4,331 Miles Later, IONIQ 5 Out of Road in Washington State | NE to NW EV Road Trip # 5

[@stevenredisch]

Hey Steve, just want to say thanks for proving you can cross country in an EV and sharing your roadtrip.

[@plugandplayEV]

Thanks, I appreciate it! 👍

[@user-oo3uj5ku9r]

Wow thank you so so much for taking us along ! Beautiful !

[@brianriebedriveselectric]

Beautiful trip continues! Cool to see the efficiency going up and down the mountain pass on screen together. Makes me want to hit the road again!

[@plugandplayEV]

I was informed that the mountain pass to the north of this one is even more compelling... guess I'll just have to head back out there :-)

[@billcaulway9910]

Your content is so relevant and honest. Being from MA I really appreciate the local content as well. Would enjoying seeing your entire car camping setup and how tour charging everything overnight. Thanks again Bill

[@plugandplayEV]

Thank you, Bill. EV car camping is definitely on my (never-ending) list of video ideas! I have the footage, though, so that one should be sooner than later.

[@billcaulway9910]

Excellent and thank you. Are you planning on continuing using EA when your free plan ends? If so witch plan Premium +?

[@plugandplayEV]

I'll probably review in February but will only pay for Pass+ if we head on a road trip.

[@billcaulway9910]

@@plugandplayEV FYI I compared Tesla and EA subscription rates. Sturbridge Tesla is .36kw and Auburn EA .42kw. $12.99/month Tesla and $7/Month EA.

[@plugandplayEV]

Thanks! Tesla is very interesting, price-wise. Wide mix of rates and pricing approaches, including time-of-use, non-Tesla differences, and membership pricing. Not as convoluted as EVgo but more tricky to calculate than EA, though in general Tesla seems cheaper in many locations.

[@ab-tf5fl]

As a resident of Seattle, happy to finally see a Plug and Play EV video involving routes that I actually drive! For Ellensburg in particular, it is amazing just how much the charging has improved. When I first got the my car, EA was the only non-Tesla game in town, and things hit a low point when the EA itself was closed for upgrades, leaving US 2 as the only non-Tesla-EV-passable route across the Cascades. Since then, things have gotten much better. The EA reopened, and seems to be more reliable than it was in the past. Then, the Pilot Flying J opened. Followed by the Circle K and the opening of the Tesla superchargers. Nowadays, I can drive to Ellensburg and have reasonable confidence in my ability to get back. There is still more work to be done. The town of Cle Elem, about halfway between Ellensburg and Snoqualmie Pass currently has Tesla superchargers, but no CCS chargers (excluding a single-stall Shell Recharge, which is constantly broken). It's time to add some CCS capacity to Cle Elem. We also need more slower DC charging stalls in downtown Ellensburg, rather than the 350 kW stalls right off the highway being the only option. Downtown Ellensburg has some good food and shopping opportunities, but the currently capacity of just one stall, on a network with terrible reliability, is just not good enough.

[@laxtimercom]

Agree on Ellensburg. Even with all the new non EA capacity, EA in Ellensburg is still full often (particularly on weekends/holidays). I avoid it as much as possible, if I'm going west, I'll charge to 95% in Ritzville, and try to get to North Bend.

[@plugandplayEV]

Great to finally get over there... thanks for following along! I recorded intros for The State of EV Charging series in every state I visited, so I want to use that as a catalyst to kick start that series again. These pointers will be useful when I make it to the Washington episode, thank you.

[@SteveRowe]

Beautiful scenes, Steve. Thanks for the update.

[@plugandplayEV]

Thanks for following along 🙏

[@ab-tf5fl]

Not sure if you were able to make it, but I hope you got the chance to visit the Hoh Rainforest section of Olympic National Park. Absolutely stunning scenery, and the route to get there passes right by the Forks magic docks.

