1,600 mile Winter road trip in my EV Truck

[@jayem8981]

Just drove Boston to Toronto in an E Tron. Took i90 and stopped at Applegreen chargers for the most part which made the trip much more enjoyable. Nice to finally start to see charging at highway rest stops. No issues with charging but the way although there was a charger down at one of the rest stops (stopped at 4 Applegreens in total)

[@MindofMatter]

@@jayem8981 maybe we stopped at the same applegreen where I had the problem. Thanks for sharing about your trip, glad it went well

[@ThunderandLightningEvPickup]

This is awesome. We have to drive from Albany, New York to Cincinnati and back in a standard range

[@MindofMatter]

Always be charging! You will be good but if you need any planning help let me know. I bet you don't need it.

[@FUMoney33]

I could drive this entire route with only two stops for fuel in my 2020 F150 3.5 ecoboost with the larger gas tank, easily get 650-700 miles per tank. I cannot fathom a road trip with 14 stops to charge. I would love an EV once the range is over 600 miles in winter.

[@MindofMatter]

Chevy Silverado closest right now, 500 miles but less so in winter

[@reggiejenkins7707]

Awesome Video!!

[@MindofMatter]

@@reggiejenkins7707 thanks so much for watching

[@Beltway_Bandit]

The city in NY is pronounced ren-sell-ear 😂. Thanks for sharing, I live in Boston area and drive through NY so so this all looked familiar. We have the Rivian R1S and a Silverado EV 3WT. The Chevy is a monster on charging, I’ve seen close to 350 charge speeds and even with the most basic model, gets about 400 miles on the guess-o-meter. My next trip will be to SC in February so looking forward to seeing how the Chevy holds up 2000 round trip.

[@MindofMatter]

@@Beltway_Bandit thanks for the tip on pronunciation You have an amazing fleet of trucks. That's going to be a great road trip. Can't wait to get out of the gold myself! Thanks for watching

[@wadeworkman7142]

Definitely not out of spec style. Arrivals at 25%ish. 😁. I don't do that either though, try to arrive with a 10% buffer. My heart couldn't take 1% arrivals like out of spec. Lol

[@MindofMatter]

@@wadeworkman7142 in our Tesla in the summer, especially when I don't have the kids, I'm comfortable at 5% But yeah, with the CCS car, in the winter, with kids and with out of spec experiences showing their lightning out of battery juice with several miles still showing, I definitely did not want to risk it. My lightning's never done that to me but their experiences on that channel with them give me pause for sure

[@wadeworkman7142]

@MindofMatter True. Kyle has "unintentionally" run out of power only twice, both times in a Lightening.

[@MindofMatter]

@wadeworkman7142 exactly

[@WestCoastTrans]

Interesting video. Like the spreadsheet of the trip. The transitions of the video freezing or zooming out could use some work. That's all. over all great work

[@MindofMatter]

@@WestCoastTrans good pointers, I agree. Thanks for that and for watching!

[@BrianOlmsted]

If you have the A2Z vortex adapter based on that slider, they will swap out to the A2Z Typhoon Pro adapter for free I believe and you will avoid concerns about locking in. Tesla sent them a cease and desist letter to stop selling the old adapter because of some missing thermal sensor Contact their customer service. Pretty sure this was the story from Tom M on State of Charge and the CEOs story

[@MindofMatter]

@@BrianOlmsted yes thank you. I got an email a couple weeks ago saying my replacement has been approved. No word on when it will be delivered, however.

[@YeOldeTraveller]

Was there a reason you didn't use the end post on the second stop? I try to avoid blocking two posts if I don't have to. Some Tesla sites don't have space to the right of the rightmost post. On my most recent trip a couple of the slots were blocked by snow piles, but I was able to angle in onto the snow with my Mustang Mach-E Rally so I only blocked the usable post I was connected to.

