Sleevesmcd
Member
- First Name
- Dan
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2021
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 18
- Reaction score
- 48
- Location
- East Windsor, NJ
- Vehicles
- Ford Mach-E Premium
- Thread starter
- #1
Here is a quick recap and my big takeaways from the road trip I took between central NJ and Burlington, VT (and back). Learned a ton, and no total screw ups (thankfully) so definitely a good adventure.
Left house with 100% charge. Was spending night outside Saratoga so knew I'd have plenty of range to get there and from there to my next stop (Killington). Was hoping I could use a free level two charger that was close to my hotel, but it was not really practical when I saw the distances in real life. On the map it looked like it was across the street, but in reality it was probably a 10-15 minute walk across a major road and to the far side of a big medical complex. Settled in for night browsing for chargers on my way from Saratoga to Killington. Got about 215 miles while using 52.7 Kw. Weather was VERY mild for this part of the world and I didn't use any climate besides seat warmer.
Day 2 I had about 40% charge and my plan was to use level 2 charging while hitting the slopes at Killington for several hours. Based on my searches in Ford app/plug share, I knew there was a free fast charger at NY Thruway Adirondack welcome area, so figured I could get a little free cushion. Sadly, it would not talk to the Mach E. Hope it gets updated as it would be super convenient. Decided to try stopping for a fast charge in Rutland VT at an EV go charger. Figured I could get coffee and a bite to eat while getting the aforementioned "cushion" I wanted on my range. Sadly, the EVgo station also failed to connect. Everything seemed in order, I tried the app, I tried paying by credit card, etc but could not get the "handshake" between charger and car. Ugh! All my eggs were now in the basket of Killington's level 2 chargers as I rolled in at 9% charge. Thankfully, Killington came through. Chargers available in various parking lots. I was in the K1 base and got about 45% charge in a little under 4 hours. I now had the juice I needed to get myself to Burlington.
Burlington presented new learning experiences. They have lots of level 2 chargers as parking spots. Was annoyed by a Tesla that was blocking a charger because they just wanted to take advantage of the "EV parking only" aspect. Now, for full disclosure, I wanted to park near the restaurants/shops in downtown. I'm sure I could've found a free level two off the beaten path. But my goal was to add charge while dining and such. Ultimately found a spot and connected to a Charge point level two charger. If I'd been smart, I'd have booked a hotel with access to a level 2 charger...but I wasn't really thinking of that when I booked a room a few weeks back.
Drive home (~390 miles) was the real deal. Leaving Burlington with only about 50% charge, temps in the high 20s, and a snowstorm moving in. My goal was getting home as fast as possible. Since I knew the fast charger in Rutland was not going to work, my first destination was a fast charger in Schroon Lake, NY. This pulled me about 30-40 miles west of what my normal route would've been. The plus side was driving the curves and rolling hills around that lake. The high speed charger worked like a dream, and despite being pushed a bit west, I was able to hop on the NY Thruway south immediately. Went from 26-->61% in 25 minutes. Averaged 3.4 miles/Kw for this 70 mile leg in high 20s temps, with seat warmers and a little bit of heat at times.
Driving on NY Thruway for about 100 miles while snow started. Destination an Electrify America charger at a Walmart in Albany. This was a vision of what EV travel could be. Parked and got charger rolling right away. Went to TJ Maxx to get a present, got coffee at Panera (all in same plaza/strip mall) and after 31 minutes went from 29-->80%
I was about 195 miles from home, and did not want to stop again. It was all highway driving at 65-70mph in 28-32degree temps. There were times it was looking like I'd get home with 4-5 miles left...a prospect that freaked me out. I knew I could stop somewhere to top off but really wanted to get home. Thankfully, some traffic in northern NJ (Rt 17, thank you) gave me some chance to regenerate range! I was watching the battery like a hawk while Blue Cruise drove most of the way from Albany to good ol Exit 8 off the NJTPK!
Got off highway with about 9% left (averaged 3.1 on the 190 miles) and switched to unbridled to enjoy launching out of traffic lights last few miles home. If you've read this far, Merry Christmas ?
Lessons learned
1) this isn't a real surprise, but I think you'd have to get pretty lucky to make a road trip work without planning to spend money on fast charging. You are really paying for convenience. If you've got the time/schedule to stop and use level 2 charging, great. For example, I spent a day skiing at Killington in VT. So from 9am-3pm I got free level 2 charging that gave me the juice to get the rest of the way to Burlington. However, if you are in a hurry to get from point A to point B you'll likely want a premium fast charger
2) again, no shock here, but with an EV, my priorities about where to stay and what to do would change. I'd be less interested in earning points at a certain hotel (a current priority) vs finding a place where there's a level 2 charger I can use overnight.
3) was surprised how much I used Blue cruise. After about 15 minutes of being weirded out, I was happy to let the car do the work while I daydreamed and looked at the scenery.
