First Long Trip, NY to VA 421 Miles

[RickLightning]

I'm going back the first chance I get. Too many issues for me and the infrastructure just isn't ready

Infrastructure is going to change in February...

Pass+ would drop the costs by 25% and on the full trip make it cheaper than gas...

Your final fill will be at home with a lower rate, dropping the cost some more.

As was stated, charging to 85% is slowing you down a bit. Leaving with a departure time, including from the hotel, will give you better efficiency on the first leg each day, and navigating to the chargers with the Ford Nav will speed charging.

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[Computermedic78]

Infrastructure is going to change in February...

Pass+ would drop the costs by 25% and on the full trip make it cheaper than gas...

Your final fill will be at home with a lower rate, dropping the cost some more.

As was stated, charging to 85% is slowing you down a bit. Leaving with a departure time, including from the hotel, will give you better efficiency on the first leg each day, and navigating to the chargers with the Ford Nav will speed charging.

I always use departure times. Even with the pass+ it's not cheaper than gas when you add that $7/month.

 

[TheWoo]

Be careful.
I signed up for EA and still paid the higher Fordpass price. It only added up to about $20 or $30 bucks, but it still really ticked me off that the truck just kept reverting FordPass prices for billing instead of the just paid for EA Membership that I’ll never use again. The EA app just wouldn’t initialize. Calls to EA and Ford finally told me to disable Fordpass connected services.

Make sure you disable fordpass connected services once you’re signed up with EA.

The retail electricity charges were stunning to me as well on my first (and last) road trip in the lightning.

Were you initiating the charge from the app before plugging in? That's the way to get EA membership pricing and not have to disable Plug-N-Charge. It would be a huge benefit if Ford/EA would enable membership pricing through Blue Oval.

 

[TheWoo]

I always use departure times. Even with the pass+ it's not cheaper than gas when you add that $7/month.

If you only do one trip a month, that's probably right. But it also only takes the equivalent of $30 of EA to get that $7 back. It's almost always worth activating before a road trip of any length.

 

[RickLightning]

I always use departure times. Even with the pass+ it's not cheaper than gas when you add that $7/month.

I think you are incorrect.

Remember, when you get home you will refill at your home electric rate. Arrive with 10%, or less, and fill that up at low home electricity costs. Go to 90% for home use, but do the math to 100%.

Your spreadsheet is also not accounting for filling the battery back up at the hotel...

There are also hotels with free charging, although not in a downtown area usually.

The $7 is averaged over every EA session for 30 days. Sign up morning of trip, downgrade immediately, takes effect in 30 days. With the home fill, I think you would be around the same cost as gas, a tad lower because you won't get 21mpg with a 5.7 hemi in the winter on the highway. My 2013 F-150 V8 would get around 18 at best. Now take the EA charging down by 25% and add $7. I bet it is neck and neck...

Now, raise the cost of gas to $3.50...

 

[rws265]

Thanks for posting your trip. I'll be doing a similar NY to VA trip over the summer. I anticipate 4 DCFC stops.

 

[JRT]

I feel your frustration, however no way you get 21 mpg with Ram 1500 hemi. If long trips are the use case then EV is not the way.

 

[T3Fan]

I feel your frustration, however no way you get 21 mpg with Ram 1500 hemi. If long trips are the use case then EV is not the way.

I was going to say 21 MPG if a third of the trip is done while being towed by another vehicle.

These posts are always a bit surprising as the information is readily available to make an informed buying decision but maybe I just obsess over purchases too much. Infrastructure has been an issue but probably won’t change much from a cost perspective with supercharger access. I guess if I were regularly traveling hundreds of miles in and out of state as my use case, I wouldn’t pick an EV as my primary vehicle. Driving an EV hasn’t ever stopped me from taking a trip but said trips have often taken a bit longer and cost more that gas depending on the charger.

 

[JRT]

Charging on trips isn't cheap, but charging at home 5 days for commute is more an offset

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I always use departure times. Even with the pass+ it's not cheaper than gas when you add that $7/month.

It takes some getting used to…

That said I’ve been timing and honing my trips. The infrastructure changes will help significantly, but more from a convenience factor rather than a cost factor.

On that trip in a gas car I typically pay $200-$240 in gas. On my last trip with the Lightning I paid $112, my solar at home is free but another $20 at retail rates for $132 total, it’s still cheaper but not by a ton.

The key though is to be able to find charging at your starting points. I stay at hotels that have free L2, otherwise that’s another $50 to EA, which brings up the total to $182 vs $200-$240.

The inconvenience for $20 is hard to swallow if you’re doing it that way…

Ive managed to be able to get down there on a single stop, but it took quite a few trips to get it right which isn’t everyone’s thing. For me, I can go the 1000 mile round trip for less than $75 total.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Thanks for posting your trip. I'll be doing a similar NY to VA trip over the summer. I anticipate 4 DCFC stops.

Where in NY and where to in VA? That’s a lot of stops…

I usually go from NJ/NY and I have made it as far as 60 miles south of DC before making my first stop running it 100% to 2%.

 

[rws265]

Where in NY and where to in VA? That’s a lot of stops…

I usually go from NJ/NY and I have made it as far as 60 miles south of DC before making my first stop running it 100% to 2%.

Syracuse to Copper Hill. I could probably do it on 3, but this will be our first road trip with the lightning. I'm playing it safe.

 

[RickLightning]

I feel your frustration, however no way you get 21 mpg with Ram 1500 hemi. If long trips are the use case then EV is not the way.

4,700 miles, 10 states, 8 national parks.
Three, 2,700 - 3,000 mile trips to Florida

I wish someone would have told me I couldn't take an EV. Thanks!

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Syracuse to Copper Hill. I could probably do it on 3, but this will be our first road trip with the lightning. I'm playing it safe.

When you said NY I figured the city, maybe upstate. I didn’t know you were coming from Canada…

 

[wighty]

If long trips are the use case then EV is not the way.

EVs can totally be used... It is just our trucks are not the ideal candidates because they have overall slow charging. (Slowish curve and large batteries)

I didn’t know you were coming from Canada…

Lol still a few more hours north to get to Canada from Syracuse

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