First Road Trip - Charging Questions

[KickingGas]

Well, I'm pretty nervous about my first day trip, which will require public charging twice. I'm going from Lafayette, Indiana to the Chicago area and back. Basically no chargers in Indiana portion - the only one in a neighborhood I'd stop in says 50 kw, but on Google maps has 1 star and says 6.48 kw..... We are vising a few places in Tinley Park, Naperville and Villa Park, so at least there are chargers available there. One newbie question I have is regarding the plugs. Is it correct that we can only use those marked J1772 and CCS (Combo 1) without any type of adapter (not ChaDeMo)? ABRP has me charge twice for a total of 54 minutes, arriving home with 11%. And regarding that - I have a Pro SR. I charge to 80% daily, which was 180 miles until this weekend, when it first dropped down to 178 miles, then today it was only 175 miles. UGGGHH!! I have just over 3k miles on the truck. So, 11% worries me a bit... But that is what I get stopping at the last fast charger out of town to 80%.

Another question: If the fast chargers don't work and I have to go with one that charges at 50kw, how long am I looking at to charge enough to go the 120 miles back home? I tend to drive a little fast, but it is flat and we shouldn't need climate control. It has me going from 18 - 79% at the second stop (obviously if the first charger works well, I'll charge up to 80% instead of the suggested 49%, so I'd need to charge like 50ish%-80%).

Next question, I should still have the free charging available, but one of the videos posted on here said that in order to get that, you need to have a credit card set up in FordPass. Where, specifically, do you do that? I have FordPass installed, but can't seem to find where to enter a card number. For this trip, I am not super worried about charging prices, more about charging times and of course, not running out of battery on the way back. Should I/do I need to install the ChargePoint and EA apps now? Those are the brands it has me stopping at. Luckily my BFF who will be joining me is up for all of this and patient Thanks!!

Wow, so much math and planning! Where are those billions of my tax dollars for EV infrastructure?? That was rhetorical - no need to answer here

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[Refactoringdr]

It's a slightly different route than you would normally take, but there's some nice/new Electrify America chargers at the Meijer in Bradley, IL.

https://abetterrouteplanner.com is my goto and seems to do really well factoring in weather, etc.

BTW, the temperature is going to affect your range a lot, so don't be surprised as the weather gets cooler you get significantly lower range. It's not battery degradation. The two biggest things I've seen that impact my range (beside towing) is temperature and speed. 5mph over the speed limit will impact your range quite a bit, especially at interstate speeds.

 

[KickingGas]

Thanks for the tip about those new chargers - if I can't enough charge leaving the Chicago area, those might be a good alternative. This trip will be in a couple of days, so the weather shouldn't be much of an issue, but I'm sure I'll be going up to Chicago in the winter at some point.

Bummer about the speed - I like going fast. Although my passenger complained that I was in the left lane too much on one of our past trips, so she won't mind going slower

Also, we have in event in Wisconsin Dells at the end of January. It is really too bad, but we have already made the decision to take my husband's ICE F150. Sometimes I think I adopted too early, but on a regular day to day basis, I really love the Lightning.

 

[RickLightning]

Well, I'm pretty nervous about my first day trip, which will require public charging twice. I'm going from Lafayette, Indiana to the Chicago area and back. Basically no chargers in Indiana portion - the only one in a neighborhood I'd stop in says 50 kw, but on Google maps has 1 star and says 6.48 kw..... We are vising a few places in Tinley Park, Naperville and Villa Park, so at least there are chargers available there. One newbie question I have is regarding the plugs. Is it correct that we can only use those marked J1772 and CCS (Combo 1) without any type of adapter (not ChaDeMo)? ABRP has me charge twice for a total of 54 minutes, arriving home with 11%. And regarding that - I have a Pro SR. I charge to 80% daily, which was 180 miles until this weekend, when it first dropped down to 178 miles, then today it was only 175 miles. UGGGHH!! I have just over 3k miles on the truck. So, 11% worries me a bit... But that is what I get stopping at the last fast charger out of town to 80%.

Another question: If the fast chargers don't work and I have to go with one that charges at 50kw, how long am I looking at to charge enough to go the 120 miles back home? I tend to drive a little fast, but it is flat and we shouldn't need climate control. It has me going from 18 - 79% at the second stop (obviously if the first charger works well, I'll charge up to 80% instead of the suggested 49%, so I'd need to charge like 50ish%-80%).

