1,000 mi Road Trip - SE Michigan to Santa Rosa Beach, FL

[MJDore]

This is my second 1,000 mi trip to our second home in FL. The first was from Roscoe, IL where we used to live and is linked here: https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...orida-panhandle-1-000-mile-trip-report.14727/

This trip is a bit different in that a) it was a bit warmer this time around vs. my trip last year, b) I have to go through major cities on this trip whereas the trip from IL really only goes through Nashville and Birmingham.

Lariat extended range 15,000 miles, 1 year old
Total trip miles: 1,031
Charging Cost: $126.78
Cost per mile: $0.12/mi
Alternative: I have a Panamera Turbo that gets around 25 mpg on the interstate. If I drove that the cost would have been $0.17/mi (using prem fuel at around $4.29 per gal). So, saved about $50 one way. Economics of EVs are not improving year-over-year, unfortunately.

By segment:

Auburn Hills, MI to Toledo, OH
I left from the office fully charged at midday. I was charging on an L2 at the office but charge ended before I could precondition so left on a somewhat cold pack. Midday so no traffic to speak of, really. Temps were mild. Cruised at around 72 but avg speed noted below (as calculated by time and miles covered).
Distance: 94 miles
Time: 1 hours 25 mins
State of Charge: 100% to 66%
Temp: 44
Mi/kWh: 2.11
Avg Speed: 66
Charged at Pilot/Flying J. It's an EVGO charger and a really nice station. These chargers are actually under a canopy just like gas/diesel pumps. Short stop of 12 mins. Hoping to skip this stop when the weather warms. Charged from 66% to 81% SOC, 22.44 kWh delivered, Average rate of 112.18 kWh. - $12.34

Toledo, OH to Huber Heights, OH
Easy segment. Cruising at 72, warming up a bit. Pushed a little harder at times, costing me a bit on mi/kWh.
Distance: 147 miles
Time: 2 hours 9 mins
State of Charge: 81% to 21%
Temp: 48
Mi/kWh: 1.87
Avg Speed: 68
Charged at Electrify America in Huber Heights (Dayton-ish area) Walmart. 40 mins to go from 21% to 79% in 48 deg temps. 80.3 kWh delivered, 120 kWh avg charge rate. - $28.80

Huber Heights, OH to Louisville, KY
Hit some traffic here which helped mi/kWh, but also a fair amount of hills. Getting later so cooling off, too. Cruised around 72.
Distance: 153 miles
Time: 2 hours 39 mins
State of Charge: 79% to 24%
Temp: 40
Mi/kWh: 2.12
Avg Speed: 66
Charged at Electrify America Louisville at a Meijer. Great station. 30 mins to go from 24% to 78%. 75 kWh delivered, 149 kWh avg charge rate. Smokin. - $28.24

Louisville, KY to Bowling Green, KY
Very hilly stretch and fairly cold. Last segment for the day. Attempted to cruise around 72.
Distance: 120 miles
Time: 1 hour 50 mins
State of Charge: 78% to 31%
Temp: 36
Mi/kWh: 1.95
Avg Speed: 66
Charged at Electrify America at the Corvette Museum. Another great station. 31 mins to go from 31% to 80% in 36 deg temps. 70.3 kWh delivered, 136 kWh avg charge rate. - $31.16

Bowling Green, KY to Brentwood, TN
This was an unplanned stop. Wanted to get from BG to Athens, AL on first segment of the day but two issues. First, I woke up to 26 degree temps and truck was cold as ice so range wasn't as planned. Second, a lot of elevation changes on this leg as well as on the south side of Nashville. And I hit traffic and needed to pee lol. Anyway, stopped at Andrews Cadillac in Brentwood, TN for a few mins. EVConnect charger that turned out to be free. Hope to skip this stop on the way back. Only thing salvaging my range was traffic.
Distance: 76 miles
Time: 1 hour 28 mins...I don't miss Nashville traffic
State of Charge: 80% to 51%
Temp: 26
Mi/kWh: 2.00
Avg Speed: 52 woof
Incidentally, the Andrews Cadillac folks were very nice. 10 mins to charge from 51% to 56%. Around 40 kWh charge rate. Lots of passersby that stopped to say 'hi.' Unfortunately, the EA station in Franklin at the Walmart has been basically shutdown for quite some time. I used it last year but people regularly update Plugshare to say none of the chargers are reliable. - $free.99

