Lightning EA Charging for EV Dummies

[Maquis]

Ok...does it appear outside the app or do you have to be in the app to see the window you are providing in your post. The pix looks like it's within the app. I could be wrong but thats what it looks like to me. Something like a simple status outside the app should be made available for smart watches as well so customers can get info on their watches without even looking at their phones. It sounds kinda techy, but man that'd be handy.

Yeah, when you said “…add a small ticker status window in the Ford app”, I thought that’s what you meant.
What you’re really asking for is home screen notifications when the app is in the background. I agree, that would be helpful!

Sponsored

 

[RickLightning]

All Great Comments!

To all of you Left and Right Coast EV'ers, many of us in the Mid-America Charge Station Drought Areas have more specific needs in planning for a long trip.

To distill these down to Dummy Level:

Start with the ABRP App (A Route Planner that can double check the Ford Navigation and plot your path for the best charging options to plan the route with charge stops), then use PlugShare to check user ratings of the stations. Create an Account ahead of time with each App.

The Trip Planning Solutions in the Lightning are advertised to be Wizardry but do not take this as Fact until Proven.

Important to note how each Charge Station charges (Per Minute or Per KW) and the maximum charge speed (up to 150 kw/h). Reviewers to date have found maximum speeds for the Lightning at 120 kw/h 0%-80%, then dropping off to half or less. Also, choose locations with more than a single station in case of disrepair.

Once you have identified specific Charge Station Options Download those Apps (EA, ChargePoint, EVGateway, EVGo, Etc.) and set up accounts with Payment Methods.

Electrify America Notes:
After your free 250 KW Credits are up, and if you DC charge a lot. Consider a subscription to EA ($4.00/Month), depending on how much you use it, it'll save money. But I'm not 100% sure the subscription works with plug and charge. If the EA Charger is broken, move to another or drive on to your back up.

Always plan for a backup, such as a RV Park or a Friend's Home (Level 1 or 2) along the route in case of broken Charge Stations. Carry NEMA Plug Adapters in addition to the Ford Mobile Charger, just in case.

Hit the road with a 100% charge if possible and be aware at a 20% Charge left you will probably have only gone up to 250 miles (ER Battery Lariet). Travel Non-Interstate Highways at 55 MPH for Best Mileage. Remember, this is a Vacation, not a Speed Contest.

Arrive at the Pre-Planned Charge Station. Usually there are not people clamoring to charge behind you. Default to an EA Charge Station, if possible, to use the Free Ford KWs.

As long as the station is working properly, it’s no more complicated than self-checkout at the grocery store or self-serve gas stations. Follow the prompts and insert credit card or use your App with your account information set up ahead of time.

[Still not sure how the Ford Pass App interacts with the EA App]

Pull into your selected Charger Spot and Hook Up the Cable. Use the App to Start Charging or Set Up on the Station Interface with a Credit Card.

[Still not sure how you would know how much time it will take for a full charge]

If you want to stay during the charge, pick up Burgers or a Pizza before arriving at the Station. Otherwise try to select a station within walking distance of something interesting. If you do not stay do not overstay your time or you may piss off someone waiting for your spot.

Finally, you are all set to drive on after making sure your now 80%+ Charge will get you to your next pre-planned Charge Station.

If you are planning to stay at a Hotel you might be able to pre-plan for one that offers overnight Level 2 stations but often the daily cost is much more than that of a cheaper alternative with no charging.

Not quite.

Start with GoogleMaps. Look at the route. Does it make sense? Write down the time and miles.

NOW, use ABRP and see how it differs, since it shows driving time, charging time, and total time. Does it make sense? Massage it if you want, then extract the plan and put it in a spreadsheet on GoogleDrive so everyone can look at it. And save it, because you can then access it from any device.

Now use PlugShare to check each location.

FordPass and the EA app don't interact at all. Ford gives you free hours. You use these with the FordPass app, most easily with Plug and Charge, but you can also find the charger and swipe. The EA app is used AFTER you use up your free hours, OR if you want to pay with the EA Pass+ plan in the per minute states, and use the free kWh in the per kWh states.

Most charging is 30 - 45 minutes. Plus 5+ minutes to get on and off the highway and to the charging station. In a 600 mile one day drive, figure adding 20% time overhead to the trip by taking an EV, especially if your ICE vehicle can go the entire 600 miles without filling up as mine can.

You can charge to 90%, especially in a per kWh state, since the slower speed only impacts your time charging, not cost. We needed 95% to get home from the last Ohio station.

I'll read the rest of this thread and see if your other questions have been answered later, have to list my Mach-E for sale.

