Why I don't have Range Anxiety ordering a Standard Range

[RDeFran]

It is all about lifestyle and environment. I need the ER because I do a short distance heavy trailer pull twice a month and can't be caught low on range. I have a Duramax 3500 for heavy long distance, it runs right at GVWR at 31k. Several of my friends would be fine with a SR all the time, especially since they can plug in at home. EV are impractical for my daughter, as she can't plug in at home or at work, and her commute/lifestyle does not have her near charging stations regularly.

Sponsored

 

[CRAIGC540]

Thanks for sharing this @IdeaOfTheDayCom -

100% agree that range anxiety seems to come from folks who have never had an EV or other EV drivers who tout the need for more range or because others on social media will scoff at non ER buyers....

I am lucky to have a PHEV for 4 years which taught me a lot about EV driving.

17kHh battery made me charge every night and drive totally different than my ICE vehicles focusing on how to get as much range as possible (coasting, light braking, paddle regen, no cabin heating, etc) - sort of a game.

Now that my Lightning is being built, I ordered the SR as I don't need more than 25 miles per day. My daily commute plus any weekend use will make charging a once a week routine.

I am very satisfied that I chose the SR with 230 miles of range which is more than I need and if I do take trips, I'll stop at more charge stations to rest and stretch since I need frequent rest stops along the way due to my back and sciatica.

My ABRP map to drive to MT from CA and fish the rivers in my Lightning:

Thanks for sharing this @IdeaOfTheDayCom -

100% agree that range anxiety seems to come from folks who have never had an EV or other EV drivers who tout the need for more range or because others on social media will scoff at non ER buyers....

I am lucky to have a PHEV for 4 years which taught me a lot about EV driving.

17kHh battery made me charge every night and drive totally different than my ICE vehicles focusing on how to get as much range as possible (coasting, light braking, paddle regen, no cabin heating, etc) - sort of a game.

Now that my Lightning is being built, I ordered the SR as I don't need more than 25 miles per day. My daily commute plus any weekend use will make charging a once a week routine.

I am very satisfied that I chose the SR with 230 miles of range which is more than I need and if I do take trips, I'll stop at more charge stations to rest and stretch since I need frequent rest stops along the way due to my back and sciatica.

My ABRP map to drive to MT from CA and fish the rivers in my Lightning:

What is this map saying, Did you stop to chstge 11 times each showing the charge times.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I camp in the Adirondacks, but I don't tow a camper. That's going to be the biggest challenge for me each year. It's a very long drive from the NYC area, and there's a big elevation change, and very few places to charge when I get near the camp sites.

I’ve done that drive. First couple of times I was around 900Wh/mi. I eventually learned to change my driving habits to average 550-650Wh/mi instead.

It is not one I enjoyed and would’ve preferred a diesel. I routinely had to go 30+ minutes out of the way to find a charger.

 

[metroshot]

What is this map saying, Did you stop to chstge 11 times each showing the charge times.

No, it's a suggested route using ABRP DCFC stations (EA) to get small charges - not full charge.

In reality, I would charge to near 100% when ever I would stop and go longer distances between stations.

Also, where ever I would stay over night I would find a hotel that has L2 (not DCFC) to recharge fully overnight.

Going for 100% charge each time, I figured I would route my CA to MT trip with 2 overnight hotels stays + 4 DCFC stations.

 

[RickLightning]

You're not going to charge to near 100% at a DC charger, unless Ford made a drastic change in the speed of charging about 80 and then 90%.

When you use ABRP, you can pick few stops but longer, quickest arrival, or short but many (and two in between settings.

One of the reasons that it puts in so many stops is that you can't make it from one to the next going down to 10% and not charging over 80%. For example, with my Mach-E that route has me stop in Baker, CA with 25% charge, and only charge to 49%, and then drive another 85 miles to charge again. Why? Because at the next stop, I'm getting 58% charge (from 10 to 68%). 49% + 58% is 107%, i.e. not possible. So, there's little reason to charge more than 49% if you have to stop at the next one.

 

[Roy2001]

I am only afraid of one situation, when you arrive planned charge location with little juice, chargers are broken.

 

[DKZB]

I want to be able to drive from NJ to central FL. We usually do it as 16 hrs straight. With my ER battery and highway driving, wondering how much time charging will add to the trip. Any advice on the best route planning website/app?

 

[shutterbug]

I am only afraid of one situation, when you arrive planned charge location with little juice, chargers are broken.

That is a concern. When I drove home from CA on Jan 2, my last stop had 1 out of 3 chargers broken. Fortunately I arrived when there was only one other cars waiting so I only had to wait an extra 30 min.

Also, after installing an update that improves the charge curve, I pulled into the only EA station near me, I plugged in and was only getting 1 kW rate. After 10 min, another plug freed up and I started getting normal charge.

 

[Roy2001]

I want to be able to drive from NJ to central FL. We usually do it as 16 hrs straight. With my ER battery and highway driving, wondering how much time charging will add to the trip. Any advice on the best route planning website/app?

That’s 1000 miles, I assume you need 6 stops each 45-60min.

 

[shutterbug]

I want to be able to drive from NJ to central FL. We usually do it as 16 hrs straight. With my ER battery and highway driving, wondering how much time charging will add to the trip. Any advice on the best route planning website/app?

https://abetterrouteplanner.com
Also if you plan to stop overnight look for a hotel that has L2 charger. And maybe invest in TeslaTap or something similar.

 

[IdeaOfTheDayCom]

I am only afraid of one situation, when you arrive planned charge location with little juice, chargers are broken.

I see a lot of broken free chargers at shopping malls, but when it's a paid high speed DC charger, they tend to be working... but sometimes they're in-use. Thankfully most of the DC chargers have a 1 hour time limit.

 

[IdeaOfTheDayCom]

https://abetterrouteplanner.com
Also if you plan to stop overnight look for a hotel that has L2 charger. And maybe invest in TeslaTap or something similar.

I picked up a TeslaTap because I want to have flexibility in case I come across a site that only has a Tesla Destination charger. So far, I've never tried it, but I feel better knowing it's in my Frunk.

 

[Ruination]

The range is sooooo person dependent.

How you drive and where you drove going to be the biggest factors.

But you're right imo. 230 miles is plenty of range for most people.

 

[Mr. Flibble]

I am only afraid of one situation, when you arrive planned charge location with little juice, chargers are broken.

I have had that in the backroads of 'murica where I was looking for a gas station, and they were all gone!

 

[Mr. Flibble]

The range is sooooo person dependent.

How you drive and where you drove going to be the biggest factors.

But you're right imo. 230 miles is plenty of range for most people.

Honestly, 230 would be fine for our house. We currently are driving a Kia Niro EV (because the Soul EV is in the shop) and it gets 230. Compared to the short range the Soul has, it feels like a dream.

However, we do road trips about 4x per year that exceed this range, occasionally tow a trailer for about 150 miles one way, and really want the whole home backup.

So the ER battery just makes sense for us. True, most of the time 230 miles is way more than enough, but closing out those edge cases is what we really need.

If it were possible to charge at 800 volts, it would be perfect, but we can live with slower charging.

Sponsored