Day 3 towing with our F150 Lightning was meant to be the easy one... but chargers had other ideas...

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--------
It's our third full day of our epic towing trip to Colorado with our Ford F150 Lighting (and a hitch-hiking Subaru Legacy on the back).
We thought day 3 would be the easiest towing day with our plan to make the run from Moab to Denver, but Electrify America's charging stations decided to spice the drive up.
Watch Episode 1 here: • Here's What Happened W...
Watch Episode 2 here: • Our Ford F-150 Lightni...
-----
Script, Presenter: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Camera, Coloring: Michael Horton
Art and Animation: Erin Carlie
Editor, Audio and Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
© Transport Evolved LLC, 2022
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[@teslasnek]

Every road trip my wife and I have done in our Tesla has been absolute bliss 😁

[@alltechinbox]

Likewise. I would hate to have to rely on a "Muggle" charging network :-)

[@teslasnek]

@@thelonewolf666 Obviously you still need a gas truck for that, though the Cybertruck might change that with its 500+ mile range.

[@teslasnek]

@@thelonewolf666 have fun paying for gas then lol 😂

[@teslasnek]

@@thelonewolf666 You must be rich!

[@teslasnek]

@@thelonewolf666 You must have a ton of money if you can afford to drive such an inefficient vehicle at $10 a gallon

[@hellcat1988]

If it's not availability, price, performance, brand favoritism, or brand hatred that is keeping Tesla on top, it's going to be the third party charging networks.

[@benghazi4216]

For someone that is outside the US, the "availability, price" part just felt strange. And the US having problems with infrastructure due to their reliance on privatization just fits like a glove. "Let the market figure it out" so to speak. Makes all of our lives just so damn awesome in the meantime...

[@hellcat1988]

@@benghazi4216 The cost and availability issues that we have in the US for electric vehicles is simply because the manufacturers that supply Europe are too dam cheap to bother putting their cars through testing here to get the needed certifications to sell them. Too much of the same problem we're having with most of the old OEMs. They listen to the "analysts" who say their is no market for them here. Even so, funny how Tesla is still outselling most of even the European OEMs. Guess they have more of an availability problem than Tesla, even over there.

[@benghazi4216]

@@hellcat1988 Not only that, but the US market wants large things, and most EVs produced in Europe are not these unnecessary large vehicles. Most European top sellers are small, the ID, Zoe, Fiat 500 etc. So to me it makes sense. If you just look at brand names then Tesla is always somewhere at the top. But when you actually remember that Volkswagen group for example is VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti etc then it kind of looks different. Already in 2020 VW alone sold more than Tesla, and after that is neck and neck.

[@hellcat1988]

@@benghazi4216 When you have to combine several large car companies to get to where Telsa is, you're still loosing. As far as the small car, there IS a market here for it, but manufacturers are using the excuse that "analysts" are saying that people don't want them to avoid selling them in favor of larger vehicles where they can try to make more profit per unit. I know I'm not the only one who would buy a small car if it was priced right. Though, what I consider priced right is 200+ miles of real world range for $20k usd or less.

[@mikemccarthy1638]

@@benghazi4216 - If the glove doesn’t fit, you must be a socialist. I’m shocked that you don’t like free enterprise! Capitalism is the best govt ever invented.

[@danparish1344]

I’ve been on many road trips with my Tesla, never felt insecure that I’d run out of charge, and never have been let down by a charger.

[@jeffbonthius5142]

Same!

[@efrensuarezgonzalez5253]

Yea tesla is definitely better at this since they do maintenance on them regularly plus selling their own cars helps cover their cost on the chargers, EA only cares about building a network since they get more grant money from government and no money from maintaining the chargers

[@magarity12]

Same. Scared to road trip the Rivian when we get that. Maybe we’ll be able to use the Tesla charger for it too by then.

[@floridaliving4900]

This is why after 3 years with I Leaf I switched. Now that I have my Model 3 there is no range anxiety!

[@michaelflash6457]

Ive been let down once out of the 8 years with my Tesla. This was a super charger in New Jersey. there has been alot more installed since then. I have tried my best to avoid that area though. When i did go back it was all good.

