First Long Trip - ABRP ? or Just Google Maps and a prayer?

[bmw325_num99]

I default to Google Maps for navigational planning and I do take the charging suggestions to heart...but I still relay on Plugshare to double check or to find alternates if I do not like the Google suggestions

Are you going to drive your lightning on the beach? Ive been to OBX a few times with my ICE trucks and Silver Lake Sand Dunes with my Lightning. I can't wait to take the Lightning to OBX and camp on the beach all day with power available from the truck.

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[davehu]

Hi Folks... Well, I think I just changed my mind and I am going to take my 23 Lariat SR on a 500 mile trip to OBX next week. I was going ICE but the vehicle is a small SUV and no where near as comfortable as the Lariat. So I will eat the extra couple hours of travel in order to "enjoy the trip".
My Question to you all .. Should I just use Google Maps to do the trip and the Charger stops etc. Or use ABRP? I just ordered a compatible ODB2 unit to help it monitor the Lightning. Any tips or suggestions on what I should do to make this a stress-free journey? I have the Tesla Adapter so I should be good there. I know the SR will have more challenges but we shall see..
Thanks for any tips..

both!

 

[niall]

I use a the ford navigation because it prepares your battery for charging and I use plug share .charger hub .adrp before I leave because you can set your battery to 100% for the 1st leg
I drove 800km in -15c
And chargers where not fast

 

[On the Road with Ralph]

<sigh>

As a 70-year-old with an SR Pro who has gone on 13 road trips of more than 1500 miles, and is about to leave on the 14th, there is ‘WAY too much handwringing going on here.

Unless you’re touring national parks in the desolate west (which I’m about to do), I cannot imagine how one would get themselves in trouble on a 500 mile journey unless they were just idiots.

For the last year, especially with access to the Tesla Superchargers, and with EV route planning made part of Apple Maps, I have basically stopped doing flight planning. I’ll use PlugShare to check station status and amenities (I always want to combine a charging stop with other activities), but for the most part, charger presence – especially along interstate routes – has reached a point where long distance EV travel isn’t much different from going in an ICE vehicle. Heck, even EA reliability has seemed to have improved (well, it couldn’t have gotten any worse).

The best pieces of advice I’ve seen here are to just break your trip into 140-160 mile segments (about two hours at highway speeds) and try to keep your speed at 70 mph or under (unless you have a tailwind or are going downhill).

Take the Lightning - it is the best long distance cruiser I’ve ever owned.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I would charge to 100% before I leave and then hit the road. 500 miles is a 2-charge, 3- or 4-bio stop trip. You might as well charge while stopping for bio breaks. You don’t need to plan it. When it’s coming up on time for a bio break, ask your favorite mapping application to find you a DCFC charger along your route. If I’m driving less than 900 miles in a day, I don’t bother planning. Even out here in the desolate west charging deserts, there are enough reliable chargers that it’s never been a problem.

 

[Ry2023]

I will also say take a look at membership options for charging, I have two routes that I do several times a year and usually buy a Tesla (Since I have a NACS adapter) or Electrify America membership depending on which route I'm doing. I always save more than the membership cost for the month, and you can turn off the auto renewal immediately after subscription. ABRP has options to consider membership and/or network preferences.

Membership options are the way to go for EA and Tesla…. But EV go will not work with the altium charging stations, they’re actually privately owned so discounts do not apply….i learned the hard way …. But I will say this those Altium chargers do charge very well.

 

[Meddle]

Hi Folks... Well, I think I just changed my mind and I am going to take my 23 Lariat SR on a 500 mile trip to OBX next week. I was going ICE but the vehicle is a small SUV and no where near as comfortable as the Lariat. So I will eat the extra couple hours of travel in order to "enjoy the trip".
My Question to you all .. Should I just use Google Maps to do the trip and the Charger stops etc. Or use ABRP? I just ordered a compatible ODB2 unit to help it monitor the Lightning. Any tips or suggestions on what I should do to make this a stress-free journey? I have the Tesla Adapter so I should be good there. I know the SR will have more challenges but we shall see..
Thanks for any tips..

Honestly the native navigation works just fine. The ABRP is great for prioritizing Tesla available adapters. Google is my last line of defense because it’s not entirely accurate with all charging networks.
I’ve done four cross country trips and you’re gonna have a good time!!

 

[FloridaMan655321]

Personally I don't use either, and by this I don't mean because I use Apple Maps (which is what I use), but when I am taking a trip I plan my stops days ahead of time. Here is my process.

Usually I have some stops that I want to hit up, so for example my next trip to Asheville, I know I'm going to stop at Buc-ee's, so that is stop #1. Then I use Google Maps (from my desktop) and look at around 150 miles north, which then I check the Ford app for charging locations, so I put that as my #2 (which a backup in case it's busy) Then back to the desktop with Google Maps to chart 150 miles north from #2, and the process continues.

I put each charging stop and address in Apple Notes under a vacation tab. So when the trip begins I'll first chart the address to Buc-ee's, then after charging there I'll open Notes up to get the address for #2, etc..etc..etc..

Oh, and I will also chart another plan of around 200 miles between each stop, just in case I don't drink a lot of coffee, but usually I just stick to the first plan.

