Longest road trip in the SE?

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polyphonic

polyphonic

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How far has everyone gone in a single trip? Did you have to hypermile it?

Specifically, has anyone attempted to cross i10 where chargers are >100 miles apart and speed limits are 70+ MPH ?
 
I did a trip from Twin Cities to Rochester, MN which was 107 miles, but I stopped in Red Wing (about half way) to charge because I took the trip in the dead of winter when it was -20 ºF (so no green+ mode!). If it had been summer I would have easily made it all the way to Rochester with no stopping for charge. Average speed was under 70 mph, though.

As for hypermiling, I've found using the cruise control on the freeway works great for efficiency. To be honest under moderate conditions using the cruise control I don't see much difference in range going at freeway speeds versus staying under 60 mph.
 
My longest so far was Seattle to Hood River, Oregon, which was 240 miles each way. I rapid charged 3 times each way.

I wouldn’t be very comfortable doing a trip with more than 80 miles between chargers at over 70mph, just because if you get a headwind or surprise inclement weather it can really knock your range down. I’ve seen 2mi/kWh in one direction and 5mi/kWh the other on the same road due to wind.
 
We have pushed 107 miles driving up to the North Coast upper peninsula of WA. Stopping midway at Electrify America on the way back.

Temperatures above 50F, Hankook Ventus Prime 3 tires, dry roads, and most critically.... speeds not exceeding 60 MPH, mostly 50-55 MPH on those back country highways. Probably couldn't pull it off with the all season Hitracs we use for winter, wet roads will also seriously increase rolling resistance.

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My longest trip was just over 400 miles. It was a hiking/camping trip in the Green Mountains of Vermont. No hypermiling, just driving at a reasonable speed. The DCFCs are no more than 70 miles apart. I stopped a bunch of times but never for more than about 15 minutes. Not ideal but I had fun anyway.


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I’ve done several trips between 200-400mi round trips here in Ohio, mostly along i71 or US Hwys. I’ve used ABRP to map it out. Even using 4.3mi/kwh in there (and trying to be as accurate as possible with my other parameters - weather, battery deg, speed etc), I was able to beat the ABRP estimates every time. Typically have stopped at the prescribed chargers, but shorter than what ABRP suggested.

I am shocked at how well the charging network is, and how far and easily I can get places with 100mi of range. Evening trucking down to little towns in KY I haven’t had too many issues. The only range anxiety problem I had was when I set off and somehow the vehicle got set to the Chevy bolt… I was looking at ABRP’s calculated arrival % and my actual percentage as I was driving and noticed that something was terribly wrong. Found a L2 and stopped for dinner, then continued on to my next DCFC stop. A little unnerving, but a lesson learned :)

Trip Notes: Ventus Prime 3s, green mode, speedo limited at GPS 70mph max.


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DisgruntledSanta said:
I am shocked at how well the charging network is, and how far and easily I can get places with 100mi of range. Evening trucking down to little towns in KY I haven’t had too many issues.
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Lucky you! My farthest trip has been the 170mi home from the dealer (still the only time I've used a DCFC). I've had a need to go on other trips but couldn't make it due to lack of chargers.

Fortunately the situation seems to be improving quickly here in Oregon. In the past two months, three in-range CHAdeMO stations have been upgraded with CCS. Still can only go west but there's another station upgrade planned at Mt Hood so I'll be able to go north soon too! (Although that also just leads to the dealer in Portland...)
 
They really need to be 50 miles apart at the absolute most, and pronto. That would help long range EVs too by allowing them to charge at a more ideal battery state (lower %, without having to risk stranding yourself in case of an unforeseen event)
I’m honestly losing patience with the CCS rollout.
 
Just did a trip from Houston to Austin with a total of 335 miles round trip this weekend.

Only one stop to charge in Columbus then again in Austin. The longest leg was 91 miles one way from Columbus to Austin. I left in the morning with temperature at 72 and arrived in Austin at 77. I didn't use the AC until I was about 3/4 of the way to Austin and was in Green mode the entire way.

