Second winter with our Lightning... just put a deposit on a Ramcharger. Public charging is awful

[nanohead]

I do that route often. On the Ford app, it's a wasteland, but if you look for non-ford network DCFC, there are quite a few to choose from at Stewarts and Sunocos. A lot of them used to be in the Ford app, then disappeared for some reason. Clifton park Stewarts is one of those that was in the app before Thanksgiving, and disappeared from the Ford app after thanksgiving. I stay away from DCFC's in Albany - particularly the one at Walmart -that one is overcrowded, filled with noobs, and daytrippers with Audi's who have no charger courtesy whatsoever.

Yes, I now totally ignore the Ford charging map. I generally rely on Plugshare at this point as at least its crowdsourced and generally accurate if there are recent postings. The Stewarts in Latham does work 50% of the time, but all the NY EVolve stations are different and all use different software and hardware. One never knows if anything they touch will ever actually work.

Yes, the wally world in Albany is pretty awful, EA at its tender best. Apparently, the highly competent NYS thruway authority still claims that the New Baltimore rest stop on 87 near 90 will have 8 DCFC stations.... they said it would be done by the end of 23, we passed by yesterday, zero signs of progress

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[TheWoo]

Right, I’m familiar with how it’s supposed to work. That’s identical to other PHEVs like the Chevy Volt. You remove a mechanical gearset and replace with a generator and second electric motor. Is that really a big distinction that obviates all of the complexity?

I'm not familiar with the Volt's mechanics. The largest difference between a PHEV (the one I'm most familiar with is the Jeep 4xe) and the Ramcharger is that the IC engine does not power any motors. It only generates electricity that charges the battery pack. Otherwise the vehicle is an all-electric vehicle. So there is no additional switching or balancing of motors like with most PHEVs today where the gas engine also acts as a motor, powering the drive train, and then there are electric motors as well.

I'm not going to be an early adopter on that one, for sure, though we've had good luck with Jeeps. But I am fascinated to see how it goes and if they can pull it off in a quality way, it would fit some peoples' use cases well and be an answer to some of the both rational and irrational concerns about EVs from the general public.

 

[Adventureboy]

A whopping 70% more battery than the Lightning.

The RamCharger is an electric-driven hybrid. It has a 92kwh battery but it has an onboard gas-powered charger. The electric range is lower than the Lightning but backed up by the generator increasing the overall range. Great option if you tow or need additional range outside of a reliable charge network.

I'm curious when Ford will start leaking some T3 news. I'm betting they won't be holding back against the Ram or Chevy options.

 

[VTbuckeye]

I'm not familiar with the Volt's mechanics. The largest difference between a PHEV (the one I'm most familiar with is the Jeep 4xe) and the Ramcharger is that the IC engine does not power any motors. It only generates electricity that charges the battery pack. Otherwise the vehicle is an all-electric vehicle. So there is no additional switching or balancing of motors like with most PHEVs today where the gas engine also acts as a motor, powering the drive train, and then there are electric motors as well.

I'm not going to be an early adopter on that one, for sure, though we've had good luck with Jeeps. But I am fascinated to see how it goes and if they can pull it off in a quality way, it would fit some peoples' use cases well and be an answer to some of the both rational and irrational concerns about EVs from the general public.

Volt (gen 1, I'm not sure what they changed with gen 2) was a parallel hybrid other than one specific situation. The motor ran as a generator to charge the battery. If I remember correctly, at interstate highway speed the ICE could run and directly drive the wheels. It was more efficient that way (the wheel speed/transmission/engine marched enough to have fewer losses than charging the battery that would then drive the wheels). It was also loud when it ran and not at all in sync with your speed of travel. Not so weird at highway speed, but at 25mph or worse, stopped at a red light, the generator screeming 5 feet in front of you was kinda obnoxious. We replaced our 2013 volt with a 2019 bolt.
Also when below 15F it would run the engine, even if you had plenty of charge and were 100 yards from work or home. Oil did not look good by the end of winter (make things warm, but not warm enough to evaporate water/fuel then cool off and let moisture condense... repeat).

 

[bydabeach]

LightningShow said:


Agree on the Lightning being a great ski vehicle!

i feel your pain about public charging but for most people the Supercharger network will change the game for public charging. I’ve posted this in the New England forum: The area where I ski (NH) is a big time CCS desert. From Manchester, NH to Sherbrooke, Quebec there are zero 150kw+ CCS chargers. In the same stretch there are 76 (yes, SEVENTY SIX) Supercharger handles at 9 different stations. Needless to say, I preordered the Supercharger adapter in the hope i can start using those stations ASAP.