Brentwood, TN to Athens, AL
Pretty congested leg impacted average speed.
Distance: 90 miles
Time: 1 hours 22 mins
State of Charge: 56% to 14%
Temp: 40
Mi/kWh: 1.64 very hilly and I pushed a bit
Avg Speed: 66
Charged at Electrify America in Athens, AL. Walmart. 31 mins to go from 14% to 66%. 71 kw delivered, 138 kWh avg charge rate. Good station. - $10.21 (cheap rate with Pass+)

Athens, AL to Alabaster, AL
Another hilly segment but no traffic issues and pushed a bit with weather warming.
Distance: 114 miles
Time: 1 hour 42 mins
State of Charge: 66% to 20%
Temp: 55
Mi/kWh: 1.89
Avg Speed: 67
Charged at Electrify America in Alabaster. There's also a Tesla Destination station here that is apparently open for us Ford folks, if you have the adapter. I do not. Charged from 20% to 79% in 35 mins. 84 kWh delivered, 144 kWh avg charge rate. - $10.06 (another cheap Pass+ station)

Alabaster, AL to Greenville, AL
Uneventful and pushing harder with weather warming
Distance: 108 miles
Time: 1 hour 35 mins
State of Charge: 79% to 34%
Temp: 63
Mi/kWh: 1.83 (cruised at around 74)
Avg Speed: 68
Charged at Electrify America in Greenville, AL. First station I've ever had to wait on a charger. One charger was down and a Pearce contractor was repairing a second. He was extremely helpful and worked quickly to try to get me charging. A Rivian ended up leaving in about 10 mins so I took that spot. Another Walmart. 21 mins to go from 34% to 65%. 42 kWh delivered, 120 kWh avg charge rate. - $5.97 (Pass+)

Greenville, AL to Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Mostly highways from here so really good efficiency.
Distance: 129 miles
Time: 2 hours 18 mins
State of Charge: 65% to 18%
Temp: 66
Mi/KwH: 2.10
Avg Speed: 56

Thoughts:
--Plan your route with Plugshare and nevermind the Ford planner. Also, keep a little cheat sheet showing how many miles you'll get with a given efficiency and SOC. It's a better estimator than the truck.
--My efficiency was much, MUCH better than the trip last year. While I attribute some of that to weather, the dramatic difference has to be owed to some of the updates, too, I reckon.
--Blue Cruise is so great. Zero issues. I have a lead foot and don't like being passed, much to my wife's chagrin. I have little to no fatigue after letting the truck do the work and taking it easy.
--EA was really solid for me again. BUT...and this is a big but. Pay attention to Plugshare and follow the recommendations. STAY OFF THE 350 kw stations! They are not reliable and end up delivering at a far worse rate than the 150s. The 150s are giving me great rates and I had no issues.
--For reference, had climate control set to 68 - 70 on fan setting 1. Used heated seats early on.
--It's a great cruiser. Like riding on a sofa.

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[JRT]

Cool, I'm Huntsville and make a similar beach trip in the summer. What are you doing in Santa Rosa? I'm seeing a lack of chargers in the area to Panama City Beach. Also the Tesla in Alabaster is a magic dock so has our plug so no adaptor just need Tesla App

Just looked at your last trip, I assume now you have L2 at the beach, that continues to be my challenge

 

[invertedspear]

Economics of EVs are not improving year-over-year, unfortunately.

Currently this beast isn't a great choice on road trips because the aerodynamics are terrible. But compare like for like instead of with a sports car. An equivalent ICE f150 would have cost even more on gas due to their ~17mpg on trips. Also, gas prices are far more volatile than electricity prices, and when gas inevitably outpaces electric costs, you'll be doing even better.

 

[Jimbalf]

This is my second 1,000 mi trip to our second home in FL. The first was from Roscoe, IL where we used to live and is linked here: https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...orida-panhandle-1-000-mile-trip-report.14727/

This trip is a bit different in that a) it was a bit warmer this time around vs. my trip last year, b) I have to go through major cities on this trip whereas the trip from IL really only goes through Nashville and Birmingham.

