35 junction, and an optimal endpoint where a great many EVs drive around and reside. Look no further than the fact that Tesla has located two Superchargers here.

But there is not a single DCFC CCS solution here - only a few crappy 50kW boxes, neither of which even worked during my most recent trip. It is a fast charging desert when it should be an oasis. So I get a little frustrated when I see over a dozen stations around a few select metro areas, and dozens more planned for areas that already have multiple solutions.

I’ve suggested this to EA. I’ve gotten the same email in response. I’ve sent suggestions to ChargePoint. I’ve sent suggestions to the major retailers in the vicinity. I’ve done all I can do but it is pretty frustrating.
I agree we need more end-point charging options. A perfect example was our recent trip spending 3-weeks in Marco Island, FL. There are NO public chargers on Marco. Even an L2 would have been great and I encourage the city to install some at parks or other public locations. However, this would also be a great place for a single DCFC charger -- even a slow one! Many hotels/apartments/condos have not charging options. The ones that do have them locked away for their guests only. We did hear rumor one could sneak into a Tesla destination charger in one of the Marriott locations parking lots. Unfortunately it was at the opposite end of the island from us so we never tried.

We had to drive 20 minutes north to Naples to charge. Normally we could incorporate this into trips in that direction but a local charging option would have been better.
 

ChasingCoral

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Yeah, that app monitoring of the charge session is huge, to follow the progress, but especially to make sure it doesn't fault out. Last thing I'd want is to start the charge, head into Chili's for 40 minutes, then return to the car to find it crapped out after 4 kWh.

Does the EA app show the power level being actively supplied? That would be really nice, since the car doesn't.
Yes, it does show the rate. This is great. You can guesstimate this with the FordPass app as it gives you an estimated time to 80%.
 

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Agreed, it's frustrating that EA is flooding some cities with in-city chargers when there's so many between-city stretches that need coverage. I'd rather that be the priority. I live near Denver, and EA stations are popping up like weeds here. 15 now, with 8 more coming. It's crazy. (And I won't use them since they're all within home-charge distance from me). Las Vegas is going from 1 station to 10 soon.

Apparently it has something to do with this partner program with Lyft...

https://media.electrifyamerica.com/en-us/releases/85

In your area, EA really needs to add a station in Emporia at the I-35/I-335 junction. There's even a Walmart there that's ideal for it, with tons of restaurants close by.
Emporia, and that Wal-Mart in particular, would make a terrific waypoint location. We sometimes take that exit anyways for food and bathrooms.
 
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Yep, it just takes a slower approach. And some people do that in ICE already. The difference is in ICE or hybrid people have the choice (to take long stops or not). In a BEV there's no choice. Basically have to make that choice before buying (if planning to use it for any road trips).
Spot on! Can’t wait for my new Mach E but my Acura MDX is not going away anytime soon. The MDX will be our “go to” long distance car. I didn’t purchase the Mach E for long distance road trips even though I realize it is possible to do so.
 

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Spot on! Can’t wait for my new Mach E but my Acura MDX is not going away anytime soon. The MDX will be our “go to” long distance car. I didn’t purchase the Mach E for long distance road trips even though I realize it is possible to do so.
We still have our Escape too, which has been great on road trips. But we are gonna try the MME on selective trips - ones where it looks like there's convenient-enough DCFC and destination charging. I'm planning it all out ahead of time. Gonna add about 2 hours each direction to our normal travel time.

Wherever it's not convenient enough, we'll just take the Escape on that trip.

First test will be a Denver-Vegas drive in 2 weeks.
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