Long trip strategies?

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NRH

NRH

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Hey drivers,
We've had our Kona for 1.5 years now and put 20,000 miles on it, but we've only done a couple ~350 mile trips, where fast charging was involved (pandemic life).

Today my wife is making a 650 mile roadtrip, and then returning a couple days later (on account of a family emergency). She loves the Kona, and was undaunted by the BEV adventure-factor. I'm serving as ground-control, planning her route from home to make it as easy as possible.

"A Better Route Planner" is a good start, but I'm inclined to adjust those plans a bit so that they make more sense, and so she's stopping at chargers with more pleasant strolling options, when possible.

So if I'm doing my own planning, does this logic make sense?
- She gets 3.6 mi/kwh on the highway (that's her actual consumption today at her preferred speed).
- She should arrive at her first 150kw station around 30%.
- Plan is to charge to 80%, and avoid burn down to less than 10% for subsequent stops (is that the best way to use fast chargers?)
- So to figure range between stops, 70% of 64kwh = 45kwh and 45kwh x 3.6 mi/kwh = 160 miles between fast charges.

So I'm planning to find her fast chargers (75kw or better) that are no more than 160 miles apart. Am I thinking about that right?

Any other tips from experienced road-trippers? I'd love to make this trip as easy as possible for her, since she's dealing with a lot already (with regards to the need for this trip).

Thanks, Nate
 
Last edited:
NRH said:
Hey drivers,
We've had our Kona for 1.5 years now and put 20,000 miles on it, but we've only done a couple ~350 mile trips, where fast charging was involved (pandemic life).

Today my wife is making a 650 mile roadtrip, and then returning a couple days later (on account of a family emergency). She loves the Kona, and was undaunted by the BEV adventure-factor. I'm serving as ground-control, planning her route from home to make it as easy as possible.

"A Better Route Planner" is a good start, but I'm inclined to adjust those plans a bit so that they make more sense, and so she's stopping at chargers with more pleasant strolling options, when possible.

So if I'm doing my own planning, does this logic make sense?
- She gets 3.6 mi/kwh on the highway (that's her actual consumption today at her preferred speed).
- She should arrive at her first 150kw station around 30%.
- Plan is to charge to 80%, and avoid burn down to less than 10% for subsequent stops (is that the best way to use fast chargers?)
- So to figure range between stops, 70% of 64kwh = 45kwh and 45kwh x 3.6 mi/kwh = 160 miles between fast charges.

So I'm planning to find her fast chargers (75kw or better) that are no more than 160 miles apart. Am I thinking about that right?

Any other tips from experienced road-trippers? I'd love to make this trip as easy as possible for her, since she's dealing with a lot already (with regards to the need for this trip).

Thanks, Nate
Click to expand...

I usually plan a back up charge location if possible in case I run into a bad charger or head winds or weather conditions that reduce my range. Rain uses wipers and headlights, cold reduces range etc.. Also take in to account elevation changes up hill, range goes down , down hill, range goes up. I like using PlugShare over A Better Rout Planer as it allows me to choose my rout and locations as opposed to giving me a rout and locations. Also PlugShares trip planer has an elevation tab so you can see all elevations along the route. Both A Better Rout Planer and PlugShare are both good option.
 
Hello! It sounds like you are in the right track. My only advise is stop and charge often- It will allow the chargers to charge at max rate and save you time, and I have discovered stopping frequently makes long drives much more enjoyable. I just got back from a 1000mi+ round trip, and am attaching the data for your consideration. Good Luck!

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It makes a big difference as to which part of the country you are traveling. I am assuming you are in Maine. Planning her trip is definitely a first step. I would make sure she is familiar with the charging apps on her phone and and test HER phone on several such as Electrify America, EVgo and PlugShare. The more familiar she is with these the less likely she will get in a pickle. Before I head to my next destination even after the planning stage, I check the status of the destination unit. These can go down or be unavailable even though they are listed in the apps. I like to look at a few of the check-in's to make sure they are functional and ... how fast they are charging. Some, even though they appear to work can take ages because of slow charging times. My experience is that EA has pretty good status reading of their chargers. Plug Share doesn't monitor any of these. Users do. It's even a good idea for her to check in using Plug Share. It helps others too (and you if you want to track her progress).

