My 16th Lightning Road Trip of More Than 1500 Miles

[21st Century Truck]

And I just looked up Lake Itasca MN... and I see a whole wall of Tesla Destination AC charging points. These Tesla Destination points are usually free. All it takes is an adapter.

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[RickLightning]

Now you see why you need to bring your passport and cross to Ontario. So you can get back.

Can it be done? Sure it can if you open up to L2 charging or,as I point out, you are willing to use your passport to visit Ontario (you should).

More drama than I’m interested in though. I want the getting there (and the getting back) to be a footnote at most.

YMMV.

Neither charging spot I noted was in Ontario, or level 2... You think 2 charging stops is drama? Ok.

 

[CavRider]

Neither charging spot I noted was in Ontario, or level 2... You think 2 charging stops is drama? Ok.

It seems you keep missing my point. The last charging stop you went to 90% and then arrived at Ash River with 37%. So you used (90-37)=53%. How are you going to get back? There is no charging there at the visitor center.

 

[RickLightning]

It seems you keep missing my point. The last charging stop you went to 90% and then arrived at Ash River with 37%. So you used (90-37)=53%. How are you going to get back? There is no charging there at the visitor center.

2 choices.

1) Charge at Fort Frances.
2) Slow down on that leg.

 

[CavRider]

And I just looked up Lake Itasca MN... and I see a whole wall of Tesla Destination AC charging points. These Tesla Destination points are usually free. All it takes is an adapter.

I’m not sure what you are looking at. I see no chargers on either PlugShare or the Tesla app nor anything at all on the park’ website. In addition, I have been through that park twice in the last four months. If there are any chargers there then they are very well hidden.

 

[EV Engineer]

These threads always end up with everyone just talking past each other. Ultimately both of these things are true:

1. You probably can bring an F-150 Lightning anywhere in the continental USA. There is enough infrastructure to do this.
2. The current USA infrastructure is severely lacking for EV's. And the infrastructure in place is all wrong which lends me to realize the people making decisions probably haven't driven an EV. (Ex: airports should have L1 charging not L2 charging! Restuarants and shops should have 50 amp 240 etc, not some 3.6kWH charger, hardly worth plugging in!).

Yes electricity is everywhere but sipping off L1 KwH isn't going to change the game. I camped for 48 hours and while it was helpful--- I was a bit disappointed I still was going to have to stop on the way home.

The crazy thing is we actually already have the infrastructure. We just need a few LvL 3 chargers at every tenth gas station or so. I don't want to charge at some dealership and I don't want to be thinking about plugging into a dryer outlet on my vacation. I'm amazed GM / Pilot / Flying J seem to be the only nationwide organization to figure this out.

I truly don't understand how y'all did it before Tesla opened up. Without them my state would have about half the available options on big interstate corridors. I also am stunned it took someone so long to figure out what Pilot / Flying J is doing.

 

[CavRider]

2 choices.

1) Charge at Fort Frances.
2) Slow down on that leg.

And you still don’t have my boat along.

So two charging stops to get there plus two border crossings to assure I can get back and still without the most important piece of gear I would need there.

No thanks. Too much needless drama. 3.5L ICE Expedition all day every day.

My initial post in this thread was to agree with another poster who noted the disappointing level of charging infrastructure available to date. I stand by that observation. Interstate corridors are not where I want to go. Things are better than they used to be but it’s ok to admit that we have a long ways to go still.

 

[RickLightning]

For those complaining about lack of charging, I'll bet not one has read a state's NEVI report, or contacted a charging company to request a specific location be considered, or contacted the location asking them to consider adding charging, or done anything else to improve the infrastructure but complain.

The goal was 2030. 500,000 added chargers. Even with government interference, amazing progress has been made. Stop bitching.

 

[21st Century Truck]

I’m not sure what you are looking at. I see no chargers on either PlugShare or the Tesla app nor anything at all on the park’ website. In addition, I have been through that park twice in the last four months. If there are any chargers there then they are very well hidden.

Yeah that one was my mistake. I looked for one thing, and among the search results up came an unwanted artifact, or something. Sorry.

 

[EV Engineer]

Not complaining. Again, I love my truck and I think anyone here is Pro EV.

Just offering a counterpoint to the OP who is suggesting the infrastructure and charge rates are not an issue. They are.

My state has 0 NEVI sites installed and no updates since August. I' m not going to hold my breath waiting on government bureaucracy to get us there.

Tesla, Buccee's, IONNA and other private industry players will do laps around NEVI.

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