[Chiptuck]

I'm planning to travel from Lancaster Pa. to Missoula Montana the first week of August and then driving back again, 2752 miles one way.
Traveling on I-70 cutting up to I-15 at Green River then I-90 due to wanting to use EA chargers the whole way. Taking 3 and a half days.
My concern is having a charger breakdown and being stuck at that location not being able to make it to the next charger. Checking daily on Plugshare reporting I find I should be okay the whole way. However, today they are reporting the chargers at Green River not working, only one working cutting out every two minutes. I could probably get by with this.
If I skip that charger along the way it leaves me with 230 miles to next charger in Spanish Fork. I would need to charge to 100% at the stop prior to GreenRiver to make it comfortably. The longest planned distance to charge at several other stops is 214-217 miles based 3.8 kw/mile.

Is it a mistake to try to make it through the western states at this time of year or any other time for that matter?

I have 5000 miles on the car since Feb. and have had no problems whatsoever. I do trust the car at this point as long as I can get charging. I've only used EA chargers one time doing all my charging at home at level 1.

 

[zamafir]

Great route, that appears to be the best way, charging and all other things considered. I don't know why the western states would be an issue, our infrustructure is incredible for EVs. The fly-over mid-west might be more concerning to me due to the lower density of chargers. If you bake in one or two days flexibility in the event there are DC fast charger issues it should be great!

 

[douanben]

Travelling that distance, I'd be tempted to bring along a spare doughnut, if you have room. The crappy tire kit they give you probably not going to cut it if you have any kind of tire damage.

 

[zamafir]

Another thought, do you have a 240v EVSE with multiple plugs ("level 2 travel charger") - we often forget how plentiful some higher AMP circuits are camp grounds etc.

 

[DocinNC]

I am planning a long road trip in the Fall but am limiting maximum distance between chargers to 180 miles, and often much less. That way I have a reserve if my planned stop is not operational. You can always use a non EA charger if needed. The only place to avoid is West VA. It's a charger desert there.

 

[Fan of EV]

I guess I am more of a risk taker than I thought: I never even checked the status of the chargers located in Dateland, AZ when traveling from Southern California to Southern Arizona. And according to ABRP you have to stop in Dateland even if you leave Yuma with 100% battery. No other choices if you want to go the speed limit. You could make it to Casa Grande at 65 MPH and maybe even 70 MPH but not at the posted limit of 75 MPH. And if you are the type that always wants to exceed the speed limit by a few MPH, forget it.

So I guess I have enough faith in EA that a critical charging station located where there are no alternatives will be high on the list to keep running.

On a different note, I suspect that your 3.8 mi/kWh is unlikely on western freeways if you are going anywhere near the posted speed limit. For example the posted speed limit in Utah is 80 MPH. I know that my AWD Limited would be getting far worse than 3.8 mi/kWh at those speeds from the simple experience that it gets worse than that through Arizona with its 75 MPH limits.

 

[ev4ev]

Tesla to J1772 adapter - Amazon.com: [Only for J1772 EVs] Lectron - Tesla to J1772 Adapter, Max 40 Amp & 250V - Compatible with Tesla High Powered Connector, Destination Charger, and Mobile Connector Only (White) : Automotive

If you stay anywhere or stop anywhere that has Tesla Destination chargers is a good thing to have. They are free at hotels (usually if you stay there) or parks or strip malls [I used one in the outer banks while eating]. There also is another thread about them. It is tricky. You plug it in and turn the car off and then on after 10 seconds or can start it remotely.

Hope the trip works out well!

 

[The IT Guy]

I think you'll be fine.

Just experimented with ABRP, setting max charge to 80%, and minimum charge at charging stations to 30%. I also allowed it to reduce speeds to extend range, and it did that a few times to 75, 70, 65 and on three legs, down to 60 mph. This was for an AWD 77.4 kWh Ioniq 5. Most of the stops were at Electrify America stations (which I set to "preferred").

I created an itinerary which has Grand Junction CO as a waypoint to prevent ABRP from taking me into Canada

With those severe constraints, ABRP tells me I'll stop 37 times, and spend 6 hours 19 minutes at chargers. Clearly, in reality, the number of stops will be much lower. Allowing the battery to discharge to 10% instead of 30% reduced the stops to 29 and the time at stops to 5 hours 32 minutes. Here is that itinerary

For me that proves I could make it with big reserves and if things got really tight due to a complete charger site failure, I should be able to just slow down to reach the next one.

My on-the-road strategy would be to have my co-pilot check ahead for EA charger status on the EA app, and maybe PlugShare, and be prepared to revise the plan in ABRP. I might even invest in an OBD dongle for ABRP to talk to and get a more accurate real-time estimate of range.

Full disclosure. I don't have an Ioniq 5 yet, it's on order, as is a portable Level 2 EVSE 240V 40amp. So this assessment is entirely theoretical.