Another piece of the plan is to find motels with charging available for overnight 100% top up. Saves money and is generally very safe. For a big trip, I always sign up with Electrify America's monthly $4 plan. It reduces the cost by over $0.20 per Kwh to $0.31 per Kwh. They will charge at the Kona's max 75+- kwh rate and this reduces her wait at the charger. I usually steer clear of the 50 Kwh chargers if possible as it almost doubles your charge time.

I used to keep the top charged up, at 80% as much as possible. I don't do that as much and let it get down to 10% or 15% now before a required stop. There are a lot more chargers now than before. With weather warm, she should easily get her 3.2 and if needed slow down to stretch even higher. I also throw a 12/2 50ft extension cord in the back with the Kona's level 2 charger. I don't bother with dryer adapters or 14-50 plugs unless my plan requires traveling some really remote routes.

Use A better route planner to glance at elevation change. It does account for this but if you go off route you need to account for this.
 
I use ABRP like you do - as a planning tool to get a good overview, but then I use PlugShare or, if available, Electrify America to decide on each leg once I have the overview. I like EA because they have the fastest chargers and in my experience, limited as it is, they are always available and functioning. I think EA only comes up into Maine as high as around Portland, so unless she is coming from the South that will not likely be an option for her.

If she doesn't mind hanging out for the charge to get to 80%, then a stress-free plan is to go until you hit your lower limit, stop and charge until 80%, and move on the next one. I find it better, personally, to have maybe a few more strops of shorter duration, so I may pull off when I still have 40% and top it up, or only stay at the charge point until I have enough to get to the next one plus a 10% contingency (which might only be 70%), and move along like that. That requires the micro-managing of the individual stops on the fly, and when I go back and read what you are planning (the 160 mile comment) it sounds like she will be not at any one stop for that long of period anyway, so i like your plan.

I realize this is not your first long drive, so much of this will be superfluous, but here is post from when I planned and executed my first long trip and while long it is full of useful advice from this forum that got me through unscathed: https://insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/tips-for-first-long-drive.10413/

Good luck and I hope all is well with your wife and her family.
 
Thanks for the tips. It was a smooth trip. (aside from the first EA charger not having a working RFID reader, so she paid full price with CC instead of Pass+ discount. EA gave her a free charge voucher which she later in the day).

The most striking thing is how much cheaper some of the charging has gotten! Even at the standard price, the first fast charge was only $5 for 37 kWh delivered. ($0.16/min x 32 min, so the charge rate was 70kW for the whole session). I seem to recall that over a year ago (last time we used DCFC) charging sessions were costing $10-20 dollars (and we were doing those at 50kW chargers). At the EA chargers we're getting a true 75 kw charge rate.

Now, if she can find two outlets at her brother's house that are connected to opposite busses in the panel, she'll be able to get topped off with the magic voltage doubler I made for her.

Thanks, Nate
 
FWIW, ABRP with live data thinks my car is at around 4-4.2 miles per kw at 65mph.

the new EA pricing in per minute states a really cheap, and slightly better in per-kw states than the previous Hyundai specific plan…
 
Ah yes, that explains it. NH and MA appear to have per KW pricing. It was 3x more in NY (fortunately that one was complimentary!)

I’ll have her take a short sip in NY, and plan the longer charge for MA.
 
GeorgeS said:
It makes a big difference as to which part of the country you are traveling. I am assuming you are in Maine. Planning her trip is definitely a first step. I would make sure she is familiar with the charging apps on her phone and and test HER phone on several such as Electrify America, EVgo and PlugShare. The more familiar she is with these the less likely she will get in a pickle. Before I head to my next destination even after the planning stage, I check the status of the destination unit. These can go down or be unavailable even though they are listed in the apps. I like to look at a few of the check-in's to make sure they are functional and ... how fast they are charging. Some, even though they appear to work can take ages because of slow charging times. My experience is that EA has pretty good status reading of their chargers. Plug Share doesn't monitor any of these. Users do. It's even a good idea for her to check in using Plug Share. It helps others too (and you if you want to track her progress).