[@thenetworkarchitectchannel]

I can imagine after 4K+ miles, it felt like walking on the moon when you did the hike. On the east, we have the Gulf Stream which pushes warm water north. On the west coast it is the opposite, making for cool weather in the summer. My weekend was fractured and I only was able to watch in segments. I hope to sit down and watch in entirety from the living room this week. Thank you for bringing us along at by all accounts was an amazing trip. And to think, you spent about the same in fuel as a lunch for a family of four at Applebees.

[@plugandplayEV]

Thanks, Walter. Just seeing what you've been up to on the video update and can only imagine how worrying the weekend has been for you all there. Glad it worked out but thoughts are with all the others in recovery mode.

[@anthonyc8499]

Glad you could make it all the way out to Washington State! Was really cool to get a chance to hang out with you and chat about some of the fun places to drive out and visit in this part of the country! Charging in Ellensburg in 2024 is a night/day difference than in 2023. It used to the equivalent of notorious spots like Green River, UT or Quartzsite, AZ. The EA at the Ellensburg Taco Bell would experience queues of 8+ cars with 2 of 4 chargers being broken. In the past year with the opening of PFJ, Circle K, and the V3 Superchargers for GM/Ford/Rivian, the bottlenecks have really opened up and it’s much less of an ordeal. Phew!

[@plugandplayEV]

Really appreciate all the local knowledge, thanks again. I missed so much on the way the across that I'm glad you could help me make informed sightseeing decisions at the end!

[@mcrkon]

Glad to see Ellensburg is getting more DC charging options!

[@plugandplayEV]

It was definitely a nice little oasis of charging. But with so many new charging projects underway, it could soon be the norm!

[@mcrkon]

@plugandplayEV It wasn't like that just a year ago. Taco Bell EA was the only CCS charger for a hundred miles and many CCS cars had to charge there in order to get to their destination. My anxious charging session there was a reason why I opted for Tesla as our second EV.

[@plugandplayEV]

@@mcrkon This was definitely one of my reasons for wanting to take a look around (it was also just a necessary hotel night!) Ellensburg feels like a microcosm of what has changed in the wider DCFC space over a relatively short period of time.

[@Yanquetino]

You made it! Ample charging en route in this segment. Looks like Pilot/Flying J are really expanding… maybe GM will make it party of the IONNA network? Let's hope we can use those Superchargers (if needed) without too much more delay. I've found that the 150kW chargers are still amazingly fast with our I5 charging curve. Would've like to be a fly in the cabin on this trip!

[@plugandplayEV]

Yes, much more comfortable after hitting the Idaho panhandle! 150kW units are definitely close enough to 350s for EGMP to make very little difference. 170-180kW peak and less thermal conditioning required at the end of the session, so the onward drive uses the charge session's energy more efficiently. In real world use, a 350 is really only worth about two minutes off the session.

[@COSolar6419]

My only visit to Cape Flattery and Lake Crescent was in 1978. In November and in the rain. Good you enjoyed some sunshine,

[@plugandplayEV]

I did wonder how common this kind of weather is there, given the mountainous coastal location. Perfect conditions for the trails but I can imagine they get pretty torn up when it rains... hence the "Storm King" route, I guess!

[@be236]

Cool... I live here in this state, but I've not been to all the areas you've been on this road trip. Nice.

[@plugandplayEV]

Feels like I only scratched the surface myself! Missed large chunks of Olympic and didn't even touch the likes of Mt. Rainier, Stevens Pass, and other northern WA attractions. Hope to return for further exploration.

[@JohnZolla-bp7tl]

Just got my Ioniq 5 and haven't changed it yet. Nice to see empty space chargers. Here in So Cal chargers are very busy. I drive about 100 miles per month so I might get by with level 1 at home.

[@plugandplayEV]

Congratulations! Yes, that's a reasonable distance to only need 120V charging. L2 is nice to have for unexpected trips, though. California definitely has a very different charging landscape than the rest of the country. Plenty to choose from in the southern portion but also many more EVs competing for those spots, plus all the wear and tear that it brings. Enjoy the car.

