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.

 

[21st Century Truck]

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.

Which state is Your state? Your avatar doesn't say it.

 

[EV Engineer]

LA.

 

[CavRider]

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.

Don't forget Walmart who are reportedly planning to make major investments in charging infrastructure and that have already begun.

Shame on all of the manufacturers not named Tesla for putting out a product with no initial intentions of helping support the public infrastructure to facilitate its use. Love Elmo or hate him you have to give he and his team a nod for having the foresight to ease adoption.

Our issue is not just one of insufficient infrastructure either. The sad truth is that at the current state of tech our vehicles incorporate an energy store that is woefully inefficient. That the power train is incredibly efficient in converting that stored energy to kinetic is the only reason these vehicles are even remotely possible at present. We need not only significantly increased public refueling infrastructure but also substantially more efficient energy storage tech.

 

[CavRider]

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.

Assuming this mini rant was directed at least partially my way let me assure you that I would not expose you to either my complaining nor "bitching". You certainly would not enjoy it.

I am however perfectly happy to drop a little rain on the sunshine and rainbows expressed by the OP and anyone else asserting that things are just fine. The reality is that they aren't.

I think it's fair to assume that all those who participate on this forum could reasonably be classified as "enthusiasts". As such we are all more willing to tolerate friction than the gen pop. Some more so than others. I consider myself fully onboard with 3 EV in the garages yet due to the present limitations even I am balking. Just imagine then the immense resistance on the part of the average consumer who is either disinterested in the tech or worse, biased against. Espousing to this cohort a view that is in fact detached from the situation on the ground is not going to be helpful with adoption IMHO. The average auto owner is not looking for an adventure in travel. They just want to get where they are going. So do I.

 

[21st Century Truck]

Assuming this mini rant was directed at least partially my way let me assure you that I would not expose you to either my complaining nor "bitching". You certainly would not enjoy it.

I am however perfectly happy to drop a little rain on the sunshine and rainbows expressed by the OP and anyone else asserting that things are just fine. The reality is that they aren't.

I think it's fair to assume that all those who participate on this forum could reasonably be classified as "enthusiasts". As such we are all more willing to tolerate friction than the gen pop. Some more so than others. I consider myself fully onboard with 3 EV in the garages yet due to the present limitations even I am balking. Just imagine then the immense resistance on the part of the average consumer who is either disinterested in the tech or worse, biased against. Espousing to this cohort a view that is in fact detached from the situation on the ground is not going to be helpful with adoption IMHO. The average auto owner is not looking for an adventure in travel. They just want to get where they are going. So do I.

I note that we participants, every one of us, can only speak credibly about our personal position. None of us can credibly speak for the mythical "average auto owner". Same goes for the wider category of "average auto user" (because not every user is an owner). Ditto for the even more mythical "average consumer".

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