 

[Chiptuck]

I guess I am more of a risk taker than I thought: I never even checked the status of the chargers located in Dateland, AZ when traveling from Southern California to Southern Arizona. And according to ABRP you have to stop in Dateland even if you leave Yuma with 100% battery. No other choices if you want to go the speed limit. You could make it to Casa Grande at 65 MPH and maybe even 70 MPH but not at the posted limit of 75 MPH. And if you are the type that always wants to exceed the speed limit by a few MPH, forget it.

So I guess I have enough faith in EA that a critical charging station located where there are no alternatives will be high on the list to keep running.

On a different note, I suspect that your 3.8 mi/kWh is unlikely on western freeways if you are going anywhere near the posted speed limit. For example the posted speed limit in Utah is 80 MPH. I know that my AWD Limited would be getting far worse than 3.8 mi/kWh at those speeds from the simple experience that it gets worse than that through Arizona with its 75 MPH limits.

I realize I will have to stay under the speed limit between a few of the stops. I plan to stay at 70 most of the way and hope I don't get rear ended. A few of the stops are only 100 to 150 miles apart so I should be able to run the higher speed limits then. Should be an adventure.

Thanks for all the tips from everyone.

 

[Chiptuck]

I think you'll be fine.

Just experimented with ABRP, setting max charge to 80%, and minimum charge at charging stations to 30%. I also allowed it to reduce speeds to extend range, and it did that a few times to 75, 70, 65 and on three legs, down to 60 mph. This was for an AWD 77.4 kWh Ioniq 5. Most of the stops were at Electrify America stations (which I set to "preferred").

I created an itinerary which has Grand Junction CO as a waypoint to prevent ABRP from taking me into Canada

With those severe constraints, ABRP tells me I'll stop 37 times, and spend 6 hours 19 minutes at chargers. Clearly, in reality, the number of stops will be much lower. Allowing the battery to discharge to 10% instead of 30% reduced the stops to 29 and the time at stops to 5 hours 32 minutes. Here is that itinerary

For me that proves I could make it with big reserves and if things got really tight due to a complete charger site failure, I should be able to just slow down to reach the next one.

My on-the-road strategy would be to have my co-pilot check ahead for EA charger status on the EA app, and maybe PlugShare, and be prepared to revise the plan in ABRP. I might even invest in an OBD dongle for ABRP to talk to and get a more accurate real-time estimate of range.

Full disclosure. I don't have an Ioniq 5 yet, it's on order, as is a portable Level 2 EVSE 240V 40amp. So this assessment is entirely theoretical.

Thanks for plotting this. The ABRP planner is stopping way more frequently at 30 times to my 17. I was running longer distances and skipping past many chargers along the way. It seems most of their stops are really short 54,73,74,90 miles and such. Really short charge times but it would take too long to stop at each one. Especially if there was any wait for chargers.
I will probably use my own excel sheet based ot plugshare maps. Checking along the way for current reports if any.

 

[Rich5]

Check elevation change and prevailing winds....
Your 3.8miles/kwh is a bit optimistic at highways speeds.
We drove across PA with an elevation change and headwinds and averaged 2.6 miles/kwh doing the posted speed limit on cruise. Even at the speed limit we were not the slowest car. But most people were flying by in the left lane.
Now I know what range anxiety means

Also look for DC fast chargers (25Kw) at Harley Davidson dealers. We had to use them twice on trips to get enough charge to make it to the next charger.

Check out hotels that have L2 chargers for your overnight stays.

 

[Chiptuck]

Check elevation change and prevailing winds....
Your 3.8miles/kwh is a bit optimistic at highways speeds.
We drove across PA with an elevation change and headwinds and averaged 2.6 miles/kwh doing the posted speed limit on cruise. Even at the speed limit we were not the slowest car. But most people were flying by in the left lane.
Now I know what range anxiety means

Also look for DC fast chargers (25Kw) at Harley Davidson dealers. We had to use them twice on trips to get enough charge to make it to the next charger.

Check out hotels that have L2 chargers for your overnight stays.

More good tips I think I will plot a lower m/kwh. All the hotels are located near EA chargers so I shouldn't have to fight for a charger at a hotel overnight.

One thing I'm finding is the charger situation across the nation outside of large metro areas is horrendous. Actually my own county in Pa. is really bad having no DC chargers at all. None are even being planned. Breakdowns and speeds of chargers are all over the place. Apparently there is a very high maintenance required of DC chargers that is probably due to the available labor market. They're just not being repaired fast enough. There also is a big software problem on top of that.

 

[zamafir]

Yup, one of the side effects of our republic and this sort of stuff being largely state driven is lack of state funds for these networks to incentivize them to expand (or outright hostility with some famously setting aside budget to remove them). It'll be interesting to see how the networks evolve and energy demand in general is managed in the only western democracy I can think of that doesn't handle it at a national level (like say the UK, etc). I'm honestly not sure any of us would be as bold on these trips (you across the middle of the country, me up the coast of California) were it not for the funds set aside from VW's diesel-gate settlement to create Electrify America.

