33 Months of EV driving...

[J Alynn]

Just got home.
After TJ's, I plugged in my home address and asked Google to route me home. Google was very worried that I would arrive home with -20% charge so it very helpfully routed me to a charger. I didn't think I'd need it, but I decided to try stopping at a new-to-me charger five minutes away from TJ's. That charger was full, so I happily hopped back on the freeway and asked Google again what it thought. It was still very worried that I would arrive with -20%, so offered up another stop (actually, it offered two stops, which makes zero sense. Google has worse range anxiety than a real person). So, I let it route me to a V4 brand-T charger. Those have nice, long charging cables, so I was able to use only one charging stall. I put in 25% charge so I could convince Google that I would arrive home with 5%. Google was still worried, but stopped nagging me.

I arrived home with 21% charge. Sigh.

Even the robots are trying to give us anxiety.

It’s awesome that Google chimes in now. Helpful for us newbies who will have some range anxiety in the beginning. Thanks for the updates. BTW what your go-to at TJ. Nothing like a tangent topic from car talk

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

It’s awesome that Google chimes in now. Helpful for us newbies who will have some range anxiety in the beginning. Thanks for the updates. BTW what your go-to at TJ. Nothing like a tangent topic from car talk

For meals, any of their tamales are great.
For snacks, I really like the dark chocolate peanut butter cups.
And for drinks, I like their limeade.

 

[J Alynn]

For meals, any of their tamales are great.
For snacks, I really like the dark chocolate peanut butter cups.
And for drinks, I like their limeade.

They do have good tamales. Remembering one with chicken and corn-I think. And the shredded beef. Guess I just need to eat dinner-now I’m hungry

 

[cyure]

Get some Macaroons for me on the next trip!

They do have good tamales. Remembering one with chicken and corn-I think. And the shredded beef. Guess I just need to eat dinner-now I’m hungry

Tamales! My favorite. They are really good with an over easy egg on top.

 

[J Alynn]

Tamales! My favorite. They are really good with an over easy egg on top.

Have to try that. But isn’t almost everything better with an over easy egg . And BACON!

 

[Scout4x4]

On a general level, rather than needing to go into specifics, how would you compare refueling of EV vs ICE. Finding a station, paying, time it takes, safety of stations, are stations working? Thainks.

That's important but only part of the question that needs to be asked..

As a driver of an EV (and a diesel truck) I think the road trip concerns are overblown. Every EV road trip stop we had to make has been driven by the pace my kids need for the restroom / snacks / drinks, never the EV charge time. But you do need to spend a minute to educate yourself on how these things work and what a charging curve is; be sure to pick modern 250 or 350KW charges and don't try to to fill to 100% every time.

But the other half of the question is the charge experience when NOT on a road trip. What is it like on a daily basis? To that, EVs are such a superior option. Assuming you have a place to plug it in each night; it is so much more convenient. Every day you leave the house with a full "tank". Never needing to his a gas station when you're running late. You're able to schedule the pre-heat or pre-cool before you get in it is great. I remember one time we went to Hershey Park in the Summer, the kids decorate this big chocolate thing. We didn't want to carry that with us through out the park so we put it in the EV and just set the internal temp on pet mode for the day to keep the chocolate from melting.. Could never do that with my diesel truck.

So road trips are not bad for EVs, but daily life is so much better.

 

[J Alynn]

That's important but only part of the question that needs to be asked..

As a driver of an EV (and a diesel truck) I think the road trip concerns are overblown. Every EV road trip stop we had to make has been driven by the pace my kids need for the restroom / snacks / drinks, never the EV charge time. But you do need to spend a minute to educate yourself on how these things work and what a charging curve is; be sure to pick modern 250 or 350KW charges and don't try to to fill to 100% every time.

But the other half of the question is the charge experience when NOT on a road trip. What is it like on a daily basis? To that, EVs are such a superior option. Assuming you have a place to plug it in each night; it is so much more convenient. Every day you leave the house with a full "tank". Never needing to his a gas station when you're running late. You're able to schedule the pre-heat or pre-cool before you get in it is great. I remember one time we went to Hershey Park in the Summer, the kids decorate this big chocolate thing. We didn't want to carry that with us through out the park so we put it in the EV and just set the internal temp on pet mode for the day to keep the chocolate from melting.. Could never do that with my diesel truck.

So road trips are not bad for EVs, but daily life is so much better.

And knowing you probably paid $35-40 for that cookie and happy kids on the ride home that was a life saver to some degree and made the day and post event driving experience considerably better

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

That's important but only part of the question that needs to be asked..

As a driver of an EV (and a diesel truck) I think the road trip concerns are overblown. Every EV road trip stop we had to make has been driven by the pace my kids need for the restroom / snacks / drinks, never the EV charge time. But you do need to spend a minute to educate yourself on how these things work and what a charging curve is; be sure to pick modern 250 or 350KW charges and don't try to to fill to 100% every time.

