Journey down the Baja…to Cabo

[RickLightning]

@Baja Lightning, many of the issues you bring up have been discussed here many times.

- First, you aren't adding 1.4kW per hour on 120v, and you don't have a 128kWh battery. The battery is either 131kWh or 123kWh, and charging on 120v, net to the vehicle is 120vx12ampsx85%(15% loss)=1.2kW at best, often 1.1.

- In the US, the rated range is an EPA number, a formula with local and highway driving. Your range is predicted but the GOM based on your historic driving. Put your destination in the navigation, and it will adjust range based on the destination, and indicate range has been adjusted. Now, drive different than expected (20mph faster for example), and the range will continue to adjust, in this case downwards. You need to learn YOUR normal efficiency, and then do math - i.e. 1.7 miles per kWh x 131kWh battery x 20% left = 44.5 miles of range. BUT, that 131kWh assumes no degradation, and 77 degrees. In fact, you might have 128 or 125 or ... Nobody gets EPA estimates on an ICE truck, but everyone expects to get it on an EV...

- If I was driving where you are driving, I would have the CarScanner app and an OBD adapter, but in 2025 there are values that are inaccessible. You would need to verify that things like Energy, which is the amount of kWh available, are displayed.

- The Ford Mobile chargers pull 30amps, but in 2025 Ford allows you to lower the amperage the vehicle seeks, and you could have lowered it to say 16amps for each truck (2024 and earlier cannot be adjusted, at least yet).

- Plan your trip with ABRP and PlugShare. With the proper adapters and knowledge, you would have avoided your issues. I use 1.7 miles per kWh to plan my trips.

Hope this helps.

Adapter for CarScanner

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[Baja Lightning]

@Baja Lightning, many of the issues you bring up have been discussed here many times.

- First, you aren't adding 1.4kW per hour on 120v, and you don't have a 128kWh battery. The battery is either 131kWh or 123kWh, and charging on 120v, net to the vehicle is 120vx12ampsx85%(15% loss)=1.2kW at best, often 1.1.

- In the US, the rated range is an EPA number, a formula with local and highway driving. Your range is predicted but the GOM based on your historic driving. Put your destination in the navigation, and it will adjust range based on the destination, and indicate range has been adjusted. Now, drive different than expected (20mph faster for example), and the range will continue to adjust, in this case downwards. You need to learn YOUR normal efficiency, and then do math - i.e. 1.7 miles per kWh x 131kWh battery x 20% left = 44.5 miles of range. BUT, that 131kWh assumes no degradation, and 77 degrees. In fact, you might have 128 or 125 or ... Nobody gets EPA estimates on an ICE truck, but everyone expects to get it on an EV...

- If I was driving where you are driving, I would have the CarScanner app and an OBD adapter, but in 2025 there are values that are inaccessible. You would need to verify that things like Energy, which is the amount of kWh available, are displayed.

- The Ford Mobile chargers pull 30amps, but in 2025 Ford allows you to lower the amperage the vehicle seeks, and you could have lowered it to say 16amps for each truck (2024 and earlier cannot be adjusted, at least yet).

- Plan your trip with ABRP and PlugShare. With the proper adapters and knowledge, you would have avoided your issues. I use 1.7 miles per kWh to plan my trips.

Hope this helps.

Adapter for CarScanner

Apologies Rick must have been a typo 123kw is what I have not 128.
The app is based on maybe 1 or 2 non Tesla vehicles that made the journey. We know about one Chevy. There are many more Nena 14-50 opportunities than what the apps show. This is my 18th trip down the Baja, I have stayed at many of these places with my F350 and truck camper. Hence my willingness to take it on, I have a fair bit of local knowledge.
The trip is totally doable but like you said with the right adapters…. Tesla Destination being the primary source of power. (But then again what fun would that be…?)

 

[Baja Lightning]

Update 4.
We made it not too far down the road to a small little town, where we were greeted by two Tesla Destination chargers, useless to us….but, we know there’s power.
In Mexico a guy with a multimeter is called an electrician!
We could not get the two RV connectors to work, but! I have a brand new Ford Charger….so I put the electrician to work. I had to throttle the charger and the truck back to 34a as we could not find anything bigger than #8.
Anyway, see below and you have 5 minutes to freak out and then celebrate Mexico and it’s wonderful helpful people with me.

 

[Baja Lightning]

Update 5:
All charged up to 100%…!
We disconnected and the electrician cut the “live” wires, taped them up and said next time he will be ready for us…
I suggested he gets a generic or even Ford charger for other EVs because not everyone has a Tesla. He asked if we could bring one next time we pass by and he will pay us for it.
I asked why we see so many Tesla destination chargers and he told me Tesla supplied them for free, he charges a few $ for EV charging except if you stay over in his hotel charging is free.
Ford could always spare 4 or 5 chargers and match Tesla…. Excellent advertising.

On the road further south !

 

[Baja Lightning]

Beautiful BAJA….

 

[Baja Lightning]

Update 5b
Made it to Cuidad Insurgentes. Hotel has 2 Tesla and one other J1772 charger. Room is 800 pesos and free charging…. This works.
Looks like Tesla supplied these chargers as well as their branded units.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Update 5b
Made it to Cuidad Insurgentes. Hotel has 2 Tesla and one other J1772 charger. Room is 800 pesos and free charging…. This works.
Looks like Tesla supplied these chargers as well as their branded units.

Are you daisy chain charging off the pro power on the first lightning to the second Lightning when you find only one L2 charger?

 

[Baja Lightning]

Are you daisy chain charging off the pro power on the first lightning to the second Lightning when you find only one L2 charger?

No, is that even possible?

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

No, is that even possible?

If you have pro power onboard, you can feed up to 30A to a mobile evse using the 240v 30A plug in the bed. You need an adapter, but my Lightning came with one. Otherwise you can run an L1 from the bed outlets and charge the second truck with L1.

This obviously does slow down the charging of the first Lightning, and you'd have to evaluate if it makes sense, but it might help when you're charging overnight and reach your target charge before the next day.

 

[Baja Lightning]

If you have pro power onboard, you can feed up to 30A to a mobile evse using the 240v 30A plug in the bed. You need an adapter, but my Lightning came with one. Otherwise you can run an L1 from the bed outlets and charge the second truck with L1.

This obviously does slow down the charging of the first Lightning, and you'd have to evaluate if it makes sense, but it might help when you're charging overnight and reach your target charge before the next day.

Thank you, very interesting. We arrived early enough today at the Hotel that I could connect right away and I will be full by 23:00, I will just plug the second vehicle in and he should be at 100 or close enough by say 9am.
But thank you for the info I can just imagine how that could work.

 

[Baja Lightning]

Made it home safely….!
Connected our Ford Pro Charger, to my inverter, batteries and solar network.

I’m putting 10.4kw into our truck FOR FREE…!
Love it..!

Thanks for all the advice and I hope that this was informative if not merely entertaining. The Baja is beautiful and if you’re never going to venture far from home, I think I’ve proven “with the right adapters” this trip is easily doable with a Lightning.

useless information:
We traveled just over 1.000 miles down the Baja, paid average $45 a night.
I’ve updated PlugShare with a few more charging options.
Trip took 2 days more than what we do with our F350. (With camper)

 

[CD4TNF]

Thought enjoyed being virtually along for the trip. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

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