Lariat extended range 15,000 miles, 1 year old
Total trip miles: 1,031
Charging Cost: $126.78
Cost per mile: $0.12/mi
Alternative: I have a Panamera Turbo that gets around 25 mpg on the interstate. If I drove that the cost would have been $0.17/mi (using prem fuel at around $4.29 per gal). So, saved about $50 one way. Economics of EVs are not improving year-over-year, unfortunately.

By segment:

Auburn Hills, MI to Toledo, OH
I left from the office fully charged at midday. I was charging on an L2 at the office but charge ended before I could precondition so left on a somewhat cold pack. Midday so no traffic to speak of, really. Temps were mild. Cruised at around 72 but avg speed noted below (as calculated by time and miles covered).
Distance: 94 miles
Time: 1 hours 25 mins
State of Charge: 100% to 66%
Temp: 44
Mi/kWh: 2.11
Avg Speed: 66
Charged at Pilot/Flying J. It's an EVGO charger and a really nice station. These chargers are actually under a canopy just like gas/diesel pumps. Short stop of 12 mins. Hoping to skip this stop when the weather warms. Charged from 66% to 81% SOC, 22.44 kWh delivered, Average rate of 112.18 kWh. - $12.34

Toledo, OH to Huber Heights, OH
Easy segment. Cruising at 72, warming up a bit. Pushed a little harder at times, costing me a bit on mi/kWh.
Distance: 147 miles
Time: 2 hours 9 mins
State of Charge: 81% to 21%
Temp: 48
Mi/kWh: 1.87
Avg Speed: 68
Charged at Electrify America in Huber Heights (Dayton-ish area) Walmart. 40 mins to go from 21% to 79% in 48 deg temps. 80.3 kWh delivered, 120 kWh avg charge rate. - $28.80

Huber Heights, OH to Louisville, KY
Hit some traffic here which helped mi/kWh, but also a fair amount of hills. Getting later so cooling off, too. Cruised around 72.
Distance: 153 miles
Time: 2 hours 39 mins
State of Charge: 79% to 24%
Temp: 40
Mi/kWh: 2.12
Avg Speed: 66
Charged at Electrify America Louisville at a Meijer. Great station. 30 mins to go from 24% to 78%. 75 kWh delivered, 149 kWh avg charge rate. Smokin. - $28.24

Louisville, KY to Bowling Green, KY
Very hilly stretch and fairly cold. Last segment for the day. Attempted to cruise around 72.
Distance: 120 miles
Time: 1 hour 50 mins
State of Charge: 78% to 31%
Temp: 36
Mi/kWh: 1.95
Avg Speed: 66
Charged at Electrify America at the Corvette Museum. Another great station. 31 mins to go from 31% to 80% in 36 deg temps. 70.3 kWh delivered, 136 kWh avg charge rate. - $31.16

Bowling Green, KY to Brentwood, TN
This was an unplanned stop. Wanted to get from BG to Athens, AL on first segment of the day but two issues. First, I woke up to 26 degree temps and truck was cold as ice so range wasn't as planned. Second, a lot of elevation changes on this leg as well as on the south side of Nashville. And I hit traffic and needed to pee lol. Anyway, stopped at Andrews Cadillac in Brentwood, TN for a few mins. EVConnect charger that turned out to be free. Hope to skip this stop on the way back. Only thing salvaging my range was traffic.
Distance: 76 miles
Time: 1 hour 28 mins...I don't miss Nashville traffic
State of Charge: 80% to 51%
Temp: 26
Mi/kWh: 2.00
Avg Speed: 52 woof
Incidentally, the Andrews Cadillac folks were very nice. 10 mins to charge from 51% to 56%. Around 40 kWh charge rate. Lots of passersby that stopped to say 'hi.' Unfortunately, the EA station in Franklin at the Walmart has been basically shutdown for quite some time. I used it last year but people regularly update Plugshare to say none of the chargers are reliable. - $free.99