[@johntrotter8678]

We like to travel. Two years ago, looking at BEVs, there was no question that Tesla was the ONLY solution. Seems to still be true. We'll check again in two more years.

[@daltonx6177]

So ? You're still traveling in a gas car then ? If so, the planet is not proud of you...

[@KuriusOranj]

EVs aside, that scenery is gorgeous!! If I am ever able to afford an EV, I would love to come down (from Ontario, Canada) to see those incredible views.

[@jamesvandamme7786]

You've got plenty of scenery up north!

[@FieryToast1]

Man the USA has some breath taking countryside. Very jealous of the miles and miles of open road you guys have across the pond.

[@jamesvandamme7786]

It gets old after 3 days of driving through Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas...

[@Nphen]

In the Midwest & Great Lakes, there are endless miles of forest, hills, and fields. You can get a seaside view with water to the horizon and it's all fresh water. The green tops of the Appalachians. A beautiful place for those with the resources to see it.

[@STho205]

That's one real tragedy of these EV vlogs. Instead of relaxing or sharing the open countryside...they are typically adventures on charging. I've seldom seen a fuel vehicle trip on YT focus 90% of their time on sitting in some grungy lot sticking nozzles in their hole, or spend all their time on the road looking at a screen that's telling them where the next exciting charger is. That, more than anything, is convincing people that just want a car to go someplace...that EVs are for anal retentive nerds full of anxiety. Tesla gets them by the snob/smug factor...plus it is a 1st class ticket for the traveling life...but Bolts, Leafs, VWs, Minis and this truck....much more flexible cars exist that look and ride just like them for half the price and 1/10th the apparent anxiety...since those expensive econobox EVs are only really designed to get worker drones to their cubicle.

[@kevinm.8682]

Yes, the United States is a very large and scenic country . Many people don't realize the US is about the size of the European continent up to the Urals. I've done several road trips across this nation and I've enjoyed every single one.

[@BixbyConsequence]

The first folks to drive across America had a difficult time procuring petrol. Stops had to be made at pharmacies, or farms in hopes of getting adequately combustible fuel. Soon, petrol stations were ubiquitous. The ever-rising demand will solve these teething problems.

[@patreekotime4578]

Yes, but competition doesnt help when youve dropped a huge amount of cash with the promise of free charging for a certain peroid. After that honeymoon phase, sure people will be inclined to try competing chargers. But Ford, VW, Kia customers etc all have free charging they want to cash in on, and a limited amount of time to do so. People will put up with some pretty terrible service if its free. And when its free there is no motivation from EAs perspective to make it better. Especially when they have a virtual monopoly on rapid chargers.

[@starbolin]

Good luck asking Farmer John for a bucket of electrons.

[@patreekotime4578]

@@starbolin You mean the guy who is more likely to have solar or wind power at their home than most of the general public? Who comes from a long line of people who used wind and small scale hydro to generate self sufficient energy long before the utilities showed up?

[@bertsteele139]

@@patreekotime4578 I just watched a video a couple of days ago about driving an EV. They mentioned an app that shows all available charging locations by type and voltage. It also let people who had home charging set ups ie.. powerwalls or equivalent enter their home addresses, which would be shone on the app some for a fee but also some just to help a “brother” out. So yes it is possible that in a bind you could knock on a strangers door and borrow a “ bucket of electrons”

[@petersachs764]

A better comparison would be when they first started selling Diesel cars in the 70's however the changes required are much, much more of an investment.

[@kamaka85]

Well, Electrify America is giving the "keynote speech" at the Fully Charged show tomorrow @ 10:15 and they have the biggest booth (#88) right inside the main entrance. Give 'em hell!! this weekend!!!!

[@FoamyDave]

I continually give friends that ask the advice that if they travel regularly or long distance then, for now, buy a Tesla because of its charging network. If you just going to be around town or go on short trips then any EV is good.

[@elainebradley8213]

We have had a tesla for 3 weeks and are surprised how much we like it. Charging infrastructure was why we chose it.