4) Soundsystem is great. Love cranking music in this bad boy.
5) soooo fun to drive. Handles like a dream, plenty of power even in whisper mode, etc. Just a very fun car.
Thanks for reading my crazy long post!
Left house with 100% charge. Was spending night outside Saratoga so knew I'd have plenty of range to get there and from there to my next stop (Killington). Was hoping I could use a free level two charger that was close to my hotel, but it was not really practical when I saw the distances in real life. On the map it looked like it was across the street, but in reality it was probably a 10-15 minute walk across a major road and to the far side of a big medical complex. Settled in for night browsing for chargers on my way from Saratoga to Killington. Got about 215 miles while using 52.7 Kw. Weather was VERY mild for this part of the world and I didn't use any climate besides seat warmer.
Day 2 I had about 40% charge and my plan was to use level 2 charging while hitting the slopes at Killington for several hours. Based on my searches in Ford app/plug share, I knew there was a free fast charger at NY Thruway Adirondack welcome area, so figured I could get a little free cushion. Sadly, it would not talk to the Mach E. Hope it gets updated as it would be super convenient. Decided to try stopping for a fast charge in Rutland VT at an EV go charger. Figured I could get coffee and a bite to eat while getting the aforementioned "cushion" I wanted on my range. Sadly, the EVgo station also failed to connect. Everything seemed in order, I tried the app, I tried paying by credit card, etc but could not get the "handshake" between charger and car. Ugh! All my eggs were now in the basket of Killington's level 2 chargers as I rolled in at 9% charge. Thankfully, Killington came through. Chargers available in various parking lots. I was in the K1 base and got about 45% charge in a little under 4 hours. I now had the juice I needed to get myself to Burlington.
Burlington presented new learning experiences. They have lots of level 2 chargers as parking spots. Was annoyed by a Tesla that was blocking a charger because they just wanted to take advantage of the "EV parking only" aspect. Now, for full disclosure, I wanted to park near the restaurants/shops in downtown. I'm sure I could've found a free level two off the beaten path. But my goal was to add charge while dining and such. Ultimately found a spot and connected to a Charge point level two charger. If I'd been smart, I'd have booked a hotel with access to a level 2 charger...but I wasn't really thinking of that when I booked a room a few weeks back.
Drive home (~390 miles) was the real deal. Leaving Burlington with only about 50% charge, temps in the high 20s, and a snowstorm moving in. My goal was getting home as fast as possible. Since I knew the fast charger in Rutland was not going to work, my first destination was a fast charger in Schroon Lake, NY. This pulled me about 30-40 miles west of what my normal route would've been. The plus side was driving the curves and rolling hills around that lake. The high speed charger worked like a dream, and despite being pushed a bit west, I was able to hop on the NY Thruway south immediately. Went from 26-->61% in 25 minutes. Averaged 3.4 miles/Kw for this 70 mile leg in high 20s temps, with seat warmers and a little bit of heat at times.
Driving on NY Thruway for about 100 miles while snow started. Destination an Electrify America charger at a Walmart in Albany. This was a vision of what EV travel could be. Parked and got charger rolling right away. Went to TJ Maxx to get a present, got coffee at Panera (all in same plaza/strip mall) and after 31 minutes went from 29-->80%
I was about 195 miles from home, and did not want to stop again. It was all highway driving at 65-70mph in 28-32degree temps. There were times it was looking like I'd get home with 4-5 miles left...a prospect that freaked me out. I knew I could stop somewhere to top off but really wanted to get home. Thankfully, some traffic in northern NJ (Rt 17, thank you) gave me some chance to regenerate range! I was watching the battery like a hawk while Blue Cruise drove most of the way from Albany to good ol Exit 8 off the NJTPK!
Got off highway with about 9% left (averaged 3.1 on the 190 miles) and switched to unbridled to enjoy launching out of traffic lights last few miles home. If you've read this far, Merry Christmas ?
Lessons learned
1) this isn't a real surprise, but I think you'd have to get pretty lucky to make a road trip work without planning to spend money on fast charging. You are really paying for convenience. If you've got the time/schedule to stop and use level 2 charging, great. For example, I spent a day skiing at Killington in VT. So from 9am-3pm I got free level 2 charging that gave me the juice to get the rest of the way to Burlington. However, if you are in a hurry to get from point A to point B you'll likely want a premium fast charger
2) again, no shock here, but with an EV, my priorities about where to stay and what to do would change. I'd be less interested in earning points at a certain hotel (a current priority) vs finding a place where there's a level 2 charger I can use overnight.
3) was surprised how much I used Blue cruise. After about 15 minutes of being weirded out, I was happy to let the car do the work while I daydreamed and looked at the scenery.
4) Soundsystem is great. Love cranking music in this bad boy.
5) soooo fun to drive. Handles like a dream, plenty of power even in whisper mode, etc. Just a very fun car.
Thanks for reading my crazy long post!
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