Brentwood, TN to Athens, AL
Pretty congested leg impacted average speed.
Distance: 90 miles
Time: 1 hours 22 mins
State of Charge: 56% to 14%
Temp: 40
Mi/kWh: 1.64 very hilly and I pushed a bit
Avg Speed: 66
Charged at Electrify America in Athens, AL. Walmart. 31 mins to go from 14% to 66%. 71 kw delivered, 138 kWh avg charge rate. Good station. - $10.21 (cheap rate with Pass+)

Athens, AL to Alabaster, AL
Another hilly segment but no traffic issues and pushed a bit with weather warming.
Distance: 114 miles
Time: 1 hour 42 mins
State of Charge: 66% to 20%
Temp: 55
Mi/kWh: 1.89
Avg Speed: 67
Charged at Electrify America in Alabaster. There's also a Tesla Destination station here that is apparently open for us Ford folks, if you have the adapter. I do not. Charged from 20% to 79% in 35 mins. 84 kWh delivered, 144 kWh avg charge rate. - $10.06 (another cheap Pass+ station)

Alabaster, AL to Greenville, AL
Uneventful and pushing harder with weather warming
Distance: 108 miles
Time: 1 hour 35 mins
State of Charge: 79% to 34%
Temp: 63
Mi/kWh: 1.83 (cruised at around 74)
Avg Speed: 68
Charged at Electrify America in Greenville, AL. First station I've ever had to wait on a charger. One charger was down and a Pearce contractor was repairing a second. He was extremely helpful and worked quickly to try to get me charging. A Rivian ended up leaving in about 10 mins so I took that spot. Another Walmart. 21 mins to go from 34% to 65%. 42 kWh delivered, 120 kWh avg charge rate. - $5.97 (Pass+)

Greenville, AL to Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Mostly highways from here so really good efficiency.
Distance: 129 miles
Time: 2 hours 18 mins
State of Charge: 65% to 18%
Temp: 66
Mi/KwH: 2.10
Avg Speed: 56

Thoughts:
--Plan your route with Plugshare and nevermind the Ford planner. Also, keep a little cheat sheet showing how many miles you'll get with a given efficiency and SOC. It's a better estimator than the truck.
--My efficiency was much, MUCH better than the trip last year. While I attribute some of that to weather, the dramatic difference has to be owed to some of the updates, too, I reckon.
--Blue Cruise is so great. Zero issues. I have a lead foot and don't like being passed, much to my wife's chagrin. I have little to no fatigue after letting the truck do the work and taking it easy.
--EA was really solid for me again. BUT...and this is a big but. Pay attention to Plugshare and follow the recommendations. STAY OFF THE 350 kw stations! They are not reliable and end up delivering at a far worse rate than the 150s. The 150s are giving me great rates and I had no issues.
--For reference, had climate control set to 68 - 70 on fan setting 1. Used heated seats early on.
--It's a great cruiser. Like riding on a sofa.

Great report. I agree our Lightning’s are great highway cruisers..

 

[MJDore]

Cool, I'm Huntsville and make a similar beach trip in the summer. What are you doing in Santa Rosa? I'm seeing a lack of chargers in the area to Panama City Beach. Also the Tesla in Alabaster is a magic dock so has our plug so no adaptor just need Tesla App

Just looked at your last trip, I assume now you have L2 at the beach, that continues to be my challenge

Yeah, I have one installed here at the house. I think there are a few Tesla chargers here and there. Maybe those will open up. But, yeh, it's not great.

 

[MJDore]

Currently this beast isn't a great choice on road trips because the aerodynamics are terrible. But compare like for like instead of with a sports car. An equivalent ICE f150 would have cost even more on gas due to their ~17mpg on trips. Also, gas prices are far more volatile than electricity prices, and when gas inevitably outpaces electric costs, you'll be doing even better.

I hear ya. But aerodynamics haven't changed since my last trip. I was speaking more about the rising charging rates. It was nice to have the Pass+ for EA for a few stations. But plenty of others pushing $0.50 or $0.55 per kWh is wild.

