What's it like to take a road trip in a truck like the Terra (F-150 Lightning)?

[J Alynn]

Most of the DCFCs along major highway corridors have cc readers. You don’t necessarily need an app to use most of them. A lot of vehicles now support plug and charge where you don’t have to do anything but plug-in and charge. As we get closer to Scouts being available more and more charging companies will have plug and charge active. I can’t say how many companies Scouts UI will show as having plug and charge activated but I’m sure it will be more than 2 or 3 companies.

That would certainly be more appealing

 

[6-ScoutFamily]

Is there any kind of a $$ differential between using a card reader at the pump and using a dedicated app?

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Most of the DCFCs along major highway corridors have cc readers. You don’t necessarily need an app to use most of them. A lot of vehicles now support plug and charge where you don’t have to do anything but plug-in and charge. As we get closer to Scouts being available more and more charging companies will have plug and charge active. I can’t say how many companies Scouts UI will show as having plug and charge activated but I’m sure it will be more than 2 or 3 companies.

Is there any kind of a $$ differential between using a card reader at the pump and using a dedicated app?

The Ford Plug&Charge software works great.

Except.

it doesn’t know about your subscriptions, so you don’t get the discounts on (for example) EVGo, EA, or Brand-T networks.

 

[RodorW]

Is there any kind of a $$ differential between using a card reader at the pump and using a dedicated app?

From my experience, typically only if you have a subscription to one of the charging station networks, but sometimes even if you don’t have the app readily available if it accepts a card reader, you can put it in your email or phone number on the screen and you’ll still get your discounts

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Is there any kind of a $$ differential between using a card reader at the pump and using a dedicated app?

For the networks that have subscription options, yes, there’s a cost difference.

Some of the networks send you a card that you can use. So you transfer the hassle of apps to a dozen cards. That’s worse, IMO.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

From my experience, typically only if you have a subscription to one of the charging station networks, but sometimes even if you don’t have the app readily available if it accepts a card reader, you can put it in your email or phone number on the screen and you’ll still get your discounts

I haven’t seen this option. But I rarely use my CC at the charger.

 

[apex96]

it doesn’t know about your subscriptions, so you don’t get the discounts on (for example) EVGo, EA, or Brand-T networks.

This brings up a good point, I have multiple fuel station apps to get discounts too... Every brand has their own app and I'm gonna use them to save $0.03 a gallon!

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

brings up the point that I have multiple fuel station apps to get discounts too... Every brand has their own app and I'm gonna use them to save $0.03 a gallon!

Right.

 

[RodorW]

I haven’t seen this option. But I rarely use my CC at the charger.

I’ve only had to do it once at an EA if I remember correctly, but I was experiencing a service outage with my phone provider so I had no app access

 

[LastDayScout]

I have 16 EV-related apps. It's stupid.

But I rarely use most of them.

For your most common drive(s), I suggest someday, before you get your Scout, you stop at the likely charging stops.

Assuming it's a 1-stop trip, visit the normal stop ~halfway and the "oh, no" stops ~1/4 and ~3/4 of the way. Get the apps for those chargers and play with them. Don't subscribe to any paid plans yet, but do create an account without adding payment information.

If you're ambitious, plan a trip to Chicago this spring/summer and rent an EV to do your drive.

If you can avoid it, you don't want to be in an ice storm learning how to get the charger working. You want to know how to do the basics before the troublesome trips.

This is great advice for those new to EVs or those not familiar with DCFCs.

 

[LastDayScout]

Uggghhh! I hate using apps. Guess I need to change my mental outlook.

I hope there is a better solution on the horizon.

 

[LastDayScout]

Uggghhh! I hate using apps. Guess I need to change my mental outlook.

I also hope Scout is reading this and hears the frustration.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I hope there is a better solution on the horizon.

The Infrastructure bill had a provision that required a CC reader to receive funding for new chargers. I don’t know whether that was in the final law and of course it’s kind of irrelevant now…

It would make sense to do away with all of the apps and just have the vehicle do the negotiations. But which charging networks are going to let go of all that juicy data they can sell to anyone who wants it?

 

[LastDayScout]

Is there any kind of a $$ differential between using a card reader at the pump and using a dedicated app?

Not that I have noticed.

 

[LastDayScout]

And that my fr

The Infrastructure bill had a provision that required a CC reader to receive funding for new chargers. I don’t know whether that was in the final law and of course it’s kind of irrelevant now…

It would make sense to do away with all of the apps and just have the vehicle do the negotiations. But which charging networks are going to let go of all that juicy data they can sell to anyone who wants it?