[@MindofMatter]

@@YeOldeTraveller EDIT: I remember why now. I theorized that anybody arriving would want to park at the first charging pedestal because it's the first one they get to and also closest to the rest stop so they would have to walk less. Me, on the other hand, I was hoping to maintain maximum charging speed so I was willing to park further and walk back further in order to avoid having the share a charger pedestal with someone else and suffer reduced charging speed no reason, I definitely should have done what you described. I usually think about that stuff since I feel awkward blocking spots so I usually try to do what you describe. However, not sure why I didn't this time. Just a brain fart I guess Nice car, your Mach Rally. Very cool!

[@Johnson13210]

Having always owned gas trucks, it would be difficult to adjust to EV trucks with the additional stops. You appear to max out on roughly 150 miles, then you have to charge correct? With an average of 30 minutes? My current gasser can go 430 miles before fill up in about 5 minutes. I did own a GM truck that could go roughly 540 miles before a fillup. Now this was a stock gas truck not a diesel. At any rate i would guess you find your Ford Lightning more enjoyable driving around home vs long trips but i could be wrong. Beautiful truck by the way.

[@MindofMatter]

@@Johnson13210 That's a pretty effective summary of both the positives and the negatives, yes. If I'm going to own just one or probably even two vehicles, they would both be electric and that's what I have. The positives during most of my driving outweigh the negatives on long road trips like this especially in cold weather where the battery performance is worse That being said, if I was to have additional cars I would consider getting back into gas but I just have no interest in driving gas for a daily driving anymore.

[@jeffforbess6802]

18:00 so you filled up to drive 30 miles and fill up? 32:26 well, fueling is a lot more…interactive. I’d be interested in if you beat the google maps time (don’t see how that’s possible. Looks like three of four hours added each leg). 40:12 could you have made the leg in one day in an ICE? (If so, you should add the cost of the hotel ($200) to the cost, imo). If we assume 300 miles/fill up in an ICE, you stopped 3:1 in an EV.

[@jeffforbess6802]

Maybe edit out the stops while traveling. A little part of me says “I wonder if they’re ok?” Each time. I started making up segues.

[@MindofMatter]

@@jeffforbess6802 at 18:00 I was at the second stop because at the first stop just a few miles earlier we thought that location had to Starbucks because it was listed on the internet. However it turned out it did not have the internet so we just kept driving to the next one after a quick charge. We didn't stop both times because we needed to charge, it was unrelated to EV travel as to why we stopped but instead it was related to food choice 32:36 we definitely didn't beat any Google map times. Not even close since we all know charging takes a long time. Yeah 3 to 4 hours sounds about right for the outbound trip and then again for the return trip. The trip from Chicago to Boston is 13 and 1/2 hours on Google maps. This does not account for gas stops or bathroom breaks or food. With two younger kids, those are pretty real factors. My point is: Yes we could have done it in one day in a gas car but whenever I'm traveling with the kids I don't plan the outbound trip to be done in a day for a trip of this length. I budget a day and a half so I don't feel pressure on myself or to pressure the kids to go go go if you know what I mean. Pilots refer to forcing a trip like this as "get-there-itis". This is how you get fatigued or stressed in force the journey even if weather conditions or tiredness or other factors aren't on your side.. Even before I sold my gas cars, I would always budget two days to get to the Gulf of Mexico for spring break and I had nothing to do with refueling. So I guess my point is, whether or not we were driving an electric car, we would spend one night on the outbound trip at a hotel so that's not an extra cost of driving an EV Thanks for watching and for your questions

[@MindofMatter]

@@jeffforbess6802 thanks for your feedback. I probably drone on too long at the stops but that's what happens when you're bored and waiting for a car to charge haha! However I would not be eliminating the charging stops from the video. As an EV owner, charging is a so-called adventure in itself, or maybe a 3-hour tour. A big part of these videos is to give a sense to other EV owners the landscape of charging today. It's not simply pull up to a gas station in Chapman the gas nozzle and continue in 3 minutes. As convenient as that is, EV charging is much less predictable with more planning either required or more delays that could arise without the planning. EV owners tend to watch these types of videos because they get a sense of how charging is and some strategies or tips to make the trip more successful.