Next question, I should still have the free charging available, but one of the videos posted on here said that in order to get that, you need to have a credit card set up in FordPass. Where, specifically, do you do that? I have FordPass installed, but can't seem to find where to enter a card number. For this trip, I am not super worried about charging prices, more about charging times and of course, not running out of battery on the way back. Should I/do I need to install the ChargePoint and EA apps now? Those are the brands it has me stopping at. Luckily my BFF who will be joining me is up for all of this and patient Thanks!!

Wow, so much math and planning! Where are those billions of my tax dollars for EV infrastructure?? That was rhetorical - no need to answer here

You want to use DC fast charging on a trip, CCS, unless there are no other options. ABRP should do that as a default.

Then, lookup every location on PlugShare, and then do it again during the trip.

Ignore GoogleMaps for ratings.

Level 2 is fine if you're at a destination and can plug in, but on a trip it's too slow.

Charge to 100% the night before the trip.

ABRP lets you set arrival SOCs, so set it to 20% if 11% isn't to your liking.

50kW IS A FAST CHARGER, just slower than others.

You asked how long it will take you at a 50kW charger to get 120 miles of range. You know that answer. What's your miles per kWh on the highway? 1.8? 120/1.8 = kW needed. Then you have to add roughly 10% for loss from charger to truck. 120/1.8 = 66.7/.9 = 74.

74/50 = 1.5 hours, except a 50kW charger will probably give you 42, so 74/42 = 1.76 hours. See why you want to find an EA charger?

Log into your Ford.com account, and setup connected services with a credit card. Turn on Plug and Charge in the FordPass app. If you click on Connected Services in the app, it doesn't let you do anything. Often errors out. Do it via a web browser.

You use Plug and Charge, or FordPass to activate the charger to use your free 250kW of charging, and that is at EA chargers only. Once that's done, you'll want to setup the EA app, if you travel, and get the $7 Pass+ plan when you take a trip (and then cancel it). If you don't travel much, Ford will give you the same rate as EA without Pass+.

The Ford BlueOval Charging Network will let you charge at EA, Shell, ChargePoint, EVgo, EV Connect, SemaCOnnect, FLO, and Electric Circuit. But Plug and Charge only works at EA. At the others, you stop, open FordPass, click on View Chargers, find the charger you're at, and swipe to activate it, then plug in when instructed on the charger's screen.

Yes, you need to plan an EV trip, today. In Spring 2024, we'll have access to 12,000 Tesla Superchargers, that's a game changer. And, the $7.5B in federal funding will add chargers, including at least 3,500 Tesla Superchargers by end of 2024. So, in 6 months it should be much better.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Do everything Rick stated.

The Plug & Charge switch in the Ford Pass app is working better since a couple of recent version updates, but it might still take 45-60 seconds to implement the change, you'll get an email once it's successfully turned on, leave it on if that's how you prefer to pay your charging. Note that it's less expensive using EA as a Pass Plus member and you plan to do these long road trips monthly, otherwise suspend the Pass Plus option on the EA app when not needed to save the $10 membership fees

 

[KickingGas]

You want to use DC fast charging on a trip, CCS, unless there are no other options. ABRP should do that as a default.

Then, lookup every location on PlugShare, and then do it again during the trip.

Ignore GoogleMaps for ratings.

Level 2 is fine if you're at a destination and can plug in, but on a trip it's too slow.

Charge to 100% the night before the trip.

ABRP lets you set arrival SOCs, so set it to 20% if 11% isn't to your liking.

50kW IS A FAST CHARGER, just slower than others.

You asked how long it will take you at a 50kW charger to get 120 miles of range. You know that answer. What's your miles per kWh on the highway? 1.8? 120/1.8 = kW needed. Then you have to add roughly 10% for loss from charger to truck. 120/1.8 = 66.7/.9 = 74.

74/50 = 1.5 hours, except a 50kW charger will probably give you 42, so 74/42 = 1.76 hours. See why you want to find an EA charger?

Log into your Ford.com account, and setup connected services with a credit card. Turn on Plug and Charge in the FordPass app. If you click on Connected Services in the app, it doesn't let you do anything. Often errors out. Do it via a web browser.

You use Plug and Charge, or FordPass to activate the charger to use your free 250kW of charging, and that is at EA chargers only. Once that's done, you'll want to setup the EA app, if you travel, and get the $7 Pass+ plan when you take a trip (and then cancel it). If you don't travel much, Ford will give you the same rate as EA without Pass+.

