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Charging an EV on a Cross Country Road Trip
rec head:
Jim, have you tried https://abetterrouteplanner.com/ ? It is better than your average planning app. It seems like a good way to plan is to figure it out in ABRP then use your preferred nav method to route from station to station.
I'm looking to go from Chicago to the UP next month and the charging situation in Wisconsin stinks. I'm thinking of renting a car instead of dealing with it.
JimH:
I wasn't aware of it. Thanks. I just took a quick look and it looks good.
It is a little bit of an adventure sometimes, but that can be a good thing too.
I just did a route from Milwaukee to Traverse City and that looked OK.
The problem with a fixed route is that there are often reasons you want to change it. You need to be able to re-build a route quickly, or search in a slightly different area. It's an interesting problem.
KingSparta:
Proterra Inc., a major U.S. manufacturer of electric transit buses, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday evening. The company said in a press release that it “intends to continue to operate in the ordinary course of business” as it looks to restructure its operations.
htnut:
Jim, your original post cites a great reason to buy a Tesla over other EVs. Their superchargers are rarely down and nearly everywhere. (Speaking of US).
Glad you love your car. Likewise, my 2018 Tesla Model 3 (long range) is the best car I’ve ever owned. Have 55k miles on it. Every morning I have a “full tank” of “gas”. No smog checks, oil changes, no trips to the gas station. Just tires because I love the instant torque :-) I have a 40A charger installed in my garage next to my elec panel.
I also have solar panels installed, and work from home 90% of the time. Something fun, I can (in the car or with the app) set the charging rate down to about 24 Amps - which nearly exactly matches my solar production from about 10am-4pm.
JimH:
I just returned from a trip from Minneapolis to Santa Fe and Santa Barbara. I saw a lot of the Southwest. Open and arid. 4400 miles round trip.
I charged the EQE 350 about 12 times each way. For the most part, it went well. It takes about 45 minutes every three hours. You must plan ahead in less populated places. That's OK because, while you're waiting for the car to charge, you can look at the maps and the charging app to choose a destination.
Other than the EV app, the car itself can locate chargers. So can Google Maps if you use the search icon. Neither are ideal. They're awkward to use. For example, Google will display the chargers, but not display the town location until you choose it first. Mercedes did a better job, surprisingly. But displaying information during selection isn't very good with either.
Most of the time I used Electrify America. Many of the locations are good, but some have chargers that don't work. Occasionally, it was the third or fourth attempt that was successful. Maintenance is a problem.
Maybe 20% of the time, I had to move the car to a new charger and start again because the charger didn't work.
Unrelated, but the freeways were often bad. Lots of broken or uneven roadway, enough so that most traffic was driving in the passing lane. Arizona was the worst.
Advantages of an EV
Someone recently asked me about what it was like driving an EV. In general, it's great. I'd never go back to a combustion engine.
Quick to refuel at home. 10 seconds to plug in at night and 10 to unpluug in the morning, about once a week. Cleaner than using a gas pump. No credit card needed.
Maintenance is almost none. It doesn't need antifreeze, oil, or belts. No engine air filter.
It's quiet and smooth. No engine vibration. No drive shaft.
No odor. You can preheat the car in a garage since there are no fumes. You can heat or cool the car without starting an engine.
It's fast.
It's better for global warming.
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