 

[Amps]

One other thing about Plugshare. It works best for others when you leave a check-in in the app as you charge. I think it's as important when you get a good charge as when you encounter broken equipment. You'll be saved from a lot of aggravation by using the app. Return the favor.

 

[Sdctcher]

Electrify America has been updating its pricing structure “to reflect the growing preference for kWh pricing,” and recently began charging by the kWh in Idaho, Indiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and South Carolina. EA now offers kWh pricing in 30 states and the District of Columbia.

https://insideevs.com/news/585874/electrify-america-kilowatt-hour-pricing-30-states/

 

[Ken]

My understanding is plugshare is the yelp of EV charging. It's just a group collective with feedback and locations. So it consolidates everything and you can leave feedback and read other people's feedback. You can also filter by charger type, so you don't end up at a Tesla Supercharger by accident.

 

[rtw819]

One other thing about Plugshare. It works best for others when you leave a check-in in the app as you charge. I think it's as important when you get a good charge as when you encounter broken equipment. You'll be saved from a lot of aggravation by using the app. Return the favor.

Definitely agree with this sentiment. Do your fellow EV drivers a favor and log those good charges too! Great point.

 

[RickLightning]

Someone on the Mach-E forum made a good analogy the other day, and I adopted a version of it. Taking an EV on a trip is like flying a plane. Before you go up, you plan the route, and plan alternates. You never leave without doing that.

I have a trip in a little over a week, and have been comparing routes because I have two totally different options, and want to see what would be the easier drive, if either.

Electrify America has been updating its pricing structure “to reflect the growing preference for kWh pricing,” and recently began charging by the kWh in Idaho, Indiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and South Carolina. EA now offers kWh pricing in 30 states and the District of Columbia.

https://insideevs.com/news/585874/electrify-america-kilowatt-hour-pricing-30-states/

Since per minute charging at EA is about 1/2 the cost of per kWh charging, the sole reason for this shift is to maximize EA's revenue. They were not allowed to charge per kWh in many states, and had to lobby to change that. This is a big negative for consumers.

 

[Sdctcher]

Someone on the Mach-E forum made a good analogy the other day, and I adopted a version of it. Taking an EV on a trip is like flying a plane. Before you go up, you plan the route, and plan alternates. You never leave without doing that.

I have a trip in a little over a week, and have been comparing routes because I have two totally different options, and want to see what would be the easier drive, if either.


Since per minute charging at EA is about 1/2 the cost of per kWh charging, the sole reason for this shift is to maximize EA's revenue. They were not allowed to charge per kWh in many states, and had to lobby to change that. This is a big negative for consumers.

Example:

I am driving from Kentucky to South Carolina soon.

Since KY & TN are $0.24/Minute (Member) $0.32/Minute (Guest) States I will use the EA (after I sign up @$4/Month).

I will Charge 20% to 90% (about 100 KW) in one of them for 50 Minutes and Pay $12 on my Credit Card. If I do not Pay (and then Cancel after the Trip) the $4 Member Fee I would Pay $16.

North & South Carolina are Per kWh at $0.31/kWh (Member) and $0.43/kWh (Guest). If I used the EA App I would Pay about $31 to $43 for the same charge. Here I will use the Ford Pass and use 100 kWh of my Free 250 kWh Credits.

On my Round Trip:

Assuming 2 1/2 Charge Sessions in NC & SC I would use up my Free Credits. And I would have 2 EA Sessions in KY or TN for a Total Trip Cost of about $24 + the $4 Member Fee (Assuming I start out with a 100% Home Charge and Arrive Home with a Low Charge).

 

[RickLightning]

Example:

I am driving from Kentucky to South Carolina soon.

Since KY & TN are $0.16/Minute (Member) $0.32/Minute (Guest) States I will use the EA (after I sign up @$4/Month).

I will Charge 20% to 90% (about 100 KW) in one of them for 50 Minutes and Pay $8 on my Credit Card. If I do not Pay (and then Cancel after the Trip) the $4 Member Fee I would Pay $16.

North & South Carolina are Per kWh at $0.31/kWh (Member) and $0.43/kWh (Guest). If I used the EA App I would Pay about $31 to $43 for the same charge. Here I will use the Ford Pass and use 100 kWh of my Free 250 kWh Credits.

Not quite.

The per minute rate is $.24 per minute ($.32 non-member). You quoted the slower charging rate not applicable to the Mach-E or Lightning.

You tie your credit card to the app. It refills automatically when balance falls below $5, adding $10 each time.

100kW, if in fact 50 minutes, would cost $12 plus tax, vs $32 plus tax in a per kW state..