But the other half of the question is the charge experience when NOT on a road trip. What is it like on a daily basis? To that, EVs are such a superior option. Assuming you have a place to plug it in each night; it is so much more convenient. Every day you leave the house with a full "tank". Never needing to his a gas station when you're running late. You're able to schedule the pre-heat or pre-cool before you get in it is great. I remember one time we went to Hershey Park in the Summer, the kids decorate this big chocolate thing. We didn't want to carry that with us through out the park so we put it in the EV and just set the internal temp on pet mode for the day to keep the chocolate from melting.. Could never do that with my diesel truck.

So road trips are not bad for EVs, but daily life is so much better.

This is so true.

Recently a buddy needed to borrow the Lightning to move some furniture from the valley up the mountain--300 miles round trip, 6000 feet elevation change in each direction. The night before I told the truck to charge to 100%--I didn't have to go anywhere, just tap my phone a couple of times. He picked up the truck on a Wednesday, and headed down off the mountain. He had no need to stop. I had no need to give him any admonition about the type of fuel required, etc.

He got to the house he was moving furniture from, plugged in to a dryer outlet for Level 2 charging, and did his thing for the rest of the day. The truck charged to 100% overnight--no need to deal with running to the gas station. He got home late Thursday and wasn't able to bring the truck over that night. He has a slow Level 1 charger at home. After he unloaded Friday morning, he asked if he should take it to the DCFC and I said, absolutely not. The Lightning was at about 35% when he returned it. To charge from 35% to 90%, which is my standard cap, it cost $2.50, and I didn't have to take the truck out to refill it. If I had needed it on Friday, I might have asked him to do the DCFC run, but I didn't, so that saved both of us time and money.

 

[cyure]

I thought of a couple of you this morning

Specifically @SpaceEVDriver and @Cranky Canuck

I have to drive to Chicago this morning. It’s about 260 miles round trip.

I just realized I forgot to get gas this weekend. I typically stop and get gas halfway there that way I end up at home with enough gas that I don’t have to run to the gas station immediately. I think I have enough to get me there. I have to go look.

This morning I was thinking wouldn’t it be nice if I was charging in my own garage.

 

[04Ram2500Hemi]

I thought of a couple of you this morning

Specifically @SpaceEVDriver and @Cranky Canuck

I have to drive to Chicago this morning. It’s about 260 miles round trip.

I just realized I forgot to get gas this weekend. I typically stop and get gas halfway there that way I end up at home with enough gas that I don’t have to run to the gas station immediately. I think I have enough to get me there. I have to go look.

This morning I was thinking wouldn’t it be nice if I was charging in my own garage.

Let’s look at this a different way. What if you had forgotten to plug the car in before your trip, and when you went out to the car, you realized your mistake? This is what keeps me going back to getting the Harvester setup. If it’s truly gas and go, then you could stop and get gas, and then be on your way.

 

[cyure]

Let’s look at this a different way. What if you had forgotten to plug the car in before your trip, and when you went out to the car, you realized your mistake? This is what keeps me going back to getting the Harvester setup. If it’s truly gas and go, then you could stop and get gas, and then be on your way.

That’s why it’s a difficult decision. There’s arguments to be made for both.

 

[dreamweaver]

Have to try that. But isn’t almost everything better with an over easy egg . And BACON!

Yes! Yes it is.

 

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

Let’s look at this a different way. What if you had forgotten to plug the car in before your trip, and when you went out to the car, you realized your mistake? This is what keeps me going back to getting the Harvester setup. If it’s truly gas and go, then you could stop and get gas, and then be on your way.

For me, plugging the car in each night like my cell phone has become routine.

It is really more about the trip's length and whether you need to stop. I recently took a trip from Chicago to Detroit for work and could have made it there without charging, but I would have cut it close. Plus, I needed to be able to drive to the office early the next morning, so I stopped to charge. I hit up an Electrify America charging group in Ann Arbor, MI and took my Q6 eTron from 17-80% in 17 minutes. The newer EV platforms will take some serious juice with a 350kw charging station. While 17 minutes is 17 minutes, I checked in on email, the forums, socials and answered a couple emails easily in that time. Plus, I stretched my legs. Here is a screen shot of the charging status. The 35 minutes at the top is the projected time to go to 100% (because of the stadium effect, going from 80%-100% takes longer to charge). But you can see it was taking 246kW (I saw 263 for a bit) which is pretty good. I stopped at 81% and had plenty of juice for the next few days of commuting in Detroit.

 

[dreamweaver]

For me, plugging the car in each night like my cell phone has become routine.

It is really more about the trip's length and whether you need to stop. I recently took a trip from Chicago to Detroit for work and could have made it there without charging, but I would have cut it close. Plus, I needed to be able to drive to the office early the next morning, so I stopped to charge. I hit up an Electrify America charging group in Ann Arbor, MI and took my Q6 eTron from 17-80% in 17 minutes. The newer EV platforms will take some serious juice with a 350kw charging station. While 17 minutes is 17 minutes, I checked in on email, the forums, socials and answered a couple emails easily in that time. Plus, I stretched my legs. Here is a screen shot of the charging status. The 35 minutes at the top is the projected time to go to 100% (because of the stadium effect, going from 80%-100% takes longer to charge). But you can see it was taking 246kW (I saw 263 for a bit) which is pretty good. I stopped at 81% and had plenty of juice for the next few days of commuting in Detroit.