[@fgxw8]

The United States needs to get the implementation of EV infrastructure under wraps. Get rid of the poor performers and reward the good ones. Also, audit the hell of the monies being spent. I guarantee that bad actors have already started stealing massive amounts of cash or have plans in place to do so!

[@davidmccarthy6061]

Corruption is the American way when it comes to gov't handouts, and everything else is "let the corporations do whatever they want."

[@patreekotime4578]

It is unfortunately the nature of any and all US infrastructure projects. But worse than bad actors in the build-out phase, which can be excused as normal every-day grift, the big problem with all US infrastructre projects is there is an anti-maintenece attitude. Once youve built it, your job is done and you move on... and any repairs that need to happen are either someone-elses problem, or come at an even bigger fee than the build-out. That attitude also means that spare parts and qualified repair techs are essentially nonexistant.

[@markmcintosh7095]

For sure more money will get stolen then used for EV sites.

[@toyotaprius79]

Skimming capital away from public funding? Why I never!

[@toyotaprius79]

@@davidmccarthy6061 Corruption is its involvement in politics, legislation and funding. What you're thinking of is stealing value and making profit off of public funding. Now that's the American way! 🎶

[@JosephWall117]

I'm really hoping smaller, lighter, more efficient EVs like Aptera will alleviate some of these concerns for normal road trips, principally the limited DC charging speed at the chargers that do work. When you don't need as much electricity to move, 32kw would still get you back on the road in an hour or so with the 400mi variant. Obviously you can't haul a trailer and car with something so small and light, though, so the infrastructure still needs to be solid for heavy duty workloads like this. I'm just hoping I can skate around these issues myself personally by being as efficient as possible. Your channel is great, keep up the great work!

[@gladeous4161]

Wow. Never before have I ever been so much more in favor of Teslas. This alone is the biggest deal breaker for me if I have to play Russian roulette with chargers every time. That's crazy.

[@Bbenkosky]

Yup. Tesla connector / chargers should be the standard charger.

[@Hans-gb4mv]

@@Bbenkosky No, they shouldn't. As pointed out so many times before, with Tesla it works because they control everything. Have a look in Europe where other cars can charge at Tesla Superchargers and you start to see a lot of the same issues.

[@dangrass]

That's the thing. Those of us who drive Teslas simply don't have the problems that Nikki has had. Just wish the Cybertruck would arrive sooner rather than later.

[@johnwang9914]

The Tesla advantage is that it's their car, their battery pack, their charger and their company maintaining the chargers. They basically don't have to try and support all the different manufacterers of EV's, all their models, all the third party battery manufacturers and the business models of third parties providing charging systems and their focus on more charging stations rather than maintaining charging stations. Just going with Tesla is tempting but caters to a monopoly which in the long run is bad for the consumer. What we need is standardization and regulation.

[@nicoleqte]

There is a reason why Tesla dominates the EV market. It just works. They focus on what matters. Others are trying to electrify their more traditional cars with inferior results in charging, efficiency and software. Don’t waste your money on these half baked solutions!

[@ericelfner]

After my last Bolt 2000mi CCS charging trip, I bought more TSLA. Love the Bolt for local travel though...

[@aliyada]

Thank you for documenting this journey! I keep forgetting just how beautiful that drive can be. :) Fingers crossed that charger issues will be sorted out. With the additional funding coming in, I'd think that these issues would be remediated.

[@Nphen]

EA will likely use all the money for new chargers, but not new techs, meaning just as many chargers will be broken across the network at each station. EA doesn't seem to want to invest in current locations. Nikki was right about installing solar canopies. It seems like a no-brainer. They could use profits from subsidies to maintain old chargers. Or they can put that money into the pockets of the executives. We should have university engineering schools building charger factories and putting money into our university system. Americans lost our country when we stopped investing in public goods. Cities & states used to build their own roads, now they go broke paying companies.

[@CaroAbebe]

Thanks! Glad to be enjoying Europe‘s charging infrastructure, so sorry that EA sucks.

[@gudfarfar]

Wow, Nikki. That scenery can really deserve a place on the wall! Beautiful.

