How much is "Complimentary 250 kWh of DC fast charging at Electrify America stations" ?

[metroshot]

Has this been asked before ?

How much would one expect realistically for only 250 kWh ?

1-3 charges ?

Sponsored

 

[Maquis]

You have to use math. If you go from 20 to 80% charge on the standard battery, it takes about 60 kwh, so about 4 charge sessions.

 

[vandy1981]

The ER battery has 131 kWh usable and you can do the math from there.

It's worth about $100 if you charge in a per kWh state.

You could extract more "value" from the deal if you charge in a per minute state and only use the credits at high states of charge when charging speeds are throttled.

I'm actually happy (on a macro level) that Ford isn't doing an unlimited free charging promotion like the Ioniq 5 or ID4. Those deals are going cause issues with EV road trips because they incentivize locals to hog fast chargers when they could use a level 2 charger instead.

 

[kWfart]

Definitely depends on the current state of the battery upon arriving at the charger. I would estimate about 5-7 charges. Ford and EA should give an additional 250 kWh free just like early MME purchases like I still have 425 kWh left on mine! Purchased MME March ‘21 but have home charger as well. They still give 500 kWh on MME? Our VW ID.4 gets 3 yrs free EA charging but we will trade that one in for the lightning! 5/9 production week!

 

[beatle]

Let's do some comparison math. I average 26.4kwh per supercharging stop. My car's battery has a usable capacity of only about 74kwh now, so to get to the same percentage on the SR Lightning would take about 35kwh. But also consider my car goes a bit further per kwh than the Lightning (currently 243 miles of range) so let's tack on another 25% or so and you get to ~44kwh per session if your road trips and charging habits are the same as mine with your SR Lightning. I try to roll in to a supercharger with around 10% SoC, and I charge just enough to get to the next one or my destination with about 10%. I think you could get 5-6 sessions out of a 250kwh freebie.

 

[RickLightning]

Going from 20% to 80% is 60%. 60% x 131 = 78.6. 250/78.6 = 3.2 charging sessions.

In a per minute state, EA Pass+ charges 24 cents, plus tax, per minute. The rate of charge with a Mach-E is at best 1.75kW per minute. 250/1.75 = 143 minutes x 24 cents = $34.30 plus tax. Lightning should charge at a faster rate than Mach-E.

If you didn't pay the $4 monthly fee for Pass+ (breakeven in a day or less of driving), the rate is 32 cents, so, it's worth 143 x 32 = $45.76 plus tax.

In a per kW state (majority), they charge 31 cents per kW with Pass+. 250 x 31 cents = $77.50. Without Pass+ the rate is 43 cents, so it's worth $107.50.

Many people brag about never fast charging because they never go on trips. We've taken 3 long trips so far, a majority of our 8,700 miles. You cannot gift the free charging, and it expires in 2 years.

Pass+ can be turned on for 30 days at a time. You can immediately unsubscribe and it will take effect in 30 days. The only people who don't use it are those who never drive more than 2 or 3 charging stops in a month. In a 500 mile drive, getting 3 miles per kW, you would use 167kW. Assuming a 7% loss from charger to car, that's 179.6kW. At 43 cents, that's $77.22. At 31 cents, that's $55.67. Pretty clear that the $4 cost was passed much earlier in the day.

Breakeven for per kWh states is 34kWh. 34 x .43 = $14.62. On the Pass+ plan, 34 x .31 + $4 = $14.54.
Breakeven for per minute states is dependent on charging rate. Breakeven is around 50 minutes, i.e. your 2nd charge. 50 x .32 = $16. 50 x .24 + $4 = $16.

You can see EA's rates per states here: https://www.electrifyamerica.com/pricing

They just converted 5 more states from per minute to per kW.

Because per minute is less than 1/2 the cost of per kW charging, use the free hours in per kW states, not per minute states. We failed to realize this until we had used our free hours up.

 

[Tony Burgh]

The ER battery has 131 kWh usable and you can do the math from there.

It's worth about $100 if you charge in a per kWh state.

You could extract more "value" from the deal if you charge in a per minute state and only use the credits at high states of charge when charging speeds are throttled.

I'm actually happy (on a macro level) that Ford isn't doing an unlimited free charging promotion like the Ioniq 5 or ID4. Those deals are going cause issues with EV road trips because they incentivize locals to hog fast chargers when they could use a level 2 charger instead.

As I see it, 250 kwh = 500 miles. My 2015 F150 averages 16 mpg and gas is $4/gallon, so $125 for me.

 

[RickLightning]

As I see it, 250 kwh = 500 miles. My 2015 F150 averages 16 mpg and gas is $4/gallon, so $125 for me.

That makes no sense. The free hours you get are in place of hours you would buy, not in place of gasoline. And 250kWh is more than 500 miles, it would be at least 2.3 miles per kWh.

 

[metroshot]

Going from 20% to 80% is 60%. 60% x 131 = 78.6. 250/78.6 = 3.2 charging sessions.

In a per minute state, EA Pass+ charges 24 cents, plus tax, per minute. The rate of charge with a Mach-E is at best 1.75kW per minute. 250/1.75 = 143 minutes x 24 cents = $34.30 plus tax. Lightning should charge at a faster rate than Mach-E.

If you didn't pay the $4 monthly fee for Pass+ (breakeven in a day or less of driving), the rate is 32 cents, so, it's worth 143 x 32 = $45.76 plus tax.

In a per kW state (majority), they charge 31 cents per kW with Pass+. 250 x 31 cents = $77.50. Without Pass+ the rate is 43 cents, so it's worth $107.50.