[@YeOldeTraveller]

On my last road trip, I needed to make a pit stop, so I stopped early at a Flying J (would have been a Buc-ee's, but I was just passing that exit when I made the decision to stop), and plugged in while doing my business. That got me enough to skip the next planned stop. Road tripping an EV is different in that you don't top off at most stops, and you use opportunities to overlap tasks. Meals are good to couple with deeper charges. I start with Google Maps for routing, and then adjust as needed. Anyone driving beyond the first stop is not going to even match Google Maps. I have a number of trips, and the one last weekend is one I have done many times. The run is Atlanta to Detroit covering 712 miles and estimates as 10h40m before any stops. We would take very close to 12 hours due to weather (we do this trip in January), traffic, and stops for food and fuel. This year, we took the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally as there was significant winter weather expected (and experienced). This is the least efficient Mach-E made, but is great to drive. It is also not a fast charging EV. The trip north took 13h30m, or 1h30m more than if we were driving our Ford Fusion (1/6, or 12.5% longer). Not great, but not earth-shaking. Also, any other Mach-E (and many other EVs) will have less added time. This is not the way to travel for many folks. However, once we have more EVs that can travel 4 hours at highway speeds and charge enough to do it again in under 30 minutes, that EV will require little to no extra time for most road trippers.

[@MindofMatter]

@YeOldeTraveller Great description and summary

[@Jeddin]

10:15 its only cheaper to use the tesla app instead of plug and charge if you have the tesla membership plan which gives you a discount and plug and charge cant process membership rates. if you are not paying monthly for the Tesla membership plan then there is no advantage to using the tesla app vs plug and charge. Its the same rate then.

[@MindofMatter]

@@Jeddin good to know, thank you. I don't have the subscription so I guess it won't matter how I charge. Much appreciated and thanks for watching!

[@Jeddin]

@ same goes for EA. You mentioned later in the video you would be paying more because you accidentally used plug and charge on EA. But if you dont have the EA subscription discount there would be no difference in rates. Ford have said they are working on a solution to allow Plug and Charge to process membership discounts. They having been saying that for forever.

[@MindofMatter]

@Jeddin oh good, now I didn't have to worry about it. I do love using plug and charge on either network so I'm going to love this. Thanks!

[@pkh540]

I’ve heard that charging through the Tesla app is slightly cheaper than plug-n-pay with the Ford app. Have you found that to be true? Took my first roadtrip to Sandpoint Idaho from Seattle area (and back) with only 89 miles on the Odometer of my ‘24 Flash. Already looking forward to my next trip. Cheers

[@MindofMatter]

Sweet truck and congrats on the purchase. I use my truck like I would any other gas truck and its sounds like you do too; good on you! Just requires more planning, right, especially out West like you I have NOT done a test to see if pricing is different but I have heard it is even without the Tesla monthly subscription and I would expect with the subscription as well. Maybe this is why I cannot find the cost on the Ford app charging history, haha. I should do a short video on this test to see once and for all. Thanks for waching

[@LJLion]

Charging with the Tesla app is great if you want to take advantage of your membership pricing discount, which you won't be able to do with Ford plug and charge and I also like the fast handshake between the truck and the dispenser. Otherwise the price remains the same as a non member using Ford pass app which can be good if you want a seamless charging process. One thing to note, Tesla app updates eligible superchargers on a daily basis, so the latest built chargers might not show up on the Ford pass app yet. I own a 23 Lightning with almost 16k miles , Tesla network has been very reliable and if you take a lot of road trips, that $13 membership is well advised.

[@MindofMatter]

@LJLion thanks for clarifying I do use the Tesla app to find chargers. The Ford pass app doesn't show Tesla chargers to me or at least it doesn't on the in car navigation

[@scenicdepictionsofchicagolife]

A canadian now in Chicago? 😊 This is a similar situation I find myself in. The girlfriend lives in Ontario and neither of us really know anything about how to get her over here to Chicago as a legal resdident. If you have any advice on what steps we should take I would love to hear it!