[@alexanderboulton2123]

Imagine if around the country, every third gas pump was out of order, or leaking, or declined your card. There would literally be riots in the streets 😂

[@WilliamDeanPlumbing]

I will happily wait for my Cybertruck, I have no more interest in these charging nightmares, I learned on our 1st electric car that I would have to be out of my mind to buy anything other than a Tesla.

[@2017NationalChamps]

The EA charging network is atrocious. Nikki We're all sorry for your loss Long Live your king!

[@johnnyfreedom3437]

Thanks for having this channel, I just joined. Looking into my best deal for solar now, the electric vehicle will be next year. I spent too much of my life fixing the machines that made gasoline. So I want to get as far away from it as possible today, kind of makeup

[@wanyemidwest]

Great editing, and the music was just the right vibe.

[@davidrte.664]

Have heard a lot of people having same problems, especially EA. REALLY GIVES THE IDEA OF OWNING AN EV GIVE YOU SECONT THOUGHTS.

[@kevinpolito1529]

Every major EV maker should invest as much in charging infrastructure as Telsa has.

[@Hans-gb4mv]

Just like they invested in petrol stations ... oh ... wait...

[@georgepelton5645]

Exactly this. The shift to EVs cannot be done the same way as the initial production ramp of combustion automobiles at the turn of the 20th century. Automakers cannot rely on third parties to do the long distance recharging network. By my estimation, third parties cannot make a profit until there are about 10 million long range EVs on the road. However, if automakers want to sell those 10 million EVs, they better get a reliable long distance charging network installed.

[@shaunhall6834]

I live in Colorado and I love bikes. I'm glad I'm close enough to visit Moab and get my battery charged.

[@georgepelton5645]

Thanks Nikki for these road trip videos. I am having a bit of trouble following what actually happened on Day 3. Did you have to stop overnight for a L2 charge? How long did you drive between charge stops, and how long did you charge, and wait to start charging. When confronted by a slow charge speed, how long did you charge there, and what level was needed to reach the next charge station? Displaying statistics for each driving leg and charge session would be ideal.

[@robertthompson9455]

I remember driving cross country and paying attention to the American scenery. Now it looks like you have to pay attention to charging stations and hope you make your next one and it works...

[@STho205]

That's exactly what all these EV convincer influencer videos seem to show....good or bad....utopia or hellish difficulty. These films are adventures in charging....the scenery is just useless stuff in the way of getting to the next exciting adventure of plugging in.

[@drewjones3601]

Good point about the snow build up, that would be great.

[@tjs114]

I am going to offer this piece of information regarding EnergySage as someone who attempted to use their service the week of August 22, 2022. You cannot use EnergySage services to expand an existing PV system. The 'Marketplace' only allows new PV installations. So, if you are like me and looking to increase the number of panels, add backup battery storage and replace your inverter to support the expansion; EnergySage will basically punt your quote request. And then suggest you contact your original installer... Which I noted in my quote request was impossible because they company was in business any more. So yeah - EnergySage is for new PV installation quotes, not upgrades.

[@Luis-jd5ds]

Great video! Thanks for giving EA some input. Maybe they will listed to you. I use their network every week here in the PNW and I even know by name the technician that is overbook taking care of the EA stations from southern Oregon to Portland, Oregon. based on my impressions and conversations with him (not officially confirm) I think he is the only one that is doing that service work and he is not a EA employee. EA subcontracts the servicing of their stations and even him sometimes is on hold on the phone waiting for EA to help him complete the job. EA needs a competitor for sure. It looks like many of us we are just relying on EA for fast charging. I hope that changes soon!

[@alunjones2550]

Electric charging really falls short of expectations. I've noticed- yet again- you've had to unhitch the trailer to charge and as you say the chargers are next to useless. There's absolutely nothing special about the technology in a charger so why can't they get them to work. Tesla does.

[@toyotaprius79]

The insistence to compromise on the chicken and egg market argument?

[@Jcewazhere]

Check out Some More News' perverse incentives of utility companies video. They get paid for installing stuff, not maintaining it, so there's not enough profit in making sure stuff works.

[@ouch1011]

Tesla chargers have reliability issues too.

[@gmv0553]

Tesla does not have simple charging when pulling a trailer!