[@wallacegrommet9343]

That North Bend outlet plaza used to be great 25 years ago

[@plugandplayEV]

Most of these Simon outlets are hit or miss, retail-wise. Good location for charging near Interstate but limited for food/drink options here, unless there was stuff I missed outside the outlet.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Thanks for the scenic trip, Steve! I noticed you have a penchant for charging to 93%.... 🤔 BTW, I'm not sure if the VTOMAN also allows for this, but some of the portable power stations actually charge faster (and I have to assume more efficiently) through the 12 V car socket.

[@plugandplayEV]

Myyyy lucky number...? No idea, seems to be a happy coincidence. I have a 12V charge cord for the power bank, yes, but didn't pack it. I'll have to compare charge times with each, thanks 👍

[@jerrymildredpetersen3177]

Thanks, Steve. Great series. I finally got to use V2L myself last week when Hurricane Helene passed by the Tampa area. We powered the refrigerator and the ceiling fans & lights in the living room and bedroom for about 24 hours. Only used 10% of the battery. Any chance you’ll do videos of your return trip? I know it’s a lot of work.

[@plugandplayEV]

Thanks! Glad the V2L helped out and that you weren't hit too hard. Awful situation further north. The return trip was much more hurried, so I gathered less footage. I'm planning an overall wrap of the wider journey with stats and what footage I have, plus some standalone Quick Charge episodes from interesting DC sessions, like the one at RMP Moab from last week. Hopefully those should be much quicker to publish!

[@ScottThomasPhoto]

You didn't use the ferry's out of Seattle? You took the long way around. 🙂Spent 3 months out of college in Port Angles working at the Olympic NP Welcome Center. BTW, no Wal-Mart back in 1981. LOL Even though we compared photos on Threads, really enjoyed seeing Marymere Falls on your hike and the Lodge at Crescent Lake.

[@plugandplayEV]

Ha, maybe it was the Sunday schedule but Google Maps had me taking longer on the ferry, so I just drove the whole thing. Looking back at that Storm King trail entrance now, I'm really intrigued by how that trail looked... not sure I would have made it out by nightfall but at least the car would have been fully charged!

[@fluffycritter]

Lucky you, getting to see some salmon spawn in the Ballard locks! It's even more phenomenal during their big rush. It's super frustrating how many charging cables are cut around here though. I've heard that it's from people who are scavenging them for copper to sell, and it's especially bad with the random L2s that you find at various small businesses with low/no overnight security. I'm always glad to see people discovering just how EV-friendly it is out here in Seattle though! We have one of the highest per-capita adoptions of EVs in the country. Only California and Hawaii are higher, at least as of May 2024. I did the Seattle to Port Angeles drive in a Nissan Leaf a couple years ago (and stopped at that same Wal-Mart!) and it was quite doable, even with the relative lack of CHAdeMO. (But it was still sketchy enough that it convinced me to upgrade to CCS, and now I'm driving a Niro which I'm much happier with.)

[@tkmedia3866]

I used to drive that route to from seattle to butte! The pass is often closed during the winter.

[@plugandplayEV]

We had the same with Independence Pass when I lived in Colorado. Used to watch the reports closely to cut a bit of time off the trip to Denver (and enjoy the fantastic views, of course!) Apparently Stevens Pass to the north is the more impressive one, though?

[@ab-tf5fl]

@@plugandplayEV If you haven't driven back yet, definitely recommend taking US2 to Wenatchee and going over Stevens Pass. The route is a bit longer than I-90, but you'll get to see different scenery, and the part of US2 near Seattle actually has quite good charging coverage.

[@TeslaRoadtrips]

I90 on that stretch is spoiled w chargers. I go Tacoma to Spokane 2x a month. Makes it very easy

[@plugandplayEV]

Yep, seems to be improving every few months. Definitely a breath of fresh air as you come in from the less EV-centric states.