Can you send posted the link to where you ordered the adapter from?

This was posted in another thread, but not sure if this is a legit source:

https://ev-lectron.com/products/lec...ith-gm-ford-rivian-mercedes-nissan-500a-1000v

 

[MM in SouthTX]

The RamCharger is an electric-driven hybrid. It has a 92kwh battery but it has an onboard gas-powered charger. The electric range is lower than the Lightning but backed up by the generator increasing the overall range. Great option if you tow or need additional range outside of a reliable charge network.

I'm curious when Ford will start leaking some T3 news. I'm betting they won't be holding back against the Ram or Chevy options.

I was talking about the Ram EV not the Ramcharger.

 

[jdmackes]

Just as a general question, do people use Plugshare to check before they go to a charger? I get that it's annoying that they don't just work, but since using plugshare I've never had a problem getting a good, working charger.

 

[Adventureboy]

I was talking about the Ram EV not the Ramcharger.

OP is talking about the Ramcharger .

 

[Adventureboy]

Just as a general question, do people use Plugshare to check before they go to a charger? I get that it's annoying that they don't just work, but since using plugshare I've never had a problem getting a good, working charger.

Yes definitely on a road trip I check before I leave and generally along the way to make sure I have options just in case. Got in a pinch once and learned to check. A whole station was offline and I barely made it to the next station and that was a slow 50Kw station.

 

[RickLightning]

Just as a general question, do people use Plugshare to check before they go to a charger? I get that it's annoying that they don't just work, but since using plugshare I've never had a problem getting a good, working charger.

Absolutely. Then I also pay it forward and report my charging session in PlugShare.

 

[Hank42]

I wonder how many people will buy the RAM Charger and never charge at home, or at a DCFC - relying 100% on gasoline to operate the car vs. people who use it as an EV primarily and charge every chance they get.

I could totally see the rote behavior of fueling up kick in to new EV owners once the novelty of plugging in wears off.

 

[nanohead]

Absolutely. Then I also pay it forward and report my charging session in PlugShare.

Same, I don't do that much stuff online, but I always submit at Plugshare so our fellow public charging victims know how things worked out

 

[nanohead]

I wonder how many people will buy the RAM Charger and never charge at home, or at a DCFC - relying 100% on gasoline to operate the car vs. people who use it as an EV primarily and charge every chance they get.

I could totally see the rote behavior of fueling up kick in to new EV owners once the novelty of plugging in wears off.

I'm going to totally charge at home and use it as an EV when traveling locally. To me, the saving grace of the onboard charger is I don't have to go the horrific public charging stations, burn huge amounts of time trying to get 1 out of 6 to work, then burn another 45 minutes because the presumably DC "Fast" Charger is only pumping 30 KwH into my Lighting....

I view the on board charger as a total time/stress saver, and a way for us to get where we're going without getting stranded.

The only thing I'll miss is our beloved Frunk!

 

[TheWoo]

I wonder how many people will buy the RAM Charger and never charge at home, or at a DCFC - relying 100% on gasoline to operate the car vs. people who use it as an EV primarily and charge every chance they get.

I could totally see the rote behavior of fueling up kick in to new EV owners once the novelty of plugging in wears off.

Anyone who has experienced EV life and has access to home charging would be silly not to continue using it. It's easy, and with the exception of a few high kWh pricing areas significantly cheaper.

If I went that route, I'd have a mostly empty fuel tank most of the time and almost never use it. In fact, it's one of the things I'd have to learn more about - how is the engine going to behave when it gets used once a month or less? If it truly provides an extra 500+ miles of range, there are times of year when, if I started with a full tank, I would likely not burn through the fuel for several months and only need the ICE a couple of times in that stretch.

 

[Hank42]

I agree with how the Ram Charger would be used by people coming from an EV. I'm still curious about those who are new to it. Or those who's better half, might be accustomed to a stop at the gas station, and don't want to change/are scared to plug in. Or simply, just don't have a home charger.

I had an early i3 with REX. I made it a game to how far I could go without the REX kicking it. I did pretty good, but BMW had forced service intervals to fire up the REX to keep it lubricated and to ensure it would start if needed. Same old ICE BS. I hope the RAM fares better in that regard.

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