Jimbalf
Well-known member
- First Name
- Jim
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2022
- Threads
- 2
- Messages
- 60
- Reaction score
- 128
- Location
- Austin, TX
- Vehicles
- 2023 Lariat ER
- Occupation
- Retired
- Thread starter
- #1
Just returned from a 3000 mile road trip from Austin TX to Charleston SC over thanksgiving holiday in my 2023 Lariat ER.
Yes, I still love this truck. What a dream to drive on Interstates. Drove I10 to I95, to I26, to I20, to I85, to I65.
A few experiences of note:
My first charger stop didn’t go well. I had decided to try a new EVGo site in Cypress TX but could not connect to the two high power units. Finally got connected to a 50Kw unit but quickly decided to get to another site after getting thru Houston. After that experience I stuck with Electrify America for the rest of my Interstate driving. I must say, the trip East went great. All the EA sites were open and working. I did have to switch to another charger a couple of times but with plenty of open chargers this wasn’t an issue. I used the EA app almost exclusively while on the interstates. Looked for the EA sites 160 or so miles ahead and checked availability, then used the Ford Nav to take me there.
I found that not being able to change destinations on the Ford Nav while driving is a real disadvantage. Unless you have it in your “ recents” you have to stop. A couple of times when I changed plans, I had to navigate using Apple Maps on CarPlay.
Why can’t Ford allow the passenger to work the screen using an “I’m not the Driver”button, like some interfaces use? Totally renders the charger search function useless.
Once off the Interstate in South Carolina, charging gets sparse. I did use a nice 200KW Circle K charger on Hilton Head which allowed me to get to our Kiawah Island villa. Used a 110 outlet to charge (1.15kwhr) for the rest of the week, which was fine for local driving around.
The return trip from Charleston to Atlanta, Mobile, etc went fine up to and including my charging stop at Saraland. After that it got challenging. For the next two stops I had chargers that would not connect or max out at 37kw. Spending 5 min or more on hold with EA is frustrating. Often a reset of the unit got me going again, but having to go thru a protracted tutorial from the EA person about steps I need to take such as “make sure your charge limit is set higher than your actual charge level”. Before initiating a reset was time consuming and frustrating. My wife kept reminding me that not everyone is an engineer with a Masters degree. …sigh….
As we approached Houston, I had to make one more charge stop. I chose a Walmart on Yale St since I’ve used it before and there were 6 chargers “available”. When I pulled up 4 chargers were being used two chargers were down, and 4 cars were waiting. I decided to try another site down I 10. ABRP had pointed me to a Shell Recharge site in Katy, but was reluctant to try an unknown site, but decided to give it a try since options past Katy are limited. I found 2 new 180kw chargers and 2 300kw chargers. Sweet! Apple Pay got the 180kw unit charging just fine.
It’s obvious that our charging options are growing. As with my success at Circle K and Shell, we will see more of that in the months ahead. I saw charging sites going up all along the route. Pilot, for example has sites going in. And obviously the Tesla network will be a game changer next year.
I estimate I used hands free 70% of the trip. It’s awesome. Driving at night, in the rain amongst the numerous tractor trailers reduces driving stress dramatically. The lane centering works great too when not hands free but I found it hard to avoid the “keep hands on the wheel” warning when lightly resting my hands on the steering wheel.
And in terms of cost, I spent $230 in charging over the 3000 miles. I would have spent over $500 with my ICE F150.
I will be doing more road trips in the future for sure.
Yes, I still love this truck. What a dream to drive on Interstates. Drove I10 to I95, to I26, to I20, to I85, to I65.
A few experiences of note:
My first charger stop didn’t go well. I had decided to try a new EVGo site in Cypress TX but could not connect to the two high power units. Finally got connected to a 50Kw unit but quickly decided to get to another site after getting thru Houston. After that experience I stuck with Electrify America for the rest of my Interstate driving. I must say, the trip East went great. All the EA sites were open and working. I did have to switch to another charger a couple of times but with plenty of open chargers this wasn’t an issue. I used the EA app almost exclusively while on the interstates. Looked for the EA sites 160 or so miles ahead and checked availability, then used the Ford Nav to take me there.
I found that not being able to change destinations on the Ford Nav while driving is a real disadvantage. Unless you have it in your “ recents” you have to stop. A couple of times when I changed plans, I had to navigate using Apple Maps on CarPlay.
Why can’t Ford allow the passenger to work the screen using an “I’m not the Driver”button, like some interfaces use? Totally renders the charger search function useless.
Once off the Interstate in South Carolina, charging gets sparse. I did use a nice 200KW Circle K charger on Hilton Head which allowed me to get to our Kiawah Island villa. Used a 110 outlet to charge (1.15kwhr) for the rest of the week, which was fine for local driving around.
The return trip from Charleston to Atlanta, Mobile, etc went fine up to and including my charging stop at Saraland. After that it got challenging. For the next two stops I had chargers that would not connect or max out at 37kw. Spending 5 min or more on hold with EA is frustrating. Often a reset of the unit got me going again, but having to go thru a protracted tutorial from the EA person about steps I need to take such as “make sure your charge limit is set higher than your actual charge level”. Before initiating a reset was time consuming and frustrating. My wife kept reminding me that not everyone is an engineer with a Masters degree. …sigh….
As we approached Houston, I had to make one more charge stop. I chose a Walmart on Yale St since I’ve used it before and there were 6 chargers “available”. When I pulled up 4 chargers were being used two chargers were down, and 4 cars were waiting. I decided to try another site down I 10. ABRP had pointed me to a Shell Recharge site in Katy, but was reluctant to try an unknown site, but decided to give it a try since options past Katy are limited. I found 2 new 180kw chargers and 2 300kw chargers. Sweet! Apple Pay got the 180kw unit charging just fine.
It’s obvious that our charging options are growing. As with my success at Circle K and Shell, we will see more of that in the months ahead. I saw charging sites going up all along the route. Pilot, for example has sites going in. And obviously the Tesla network will be a game changer next year.
I estimate I used hands free 70% of the trip. It’s awesome. Driving at night, in the rain amongst the numerous tractor trailers reduces driving stress dramatically. The lane centering works great too when not hands free but I found it hard to avoid the “keep hands on the wheel” warning when lightly resting my hands on the steering wheel.
And in terms of cost, I spent $230 in charging over the 3000 miles. I would have spent over $500 with my ICE F150.
I will be doing more road trips in the future for sure.
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