Why would I need a mobile charger?

[lakeguy55]

Since getting my Lightning, I've been debating whether I need a mobile charger or not. Ninety-eight+ percent of my charging will be done with the charger mounted in my garage. While I haven't done one yet, I would expect that during any long-distance trips I'd use public, fast chargers along the way. I don't see a reason to get a mobile charger. But some family members are trying to convince me I should have one.

Do you have a mobile charger? If so, how often do you use it and why? I'm wondering if I'm alone with this viewpoint or hearing the reasons why I might want to change it.

(For purposes of this discussion, I'm referring to chargers that are truly mobile. Not ones that are advertised as mobile but you have mounted permanently)

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[ChrisCon]

I have 40,000 miles on my truck and many road trips so I believe I'm in a good position to answer this.

I've used my mobile charger which came with my truck exactly one time. I attend a trade show in Atlantic City once a year and during my last trip I noticed that there are basically no high speed chargers for a 50 mile radius of Atlantic City that aren't Tesla only. During my most recent trip, just for fun and so I could post it on social media, I plugged my truck into a 120 outlet in a parking garage to see how long it would take to charge. A full charge was estimated at 4 days and I gained about 21 miles over night. Those 21 miles barely seemed the effort to drive around the parking garage looking for a spot that also had an electrical outlet near it.

But there are two scenarios where I could imagine it would be nice to have . During an emergency like a hurricane, the mobile charger would give me flexibility to find a place to charge if there was a hit to the infrastructure or I was traveling in a very rural area where the high speed charger build out was non existent.

That being said, my good friend has a lightning standard range and he exclusively charges with the ford mobile charger hooked up to 240 and it's fast enough for him that he is totally fine with this set up.

 

[eRockBoon]

I use my mobile charger in the garage via a 240v 50 amp outlet (7-8 kW). Also take it with me camping. There are a reasonable number of campgrounds with 240v 50 amp receptacles for charging overnight.

 

[e-Trucka]

Visiting family, some have a 240v outlet in their garage. It is nice to head straight to their home and top off rather than adding another charging stop on the way. We do truck bed camping and if a site has a 240v, we are good for the weekend. But honestly it is a nice to have option that can aid in determining if you need to make a charging stop or use what is available at a friendly destination. We got ours included with the 2022 purchase, not sure if I would get it after the fact since there are probably cheaper options that have both plug types included.

 

[Heliian]

Personally, I think all ev owners should have at minimum a level 1 portable charger for emergency use.

I got a good deal on the ford mobile cord and keep it in the truck at all times. I use the 120v part to top up when in more remote areas and I use the 240v part to charge at my parents place when visiting. So much better to recharge overnight then to add another DCFC stop.

I only use it a handful of times each year but wouldn't travel without it.

Someone who doesn't travel and has access to a multitude of charging options probably wouldn't need one but for me it's an invaluable tool.

 

[saturnschildren]

I use my mobile charger at my home and at my cottage because (at this time) I only have 120V access at each place. My Ford CSP is installed at my partner's house in the city and is set up for 80A.

Extra detail: my house is completely off grid and the house battery bank is actually smaller than the truck battery bank. In the winter I can use the truck to charge my house batteries (using the 240V bed outlet). My inverter would have to be upgraded to allow me to charge the truck at 240V which I'm not prepared to do at this time, however aside from winter I produce a surplus of solar power every day and plugging in the truck at 120V allows me to use that surplus rather than throw it away.

As for the cottage I just haven't got around to having an exterior 240V outlet installed and since the truck mostly just sits there multiple days at 120V are usually just fine to bring me back up to 90%.

 

[MRButtler]

Can't answer your poll because
Yes I have one.
I have used it to charge regularly, but it failed after a few months.

I now use a non-melt Mustart.

 

[Cosmacelf]

I use it when renting a condo. I always pick a condo that has a garage, and can then plug in. Especially useful if this is done in cold winter weather as the EV battery will drain quickly if not plugged in when it’s cold.

 

[khatch]

I have one but have never used it, which is not an option on the poll. That said, to me it's like jumper cables. It doesn't matter how often you use them, but it's still a good idea to have them.

 

[3rdgenfan]

I bought one to charge the truck while in Maine on a vacation trip...was a mobile level 2 charger from SplitVolt. Was basically half the price of the Ford unit.

 

[Charles DelToro]

I use my mobile every time I visit my grandkids, which they are about 218 miles away. Use to use the 120 plug and it would got me to 85% from 20% in about 5 days. Now I installed a NEMA 14-50 at 50 AMPS and it charges the lightning around 14 hours of charge. Have no need to use public charging, which has become a headache; due to waiting my turn or inactive terminals.

 

[Maquis]

I now use a non-melt Mustart.

That‘s funny, because Tom on State of Charge nicknamed them “MustMelt.”

Edit - I found his post and see that he was replying to you. Now I get your joke!

 

[Maquis]

Use mine every time we travel to the lake at a rental house.

 

[Jimbalf]

To me it’s like asking “Why do I need a spare tire?” You may never use it, but it’s there just in case. However like many others, I use the mobile charger at remote work sites to keep me from having to search for a DCFC at some point. It’s also nice to have at my weekend place or when staying at an AirBnB.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I carry the one included with truck delivery (MY22), only used it while waiting for the FCSP and garage power service upgrade, since that time, I have only pulled it out to test charging at my brother in laws house after he purposely installed a 240v 1450 outlet just for me, we tried it out worked perfectly and stowed it away, never to be used since last Thanksgiving.

I still carry it as peace of mind that if I had a need and planned my DCFC stops poorly, I might find a 120 or 240 outlet on plugshare to charge from.

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