[@alunjones2550]

@@toyotaprius79 I believe they both arrived at the same otherwise the first electric car wouldn't have moved.

[@JeremiahTownsend]

Thank you for documenting your trip. This is why we (a two car family) will, for the time being, always have one BEV and one PHEV.

[@JamaicanMeCrazy]

BEV and HEV 4me

[@ryanb6652]

I liked the part when the black GMC, which is a much heavier truck and has a larger trailer, rolled right past with ease 👍👍. I'm all for going green but there's some tools you just can't replace.

[@travelingteslastyle765]

Was just thinking about your truck purchase, been in Canada camping out of our Model X, off to watch your video.

[@travelingteslastyle765]

Wasn’t expecting charge-gate, bummer!

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

Nikki's plushie friends ride along atop the dash. What Nikki - and everyone - needs, is a FRUNKENSTEIN in the frunk!

[@RonB2004]

Does EA ever come out and make any public statements about their dismal level of their equipment.

[@markleyg]

They don't care. They were mandated to build and have no interest in going beyond the mandate.

[@petersachs764]

@@markleyg So true, and in fact being a child of Volkswagen perhaps it even benefits them to have a sucky network since VW would much rather sell ICE cars.

[@beachcrow]

Nice 44 mile *Nikola* route into Denver!

[@matthewclark1785]

Thanks for all of your work…it helps lots of people :)

[@p.t.9709]

Beautiful scenery.

[@damartimantilla]

Have a Tesla model 3 for now 1 1/2 years. Most recent road trip was 8K miles from Texas to Canada and back. I have NEVER had any issues charging anywhere!

[@davidandrew6357]

Great Point about EV charging stations needing canopies, preferably solar canopies.

[@warrenfreeman2198]

I feel your frustration at EA in Glenwood Springs CO. I had driven there while traveling cross country, pulled up to charge and 3 of the 4 chargers were not working. Then to top it off, the one working charger was occupied by a fully charged KIA. After waiting for the KIA owner to finally show up, I politely informed them that it's not courteous to leave their car plugged in after reaching a full charge. On top of that, last night it took 45 minutes for me to connect at an EA site in Pismo Beach Ca. During this trip I used Chargepoint chargers when available, activated charge with my phone, plugged in and charging within 10 seconds. I now try or avoid EA when possible, but since they're the most prevalent chargers available sometimes you don't have a choice. EA you HAVE to do better!

[@hybridstoatdragon]

I want to give nikki a pat on the back for being loyal to electric vehicles and staying true. The thing is. Its not all automakers or idiots spitting misinformation. A big issue rn is PUBLIC CHARGING PROVIDERS

[@hybridstoatdragon]

11:08 How old is that meme!? That was perfectly timed. I love this channel. Im never unsubscribing lol

[@Believer21777]

NO way NO how This truck would be useless where I live. Good luck EV owners with your computer truck and charging stations that have to be on line in order to function.​ Time is money for most folks. as you charge I drive. All this poor lady did was stress about power consumption and charging the whole trip sounds fun. Charging stations are not cheap energy just saying.

[@esa4aus]

Great music….

[@johncipolletti5611]

I just wish more people can see these videos. Especially the ones on EVs. I'll send this one to some newspapers.

[@rpchargeit]

Thanks for all the great content!

[@anthonydickerson9880]

That’s why I own a Tesla model y.

[@ozloop69]

I do have one suggestion can you please introduce Michael to us if you keep talking about him and we see glimpses of them and we have an introduction to Michael who seems to be supporting you and part of your team and I’d like to say thank you to Michael for keeping you awake and keeping you entertainedSo thank you Michael with the phantom of the show

[@Hans-gb4mv]

Maybe he doesn't like to spend time in front of the camera?

[@robertkempe2730]

Do you know the brand of the faulty chargers (ABB?). Out of Spec team report the same type of problems with ABB chargers on EA stations, while e.g. Cygnet chargers basically always work flawless. And the ABB problems seem to have started some moths ago.