The Ford BlueOval Charging Network will let you charge at EA, Shell, ChargePoint, EVgo, EV Connect, SemaCOnnect, FLO, and Electric Circuit. But Plug and Charge only works at EA. At the others, you stop, open FordPass, click on View Chargers, find the charger you're at, and swipe to activate it, then plug in when instructed on the charger's screen.

Yes, you need to plan an EV trip, today. In Spring 2024, we'll have access to 12,000 Tesla Superchargers, that's a game changer. And, the $7.5B in federal funding will add chargers, including at least 3,500 Tesla Superchargers by end of 2024. So, in 6 months it should be much better.

Thank you very much! I really appreciate you taking the time to answer all of my questions. It seems a little crazy to put so much planning into a one day trip, but I guess that's where we're at right now. Worst case, I'm calling Ford to tow me home...

 

[KickingGas]

Do everything Rick stated.

The Plug & Charge switch in the Ford Pass app is working better since a couple of recent version updates, but it might still take 45-60 seconds to implement the change, you'll get an email once it's successfully turned on, leave it on if that's how you prefer to pay your charging. Note that it's less expensive using EA as a Pass Plus member and you plan to do these long road trips monthly, otherwise suspend the Pass Plus option on the EA app when not needed to save the $10 membership fees

Thank you for that info!

Got my credit card set up and got a confirmation that Plug & Charge is working. And I might have literally never have figured out how to get P&C working on the road while parked at a charger. Not being sarcastic - clearly I've never been to that screen in my account since my free charging wasn't turned on yet. This forum has taught me a tremendous amount about my vehicle!

 

[Piquette]

I don’t think it is crazy to plan extensively for your first trip in an all electric vehicle. You may even want to consider a practice run where you travel to a DCFC station about 1/3 of the range of your Lightning away. That way you can rehearse using a DCFC, and if things do not go well, you still have enough range to get home.

 

[Calvin H-C]

I have to giggle a bit when people have apprehensions about road trips in today's EVs. After a trip or two, you'll see it's not so bad.

I've been driving a Focus Electric for nearly six years with its whopping 100 mile range and it's ability to fast charge at up to 52 kW.

We bought it in late 2017 as a second vehicle intended to be a local commuter car, but soon found it became our primary vehicle. It wasn't until mid 2019 that we did our first real road trip about 260 miles from home.

That trip required careful planning as DCFCs were far apart back then and most sites had only one unit. It was like fuelling an aircraft: you need enough to reach the destination plus enough to reach an alternate.

The same trip today in the FFE is an order of magnitude easier with more fast charge sites with many having 2-4 units, even with some down.

With my wife's Lightning, it's another order of magnitude easier. In fact, with a vehicle with a greater range it is not necessary to plan charging based on when range gets low. Instead, plan on where/when you will need to stop to eat or use the bathroom, and pick locations where a fast charger is located. If you can, let them know you chose them because of the charging facility!

Topping up when you may only be down to 40-50% because you need to stop for another reason will be a more efficient use of your time and will likely reduce your overall trip time.

One thing about driving fast... in an EV it may not get you to your destination quicker. I've done trips in the FFE that if I drove 15% over the limit, it would cut 20-25 minutes of travel time, BUT would require an extra DCFC stop. The charging time would use up that 20-25 gain from speed, but another 10 to 20 minutes is wasted getting off the highway and back on again. If I drive only 5% over the limit, I get there sooner.

 

[carys98]

I went through all of the same worries on my first trip back in December. Get all of the charge apps that you might use and create accounts before you go. Theoretically you can use FordPass to charge but based on how well Ford does IT you should plan on a backup. Plan on DC charging but look for any opportunity to charge along the way. If you are stopping to eat look for a place that has level 2 chargers. If you are leaving your truck overnight near a 120V outlet plug it in. Every kWh you can grab while you’re doing something else is time saved at a DC charger.

I was nervous whenever I dropped below 20% on my first couple of trips but on my last one I limped into my garage at 8% and never broke a sweat.

 

[Maquis]

Thank you for that info!

Got my credit card set up and got a confirmation that Plug & Charge is working. And I might have literally never have figured out how to get P&C working on the road while parked at a charger. Not being sarcastic - clearly I've never been to that screen in my account since my free charging wasn't turned on yet. This forum has taught me a tremendous amount about my vehicle!

Re: Plug & Charge

The EA chargers in my area all require me to press the “Continue” button when using P&C. Not a big deal unless you simply plug in and expect everything to happen by itself (or it’s pouring rain). Maybe the newer EA chargers don’t do this, not sure.

The steps are basically:

• Plug in
• Car and charger do their handshake dance
• You press “Continue
• Charging starts

 

[KickingGas]

Thanks to all of you for the feedback. I feel much better prepared now.