Many people brag about never fast charging because they never go on trips. We've taken 3 long trips so far, a majority of our 8,700 miles. You cannot gift the free charging, and it expires in 2 years.

Pass+ can be turned on for 30 days at a time. You can immediately unsubscribe and it will take effect in 30 days. The only people who don't use it are those who never drive more than 2 or 3 charging stops in a month. In a 500 mile drive, getting 3 miles per kW, you would use 167kW. Assuming a 7% loss from charger to car, that's 179.6kW. At 43 cents, that's $77.22. At 31 cents, that's $55.67. Pretty clear that the $4 cost was passed much earlier in the day.

Breakeven for per kWh states is 34kWh. 34 x .43 = $14.62. On the Pass+ plan, 34 x .31 + $4 = $14.54.
Breakeven for per minute states is dependent on charging rate. Breakeven is around 50 minutes, i.e. your 2nd charge. 50 x .32 = $16. 50 x .24 + $4 = $16.

You can see EA's rates per states here: https://www.electrifyamerica.com/pricing

They just converted 5 more states from per minute to per kW.

Because per minute is less than 1/2 the cost of per kW charging, use the free hours in per kW states, not per minute states. We failed to realize this until we had used our free hours up.

Wow, this was the most detailed breakdown that made sense!

Yes, use the free charging offer at per kW states to get the maximum value.

I had no idea you can turn on/off Pass+ by the month which will come in handy for long distance trips only.

 

[RickLightning]

Wow, this was the most detailed breakdown that made sense!

Yes, use the free charging offer at per kW states to get the maximum value.

I had no idea you can turn on/off Pass+ by the month which will come in handy for long distance trips only.

Thanks. Many people don't explore the options carefully, and lots of people misunderstand the value, or lack thereof, of the free 250kWh. Or say "we haven't used ours in a year".

Yes, we turned it on for September, then again in October, and then in March.

Ford has plans for Plug and Charge to provide that same discount, at an annual cost of $50. Unfortunately, when they rolled it out, it didn't provide the discount, so they yanked it, fixed it, but haven't re-rolled it out yet. While some say it's the same cost (i.e. $4 x 12 = $48 vs. $50), the ability to only use Pass+ for 30 day increments when you need it makes it cheaper. And, as a I said, you can downgrade immediately, and it takes effect in 30 days.

We upgrade the morning of a trip. Open the app, a few clicks, done.

 

[p52Ranch]

As I see it, 250 kwh = 500 miles. My 2015 F150 averages 16 mpg and gas is $4/gallon, so $125 for me.

This highlights the value of the Lightning. $125 for gasoline to drive 500 miles.

If you use the EA charging to purchase 250 KW then that would cost $77.50 on the Pass+ program ($0.31/KWh) or $107.50 on your credit card ($0.43/KWh).

Assuming you are driving the Lightning at a speed where you only get 2 miles per KW (instead of 2.3 M/KW = 575 miles) and only using fast charging, the Lightning costs less per mile than the gas F150.

 

[adoublee]

I think charger losses are taken from the 250kWh. So you will get something like 90% into the actual battery when comparing to kWh/mile and how many free miles it is.

 

[RickLightning]

This highlights the value of the Lightning. $125 for gasoline to drive 500 miles.

If you use the EA charging to purchase 250 KW then that would cost $77.50 on the Pass+ program ($0.31/KWh) or $107.50 on your credit card ($0.43/KWh).

Assuming you are driving the Lightning at a speed where you only get 2 miles per KW (instead of 2.3 M/KW = 575 miles) and only using fast charging, the Lightning costs less per mile than the gas F150.

Stated in post #6.

Yes, an EV costs less to drive per mile than a comparable gas vehicle, if the only cost one uses is the cost of the fuel. It even costs less when fueled at home, during non-peak hours, for most people. My cost per mile for my Mach-E is around 4 cents when I charge at home, vs. 21.5% for my gas F-150 with gas at $3.65 and 17mpg.

Of course my 2013 F-150 is paid for, and you'll never hit breakeven for a paid for used vehicle vs. buying a Lightning.

I think charger losses are taken from the 250kWh. So you will get something like 90% into the actual battery when comparing to kWh/mile and how many free miles it is.

Yes. See post #6

 

[Tony Burgh]

That makes no sense. The free hours you get are in place of hours you would buy, not in place of gasoline. And 250kWh is more than 500 miles, it would be at least 2.3 miles per kWh.

You say 2.3, I’ll say 2. Easier math. Probably more realistic.
I buy gasoline now. It costs me 25¢ per mile driven. Again, easy arithmetic.
But 250kwh is only worth $37 at my house, which I can’t drive on vacation.
It doesn’t have to make sense to you, only to me. And my pocketbook.

 

[beatle]

I think charger losses are taken from the 250kWh. So you will get something like 90% into the actual battery when comparing to kWh/mile and how many free miles it is.

Note that charging losses are less when using a DCFC. Most of my DC charging has been 97%+ efficient some charges are 99%. L2 charging at home is generally 85-90% efficient. Numbers can fudge a little based on whether you continue to run the HVAC while parked though.

Regarding road trip costs, this may be common sense, but the more you can charge at home and your destination, the cheaper the trip becomes. The gas/EV comparison using DCFC exclusively is still favorable to EV, but if your home rates are only say, 12 cents/kwh, even a 300 mile trip might only cost you a few bucks if you just have to "splash and dash" DCFC to get to your destination before you empty your battery.

Sponsored