PASS+ immediately pays for itself. Sign up the morning of your trip, then minutes later downgrade, which doesn't take effect until 30 days later.

EA is trying to convert all states to per kW, so check often.

 

[sotek2345]

Maybe just be, but we take road trips so infrequently (few times a year), that the easy of use of plug and charge is just worth it.

The savings on the "per minute" stations is also based on getting a great charging rate. If you get a negotiation failure and the station limits you to ~30kW (happens sometimes), your costs will go up substantially.

 

[GDN]

It is exactly these kind of shenanigans that truly we shouldn't have to play with. I get why the per minute vs kWh charging happened (because of the way electricity is regulated in some states), but truly, charge a local fair amount on the charger for what it costs to run the charger and buy juice.

These are the games and issues that will cause many people to want to avoid EV's and paying for them. The good news is the majority will only need to do it a few times a year as they travel, most others should likely be charging at home.

However, the game of charging membership fees to get better rates, or precharging your card for blocks of money that you may not use for some amount of time need to be done away with.

 

[RickLightning]

Maybe just be, but we take road trips so infrequently (few times a year), that the easy of use of plug and charge is just worth it.

The savings on the "per minute" stations is also based on getting a great charging rate. If you get a negotiation failure and the station limits you to ~30kW (happens sometimes), your costs will go up substantially.

We had this happen at one location. Charger was faulty, we got a very slow rate, so disengaged at 5 minutes in and switched charger. Contacted EA for a credit, because our effective rate was veyr high due to the slow charging. They agreed to submit it, but it took 2 more contacts to actually get it. It was under $2, rep should have just said "no problem, you have it", but they didn't. We called them to report the faulty charger.

It is exactly these kind of shenanigans that truly we shouldn't have to play with. I get why the per minute vs kWh charging happened (because of the way electricity is regulated in some states), but truly, charge a local fair amount on the charger for what it costs to run the charger and buy juice.

These are the games and issues that will cause many people to want to avoid EV's and paying for them. The good news is the majority will only need to do it a few times a year as they travel, most others should likely be charging at home.

However, the game of charging membership fees to get better rates, or precharging your card for blocks of money that you may not use for some amount of time need to be done away with.

I disagree with your logic.

If you base it on a local fair amount, the entire EA network would have different charges in every state. Instead, EA charges the same rate in per kW states (most of their states) and per minute in the ones they haven't convinced yet. The only difference is sales tax, which varies widely.

Local rates means more investigation by customers, since rates aren't posted like gas prices, and there doesn't yet exist a "GasBuddy" for EVs. Right now, EA is almost always the cheapest or equal to the cheapest DC charging, at least for faster DC charging. On a trip, I would rather pay EA's rates and get an effective rate near 100kW vs. paying less but getting closer to 50kW or lower.

Chevy dealers have 25kW chargers. Even if free, that's so slow as to be not of interest in a day long drive.

As far as precharging for blocks of money, the way they work is that most refill at $5.00, while the charger is running, and add $10. In 10 months of ownership, and 4 long distance trips, we've only used EA or ChargePoint. My "balance" in total at both is a total of $23.13. I don't consider that a big problem.

 

[RickLightning]

As of now, these are the states where EA charges by the minute, vs. by the kWh:

Alabama

Georgia

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Pennsylvania

Massachusetts

Mississippi

Montana

Nebraska

New Hampshire

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Wisconsin

 

[rodhx]

My MME experience suggests that Plug&Charge is not particularly useful in it's current form unless you have free kWh remaining or use it so infrequently you are good with paying higher rates. Until Ford links P&C to existing EA Pass+ membership P&C has you paying significantly higher prices for essentially no real benefit.

P&C charge session effort: plug-in, wait for "continue" to come up on EA screen and click button, wait a few seconds to make sure it's charging correctly, walk away.

EA app session effort: open EA app, plug-in, initiate charge with app, wait a few seconds to make sure it's charging correctly, walk away.

I just came off an 1100 mile trip in my MME. Used EA 7 times, P&C until my freebie was exhausted, then with the app. From a time/effort standpoint the experiences were basically the same.

 

[Amps]

EA app session effort: open EA app, plug-in, initiate charge with app, wait a few seconds to make sure it's charging correctly, walk away.

No P&C VW* EA non-app iPhone session. Double-click side of iPhone for Apple Wallet. Choose the EA pass card, tap the EA NFC reader, make sure it's charging, walk away. "YMMV"


* - VW basically owns EA and can't write and rollout software updates well enough to enable P&C. Not one update in 15 months of USA ID.4 sales

Sponsored