[@georgepelton5645]

Yes. It would be great to report who made the faulty EA chargers. IIRC, EA uses 4 different charger manufactures, each with their own design. Also, it would be great to try to get a statement from EA about their maintenance. How big is their maintenance staff? How often do they clean filters? What is their target response time to fix faulty chargers, and how long does it actually take?

[@bikerboyT1050]

t'is like when i play American Truck Simulator on me pc, i enjoy watching the scenery of america from the comfort of my chair in Yorkshire, UK. so different from what i'm used to seeing here.

[@teslasnek]

This is why I can't recommend any EV but Tesla's to people who plan to go out of town with it often. I only recommend other EVs to people with other cars they can take or if they never plan on going out of town.

[@Nickztx100]

Just recently come across your vlogs and am loving them, particularly your honestly about charging issues. I am in England UK and must admit that the two reasons I am not even considering an EV at the moment are, lack of sensible charging infrastructure and the unknown cost of electricity with the current crisis going on in Europe and the UK over electrical supply and future pricing. At the moment it makes more sense for me to buy a new ICE than an EV, but who knows, maybe in five years time the current problems will have been solved and I will make the switch.

[@michelcote]

Have a look and compare to Tesla supercharger network.

[@mikemccarthy1638]

In 2-3 yrs time, so buy used…

[@proudvirginian]

But EA is coming out with new stickers for their chargers!!! You can see if it's the CHAdeMO, the Very Fast or the Hyper fast that isn't working.

[@johnekins4408]

In Europe they put covers over grocery park lots, so it’s very doable.

[@RonRattie]

It's amazing how many chargers you hit in CO that I hit last summer and last summer they all were working fine. The drop off in functioning charging stations is crazy.

[@heathwirt8919]

If you put the high gain antenna back on it would probably giver you much better cell phone connectivity, this is the price we pay for selecting form over function. :)

[@mikescott58]

But EA has a solution. New labels on the chargers. Yay!

[@transportevolved]

That will fix everything.

[@johndelaney5889]

If Michael likes to geek our at off roader's then you need to go see Matts off road recovery and check out the Morrvair.

[@jrmt6]

I've done a 2,000mi+ road trip in my Model 3 across Texas and into Colorado recently. I had 0 charging issues with the Tesla supercharger network.

[@universeisundernoobligatio3283]

Tow our 14' Alto camper with our model Y never had an issue charging.

[@anahatamelodeon]

Love the scenery!

[@dennisschlieckau8723]

Remember to read and spell check you title😉. F150 Lighting🙂

[@transportevolved]

.... autocorrect ftw. *Sigh* ^Kate

[@grantlouw3182]

Remember to read and spell check YOUR comment 🤣🤣🤣

[@patreekotime4578]

@@grantlouw3182 💯

[@davidc2838]

@@grantlouw3182 U R CUL BCus U thing that wuz impurtant

[@selmateacher7]

@5:22 That is why I use the Tesla Super Charger Network.

[@alansalmon9676]

Itchy boots is an awesome channel 👍

[@scarletbegonias2359]

Super Thanx

[@MarkLLawrence]

8:17 maybe the truck was already taking into account the spotty charging of the EA network for those wildly different estimates?

[@houdailleshocks7737]

I can tell you from personal experience that the EA Glenwood Spgs. charger has had only 1, and sometimes 2 dispensers working since December, 2021.

[@andrewuk]

Beautiful camera work. 😘👍

[@charleslivingston2256]

And editing

[@Bryan46162]

Instead of playing games with naming conventions... EA should just make chargers that work like they're suppose to every time.

[@WilliamDeanPlumbing]

Their lack of generated yearly revenue prevents this from happening.

[@davidc2838]

@@WilliamDeanPlumbing Their lack of REAL investment in the success of the company prevents this from happening. VW is at fault.

[@LewdCustomer]

Glad Nikki thrives on frequent or sustained aggravations. Smug Tesla drivers [my photo here] enjoy your pained videos far more than you can 😉.

[@geordonworley5618]

Haven't seen the video yet, but the thumbnail looked like pure frustration lol.

[@echoeversky]

That solar catch at 1:55 :)

[@wineberryred]

It looks like the main defect in the Ford is the charging plug that they installed, if they would have installed a Tesla plug then you could have avoided the bad charging experience.

