Vacation Trips - Not in a Mach E

[silverelan]

Im assuming the MachE will be able to charge at higher rates over time via software updates but certainly not at the 250kW level. IPace is now able to charge a little over 100kW which went up from the around 75kW when i received mine and also an additional 8% range has been unlocked but this one needs to be done by a dealer still. Audi eTron is also unlocking more range I read somewhere. But that just means maybe now i will get closer to the stated 292miles of range in the IPace as I have never been close to that number on my dashboard.
Here is a great site which delivers some real numbers around most things and has a bunch of EVs including upcoming models:
https://ev-database.org/imp/car/1097/Jaguar-I-Pace

I'm not an electrical engineer but I believe the two factors that limit the car's intake of electrons is the cabling and cooling system. abrp's blog had a good piece on Tesla's charging curves after their software update to increase charging speeds. I'd love to see right out of the gate a superior time to charge for the Mach-E ER battery considering we're paying by the minute on EA's most expensive rate.

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[phila]

I'm not an electrical engineer but I believe the two factors that limit the car's intake of electrons is the cabling and cooling system. abrp's blog had a good piece on Tesla's charging curves after their software update to increase charging speeds. I'd love to see right out of the gate a superior time to charge for the Mach-E ER battery considering we're paying by the minute on EA's most expensive rate.

This site will have some other EV car charge curves as well, among them the aforementioned IPace which seems to only be around 100kW charge during the 5%-40% SOC range.:
https://support.fastned.nl/hc/en-gb/articles/360000788848-Charging-with-a-Jaguar-I-PACE

Compare that to the Audi eTron on that same page and there is a big difference:
https://support.fastned.nl/hc/en-gb/articles/360000815988-Charging-with-an-Audi-e-tron

Not really a problem for me as most of my driving is city driving with home charging, but if a frequent commute which requires fast charging is part of your schedule then it will cost.

Regarding cooling the MachE better have a liquid cooled battery like the rest of the competition but I have yet to read anything about that. Anyone know ?

 

[Trede]

Sure, you won't be able to drive from Boston to Seattle in 53 hours (NOT RECOMMENDED EVEN IN AN ICE CAR...I did it and it sucked), but sitting for 8+ hours with minimal breaks is terrible for your health anyway. Instead of eating in your car on a road trip, just stop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and sit down to eat while charging. Take a 20 minute walk to stretch your legs. I honestly don't see it as that big of an inconvenience in areas where charging stations are relatively common. I totally get that the infrastructure isn't quite there in some parts of the country, but it's moving in that direction quickly. My wife and I are looking forward to road trips with our parrot, since we should stop every few hours to let him stretch out anyway. Here's the Electrify America map (Ford partnered with them for the fordpass charging network, obviously there are other/more charging options but these will be free for two years)

 

[Mopey]

Regarding cooling the MachE better have a liquid cooled battery like the rest of the competition but I have yet to read anything about that. Anyone know ?

According to one of the technical threads, the Mach E does have liquid battery cooling.

 

[dbsb3233]

Regarding cooling the MachE better have a liquid cooled battery like the rest of the competition but I have yet to read anything about that. Anyone know ?

I've read multiple articles that say yes. Like this one...

https://www.designnews.com/automoti...c-mustang-mach-e-crossover-suv/32046105861895

"The cells are contained inside a waterproof battery case surrounded by crash protection. Liquid-cooling preserves optimal performance in hot weather and reduces charging times by keeping the cells from overheating while the charge pour in the electrons."

 

[hybrid2bev]

Sure, you won't be able to drive from Boston to Seattle in 53 hours (NOT RECOMMENDED EVEN IN AN ICE CAR...I did it and it sucked), but sitting for 8+ hours with minimal breaks is terrible for your health anyway. Instead of eating in your car on a road trip, just stop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and sit down to eat while charging. Take a 20 minute walk to stretch your legs. I honestly don't see it as that big of an inconvenience in areas where charging stations are relatively common. I totally get that the infrastructure isn't quite there in some parts of the country, but it's moving in that direction quickly. My wife and I are looking forward to road trips with our parrot, since we should stop every few hours to let him stretch out anyway. Here's the Electrify America map (Ford partnered with them for the fordpass charging network, obviously there are other/more charging options but these will be free for two years)

I agree. We take road trips to have a good time not make good time. We stop at places we haven’t been to before and eat at places that we don’t have at home.

 

[Trede]

I agree. We take road trips to have a good time not make good time. We stop at places we haven’t been to before and eat at places that we don’t have at home.

It's not even like you need to do a ton of planning ahead of time for it to work out, either. Even without the Ford specific map-of-chargers, google/apple/waze/whatever can find chargers between [current location] and [breakfast/lunch/dinner/sleep].

