Road Trip Report, Maine 332 Miles one day......

[Nklem]

Lightning Economics (23 XLT SR) Road Trip Report, real energy and cost to drive numbers for a recent 332 mile road trip... 5 people. Starting Mid 60's, ending low 40's in temps (F). 192 miles 45-55 zones (Cruise set at 50 to 60 MPH), 90 miles Highway at 70 and balance around town.
Bar Harbor Maine to Portland Maine and back on Saturday 4/27
Started with 80% Charge. I used Carscanner to track every kWh from start to finish as well as most other parameters (I forgot Speed)
Total Distance 331.8 Miles. Total Cost $62.57 $/Mile=$0.188
Gas in my state is $3.59/Gal now, so equal to 19.19 MPG with a gas vehicle.
Total trip time (a lot of idling at the charge stations and while daughter shopped for a Prom Dress); 8 hours 50 mins
Starting Battery Real Energy: 67.68 kWh, Ending 15.85 kWh

Amount of DCFC charged 91.73 kWh
Amount of "at home" charged to equal Start 57.013 kWh
Total kWh for trip 148.74 kWh

True Mi/kWh 2.23 mi/kWh (including charger losses) (truck screen matched pretty close)

Time of all DCFC on trip (while shopping or getting food) 58 mins
True charging speeds kWh/Min (DCFC) was 1.58 kWh/Min or 94.89 kWh/hr (really good!)

Cost of retail DCFC (my EA credit has not arrived yet, no memberships for discounts). $51.74 or $0.564/kWh, Ouch! (to be honest my EvGo was free with a remaining balance but I included the cost)

Cost of at home charging (with losses) to get back to starting kWh, $10.83 or $0.19/kWh (this was actually charged Free at work but keeping the cost in here for comparison)

While not stellar, it was as expected and pretty much equalled or slightly better equivalent MPG to my old 2020 Ram Hemi.

If I could have 100% charged at home, it would have been $28.26 or $0.085/Mile or 42.14 MPG equivalent.

Or my out of pocket, true MPG with my free charging from Work ($0.156/mi) was 23.0 MPG equivalent.

Funny thing, if I took my Maverick Hybrid ( a little cramped for 5) and paid for the gas, it would have been 8.96 Gallons, 37 MPG and $32.19 or $0.097 $/mile.

DCFC rates are out of control, in my opinion.

 

[LightningShow]

Good report, I appreciate the detail!

I think for those of us in the northeast, electricity prices *in general* are out of control. DCFC is more of a convenience than a necessity (like a gas station) so it's not really an equivalent pricing model. I don't *like* DCFC pricing but I don't think it's an issue.

 

[Nklem]

Update for the ER vs SR debate......We drove 80% to 12% over 131 miles, meaning 192 miles of actual full range for this trip . So if I had an ER, and started at 100%, the ER real range would have been 256 miles. Knowing nothing is precise and we would have overcharged with DCFC anyway (as we did) for buffer but if all was ideal assuming charging exactly where needed and what we needed, To make it easy (assuming perfection and a 100% start) , If I had an ER, I would have expended 256/2.23=114.79 kWH home and needed (331.8/2.23)=148.7-114.79=34 kWh DCFC or a net cost of $40.98 or MPG equal of 29 MPG with Gas for an ER. If I started with 100% at home with my SR it works out to 86 kWh from home and 62.7 DCFC, or $51.72 or 23.0 MPG equivalent. For an SR so the net ideal difference was $10.73…. Again, Ideal which is never the case, as shown in the original post. That 20% SOC starting out actually cost me a bundle (at least two Boba Teas from the first stop)! Now assume the same ratio of overcharging, the ER would have been about $13.07 less than the SR for this trip......

 

[vic7780]

+1 million

DCFC is completely out of control. If they don’t get those prices under control it’ll hurt them in the long run

 

[The Weatherman]

We had a pair of Mavericks in the same blue color before we went full EV, Kia EV6 and Lightning ER Lariat.

I’m sure I will one day regret not holding on to at least one of those.

 

[Peddyr]

Excellent summary. Knowing you were going on a road trip, why 80% to start instead of charging to 100%

 

[Nklem]

Excellent summary. Knowing you were going on a road trip, why 80% to start instead of charging to 100%

I actually charged to 100% at work the day before In anticipation of the trip but I live 15 miles from the office. So I would have been at 97 %. My son called me Sat AM (early) and I had to run to his house (20 miles away)to help him , so I burned through 20% overall of my free charge. I did make it all the way to Portland on 80%. I did not know that I would. Believe me, I wanted to make this easier…and it would have made a considerable cost difference.

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