Road trip with New Purchase?

[TGIF]

I’m mentally debating the merits of road-tripping with my new MME which is due any day now. I will be traveling 1100 miles from IA to FL on a route I’ve driven many times before. I’ve researched the route for chargers and feel like I know my options. I am a 60-something woman and my DH doesn’t want me to travel in a new car alone in case it has some immediate problems. I would also be learning the in and outs of charging on my own. Seems like most people have a fairly steep learning curve.

I also suspect I may sell or trade the car much sooner than I usually do. I have an upgraded MME on order and will assess when it gets built and delivered which one I want to keep. I don’t put that many miles on a car. My alternative transport is very comfortable, reliable and we’re likely to keep until we run it into the ground which is a long time away. Thoughts?

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[AKgrampy]

I would say if you are up for an adventure, not worried bout taking a bit more time to travel, and able to plan your travel around available charging locations I would say go for it. If you do not want any potential distractions on the trip then go with what you know. Plenty of time to get to know your ride if you do not use it for the trip. There are many threads on successful long distance trips. This from a 60 something man getting his Mach today or tomorrow.

 

[RickMachE]

Test DC charging before your trip.

 

[Spooky]

Hey fellow Iowan!!!!

If you don't need the MME down in Florida or are only there for a week to three consider renting a car. Over the years I've come to use around 1,000 miles as a rough distance as to whether or not renting a car just might make sense. There is a cost associated with every mile you drive your car (sooner maintenance, depreciation, etc.) that seems to be around $0.20 - $0.25 per mile. The added benefit is peace of mind.....if that rental car has issues you just get another one.

If you do decide to drive the MME there is a bit of a learning curve at the chargers I've found. Actually, I'm still not sure if you plug in first, start the app first, punch the screen on the machine first....seems different companies do it differently but it eventually works after 30 seconds to a minute. If the charging station supports Ford's plug and charge standard you just plug it in and that is great, but I haven't found one of those yet. None of this is a huge deal.

The furthest we have gone so far is Omaha and KC 1 day trips (so 4-7 hours driving on those days) and other than being extra cautious of stopping at more chargers than was probably needed it has been a great experience. I think we may road trip with it as the slower pace of travel, being forced to get out and charge/walk every 200 miles or so, is actually appealing.

One thing to be aware of if you are not already is when you are planning your route only show fast chargers to charge at if you are not going to be there for awhile. In the EVGo app for instance you can have it only show chargers of 50 kWh or more...that'd be the bare minimum if you wanted to charge fast and get back on the road. Hiding all the level 2 chargers in the map/route software gives a better overview of where you may want to stop or keep going.

Knowing nothing about you I don't know your arm and hand strength, I know my wife has issues with some of the chargers that the cable doesn't stretch all the way with ease, and holding a taught cable and trying to plug in a fast charger (after dropping the little door down) has at times been challenging to her. So be sure to practice a bit before you do it.

Having said all that, go for it if you want an adventure and don't mind the slower pace of travel. As for the concern of a new car and having issues I can understand where you husband is coming from, but car issues can happen at any mileage. I'm not sure the first 1,000 is that much more likely than between 10k-11k. And you could always have the included ford road side assistance flatbed tow it to a dealer, rent a car, and be on your way if you had to.

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