[@JohnCap523]

Curious question for you: when you deplete some SoC using V2L does that reflect in a lower efficiency (MPK), or does it just ignore what was discharged sideways?

[@plugandplayEV]

Yes, the energy draw while the car is on is considered part of the overall efficiency number. You can see at the morning camp in this video that I had closer to 3 miles/kWh upon arrival, then 2 mi/kWh the next morning. Now that you ask, though, I'm not sure if the same is true when the car is switched to "Utility" mode, which is specifically there for stationary power use. Something new to test, thanks!

[@JohnCap523]

@@plugandplayEV one would think it would be easy enough to program it to exclude dispensed energy since shouldn’t reflect in driving efficiency, but I guess one school of thought is, you used it so it counts, no different than charging a phone although it’s obviously far less juice dispensed. I guess by my logic they should also exclude consumption by climate and accessories too…

[@BGWenterprises]

Im definitely seeing a trend of gen1 EVs around on the west side of cascades. Thus could help explain the higher amount of 240v chargers. The climate is more suited to the air cooled battery packs, then the vast majority of the rest of the country. As well as ether no use, or limited to major roads in terms of road salt. Especially Oregon extremely limited or no use of salt. . Are local PUD, on US 30 about mile marker 34, has a DC charger, i believe it was 0.15c last i looked. Not the fastest charger around, but far lower price. Definitely lacking any place to do anything other then a simple walking trail.

[@plugandplayEV]

Interesting thought on air-cooled packs being better suited to the climate there, thanks. I never really considered that, but the temperature and ample hydro certainly make PNW an EV-friendly locale, even the early generation models.

[@wallacegrommet9343]

Draft those trucks! Even 100 feet away there is an aerodynamic advantage

[@plugandplayEV]

Too busy overtaking them (and nuking my efficiency :-)

[@todkapuz]

wow breaking into the power units as well..... thats sad to see.. didnt look like they took much (makes sense as harder to get easy copper there).

[@plugandplayEV]

Yep, that was probably the most abused site I saw on the trip. No wonder EVgo has all but abandoned some sites if this is the kind of treatment they get every few weeks.

[@tkmedia3866]

@@plugandplayEVi recall one evgo site they put in was my local with press fanfare only to be constantly iced, vandalism, followed by cut cables, replaced cables, only to be abandoned delisted from the network when there was more destruction. And this was within 6 months.

[@plugandplayEV]

There's only so long they will throw good money after bad. Some chain stores have made the same decision in areas with high shoplifting across the country... they'd rather shut up shop and find a less risk-laden location to trade.

[@alafrosty]

I wish that you had spent as much time documenting cut charging cables as you spent documenting parking lots.

[@plugandplayEV]

Did a full 90 minutes on cable theft/charger vandalism in this show: kzbin.infoUMZZmgO-fu8

[@firecloud77]

30:50 "Thank you, *tax payers,* for a free charge."

[@plugandplayEV]

One day, we might even be able to walk Olympic without the sound of idling engines or noxious exhaust fumes flowing into the air where kids are playing. Sounds like a solid investment, to me.

[@firecloud77]

@@plugandplayEV LOL, next the environmental extremists will say, "One day, all animals will be able to walk the Olympics without having to endure the presence of H. sapiens." And humans will be banned entirely. I've been hiking and backpacking and car-camping at Mt. Rainier and the Olympics and Cascades for more than 50 years, many times with my children. Not once did the sound of idling engines nor their exhaust concern us in the least. It's a non-issue.

[@plugandplayEV]

​@@firecloud77 The parking lot for Crescent Lake was a zoo with idling combustion vehicles. The question isn't about jumping to extremes like "ban vehicles", as you suggest, rather it presents an alternative: quiet drivetrains with no local exhaust fumes. Given a choice between 100+ vehicles in a small space, would you really choose a majority of them adding noise and diminishing air quality vs. a majority that run near-silent and can "idle" for hours without the exhaust? If so, why? And on that latter point, your car camping would be much improved in an electric vehicle. Might be an idea to try something before you dismiss it.