 

[Pioneer74]

Auburn Hills, MI to Toledo, OH
I left from the office fully charged at midday. I was charging on an L2 at the office but charge ended before I could precondition so left on a somewhat cold pack. Midday so no traffic to speak of, really. Temps were mild. Cruised at around 72 but avg speed noted below (as calculated by time and miles covered).
Distance: 94 miles
Time: 1 hours 25 mins
State of Charge: 100% to 66%
Temp: 44
Mi/kWh: 2.11
Avg Speed: 66
Charged at Pilot/Flying J. It's an EVGO charger and a really nice station. These chargers are actually under a canopy just like gas/diesel pumps. Short stop of 12 mins. Hoping to skip this stop when the weather warms. Charged from 66% to 81% SOC, 22.44 kWh delivered, Average rate of 112.18 kWh. - $12.34

Did you use the Pilot on I-280? They are opening up a bunch of them in the Toledo area, but most show as still under construction on PlugShare.

 

[Pod]

I love reading these trip reports. Thank you

 

[TheBigBezo]

Unfortunately, much of the Panhandle has subpar CCS charging. I tried petitioning FPL and Fort Waltons chamber of commerce to add CCS chargers to drive tourism to the bar district, but so far no dice. Charging at home is by far the best option around here.

 

[Ventorum94]

This is my second 1,000 mi trip to our second home in FL. The first was from Roscoe, IL where we used to live and is linked…

Thoughts:
--Plan your route with Plugshare and nevermind the Ford planner. Also, keep a little cheat sheet showing how many miles you'll get with a given efficiency and SOC. It's a better estimator than and follow the recommendations. STAY OFF THE 350 kw stations!

Just two observations:
First- the largest charge stop on the trip was 84kWh, and there were only two that weren’t under 80kWh. An SR pack (98kWh) could have made the same trip, same segments with perhaps one more charge stop (to eliminate those two over-80kWh charges in favor of three quicker ones). Don’t be afraid to road trip an SR, if that’s what you have.

Second- use those 350s! Why? 500A output, that’s why- the 150kW chargers are limited to 350A, and the Lightning’s pack voltage is low-mid 300V. Max charge speeds of 160-170kW are only possible at 500A, not 350A.

 

[dkrueger]

Fantastic info, thank you! Our Lightning is going to be doing an east coast tour from Maine to Texas along the coast.

 

[pixelcloak]

Great trip report! Thanks for sharing!

 

[MJDore]

Just two observations:
First- the largest charge stop on the trip was 84kWh, and there were only two that weren’t under 80kWh. An SR pack (98kWh) could have made the same trip, same segments with perhaps one more charge stop (to eliminate those two over-80kWh charges in favor of three quicker ones). Don’t be afraid to road trip an SR, if that’s what you have.

Second- use those 350s! Why? 500A output, that’s why- the 150kW chargers are limited to 350A, and the Lightning’s pack voltage is low-mid 300V. Max charge speeds of 160-170kW are only possible at 500A, not 350A.

Check plugshare for the EA stations I visited. Everyone who tries the 350s is getting lower charge rate than the 150s. I talked to a Pearce contractor at one EA station and he said they're aware of the issue and trying to resolve.

 

[Ventorum94]

Check plugshare for the EA stations I visited. Everyone who tries the 350s is getting lower charge rate than the 150s. I talked to a Pearce contractor at one EA station and he said they're aware of the issue and trying to resolve.

It can be helpful to get an OBD port reader (BLE) and “Car Scanner” app, so you can see the maximum current (Amps) flowing to the HV battery pack. EA chargers only display power (kW), but when you open Car Scanner and see the current hovering at “300A” you know that the charger has been de-rated. EA “Hyperfast” 350kW dispensers are nominally capable of 500A output, and we should reach that on our Lightnings, especially during the first 10min of charging. I personally have never seen lower charge rates from a 350kW than a 150kW; EA 150s only pass 350A, so they should deliver a max charge rate to our Lightnings of around 120kW. (350A from charger x 340V Lightning pack voltage = 120kW) Also, maybe the Plugshare posts are sharing “average” power delivered over a long high-pack charge, rather than peak power, or average power delivered over a quick low-pack charge?

 

[davehu]

[

T
...
--It's a great cruiser. Like riding on a sofa.

Thank you for the detail you put in the trip log. Very helpful

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