OON7
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Evan
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2021
- Threads
- 12
- Messages
- 461
- Reaction score
- 586
- Location
- Ohio
- Vehicles
- New: 24 GT w/ perf. upgrade Vapor Blue // Old: 22 GTPE DMG // 21 Select CG
- Thread starter
- #1
I wanted to share some details from my return drive from NC back to Ohio using ABRP Premium connected to a VLinker OBDII dongle for real-time stats. I missed saving the drive down to NC due to not realizing I had to specifically opt-in to save drives after bumping up to the Premium subscription.
A couple notes about my setup for this drive, I navigated with Waze via Android Auto. I did this by entering my next destination according to ABRP at the start and then during each charging stop. I did not use ABRP with Android Auto, and I did not use the built-in navigation for preconditioning to charging destinations. I ran ABRP on a spare Google Pixel 3, connected to WiFi and the OBDII dongle via BT, that I use for various things where I don't want to use my primary device. The Pixel 3 was plugged in via USB-C car adapter to ensure the charge stayed consistent and the device stayed on. I should also note I have a 22 GTPE with now over 33k miles. Battery SoH showed 96%.
For preplanning, my departure SoC was around 80% and my destination and charging rules were set to arrive with no less than 10% SoC. My first issue is it by default included Tesla Supercharger stations that were noted as requiring an adapter. My June ETA Ford adapter did not arrive in time (obviously) and I did not pull the trigger on a 3rd party adapter. After adjusting the charging network preferences to avoid Tesla it calculated four stops. Also, shockingly, no Walmart stops?!
The first stop was for less than 15 minutes and only existed due to my 10% SOC requirement and the second stop was less than 30 miles past. I elected to skip this stop and entered the second charging location as my destination in Waze. First issue, shortly into the drive I noticed the Pixel 3 screen was blank and ABRP force closed, so I lost the beginning of the drive. I am pretty sure this is because of the Pixel 3 and not ABRP but I was able to get it rolling again by the time the car at 71% SoC.
After a slight feeling of nervousness I arrived at the second planned stop (which since I bypassed the first stop this was my initial charge) with 5% remaining. I could have adjusted my driving and improved my efficiency but elected not to. 5% to 80% in 43 minutes, again without any preconditioning. Sheetz continues to be one of my favorite charging locations and I am glad to see EA stations at more and more Sheetz stations as I road trip. During this stop spoke to a Nissan Ariya(?) owner briefly that could not get their plug and charge working on the station they pulled up to. I was leaving so offered to have him take my station and suggested calling EA if still having trouble. I'm not sure if he was doing it correctly but hope he got it going.
Sheetz EA Station (Hillsborough, NC 350 kW station based on availability)
Back on the road, ABRP or Pixel 3 issue #2. At some point the app crashed again. I believe I got some bad data before the crash and I also lost a portion of the drive. Oddly enough, I never crashed on the way down. The app claims for 35 miles my average speed was 79mph and I managed to get 5.08mi/kWh! Checking the elevation I was not driving downhill so yeah, let's consider this junk information.
Next charging stop is another Sheetz! 39 minutes to go from 16% to 81% SoC.
Sheetz EA Station (Wytheville, VA 150 kW station based on availability)
Last charging stop was a Chevy dealer on the Blink network. This is a single unit that has two plugs that will share power. It is listed as 180 kW, and the max I saw was 110 during my session. About the dip in the graph... a Rivian pulled up near the end of my charge and while attempting to activate his session he stopped mine. It was all laughs and I helped point him to the app as well as advising to return the cable to the station and then try to replug. I got my session restarted quickly and after about 5 minutes or so he was able to get going as well. Since I was far into my charge the power sharing did not slow my charge down.
YES Chevrolet Blink Station (Hurricane, WV 180 kW station with shared power)
I finally arrived home, in reality it was around 10:55pm. I had skipped eating at my second Sheetz stop and there was nothing close enough at the Chevy dealer, so I ended up stopping at my local Sheetz to grab some food. Ending SoC 11%.
Final thoughts and notes... The return trip took just under 12 hours total when including the missing legs and excluding the food stop at home. I keep telling everyone who discusses EV road tripping with me, I love the charging stops. It gives me a great mental break, gives you planned restroom breaks, gives you planned food stops, and just makes the drive less stressful by eliminating the mentality that you need to stop for as little as possible and hold your wee for as long as possible. That was always my family's strategy and it just made the drives miserable as a kid and young adult. I subscribed to ABRP Premium just for one month to get the extra features with saved drives and live calibration. I also subscribed to the EA Pass for the reduced rates for one month. Knock on wood, I had no waits and no down stations during the drive. This was my first time EV driving through WV and was pleasantly surprised how smooth the Blink Charging was at the Chevy Dealer. I will also add that I charged just a little bit more at any of the stops were ABRP suggested less than 80% just to be safe. I think this only really impacted when I got home, as I may have ended under 10% without the extra juice.
