Living in The Lightning On The Road -- Almost a Year and Counting

[Sdctcher]

@Sdctcher I'm impressed with your adventurous spirit. Thanks for being a great part of this community. Wish you all the best on your travels!

I haven't tested it myself yet, but this might work.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2ZT1Z16?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_13

That dongle is the same one I carry but it would not light up the charger on the RV outlets I have tried. Thanks. I do like this life most of the time, except on chilly dark nights when I am forced to go into the cabin too early and just watch a crappy Netflix. If I can do this in January, most anyone can (but probably just not in NJ).

Sponsored

 

[Maquis]

All I am trying to do is supply whatever I can get to my Ford Mobile from a 30A RV plug in with the dongles Ford has supplied me.

Right….but you will not charge any faster than it would from a standard receptacle outlet. Don’t all (most)RV connection with a 30A receptacle also have a standard one?

 

[Sdctcher]

Right….but you will not charge any faster than it would from a standard receptacle outlet. Don’t all (most)RV connection with a 30A receptacle also have a standard one?

I wish the state parks had the panel illustrated. Many (mine at the moment) have only the middle one (30A). Unfortunately, the Ford Mobile Charger comes with plugs only for the outer two plugs (50A and 120V)..

 

[21st Century Truck]

I wish the state parks had the panel illustrated. Many (mine at the moment) have only the middle one (30A). Unfortunately, the Ford Mobile Charger comes with plugs only for the outer two plugs (50A and 120V)..

FYI I got a McGyvered adapter for such a use case from Amazon three years ago, for use at just such an older RV location. Actually used it twice between then and now.

 

[Maquis]

I wish the state parks had the panel illustrated. Many (mine at the moment) have only the middle one (30A). Unfortunately, the Ford Mobile Charger comes with plugs only for the outer two plugs (50A and 120V)..

You’ll need a TT-30 to 5-15 adapter, not a TT-30 to 14-50.

 

[Sdctcher]

You’ll need a TT-30 to 5-15 adapter, not a TT-30 to 14-50.

Yeppers - that is what I use. I just wish Ford had an adapter cord coming out of their charger that would give me 24A. The only choice now is 32 or12.

 

[JHC283]

I see you do alot of fast charging. Does this save you money in the long run. I am a new owner and only have fast charged once and it seemed very pricey. Most places around here are charging .40 - .50 KWh. According to my calculations its pretty much a wash compared to my Ram 1500 I had before.

BTW I have read similar reports that DC fast charging is not as bad as all the theoritical data has suggested.

BTW enjoy the life you are living. Do you hunt, fish or hike? I know I would be hitting up rivers and streams constantly to fly fish if I was out all the time like you. Sounds like so much fun!

Tesla chargers seem to be in the $.30 to $.40 range with the app membership. There are several in my area (Southeast US)

 

[mgmessner89]

This is truly a fascinating thread in regards to the truck and you enjoying your life. Thanks for sharing.

Not sure if it would be of use to you but I bought the Tesla Mobile charger with a 10-30 NEMA adapter. I camp with mine and I start at my buddies house and charge there with it. The Tesla charger will negotiate with the circuit on it's own, I ditched the Ford charger. Tesla has all different plug adapters

 

[TRCarr]

It has been some time since I have posted. But I hope my experiences living "Homeless" on the road for almost a year might be of interest to other Lightning Owners. I am homeless by choice, having sold almost everything to live "light" as a constantly moving individual.

I have travelled nearly 30,000 miles from Maine to San Diego and North Carolina twice and from the Great Lakes to Texas in my early '22 Lariat ER. Most of my lodging has been in hotels and B & B's but In October I picked up my new 14 foot Bean teardrop trailer in Utah. Because of weather I just began camping out fulltime just after Christmas here at the Salton Sea State Park, near Palm Springs, CA. Lately, I have been surprised that more middle-tier hotels offer a 30A EV Charge Station (sometimes free).