Nothing is going to help my anxiety about that last leg home though, except driving a little further out of the way to charge further south on the way out than ABRP and FordPass both have me go, which I will probably do, and sitting and seeing how long I can tolerate slow charging past 80%. I have seen comments on here about Lafayette being literally the only charging station between Indianapolis an Chicago, which is a pretty major route, so not sure how people are doing this.

OMG - and when put that I would double back to the first station I will stop at in FordPass (we basically are doing a big circle around Chicago), it changed the first station to a Harley Davidson dealer and tells me to charge for 3hr 7 mins instead of what was 13 minutes. Really??? This is supposed to be a fun trip...

 

[KickingGas]

Update: I'm alive!!! Yes, I made it back, all on my own battery power.

First, we decided to do our trip in reverse from what we originally planned so that we would end our circle at the fast charger we were going to backtrack to. Had some ups and downs. Got up to northern Chicago suburbs with around 32% left. After our first two destinations, we were to charge at an EV Go station outside of a Chase bank. One of the stations had a big exclamation point with a circle around it on the screen and said "Power Cabinet AC Drop". The other two chargers were marked for Teslas, but my BFF being smarter than me we out and examined them more closely, and discovered one side was for Teslas and the other side had CSS charging. Well, we could not make it work. I tried plugging in first, paying first, doing all kinds of things on the FordPass app. Every time I tried to actually run my card on the physical machine, it immediately said "transaction cancelled." After wasting 20 minutes of our day, we gave up and went to lunch.

After our break, we went to a EA station at a Meijer. Two different sources said it was only 50kw, but by then we needed something, and figured we'd fill up more later. When we arrived, there were I think 9 Tesla chargers - all in use, and 5 other chargers, 150kw, 1 in use. I plugged in and that was it! Thanks to the setup tips from you guys, it just started running by itself, and was free. It started off running at 104kw and each time someone plugged in to another charger, it dropped down 5kw. We filled up for around 25 minutes, and stopped when it hit 80% and dropped down to 44kw. I was surprised how busy it was over there.

We went to our next stop, but by then it was too late to make it to the last place (near that last charger) we had wanted to go. The location was within 5 miles of where we had charged up, and it calculated we'd have like 15% left if we went straight home, so we decided to risk it. We were on the southwest side of the city, so our new route took us on back country roads. This turned out to be a very good thing, since we went about 60 3/4 of the way back. Once we got on the highway, the 38 mile buffer we had maintained started dropping fast. Not far from our exit we got the low battery warning. I forget the exact number, but I think it was 22 miles remaining when I got home. Too low for me!! But I did not feel stressed at all on the way back, except on the highway, were I did go around 70 instead of at my usual speed. We passed a total of 0 chargers on our route back, including Level 2's.

Overall, a 50/50 experience. I'm definitely not ready for a real road trip yet!! But I can tell the story forever of how I survived a day trip in an electric vehicle back in 2023...

 

[hturnerfamily]

I 'grew up' with the original 70m/range Nissan LEAF(two, since they are so nice!)... and yep, I have no issues with 'only' 240miles of Lightning PRO range, even though I mostly get much more than that... I learned to 'drive' slowly, versus having to stop more often. Believe me, if you can roadtrip in a 70m LEAF, you can learn very easily to travel in such a great truck : )

 

[KickingGas]

I 'grew up' with the original 70m/range Nissan LEAF(two, since they are so nice!)... and yep, I have no issues with 'only' 240miles of Lightning PRO range, even though I mostly get much more than that... I learned to 'drive' slowly, versus having to stop more often. Believe me, if you can roadtrip in a 70m LEAF, you can learn very easily to travel in such a great truck : )

Yes, we certainly managed. I know that the infrastructure is coming, but it definitely isn't there yet! I thought I'd be fine with it, until my kids' sports schedule came out. The first event is roughly 85 miles away - don't have the exact address yet. There are 2 small towns with level 2 chargers between here and there, all with pretty bad ratings online - two at hotels and two in town squares. There are other events about 2 hours each each way on similarly rural routes. Disappointingly, I will take my husband's ICE truck. Do not need to be stranded in the middle of a corn field with the kids after dark...

As for that trip to Chicago - the closet Level 2 charger is 74 miles north from here. Not happening in a Leaf! That being said, I probably won't do a round trip that my Lightning battery can't do in one charge more than 10 times a year. You are definitely braver than I am for road tripping on a 70 mile charge!

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