[@firecloud77]

@@plugandplayEV LOL

[@junehanzawa5165]

Bolts charging on 350kWh chargers when the 150kWh were available. WOW. You can defend them all you want, but that shows their utter ignorance and total disregard for others. EA deserves it, though. They should only be putting in chargers with all at the same charging speeds like Tesla does. Or all the same speed dual-shared, so that high charging EV can plug in next to them and take the other 300kW plus the Bolt is wasting away with its measly 55kW charging max.

[@plugandplayEV]

How do you know the 150s weren't in use when they arrived... and what should they do when the 150 then frees up? And should I move my 240kW max Ioniq 5 from the 350 when a Taycan, Lucid, or Hummer EV shows up? See how quickly this deteriorates? Also becoming a moot point as EA rips/replaces old 150s. Meanwhile, Tesla is putting in 500 voltage-limited hardware when 800V vehicles exist, including the Cybertruck. Give me a 1000V, 350kW site over that any day.

[@junehanzawa5165]

@@plugandplayEV How do I know? Because I've seen it done with my own eyes. Over and over again and over again. They keep doing it. I've seen it on completely opened EA sites. They go straight for the 350kW, plug in and leave. And don't get me going on ID4 owners and their charging to 100% and leaving their EV's plugged in for hours. As far as V4's, I agree with you completely. It's about time that Tesla starts installing the 800V chargers for all those V4 stalls they have deployed. And if I'm ranting, I'll include Kia/Hyundai, which I consider the best positioned legacy auto manufacturer as far as electrification goes, but what the hell were they thinking when they decided to use the rear motor for 400V charging? You're basically regening, if that's even a word.

[@plugandplayEV]

@@junehanzawa5165 My comment referred specifically to this scenario in my video. In this case, there was no clear indication that the 150kW was available when the Bolts arrived. In scenarios where the station is completely open and an EV that can't take more than 150kW plugs into the 350kW, I would be more critical. What it comes down to is understanding one's vehicle and the capabilities of individual charging locations, which is no small task for new owners in the middle of a continuing transition. Every location and CPO has its vagaries, including Tesla Superchargers, so it falls to EV owners to assist each other until common standards and abundant infrastructure are the reality.

[@junehanzawa5165]

@@plugandplayEV I understand your point. However, how do YOU know the 150kW were not opened when they arrived? If they take the 350kW over the 150kW when all are open over and over again, then my assumption would make more sense. I have even spoken to a couple of them, and their excuse is that the 350kW gives them a better charge. What is that called? Complete and utter ignorance. And a total disregard for others. My comment concerning Tesla was nothing more than they did it right when they made all their chargers/stalls the same speed on every site. That way, ignorant people can't take the highest charging chargers with their low charging EV's. Nor am I saying that all Bolt owners are ignorant. Many do their research and are well educated on EV etiquette and what their EV can or can't do. However, I have come to learn that majority are ignorant and don't care to learn.

[@plugandplayEV]

​@@junehanzawa5165 I didn't make a claim to know, thus giving them the benefit of the doubt rather than putting Bolt owners in general on blast for a situation I can't claim full knowledge on. If speaking to them, my preference would be to explain that I've leased two Bolt EVs in my time and share that 55kW is the maximum DC power intake. See how that goes, then follow that the CCS-only 150 unit is what I'd use first as a Bolt owner. The further CHAdeMO and newer 350 balanced chargers caveats only goes to show how complex this can be and we need to give new owners room, rather than dumping on an entire group by model (some of whom have far more EV experience than the rest of us), as has become too common in the expanding EV community. Tesla has shown its own shortsightedness with Superchargers, first with short cables and second with limited voltage. This is why a segment of the Tesla community is up in arms over "off-brand" EVs taking up two spaces, when their ire would be better focused at the individual who chose to make their closed network a public one.