 

[dbsb3233]

Sure, you won't be able to drive from Boston to Seattle in 53 hours (NOT RECOMMENDED EVEN IN AN ICE CAR...I did it and it sucked), but sitting for 8+ hours with minimal breaks is terrible for your health anyway. Instead of eating in your car on a road trip, just stop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and sit down to eat while charging. Take a 20 minute walk to stretch your legs. I honestly don't see it as that big of an inconvenience in areas where charging stations are relatively common. I totally get that the infrastructure isn't quite there in some parts of the country, but it's moving in that direction quickly. My wife and I are looking forward to road trips with our parrot, since we should stop every few hours to let him stretch out anyway. Here's the Electrify America map (Ford partnered with them for the fordpass charging network, obviously there are other/more charging options but these will be free for two years)

Don't forget to factor in the effect of speed on energy efficiency. If you're not using highways, or you only drive around 55 MPH, you might get close to the stated range. But if you're on interstates and driving faster than that, efficiency (and thus range) drop precipitously. At 75 MPH expect at least a 25% cut in range.

Depending on how far you're going, adding more and more long charging stops really starts adding up. Some people are fine with that, and don't care than what's normally an 8 hour drive now becomes 11 or 12. Some people prefer lots of stops. But others don't. Just depends on how much compromise one is willing to put up with if they're normally a more direct driver.

 

[dbsb3233]

It's not even like you need to do a ton of planning ahead of time for it to work out, either. Even without the Ford specific map-of-chargers, google/apple/waze/whatever can find chargers between [current location] and [breakfast/lunch/dinner/sleep].

ABRP seems to do a good job of planning out routes and necessary charging stops. It's a good way for people to get an idea of how many extra stops and time is involved doing a road trip with a BEV (and then compare it to Google Maps times).

https://abetterrouteplanner.com/

 

[Trede]

Road trip advice to not develop blood clots in your legs or lose focus and hit other drivers:

"As a general rule, it's best to take a break of at least 15 minutes every two hours, and to not drive for more than eight hours in a day, to ensure you stay alert and avoid the associated risks of driving for too long without a rest."

I know I'm definitely guilty of breaking all of these rules...so my take on it is basically "Oh no, my choice of vehicle is going to enforce healthier habits on road trips."

 

[macchiaz-o]

Here's the Electrify America map (Ford partnered with them for the fordpass charging network, obviously there are other/more charging options but these will be free for two years)

Charging at Electrify America stations won't be free. If you re-read Ford's text, which I think they may have updated since 11/17, the FordPass Charging Network is a subscription service that they include for the first two years. It alleviates/delays us from having to register new customer accounts at the various individual networks (EA, ChargePoint, etc.), while still granting you the registered-customer pricing levels:

You won’t need to pay or sign up for multiple charge networks. Ford gives you two years of complimentary access to the FordPass Charging Network for easy pay-as-you-drive charging.

 

[Trede]

Charging at Electrify America stations won't be free. If you re-read Ford's text, which I think they may have updated since 11/17, the FordPass Charging Network is a subscription service that they include for the first two years. It alleviates/delays us from having to register new customer accounts at the various individual networks (EA, ChargePoint, etc.), while still granting you the registered-customer pricing levels:

Ah, gotcha. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Billyk24]

Don't forget to factor in the effect of speed on energy efficiency. If you're not using highways, or you only drive around 55 MPH, you might get close to the stated range. But if you're on interstates and driving faster than that, efficiency (and thus range) drop precipitously. At 75 MPH expect at least a 25% cut in range.

Depending on how far you're going, adding more and more long charging stops really starts adding up. Some people are fine with that, and don't care than what's normally an 8 hour drive now becomes 11 or 12. Some people prefer lots of stops. But others don't. Just depends on how much compromise one is willing to put up with if they're normally a more direct driver.

energy efficiency will also depend upon other items including wind-temperature-terrain for starters.

 

[JamieGeek]

Play around with plugshare's route planner (if you have an account and a vehicle set it will default to your max range in your profile). Its pretty good telling you if you can make different legs. As you add charge stations it updates the route. You can even have it add time at the charge stations to give you a good guesstimate of how long the total trip will be including charge times.

 

[Billyk24]

EA has opened some recent charging locations that I would travel- such as on the Ohio Turnpike just east of the greater Toledo area and users are reporting issues with slow charging rates and being billed for top rated charging! It is going to take "time" for things to improve. It would really help if Tesla would open up their system to all for a fee. If Europe has mandated a one charging system outlet, then it is just a matter of time before it arrives here in the USA. Sooner the better.

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