If you have any questions on the drive or ABRP, fire away!
A couple notes about my setup for this drive, I navigated with Waze via Android Auto. I did this by entering my next destination according to ABRP at the start and then during each charging stop. I did not use ABRP with Android Auto, and I did not use the built-in navigation for preconditioning to charging destinations. I ran ABRP on a spare Google Pixel 3, connected to WiFi and the OBDII dongle via BT, that I use for various things where I don't want to use my primary device. The Pixel 3 was plugged in via USB-C car adapter to ensure the charge stayed consistent and the device stayed on. I should also note I have a 22 GTPE with now over 33k miles. Battery SoH showed 96%.
For preplanning, my departure SoC was around 80% and my destination and charging rules were set to arrive with no less than 10% SoC. My first issue is it by default included Tesla Supercharger stations that were noted as requiring an adapter. My June ETA Ford adapter did not arrive in time (obviously) and I did not pull the trigger on a 3rd party adapter. After adjusting the charging network preferences to avoid Tesla it calculated four stops. Also, shockingly, no Walmart stops?!
The first stop was for less than 15 minutes and only existed due to my 10% SOC requirement and the second stop was less than 30 miles past. I elected to skip this stop and entered the second charging location as my destination in Waze. First issue, shortly into the drive I noticed the Pixel 3 screen was blank and ABRP force closed, so I lost the beginning of the drive. I am pretty sure this is because of the Pixel 3 and not ABRP but I was able to get it rolling again by the time the car at 71% SoC.
After a slight feeling of nervousness I arrived at the second planned stop (which since I bypassed the first stop this was my initial charge) with 5% remaining. I could have adjusted my driving and improved my efficiency but elected not to. 5% to 80% in 43 minutes, again without any preconditioning. Sheetz continues to be one of my favorite charging locations and I am glad to see EA stations at more and more Sheetz stations as I road trip. During this stop spoke to a Nissan Ariya(?) owner briefly that could not get their plug and charge working on the station they pulled up to. I was leaving so offered to have him take my station and suggested calling EA if still having trouble. I'm not sure if he was doing it correctly but hope he got it going.
Sheetz EA Station (Hillsborough, NC 350 kW station based on availability)
Back on the road, ABRP or Pixel 3 issue #2. At some point the app crashed again. I believe I got some bad data before the crash and I also lost a portion of the drive. Oddly enough, I never crashed on the way down. The app claims for 35 miles my average speed was 79mph and I managed to get 5.08mi/kWh! Checking the elevation I was not driving downhill so yeah, let's consider this junk information.
Next charging stop is another Sheetz! 39 minutes to go from 16% to 81% SoC.
Sheetz EA Station (Wytheville, VA 150 kW station based on availability)
Last charging stop was a Chevy dealer on the Blink network. This is a single unit that has two plugs that will share power. It is listed as 180 kW, and the max I saw was 110 during my session. About the dip in the graph... a Rivian pulled up near the end of my charge and while attempting to activate his session he stopped mine. It was all laughs and I helped point him to the app as well as advising to return the cable to the station and then try to replug. I got my session restarted quickly and after about 5 minutes or so he was able to get going as well. Since I was far into my charge the power sharing did not slow my charge down.
YES Chevrolet Blink Station (Hurricane, WV 180 kW station with shared power)
I finally arrived home, in reality it was around 10:55pm. I had skipped eating at my second Sheetz stop and there was nothing close enough at the Chevy dealer, so I ended up stopping at my local Sheetz to grab some food. Ending SoC 11%.
Final thoughts and notes... The return trip took just under 12 hours total when including the missing legs and excluding the food stop at home. I keep telling everyone who discusses EV road tripping with me, I love the charging stops. It gives me a great mental break, gives you planned restroom breaks, gives you planned food stops, and just makes the drive less stressful by eliminating the mentality that you need to stop for as little as possible and hold your wee for as long as possible. That was always my family's strategy and it just made the drives miserable as a kid and young adult. I subscribed to ABRP Premium just for one month to get the extra features with saved drives and live calibration. I also subscribed to the EA Pass for the reduced rates for one month. Knock on wood, I had no waits and no down stations during the drive. This was my first time EV driving through WV and was pleasantly surprised how smooth the Blink Charging was at the Chevy Dealer. I will also add that I charged just a little bit more at any of the stops were ABRP suggested less than 80% just to be safe. I think this only really impacted when I got home, as I may have ended under 10% without the extra juice.
If you have any questions on the drive or ABRP, fire away!
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