Another piece of the plan is to find motels with charging available for overnight 100% top up. Saves money and is generally very safe. For a big trip, I always sign up with Electrify America's monthly $4 plan. It reduces the cost by over $0.20 per Kwh to $0.31 per Kwh. They will charge at the Kona's max 75+- kwh rate and this reduces her wait at the charger. I usually steer clear of the 50 Kwh chargers if possible as it almost doubles your charge time.

I used to keep the top charged up, at 80% as much as possible. I don't do that as much and let it get down to 10% or 15% now before a required stop. There are a lot more chargers now than before. With weather warm, she should easily get her 3.2 and if needed slow down to stretch even higher. I also throw a 12/2 50ft extension cord in the back with the Kona's level 2 charger. I don't bother with dryer adapters or 14-50 plugs unless my plan requires traveling some really remote routes.

Use A better route planner to glance at elevation change. It does account for this but if you go off route you need to account for this.
Click to expand...
Hi what are dryer adapters and 14-50 plugs? I have had to leave my kona behind on remote trips and wondering if this might help.
 
A higher power AC EVSE ('charger' if you like) that you can plug into the dryer outlets that are commonly found only in N. America. The 50 amp receptacle you mentioned will allow the max 7.4kW charging using the car's on-board charger.
 
Jennifer said:
Hi what are dryer adapters and 14-50 plugs? I have had to leave my kona behind on remote trips and wondering if this might help.
Click to expand...
Both of these were bought on Amazon. One is a typically used on a welder and the other a dryer. I'm sure they have many other applications. Truthfully I have only used one. These both have female 14-50 sockets which I plug my JuiceBox 40 charge controller into. They are both rated at 240vac.

Amazon.com: JuiceBox Electric Vehicle Charging 30A (4 Prong) New Dryer Adapter 240V NEMA 14-30P to 240V NEMA 14-50R: Automotive
Amazon.com: ONETAK NEMA 6-50P to 14-50R 240V 50 Amp 3 Prong Male Plug to 50 Amp 4 Prong Female Receptacle Generator Welder Dryer EV Charger Power Cord Adapter Connector: Garden & Outdoor
 
I guess my question is if your dryer isn't in your garage how do you get from the dryer outlet to the car? My dryer is in the basement. It would take a really long extension cord!
 
Jennifer said:
I guess my question is if your dryer isn't in your garage how do you get from the dryer outlet to the car? My dryer is in the basement. It would take a really long extension cord!
Click to expand...
Extension cords are available, but they are not exactly inexpensive (and the longer ones are quite heavy).

One more thing to point out. If you have a gas dryer, it's not going to be powered by 240 volts (at least in the U.S), only 120. Although in my current house there is a gas dryer with an unused 30A 240v receptacle behind the dryer. Assumedly a past owner had an electric dryer, or the original builder equipped the house for one.
 
Jennifer said:
I guess my question is if your dryer isn't in your garage how do you get from the dryer outlet to the car? My dryer is in the basement. It would take a really long extension cord!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't think it practical to run a long extension. The JuiceBox J1772 cable is only 20 feet long but the cable to the 14-50 plug is less than a foot. Dragging an extension up and down the stairs would get old. I have built one of these and they can exceed $100 for about a 20 ft. extension. They have to be big because they contain 4 wires and carry high current. The dryer circuit cannot exceed .75 * 30 amps or 22.5 amps. The Kona can charge up to 32 amps.
I only carry them for emergency situations only. Have never used them.
 
Shark said:
Extension cords are available, but they are not exactly inexpensive (and the longer ones are quite heavy).

One more thing to point out. If you have a gas dryer, it's not going to be powered by 240 volts (at least in the U.S), only 120. Although in my current house there is a gas dryer with an unused 30A 240v receptacle behind the dryer. Assumedly a past owner had an electric dryer, or the original builder equipped the house for one.
Click to expand...
I did not know that! thanks.
 
My advice after my first long trip is to never drive past the second farthest charger you can make it to. A surprising number of highway chargers are broken, busy or iced. Give yourself some wiggle room.
 
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