View attachment 8718

Nice.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Let’s look at this a different way. What if you had forgotten to plug the car in before your trip, and when you went out to the car, you realized your mistake? This is what keeps me going back to getting the Harvester setup. If it’s truly gas and go, then you could stop and get gas, and then be on your way.

My chargers remind me at 21:00 every night if my cars aren't plugged in. But like @Jamie@ScoutMotors said, it's so routine now that I don't even get those reminders anymore.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

For me, plugging the car in each night like my cell phone has become routine.

It is really more about the trip's length and whether you need to stop. I recently took a trip from Chicago to Detroit for work and could have made it there without charging, but I would have cut it close. Plus, I needed to be able to drive to the office early the next morning, so I stopped to charge. I hit up an Electrify America charging group in Ann Arbor, MI and took my Q6 eTron from 17-80% in 17 minutes. The newer EV platforms will take some serious juice with a 350kw charging station. While 17 minutes is 17 minutes, I checked in on email, the forums, socials and answered a couple emails easily in that time. Plus, I stretched my legs. Here is a screen shot of the charging status. The 35 minutes at the top is the projected time to go to 100% (because of the stadium effect, going from 80%-100% takes longer to charge). But you can see it was taking 246kW (I saw 263 for a bit) which is pretty good. I stopped at 81% and had plenty of juice for the next few days of commuting in Detroit.

View attachment 8718

I don't often need a high charge rate, even in the Lightning, even when road tripping. But that 246 kW sure does make me hope for Scout. I hope Scout takes a non-risky risk and bumps up both its peak and its average charge rates to well above industry standard. You all have the opportunity to learn that the lower charge rates aren't as necessary for longevity as had been expected.

But the battery engineers might need to learn a lesson from Kia/Hyundai: An 800v battery charges slower at the brand-T SCs than at the EA (and other high-voltage) 350 kW chargers because the SCs can't deliver 800v and the Kias have to run a step up converter. Having an automatic parallel/serial reconfiguration in the charge controller would allow the vehicles to take maximum advantage of every charger they encounter.

 

[dreamweaver]

I don't often need a high charge rate, even in the Lightning, even when road tripping. But that 246 kW sure does make me hope for Scout. I hope Scout takes a non-risky risk and bumps up both its peak and its average charge rates to well above industry standard. You all have the opportunity to learn that the lower charge rates aren't as necessary for longevity as had been expected.

But the battery engineers might need to learn a lesson from Kia/Hyundai: An 800v battery charges slower at the brand-T SCs than at the EA (and other high-voltage) 350 kW chargers because the SCs can't deliver 800v and the Kias have to run a step up converter. Having an automatic parallel/serial reconfiguration in the charge controller would allow the vehicles to take maximum advantage of every charger they encounter.

Good to know. Thanks for one of todays lessons.

 

[cyure]

For me, plugging the car in each night like my cell phone has become routine.

It is really more about the trip's length and whether you need to stop. I recently took a trip from Chicago to Detroit for work and could have made it there without charging, but I would have cut it close. Plus, I needed to be able to drive to the office early the next morning, so I stopped to charge. I hit up an Electrify America charging group in Ann Arbor, MI and took my Q6 eTron from 17-80% in 17 minutes. The newer EV platforms will take some serious juice with a 350kw charging station. While 17 minutes is 17 minutes, I checked in on email, the forums, socials and answered a couple emails easily in that time. Plus, I stretched my legs. Here is a screen shot of the charging status. The 35 minutes at the top is the projected time to go to 100% (because of the stadium effect, going from 80%-100% takes longer to charge). But you can see it was taking 246kW (I saw 263 for a bit) which is pretty good. I stopped at 81% and had plenty of juice for the next few days of commuting in Detroit.

View attachment 8718

This is very helpful Jamie. I forget if I asked, is this your first EV?

Plus I would think even with the Harvester you would still be plugging in every night. I would think plugging in will just become habit regardless of iteration.

 

[Jamie@ScoutMotors]

This is very helpful Jamie. I forget if I asked, is this your first EV?

Plus I would think even with the Harvester you would still be plugging in every night. I would think plugging in will just become habit regardless of iteration.

Yes, if Harvester is using LFP batteries, then it makes more sense to plug in every night to 100%. I do think after a short while you won't even think about it with the Harvester because you know you can fall back on using the generator. In my case with a full battery electric vehicle, I don't think about it anymore unless I'm taking a longer trip. By the time Scout's come out, they will have NACS and access to the Tesla charging network, expanding things quite a bit.

 

[THil08]

Yes, if Harvester is using LFP batteries, then it makes more sense to plug in every night to 100%. I do think after a short while you won't even think about it with the Harvester because you know you can fall back on using the generator. In my case with a full battery electric vehicle, I don't think about it anymore unless I'm taking a longer trip. By the time Scout's come out, they will have NACS and access to the Tesla charging network, expanding things quite a bit.

Thats a nice tidbit to know.