 

[PJnc284]

Also if you're going to be using Tesla Superchargers, supercharge.info is a good site. There's a thread for each location that usually has pictures as well and you can filter based on locations with v4 stalls which can make life easier in even moderately busy areas since Tesla owners are going to use every other spot.

For v3's, I check there, Plug Share and Google Maps Street View to see how it's laid out and if there are any stalls that are on the right ends with an open spot next to it and if there's access to the back. Ran into the below in Williamsburg, VA where they had added parking stops which prevented getting close enough to charge knew from the photos on Google that I could get to it from the backside.

 

[John Becker]

I just ordered a compatible ODB2 unit to help it monitor the Lightning.

Which one and why? I need to get one too.

 

[Ekiehn]

Ok.. I have used both in the past... Also used plug share... Now... I just get in and drive... when I start getting down to 25% or need a pit stop I just look up the next station and stop... Just like I used to in my ICE vehicles... No planning anymore.. just get in and drive... I am on the east coast and don't drive in charging deserts, but those deserts are fewer and fewer... Bottom line, take the Lightning and enjoy the drive.

 

[21st Century Truck]

Ok.. I have used both in the past... Also used plug share... Now... I just get in and drive... when I start getting down to 25% or need a pit stop I just look up the next station and stop... Just like I used to in my ICE vehicles... No planning anymore.. just get in and drive... I am on the east coast and don't drive in charging deserts, but those deserts are fewer and fewer... Bottom line, take the Lightning and enjoy the drive.

+1.

 

[Firn]

<sigh>

As a 70-year-old with an SR Pro who has gone on 13 road trips of more than 1500 miles, and is about to leave on the 14th, there is ‘WAY too much handwringing going on here.

Unless you’re touring national parks in the desolate west (which I’m about to do), I cannot imagine how one would get themselves in trouble on a 500 mile journey unless they were just idiots.

For the last year, especially with access to the Tesla Superchargers, and with EV route planning made part of Apple Maps, I have basically stopped doing flight planning. I’ll use PlugShare to check station status and amenities (I always want to combine a charging stop with other activities), but for the most part, charger presence – especially along interstate routes – has reached a point where long distance EV travel isn’t much different from going in an ICE vehicle. Heck, even EA reliability has seemed to have improved (well, it couldn’t have gotten any worse).

The best pieces of advice I’ve seen here are to just break your trip into 140-160 mile segments (about two hours at highway speeds) and try to keep your speed at 70 mph or under (unless you have a tailwind or are going downhill).

Take the Lightning - it is the best long distance cruiser I’ve ever owned.

These are the words I have been waiting to hear echoed around the community's. I'm sure they have been said for some time, but this is really the first time I have heard someone solidly claim charging is not really an issue any longer. We knew it was coming, there just had to be enough chargers. That in itself will be a big shift for consumer acceptance

 

[RickLightning]

<sigh>

As a 70-year-old with an SR Pro who has gone on 13 road trips of more than 1500 miles, and is about to leave on the 14th, there is ‘WAY too much handwringing going on here.

Unless you’re touring national parks in the desolate west (which I’m about to do), I cannot imagine how one would get themselves in trouble on a 500 mile journey unless they were just idiots.

For the last year, especially with access to the Tesla Superchargers, and with EV route planning made part of Apple Maps, I have basically stopped doing flight planning. I’ll use PlugShare to check station status and amenities (I always want to combine a charging stop with other activities), but for the most part, charger presence – especially along interstate routes – has reached a point where long distance EV travel isn’t much different from going in an ICE vehicle. Heck, even EA reliability has seemed to have improved (well, it couldn’t have gotten any worse).

The best pieces of advice I’ve seen here are to just break your trip into 140-160 mile segments (about two hours at highway speeds) and try to keep your speed at 70 mph or under (unless you have a tailwind or are going downhill).

Take the Lightning - it is the best long distance cruiser I’ve ever owned.

I have to disagree with your statement. Yes, in SOME parts of the country, you can adopt this philosophy. And, it helps if you a) have experience fast charging as you do, b) know the apps and how to use them, and c) understand how to find alternatives.

BUT, in some parts of the country, not planning in advance can lead to a very unpleasant experience, as there is only ONE option to charge at and if you miss it (or it's down), you're hosed. One example is Montana, where there's an EA charger in Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlins, and Rock Springs. Recently, the charger in Rawlins was down for replacement. Between Rock Springs and Laramie is 207 miles. The speed limit is 80mph as I recall. Go 80mph and you won't make it (in an ER, I can't imagine an SR). Drive it in the dead of winter and you might not make it. Pilot / Flying J is installing in Rawlins at some point to remedy the issue.

In addition, planning in advance gives you visibility to potential issues, and gets you thinking about options, and exposes you to chargers you didn't think of. Back in 2023, we did a trip to the national parks through 10 states and 8 parks. During the planning, an EA location was opened at The Grand Canyon, weeks before the trip. And, a Tesla SuperCharger was opened to non-Teslas at Moab, UT a few months prior. Both changed our trip plans.

On a trip in late January, we drove in near zero degree weather to Montana, via North Dakota. On one stretch, I knew the exact miles between chargers, and the efficiency I needed. With a 20mph headwind, I slowed to 55, then upped a bit to low 60s to make the distance. Had I not done advanced planning, I would likely have run out of power.

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