School me (us) on smart chargers

[MikePinkston]

First let's really think about what you're asking here. Carry a generator with you. Weight is the bane of EV range (one of them anyway). What does that generator weigh? You're defeating yourself here. Second, you start the generator to charge your truck.....you get 25 miles an hour sitting there. You can open an app and find a DCFC (fast charger), drive to it and get 50% of your battery charged in about 30-40min or so. You could find a Cracker Barrel with a L2 charger and get that 25 miles per hour of charge while you're having lunch. You could get a hotel room and use their L2 charger to charge up completely overnight.

Range anxiety, or more accurately, charger anxiety is real. It can be overcome easily on your first short trip tho. Get a couple of apps, plugshare and ABRP (a better route planner). Choose the Lightning as your vehicle and look for fast chargers along a given route. They are out there and easy to find with the right tools. You do need to plan a bit more than with your ICE vehicle but it's not hard to do and can be done from your couch. Plan a couple fo trips and see how easily it can be done. You will stop more often than in an ICE (maybe) but you'll find it doesn't add that much more time to your overall trip if you plan charge stops with your meal stops

If I didn't plan on pulling a trailer, I wouldn't be so concerned about it. I would have to mark hotels off the list of chargers I expect since I would not be a customer. The generator would only be used in an emergency and only enough to get me to the next charger. I worked in IT and I am a firm believer in in two is one and one is none.

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[RonTCat]

Look at the Roadie. Our company is looking for fleet solutions so I scheduled a Zoom call with them. They told me they sell a lot of roadies to people who toss it in the trunk just in case. $12,000 for a level 1 system isn't terrible.

Roadie

This looks like a nice device, but wouldn't it make more sense just to spend the money on the ER battery?

 

[Brian Head Yankee]

Yes, it would. I'm throwing it out there for people who bring up range anxiety. The Roadie is the equivalent to the 5 gallon can of gas.

 

[TRP]

Momma told me if I can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

GM.......................?

 

[corradoborg]

I want to do the right thing by the environment otherwise I'd get a Raptor.

But you're talking about hooking the Lightning up to a gas generator, right? That would be far less efficient than just burning gas in an ICE F-150. You'd be doing WORSE by the environment.

As others have said, just plan your routes, and you'll never need a generator.

 

[MikePinkston]

But you're talking about hooking the Lightning up to a gas generator, right? That would be far less efficient than just burning gas in an ICE F-150. You'd be doing WORSE by the environment.

As others have said, just plan your routes, and you'll never need a generator.

Again, this is only a contingency plan. I would hope I would never need the generator.

What happens when you plan your route but you unknowingly take a route that includes a 1000ft elevation change spread out over the 200 mile range of the battery and it is depleted faster than anticipated?

 

[sotek2345]

Again, this is only a contingency plan. I would hope I would never need the generator.

What happens when you plan your route but you unknowingly take a route that includes a 1000ft elevation change spread out over the 200 mile range of the battery and it is depleted faster than anticipated?

Apps like a better route planner, and the built in Nav take elevation changes into account

 

[TRP]

Again, this is only a contingency plan. I would hope I would never need the generator.

What happens when you plan your route but you unknowingly take a route that includes a 1000ft elevation change spread out over the 200 mile range of the battery and it is depleted faster than anticipated?

A whole lot of anxiety in this post.

 

[Pilot2022]

A whole lot of anxiety in this post.

And a lot of speculation. Instead of popping heartburn pills over unknown, just wait couple of more weeks to see what official information is published by Ford.

till then, sit back and relax

 

[Sdctcher]

Help me understand charger solutions for the Lightning.

All come standard with the 32 amp free. (110v hook up)

Including the ER battery will add the 80 amp free. But I have no use for the whole home power option. I just want to hook it up to my 100 amp breaker in my barn for a faster charge. If Ford insists I must also contract for the third-party solar to use this can I just take it free and save for future? I have a 22 kW Generac for my house which supplies all my needs.

I also need the 48 amp charger (240v 60 amp breaker to 50 amp plug) for my RV on-the-road and home use. Somewhere I saw a suggested cost of the option at about $400. Right now I use this plug to power my RV at home.

I understand the quick charge solutions which are hard to find locally and I am counting on many more becoming available by the time I take delivery next June.

Any comments?

 

[TRP]

Help me understand charger solutions for the Lightning.

All come standard with the 32 amp free. (110v hook up)

Including the ER battery will add the 80 amp free. But I have no use for the whole home power option. I just want to hook it up to my 100 amp breaker in my barn for a faster charge. If Ford insists I must also contract for the third-party solar to use this can I just take it free and save for future? I have a 22 kW Generac for my house which supplies all my needs.

I also need the 48 amp charger (240v 60 amp breaker to 50 amp plug) for my RV on-the-road and home use. Somewhere I saw a suggested cost of the option at about $400. Right now I use this plug to power my RV at home.

I understand the quick charge solutions which are hard to find locally and I am counting on many more becoming available by the time I take delivery next June.

Any comments?

The 32a charger that comes standard with the truck will use either a standard 120v outlet OR a 50a NEMA 14-50 outlet. You would need 6gauge wire and a 50 amp breaker for this. You could use a 40amp breaker, but really.

The 80amp charger that comes with the ER does not require you to have home back up. You need it IF you want home back up. You would need a 100amp breaker for it to work and wire sized accordingly. It's either 2 or 4 gauge, I don't remember which. Make sure before you do it tho.

If you WANT a 48amp charger in addition to either one of those mentioned above then you would need 6 gauge wire to a 60 amp breaker on a NEMA 14-50 plug

 

[Brian Head Yankee]

To answer your question about 48 amp chargers, they run about $650 for the Juicebox. There are also several 40 amp models. Also look into the portable ones like Clipper Creek offers.

99% of the time your truck will be parked for 10 hours. Size your charger accordingly.

 

[Sdctcher]

To answer your question about 48 amp chargers, they run about $650 for the Juicebox. There are also several 40 amp models. Also look into the portable ones like Clipper Creek offers.

99% of the time your truck will be parked for 10 hours. Size your charger accordingly.

Thank you Brian. I was specifically trying to get info on the 48 amp that Ford mentions as an option in their original media. I am sure that one would be Ford specific and proprietary.

 

[Brian Head Yankee]

Nope, chargers are NOT proprietary. You can pull up to any public station or purchase any US charger, L2 or L3. The charge station cord communicates with the EV. Once the communication confirms that the cord is properly locked into the receptacle on your truck, it charges at the rate the truck allows and the charger can deliver.

 

[shutterbug]

Thank you Brian. I was specifically trying to get info on the 48 amp that Ford mentions as an option in their original media. I am sure that one would be Ford specific and proprietary.

The Ford connected charger isn't all that specific or proprietary. It's main distinction is that it's about $100 more than a similar device form another company and you can only buy it from a Ford dealer. There are currently 3 most popular such devices. ChargePoint Home Flex, Juice Box 48, and Pulsar Wallbox. There are even more chargers that top out at 40A. To get to 48A charging, you must have a 60A circuit and have it hardwired.

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