That's largely why I bought the tesla mobile charger and all the adapters and a tesla tap so I could just toss the two bags in the car and have a high level of confidence I could connect to any outlet (especially at VRBO/AirBNB if you aren't using hotels) - or in a pinch things like campsite/park connections.

 

[MSimpsonNj]

I'm heading to Missoula from South Jersey (Philly suburb) on Friday and am making it difficult on myself by going through the Badlands east to west across South Dakota and then east to west across Montana. But i have never seen that part of the country so off we go. Getting to Chicago will be easy and then the fun begins. I have planned a few overnight stops at places with Level 2's so that should help get me through the 3-free zones. Going to be an adventure. Ditched my granny charger for a dual voltage portable in case a campground RV hookup is needed and available.

 

[zamafir]

I'm heading to Missoula from South Jersey (Philly suburb) on Friday and am making it difficult on myself by going through the Badlands east to west across South Dakota and then east to west across Montana. But i have never seen that part of the country so off we go. Getting to Chicago will be easy and then the fun begins. I have planned a few overnight stops at places with Level 2's so that should help get me through the 3-free zones. Going to be an adventure. Ditched my granny charger for a dual voltage portable in case a campground RV hookup is needed and available.

Keep us updated, that SD stretch looks pretty bereft of options!

 

[The IT Guy]

Thanks for plotting this. The ABRP planner is stopping way more frequently at 30 times to my 17. I was running longer distances and skipping past many chargers along the way. It seems most of their stops are really short 54,73,74,90 miles and such. Really short charge times but it would take too long to stop at each one. Especially if there was any wait for chargers.
I will probably use my own excel sheet based ot plugshare maps. Checking along the way for current reports if any.

I was deliberately pushing the envelope in two ways. I set the speed factor to 110%, and insisted on stopping for charging at 30% SoC. It wasn’t intended to be a practical way of traveling, just a way of testing for limits.

If needed, the range could be extended by an effective factor of 1.4 by allowing the reserve to drop to 10%, and another factor of 1.4 to 1.45 by reducing the speed by 15 mph. Together, they double the range, and can be used on critical legs to provide a big safety margin.

 

[Thor Carlson]

Yesterday we drove an ICE rental 500+ miles from Grand Junction, CO to Sheridan, WY. A long day and we saw zero EVs enroute, FWIW. Plenty in Grand Junction and a few here in Sheridan but nothing in between.

 

[Chiptuck]

Yup, one of the side effects of our republic and this sort of stuff being largely state driven is lack of state funds for these networks to incentivize them to expand (or outright hostility with some famously setting aside budget to remove them). It'll be interesting to see how the networks evolve and energy demand in general is managed in the only western democracy I can think of that doesn't handle it at a national level (like say the UK, etc). I'm honestly not sure any of us would be as bold on these trips (you across the middle of the country, me up the coast of California) were it not for the funds set aside from VW's diesel-gate settlement to create Electrify America.

That's largely why I bought the tesla mobile charger and all the adapters and a tesla tap so I could just toss the two bags in the car and have a high level of confidence I could connect to any outlet (especially at VRBO/AirBNB if you aren't using hotels) - or in a pinch things like campsite/park connections.

The private sector is moving slowly with options available. However some will be more expensive but will provide convenience. I'm not sure they will have charging speeds for charge and go. More like charge where you work or reside. SparkCharge Mobile EV Charging

The Shark Tank Liked It???

 

[CoSolar]

If I skip that charger along the way it leaves me with 230 miles to next charger in Spanish Fork. I would need to charge to 100% at the stop prior to GreenRiver to make it comfortably. The longest planned distance to charge at several other stops is 214-217 miles based 3.8 kw/mile.

Is it a mistake to try to make it through the western states at this time of year or any other time for that matter?

Even if the EA station in Green River was totally out, there are two ChargePoint DC fast chargers in Price UT that should be easy to reach if you fully charge in Grand Junction CO. Not as fast as EA but still very doable. I'd recommend opening a ChargePoint account and getting one of their RFD cards ahead of time. There are lots of ChargePoint DCFC in CO and UT.

The warm summer temperatures should provide the best range possible. Keeping your speed below 70 mph can definitely help, at least until you're confident of reaching your next charging station. The posted speed limits are the maximum not minimum and traffic is not that heavy on I-70 in UT.
I really don't think you'll have a problem.

 

[LabLauncher]

Another thing to consider is availability of 350kw chargers. If you pass multiple chargers along the way, it is better to plan your legs to stop at the faster stations. It is insane how quickly you can get up to 80% if the conditions are right and you get the max ~225kw rate. This can further reduce the total time you spend charging on the longer trip.

If you really want to go nuts and get longer distances, do as some of the others have suggested. Put cruise control at no more than ~70 mph, lower the AC fan speed (or turn it off completely), and avoid roads with steep elevation climbs if you have the option for multiple routes. etc...