Charged to 100% at home and arrived in Columbus at 63% driving 55mph (construction) - 65mph
Charged to 96% in Columbus and arrived in Austin at 33% driving 65mph.
Charged to 93% in Austin and picked up a friend and had lunch. Arrived at the same charger to leave Austin at 76%
Charged to 99% in Austin and arrived in Columbus at 21% driving 70mph with a lot of headwind.
Charged to 81% in Columbus and arrived home at 25% driving 70mph - 75mph to keep up with traffic through the construction zone and headwind. I also dropped off the friend that I picked up in Austin then headed home.

I consumed 84.63 kWh around trip (including charging back to 100% at home) with a cost of $21.50 with 3.96kWh/mi.

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Thinking about making this trip again to move my SE to another location… the longest leg is 125 miles on I-10 (75 mph posted) with a persistent crosswind.

Alternative is to rent a truck with dolly for $1000 + ~$400 in gas.. :/

Thoughts on driving 55 on I-10? How crazy does that sound?
 
polyphonic said:
Thoughts on driving 55 on I-10? How crazy does that sound?
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With the breakdown of society, even going 10 mph over the speed limit isn't good enough for the lawless drivers anymore. I can't imagine going 20 mph under the speed limit.

I would think stopping somewhere for a level 2 charge if necessary to go another 10 miles or so is probably a better idea. If I calculated correctly, going 75 mph is over 30 minutes faster, which you could spend at a level 2 charger:

125 mi = x * 75 mph = 125 mi / 75 mph = 1.67 h
125 mi = x * 55 mph = 125 mi / 55 mph = 2.27 h (+0.6 h)​
 
polyphonic said:
Thinking about making this trip again to move my SE to another location… the longest leg is 125 miles on I-10 (75 mph posted) with a persistent crosswind.

Alternative is to rent a truck with dolly for $1000 + ~$400 in gas.. :/

Thoughts on driving 55 on I-10? How crazy does that sound?
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I'm assuming there are no charging stations anywhere along I-10 (or along that 125-mile leg) or you wouldn't be asking if your trip is feasible.

Although dangerous to windshields and front-end paint, drafting a semi truck (eg. 1.5 car lengths) will conserve many Watts. I got good at it in my gen-1 Insights and could exceed 100 mpg. You can get a feel for the semi drivers who don't like truck-suckers (my term) because they make a point of straying onto the shoulder to kick up a few rocks. Back off quickly and look for a friendlier semi. Another benefit of following a semi (even if not closely) is speedy drivers won't tailgate you in an effort to persuade you to drive faster in the right lane.
 
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Great thoughts @Puppethead and @insightman.

I was one of those speed demons driving out in my Porsche, but… my heart is with the SE!

Given than I will actually have my NEMA 14-50 charge station numerous RV parks are now available. This reduces the largest two legs to 84 and 71 miles. I think a mixture of driving with the flow and following semi trucks (but not drafting) will make this possible.
 
insightman said:
I'm assuming there are no charging stations anywhere along I-10 (or along that 125-mile leg) or you wouldn't be asking if your trip is feasible.

Although dangerous to windshields and front-end paint, drafting a semi truck (eg. 1.5 car lengths) will conserve many Watts. I got good at it in my gen-1 Insights and could exceed 100 mpg. You can get a feel for the semi drivers who don't like truck-suckers (my term) because they make a point of straying onto the shoulder to kick up a few rocks. Back off quickly and look for a friendlier semi. Another benefit of following a semi (even if not closely) is speedy drivers won't tailgate you in an effort to persuade you to drive faster in the right lane.
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I used to do that in the smart cdi, and would get in the low-2 l/100km range (over 105 mpg). I bought a handheld CB to let nearby semis know I was borrowing a draft, but by 2008 most drivers had abandoned CB in the northeast, relying on FRS and cellular instead. With so many sub-channels, FRS was too random upon which to rely. No “breaker-one-nine” on FRS!
 
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