[@MindofMatter]

@@scenicdepictionsofchicagolife getting married would make it easiest! Other than that does she have training or could she get training for a job that is an I demand in the USA? Nurse for example

[@scenicdepictionsofchicagolife]

@@MindofMatter ok so the marriage visa thing (K-1 I think?) I have been advised to avoid on the basis of my friends and family rightfully telling me I should figure out if we can make it work living together prior to marriage. I have never been married (only 28 haha) so I can't speak as to whether they have a valid point or not necessarily but again I think it makes sense. You can only really get to know someone so well long distance and living separately. I never conceptualized the nursing thing... that is a crazy good idea if she's receptive to it. I'm assuming that'd be an H1-B at that point? Thank you so much for responding. I have been researching for months with very little progress aside from the internet telling me "get an immigration lawyer."

[@MindofMatter]

@scenicdepictionsofchicagolife yeah definitely don't get married just for the sake of citizenship, if you haven't been dating a long time and you guys aren't sure you want to get married anyway it's definitely way too big of a commitment at risk to do just for citizenship purposes Also, nursing isn't the only avenue but it's one of the ones that came to my mind. Doctors come under Sprite this year's, those that speak Spanish, engineers, maybe even physical therapists and stuff: all of these professions or skills might have a leg up to get people with status in the USA. I bet there's a list somewhere of high value professions that the US would prioritize for immigration even if it's just a twin b or H2B or temporary work permit I entered this country in 1996 with a temporary to your work visa. Then it was upgraded to a green card a few years later and now I'm a citizen both countries

[@scenicdepictionsofchicagolife]

@@MindofMatter I really appreciate the help out of this insight, especially coming from someone who is not only local has been here long than I've been alive haha. If I may ask what drove you to come to the US / Chicago? Also, how do you like Illinois / Chicago? This place gets a lot of hate but I having grown up here feel very attached to this place. Has a lot of merit despite what people say in my opinion!

[@MindofMatter]

@@scenicdepictionsofchicagolife When I worked for Lowe's they had me rank my destinations across the country. I chose Rockford IL was my #2 of 14 choices since it was an actual city unlike the other locations an, at the time, I liked colder climates. I met my now-wife (born/raised in Chicago) a year later and we have stayed her to be near her family/friends plus other benefits like relatively cheap housing compared to other cities of similar size in Canada, easy to find jobs, cheaper mortgages if you finance them when interest rates are low, relatively stable weather and environmental conditions (compared to hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides, fires, etc), friendly/Midwestern people, left-leaning policies, abundant supply of fresh water (may be a factor) etc. Honestly, though, her family is the biggest factor to stay..... ...if it was not for the family aspect, I would want to move further West...somewhere along the Pacific coast between Santa Cruz and Vancouver. Huge span of distance I know but it would be climate/cost/job dependent. I miss the wildness and scenery and outdoor activities of the West. Chicago is fine for now though. We live in a suburb that is safe with great schools and people that care. Can't say that about everywhere in Chicago, however.

[@irfanhusein1445]

Who makes the camper shell you have on your Lightning

[@MindofMatter]

It is made by ARE kzbin.info/www/bejne/raWWiYywhaelh5Ysi=jITahznf7UQB8-e1

[@joshcreel2490]

Did the camper top affect range at all?

[@MindofMatter]

A little, yes, but not enough to matter to me or, likely, anyone. It is slightly less aerodynamic and a little heavier but not too bad. Motor Trend did a story on their Lightning where, even with the "aero" shape of the topper, it did hurt mileage as it likely does mine but I cant tell so its a small loss I bet. www.motortrend.com/reviews/2023-ford-f-150-lightning-xlt-yearlong-review-update-9-aerodynamics/

[@kingbran923]

I will say using the 350kw spots and EA chargers is wild when your truck can’t do over 200kw. You probably shouldn’t be using those, maybe save them for people whose cars can take advantage of the full speed? Also to be fair, EA chargers should have all been 350 when they installed them, they cheaped out on their network

[@MindofMatter]

@@kingbran923 disagree, because the alternative is using 150kw chargers which is under my max. As you can see in the video, my truck routinely does 188-189 kilowatts You don't have to have a vehicle that can use 350 kilowatt in order to use a 350 kW charging station. That's ridiculous. If that was true, how many vehicles can actually use the 350 kilowatt charger?

