This is what many fear...

[brewski]

The unplanned.
The unexpected.
The low SOC.

My plan:
Drop my truck off this AM to have xpel applied to some leading edge surfaces.
Then take a van service to the airport (70 miles away).
They work in my truck while I'm gone.
Do the reverse on return.
I had 100 miles of range which was plenty fine for this plan.
Win win.

The reality:
We got 6 inches of rain the last few days.
On the way to the shop, there was a tree down in the road, so time for a new route.
Multiple non-working traffic lights on the way.
Upon arrival at the shop there is a sign "closed due to no power".
I called and it went straight to vm.
Plan B is just take the van service, but it isn't my favorite thing.
Plan C is find a charge nearby.
Plan D is charge near where I park at the airport.
I have not used either of these chargers before.
Both are EA fast charge.

Fortunately I started my day rather early.
I started with Plan C.
Arrived and 2 slots were open.
I plugged in, the two devices talked, I pressed "start" and shazam, I'm charging at 130kWh.
A little chit-chat with random folks and I hit 80% where the charge speed went from 121 to 58kWh.
I had enough time, and still an open slot so I went to 90%.
I'm very pleased with how this worked out.
If I was tight on time I could have sat there about 15 minutes and charged more upon return at my Plan D location.

I'd say it would be wise to use a few of your alternate location chargers at least once to get a feel for them.
I had heard not great things about my Plan C location, but it worked great.
Now I need to try my Plan D location at some point.

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[SmoothJ]

With a EV you need to think and plan differently. You also need to plan alternates in case one set of chargers doesn't work. This is why I never go below a certain % when traveling... usually 30-40%. This would give me enough miles to look for other options.

 

[Heliian]

Glad everything worked out!

Before I received the truck I was a little worried about chargers on the road but once I started driving it the range anxiety went away. I have to plan my trips but so far it has been easy.

Power outages are probably one of the biggest fears.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

 

[On the Road with Ralph]

My experiences with the Lightning fall in two different categories:

Near home, around town: I have ZERO worries near home, doing errands, especially since upgrading to a Level 2 charger at my house. I enjoy the fact that it can always be "full" in the morning. But in practice, I often go several days without recharging because I rarely use the truck more than 40-50 miles a day.

Cross-country, road trips: My longest trip thus far was about 1500 miles, several others in the 300-500 range. That experience reminds me of my time as a pilot - you have to mentally "fly ahead" of the aircraft. It helps to spend little time route planning (just as I would a cross-country plane flight) and identify where I will likely recharge. I've become progressively more comfortable letting the range drop down to <25 miles, something that - ironically - would have stressed me out in an ICE vehicle. I also have become adept at identifying alternative DC fast charger locations that might not be right next to the interstate, but are cheaper or even free.

One more long distance note: Basically, my Lightning's useful range at highway speeds and my own personal physiology are both about 2.5 hours. On drives I get into a rhythm of stopping every 2-2.5 hours to recharge, use the restroom and get a drink/snack. Toss in the inevitable conversation with someone curious about an EV truck and the 25-30 minute charging time isn't burdensome.

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