This will be my last attempt at a Lightning Road Trip

[TaxmanHog]

So, an update. We made it to Captiva, pretty much without further incident.

Glad to hear the rest of the story.

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[Firn]

I don think my decision is 'unusual'. I prefer to recharge at $0.12/kwh as opposed to $0.30 - $0.50/kwh. In my book that is smart.

I don't think anyone is questioning the use of home charging instead of a public DCFC, its more that you don't/won't drive anywhere that could require using a charger, severely limiting the utility of the truck. Saving $0.17 per KWH is smart, but thats a hard sell if you need two vehicles to accomplish one job.

 

[evowner]

I don't think anyone is questioning the use of home charging instead of a public DCFC, its more that you don't/won't drive anywhere that could require using a charger, severely limiting the utility of the truck. Saving $0.17 per KWH is smart, but thats a hard sell if you need two vehicles to accomplish one job.

Maybe my travel is different than some, It's not 'unusual' for me. The way I use the EVs covers 99% of my travel by auto. Actually, for the last several years it has covered 100%. The only reason I use the Hybrid is when the weather is really bad, like 0 or below outside. I will use the Lightning when the conditions are a little more reasonable. I use the Tesla or EV6 when the weather is nice. Maybe that is unusual.

 

[Lolat]

I shared you frustration when first bought the Lightning. We purchased in Muscle Shoals, AL and drove to Southern Oregon, via Chicago, in late December, 2022. I quickly learned (1st day) to follow the Ford Pass info for charge stations. Actuallythe dealer tech had programmed the route and as it turned out to be very good program until got to IA/NE portions of I80. It was -4°, so another frustrating bit was sitting at an EA or ChargePoint station waiting to warm battery so it could be charged! Working stations were quite far between out there, so it did add to frustration. Note that this was long before getting my Tesla adaptor, so was rather limited for charging options. However, and as others have said, preplanning makes a huge difference. With ability to access Tesla stations it should really be a big added plus.

All in all our first “adventure” was both a huge learning experience for long trips and really showed the overall performance of the Lightning for travel in cold, icy and snowy weather. Was always pretty comfortable though out the trip, learned a lot about the truck and charging options, even finding hotel/motels that at that time had level 2 charging. Hang in there a bit, might find it a much better experience in the long run. We live in the “sticks”and have several vehicles (2020 to 2024 models), but truly use the Lightning as our daily driver.

 

[BobKenyon]

I am in one hotel, and my lightning is languishing at another hotel, hooked up to a slow-ass Blink L1 charger because it was all I could find. I had to take an Uber back to my hotel, and will have to take an uber back to the other one tomorrow morning, and hope that it picked up enough miles to get me to a real charger.
Until Ford decides to get serious and actually build a freaking network I will confine my Lightning driving to local only. The Ford Pass "network" is just a list. It doesn't work. What i have now are two nav systems (Google and Ford). Google is flawed and unreliable when it comes to charging, but at least I can get somewhere with it. Ford can't find many locations, has all the functionality of Garmin 2004, and looks awful. The FordPass app can find chargers and sometimes feed them to Google Maps, but it's as likely to take me to the wrong place or to a charger that is not available or compatible. After two long days of driving 2 hours to charge for an hour (when I can actually find a charger close to the route), collecting charging apps so I can sit in an isolated spot with no rest rooms and no amenities, I have had it. My wife is ready to leave the Lightning at an airport and rent an ICE so we can finish driving to our vacation destination.
Ford, if you're listening, quit making us beta test your tech. Get it together.

See https://hutchpost.com/posts/babd9a2b-58cc-49ad-b60c-0b1a9267c84b

 

[jdmackes]

When I did my trip from MD to FL I went over everything in plugshare multiple times and plotted out my stops, with backups in case there were any issues. Only problems I ran into were around Virginia Beach, as that was the only charging stop before my house and there aren't a lot of chargers there. The situation has completely changed now that there are Tesla chargers available, so I'd be even less concerned but it really helps to plan it all out. Whenever we would stop I'd calculate where the next charger was and make sure I had more than enough charge to get to it as well.

 

[JackieDemarais]

To be fair, your Lightning doesn't have to be a road trip vehicle.

It’s no fun being tethered to your home like a dog tied up in the yard. I didn’t buy a $100,000.00 truck to simply drive around a 100 Mile radius.

 

[JackieDemarais]

To be fair, your Lightning doesn't have to be a road trip vehicle.

The sales person emphasized how easy it was to charge my truck anywhere. What a lie!

 

[Lightning Bronson]

The sales person emphasized how easy it was to charge my truck anywhere. What a lie!

Then you didn't do research, unfortunately, especially on availability of chargers and how it's still a growing market. We're not even close to the stage where there's a charger at every street corner. Of course it's going to take a bit more planning ahead of time.

And on top of that, the dealerer lied to you, as they usually do for sales.

Look, you don't HAVE to make it a local-only vehicle. But the experience on driving long distances given the first generation Lightning's specs compared to T3, let alone current new competitors like the SilveradoEV, is going to be a lot different and a lot longer. Meaning patience.

 

[Firn]

Maybe my travel is different than some, It's not 'unusual' for me. The way I use the EVs covers 99% of my travel by auto. Actually, for the last several years it has covered 100%. The only reason I use the Hybrid is when the weather is really bad, like 0 or below outside. I will use the Lightning when the conditions are a little more reasonable. I use the Tesla or EV6 when the weather is nice. Maybe that is unusual.