Now at about 40k miles, my truck battery shows no degradation. In fact, it actually is getting better. I am very conservative and normally drive around 55 mph, especially while towing my 3000# trailer (400# tongue weight). There are so many variables of temperature, humidity, wind, aerodynamics, speed and elevation that it is folly to tell someone my MPG (eMPG). Overall, without towing, I average 2.5-2.9 kW/mile, and 1.5-2.1 kW/mile with trailer. With my preferred reserve (25%) I drive trailer-less about 225 miles station to station, and 125 miles with trailer. But adjustments must be made frequently depending on conditions, such as my trips over the Rockies or the cold and snow. I normally fast charge to 90%.

I have DC Fast Charged hundreds of time coast to coast, normally at Electrify America. In the early days they were awful but now seem to be getting much better, especially at their newer updated stations. Here on the West Coast things are worse than back East; more broken or full. I have often had to go to my EVGO and Chargepoint backups with their higher cost. I have yet to receive my Tesla adapter and once when I tried a Rivian station it was packed.

Nearly everyday I ride around my locations 10+ miles/day on my Aventon Sinch 2.5 ebike. While at hotels this is my transportation around towns. Several months ago, while at a hotel, my old bike, a chained and locked Lectric 3.0, was stolen.

Normally I carry an AT&T 5G mobile hotspot for internet and tv streaming connections but out here in the desert I am forced to rely on my Lightning mobile wifi, which has been very reliable everywhere I have been. I am happy to pay the $20/month as my backup.

Currently, I am at a semi-primitive state campsite ($8/day) for a week with power supplied from my truck. Every other week I switch to a powered site ($28/day) with a 30A plug and water. I have to bell down from a 30A to a 120V plug to charge at about 1%/hour (up to 90%). When the nighttime temperatures become liveable in late February I will be camping mostly at desert dispursed sites heading east back to Kentucky for the springtime.

I would be happy to answer any questions members might have about this truck's abilities towing or camping. My truck has been mostly bug-free for the past 2+ years.

I have 70k miles living out of my ‘23 ER Lariat here in Borrego Springs for now. Unfortunately I pull a 6.5x6.5x12’ v/nose cargo trailer to live in. 1.0 m/kWh from about 2.1 without.
Would love to trade notes sometime.

 

[Sdctcher]

I have 70k miles living out of my ‘23 ER Lariat here in Borrego Springs for now. Unfortunately I pull a 6.5x6.5x12’ v/nose cargo trailer to live in. 1.0 m/kWh from about 2.1 without.
Would love to trade notes sometime.

Thanks TR. I would say you are doing OK @1.0kW/mile what with the high profile tow, camper top, and I am guessing you drive at highway speeds (70-75mph?). You did not mention weight but I have found on level ground weight matters little over constant long distances. My difference is a more aerodynamic shape and I drive 55mph. Normally I get 2.5kW-2.9kW/mile non-tow and 1.5kW-2.0kW/mile under perfect weather/level ground. I also like to trade notes on how others are faring on the road. Next week I am camping along I-8 in southern AZ.

 

[21st Century Truck]

I love Your Kentucky license plate. I'll tell Sonny Boy who lives in South Louisville to keep his eye peeled for Your rig.

 

[TRCarr]

Thanks TR. I would say you are doing OK @1.0kW/mile what with the high profile tow, camper top, and I am guessing you drive at highway speeds (70-75mph?). You did not mention weight but I have found on level ground weight matters little over constant long distances. My difference is a more aerodynamic shape and I drive 55mph. Normally I get 2.5kW-2.9kW/mile non-tow and 1.5kW-2.0kW/mile under perfect weather/level ground. I also like to trade notes on how others are faring on the road. Next week I am camping along I-8 in southern AZ.

Heading Vegas area for a week tomorrow.
Always hypermiling - not 70-75. Have built a round styrofoam full nose cone and that didn’t help. Moving to tail wind management next. Weight might be an issue in two weeks when I put a jeep in a 14k (capacity) dump trailer and tow it from OR to Borrego.
Tomorrow’s trip is en rte to Crescent City, CA to pick up the dump trailer and Jeep. This will be my first trip without a trailer in a very long time; maybe 30,000 miles.
I have Big-O off road tires. Huge error. Normal size. Just poor efficiency.

Sponsored