[@markfitzpatrick6692]

The chademo one is the old 150/50 kw but I have a leaf so I am glad the the Ohio turnpike kept it. People are lucky they upgraded to the new ones . Some people are too in thankful for what they have. Ea doesn’t have unlimited money but they are upgrading all the old ones across the country but it can’t happen overnight. When i got my leaf we only had 4 dc fast chargers in my city so i am appreciate for what i have and don’t spend time blaming ea. if it wasn’t for them no cross country trips without a tesla .

[@todkapuz]

I wish I had your "tesla always works" luck... in my ford I'm still 50% luck with Tesla.... 6 fails, 6 successes... but even those... with same preconditioning, I never get what I get out of an EA station on power. I still prioritize EVGo over both though.

[@MindofMatter]

I'm really surprised to hear this. Are you doing plug-and-go or using the app? What adapter are you using?

[@6789olds]

These are cool but after owning a HD ram diesel with 1200 miles of range I could never road trip an ev

[@MindofMatter]

@@6789olds I totally get that. If I can have like five cars one of them would be a road tripping ICE car of some kind

[@Johnson13210]

I agree, now I do wonder if ram will ever make an electric/diesel hybrid and regulations were eased on all of the exhaust emissions crap then you would probably have a pretty good reliable truck!

[@irfanhusein1445]

So many Tesla chargers were open on your first stop and yet someone took time to post a nasty note😮. Hopefully Tesla installs longer cables on all their chargers.

[@MindofMatter]

Thankfully that note wasn't intended for me actually. It was just there from previous visitors

[@joshmatlock1020]

@@MindofMatter That could've been for another Tesla driver as well...anyone can park like an a$$hole.

[@jeffforbess6802]

Why would Tesla have to install longer cables? The OEMs should place the charge ports in a place conducive to charging. Their network doesn’t work well, and they can’t seem to fix it (I think EA is VW).

[@irfanhusein1445]

@ being able to serve all EV’s brings in more revenue and therefore increases profits. Furthermore it also meets the criteria for getting government funding. This is why Tesla is already installing longer cables on V4 superchargers

[@MindofMatter]

@irfanhusein1445 can't wait for more of those!

[@cwqrpportable]

You crossed the Canada/US border twice on your road trip. How’d you enjoy being able to travel through a friendly country like Canada? That world’s longest, undefended border is a real treasure isn’t it? Tell your incoming US president to lay off with the threats against my country’s sovereignty. It’s not funny.

[@MindofMatter]

@@cwqrpportable totally agree. I'm actually a Canadian citizen by birth. I think his words are undignified and shameful but nothing new there....

[@cwqrpportable]

@ 👍. It’s getting hard for a lot if us to hide our disdain.

[@mikhaylogershin9502]

​@cwqrpportable but better prepare yourself. If the president elect will use the ruzzianz playbook, you can face a military operation to protect English speaking population from French speaking. In Ukraine we also have unprotected border.

[@fordexpeditionrecoverys2594]

It's the 51 state

[@cwqrpportable]

@ Proof, yet again, that an empty barrel makes the most noise.

[@leveluplife8585]

I cant believe how much charging costs on road trips like this when you cant charge at home or overnight. In most ICE vehicles you would spend less money plus there are tons out there that will go over the 800 miles one way. I know theres bathroom stops and everything but nothing beats bee lining a trip like that on one tank. Diesel model and your over $100 in savings. Keep in mind you could brim the tank before going through canada or other places where fuel prices rise to save money on fuel. 20 stops is silly if you consider only stopping at the cheaper fuel stations spaced out more with ICE vehicles. EV's are unjustifiable right now in real world practice. Summer weather is the only time they come close

[@MindofMatter]

Yeah it ends up being basically a wash cost wise between gas and electric when you are road tripping. That's even including two nights of free charging

[@jeffforbess6802]

Cost-wise is even, but you have to plan stops. What about time-wise?

[@MindofMatter]

@jeffforbess6802 absolutely not the way to travel if you're in a hurry, I don't think anyone disagrees with that.

[@ThunderandLightningEvPickup]

This is awesome. We have to drive from Albany, New York to Cincinnati and back in a standard range