Seriously? I cannot imagine choosing a gas car over my Lightning in the winter now. No warmup, no wait for heat, drives proper right away, no worry about the engine or transmission, no need to leave it running, its absolutely fantastic. The range is a bit shorter, but other than that it is superior in every single way. With as dead simple as a charging stop is, I would MUCH rather take the lightning even if I had to hit a couple chargers.

Honestly, I think that IS unusual for most.

The sales person emphasized how easy it was to charge my truck anywhere. What a lie!

uh, what? I have had a few minor hiccups but I have never had anything I would consider hard by any means. Even better now, pull up to a supercharger and plug in.

 

[Ishkatan]

I have over a dozen charging apps on my phone but ChargeFinder, PlugShare, and A Better Route Planner help the most. Before a trip, I usually check an area and route using ChargeFinder which shows stations from many providers and many levels. I then open likely locations to find charge rate and cost info. Then confirm on the provider's app.

Despite range anxiety, I don't think I ever fell below 60 miles of range left (1x on a 320 mile road trip) before being able to charge to at least 80% by the next leg (or day). Sometimes when chargers are new they are free and within a mile or 3 of where I have stayed. Public parks, municipal facilities (fire stations) and some restaurants will have free L2 charging. Just take your time touring, eating or be ready for a healthy stroll to your residence. (When making reservations, ask about charging options. If enough people ask they may install something.)

A L2 Tesla adapter for Destination chargers can be useful - I've charged for free at a restaurant at 2x of the available J1772 charger.)

I also have the Ford Mobile charger and carry a 50 Ft heavy extension cord I can plug into 110 if staying at an Air B&B. Worked great at adding 20+ miles overnight for local exploration the next day.

Watch out for car dealerships that want to rip you off. I think it was Mansfield PA where I plugged in to a charger that charged $3.50 / Kw. I checked the charger and unplugged when I saw what was going on, but it could have been a very expensive charge. I found a more reasonable fast charger in Corning.

 

[Brons2]

When I got my first tesla, it took about 1 hr 47 mins to get 40 miles of additional range. This was my experience over 8 years ago. I know charging has changed and become more reliable. Even 45 minutes is too long for me, so that is why I limit my trips to less than the range on the EVs. That range varies according to the weather conditions. This covers about 99% of my travels by car or truck. I prefer to charge at home or my shop. To each his own.

Come on man. You are talking about L2 charging.

Out of Spec just raced a 2012 Model S across the country. It came in last but it never took them 1 hour and 45 minutes to charge and charged at over 100KWH.

 

[Brons2]

I shared you frustration when first bought the Lightning. We purchased in Muscle Shoals, AL and drove to Southern Oregon, via Chicago, in late December, 2022. I quickly learned (1st day) to follow the Ford Pass info for charge stations. Actuallythe dealer tech had programmed the route and as it turned out to be very good program until got to IA/NE portions of I80. It was -4°, so another frustrating bit was sitting at an EA or ChargePoint station waiting to warm battery so it could be charged! Working stations were quite far between out there, so it did add to frustration. Note that this was long before getting my Tesla adaptor, so was rather limited for charging options. However, and as others have said, preplanning makes a huge difference. With ability to access Tesla stations it should really be a big added plus.

All in all our first “adventure” was both a huge learning experience for long trips and really showed the overall performance of the Lightning for travel in cold, icy and snowy weather. Was always pretty comfortable though out the trip, learned a lot about the truck and charging options, even finding hotel/motels that at that time had level 2 charging. Hang in there a bit, might find it a much better experience in the long run. We live in the “sticks”and have several vehicles (2020 to 2024 models), but truly use the Lightning as our daily driver.

I am from Oregon originally, and have driven back and forth between Oregon and Texas a dozen times at least. Was there a requirement to go through Chicago? Because I would have stuck to I-10 in the wintertime if it were me, and I always have on my winter trips.

Even I-40 can be sketchy through New Mexico and Arizona, you're up above 6000' for a long period of time between Albuquerque and (west of) Flagstaff. Never had a problem on I-10, although I did have a several hour delay going over the Grapevine north of LA once due to snow and ice, many years ago.

Not sure of the state of the charging network in December 2022 but my 70-something parents took their ID.4 to LA in 2023 for the US Open then all the way up I-5 to see friends in the Portland area and used EA exclusively.

 

[BSull]

Planning a two way cross country trip in a couple of months. From PHX area to Port St Lucie FL about 2200 miles. The only sketchy part I see in ABRP and plugshare is between PHX and Las Cruces. There are a couple of sites that have no backup and if they fail I'll be looking for a plug to use.
I'm going to try and document as well as I can, sometimes getting back on the road takes priority over writing notes.

 

[Lolat]

I am from Oregon originally, and have driven back and forth between Oregon and Texas a dozen times at least. Was there a requirement to go through Chicago? Because I would have stuck to I-10 in the wintertime if it were me, and I always have on my winter trips.

Even I-40 can be sketchy through New Mexico and Arizona, you're up above 6000' for a long period of time between Albuquerque and (west of) Flagstaff. Never had a problem on I-10, although I did have a several hour delay going over the Grapevine north of LA once due to snow and ice, many years ago.

Not sure of the state of the charging network in December 2022 but my 70-something parents took their ID.4 to LA in 2023 for the US Open then all the way up I-5 to see friends in the Portland area and used EA exclusively.

You would have missed a great Christmas Party in Chicago!

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