And that my friend is the exact crux of the situation. The game is data gathering.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Year-end Review:

2025:
We drove the Lightning approximately 15,000 miles in 2025. The truck’s average efficiency is 2.4 miles/kWh. That’s about 6,250 kWh of energy.
We drove the Mustang approximately 10,000 miles in 2025. The Mustang’s average efficiency is about 4 miles/kWh. That’s about 2500 kWh of energy.

In 2025, we did more than 23 road trips that required DCFC charging. A large fraction of those trips were more than 1200 miles round trip. This includes trips in the Mustang Mach-E, but the vast majority of our trips were in the Lightning because it’s far more comfortable.

Lifetime:
Total miles:
Lightning: 26,281 miles
Mustang: 53,245 miles
Total BEV driving since Feb 2022: 79,526 miles.

DCFC Sessions:
We recorded 152 DCFC sessions at EA, 51 at brand-T; 33 at ChargePoint; a dozen or so at EVGo; and a dozen or so combined at the smaller networks. We have more charging sessions at the top three networks that weren’t recorded. All-told, I would say we’ve charged around 300 times at DCFC chargers.

Home charging sessions: Too many to count. Just on the ChargePoint (Mustang), we have over 1000. I don’t have good records for the Lightning.

Road trip L2 charging sessions: At least 100.

Here’s a map of all of our road trips (since Feb. 2022); this also includes trips we took in the Mustang. Many of the routes shown here were driven multiple times.

 

[N Wilson]

Thanks for that. What was your charge when you got home?

Sorry, I missed this question initially.

I had 57% SOC when I got home.

And, that actually answers the question of whether I could have made it home without stopping for that second charge session. Probably, but it would have been nervewracking. Looking back at my charge history in my Ford app, I had 30% when I plugged in at the Rivian chargers. I left there with 77% and arrived home with 57%, so I used 30% to get home from there which means I would have likely arrived home at 0% SOC if I hadn't made that stop to charge.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Sorry, I missed this question initially.

I had 57% SOC when I got home.

And, that actually answers the question of whether I could have made it home without stopping for that second charge session. Probably, but it would have been nervewracking. Looking back at my charge history in my Ford app, I had 30% when I plugged in at the Rivian chargers. I left there with 77% and arrived home with 57%, so I used 30% to get home from there which means I would have likely arrived home at 0% SOC if I hadn't made that stop to charge.

You used 20%. You would have arrived home with around 10%.

One thing you’ll find changing over time is that you worry less and less about arriving home with any extra. In fact, ideally you would arrive home with close to 0% charge so you don’t buy more of the really expensive electrons than you need or spend more time charging at a DCFC for longer than you need to.

We used to make sure we got to our overnight (or final) destination with at least 15% extra, “just in case.”

Now we generally only worry about having more than a few percent if we know we might encounter some kind of adverse driving conditions: wind, rain, cold, etc. And even then we mostly just shrug it off.

And now, we often don’t even worry about having 10% or more even for DCFC charging stations. It’s very rare that we end up needing to change stations or wait for any time at all, so we don’t need to arrive with more than 10%.

 

[N Wilson]

You used 20%. You would have arrived home with around 10%.

One thing you’ll find changing over time is that you worry less and less about arriving home with any extra. In fact, ideally you would arrive home with close to 0% charge so you don’t buy more of the really expensive electrons than you need or spend more time charging at a DCFC for longer than you need to.

We used to make sure we got to our overnight (or final) destination with at least 15% extra, “just in case.”

Now we generally only worry about having more than a few percent if we know we might encounter some kind of adverse driving conditions: wind, rain, cold, etc. And even then we mostly just shrug it off.

And now, we often don’t even worry about having 10% or more even for DCFC charging stations. It’s very rare that we end up needing to change stations or wait for any time at all, so we don’t need to arrive with more than 10%.

Thanks for that.

Math was never my strong point. Lol

 

[RodorW]

You used 20%. You would have arrived home with around 10%.

One thing you’ll find changing over time is that you worry less and less about arriving home with any extra. In fact, ideally you would arrive home with close to 0% charge so you don’t buy more of the really expensive electrons than you need or spend more time charging at a DCFC for longer than you need to.

We used to make sure we got to our overnight (or final) destination with at least 15% extra, “just in case.”

Now we generally only worry about having more than a few percent if we know we might encounter some kind of adverse driving conditions: wind, rain, cold, etc. And even then we mostly just shrug it off.

And now, we often don’t even worry about having 10% or more even for DCFC charging stations. It’s very rare that we end up needing to change stations or wait for any time at all, so we don’t need to arrive with more than 10%.

Does the lightning show an estimated range continuously or is there a point where it decides you don’t need that information and just tells you to charge soon?