[@Dularr]

Still can't use the Tesla super chargers network

[@wineberryred]

@@Dularr Ford needs to workout a deal with Tesla. Tesla paid for the network they deserve some money if you want the benefits of good charging.

[@transportevolved]

...but we wouldn't have V2H. An important part of why Nikki and her wife chose the Ford F150. And Nikki enumerated the reasons that having multiple manufacturers using the Tesla plug would likely lead to many of the same connection issues (although potentially less so the equipment reliability problems) that EA has in a recent video. ^Kate

[@wineberryred]

@@transportevolved V2H has nothing to do with the plug, it has to do with the hardware in the vehicle and the charger also has to be capable of V2H as well.

[@Dularr]

@@transportevolved I suspect it's not a connector problem. I think the real issue is the software. The advantage of Tesla is they write the software for the charging station and for the Tesla EV. I suspect no one is maintaining the software in the non-Tesla charging stations. That would explain Nikki comment chargers working back in the day. Wouldn't surprise me the software hasn't been updated since the day it was installed.

[@PluginDuo]

Thanks Nikki for keeping all of us updated, Loved it. Question, Do you have the option of pre-conditioning the battery pack?

[@highvoltage3479]

Everybody knows, ... you can trust a car manufacturer or a car dealer. .. say anything, do anything, to make a sale ..... especially to a unknowing car buyer !

[@dondattaford5593]

Being able to charge is paramount

[@markhemsworth2670]

Reminds me of the benefit of battery swaps. 5 minutes and done. Also much much cheaper upfront vehicle costs.

[@theairstig9164]

Vehicle is optimised for safely swapping not optimised for high energy density, efficiency or simplicity

[@markhemsworth2670]

@@theairstig9164 still, it's like the QWERTY keyboard, not designed for efficiency/speed, but still is what we use every day. I just see people transitioning to a battery swap much smoother than the charging networks. Not ideal, but you know, might work better.

[@PluginDuo]

Can TE post how much regen you were able to regenen going downhill? Very curious. Thanks in advance!

[@rondavis8091]

A real woman, a loving husband, what's not to like. Your tech is real. The more I see you the more I like you.

[@transportevolved]

Ron, you’re new to the channel aren’t you? I do love it that people like our content a lot. But I also love my American wife, who rarely appears on camera but whom I’ve been with for 19 years and whom I raised two adopted children with. Also, you’re the first person to think I am married to Michael… which now means someone thinks I’ve been married to every member of the TE team except Moss (who just joined our company and hasn’t been on camera yet). Keep Evolving! - Nikki

[@renaissanceman3]

Tesla after opening up it's charging network to non Tesla vehicles: "I drink your milkshake!"

[@ted3400]

I have driven that route many times in my F350 gasser. Never had the problems you had. I will NOT buy electric truck. No way!

[@chitown111111]

Yikes, I just had a two day business trip from Denver to rifle. I was planning on charging at the EA station in Rifle (wanted to try to use my CCS to Tesla adapter), but luckily decided to sleep overnight in glenwood at a hotel that was close to the Tesla supercharger.

[@glenreynolds2079]

That Thumbnail brought me here. :-)

[@fenceman53]

Don’t worry EA has new stickers on the way to save the day. Just kidding

[@seniorcousin]

Almost every time I’m charging away from home there’s another EV driver grumbling about having to call the Electrify America help line every charging session. I would switch back to a plug-in hybrid if someone would make one with 50 miles EV range, like the Chevy Volt. Like a lot of people I talk to at EA, my next car will be a hybrid.

[@AnonymousFreakYT]

13:00 - My usual morning routine when someone wakes me up too early is: Someone else: "Good morning!" Me: "You're half right. It is indeed morning. *siiiiigh*." Then the other day, my teenager got up, said "good morning" to me. My reply: "Nope, good afternoon. Your sleep schedule is *REALLY* out of whack now that school's out..."

[@thebob95035]

I didn't see the credits for the song, "Stay" by Icarus. Good song

[@allelectric1330]

I feel sorry for electric car drivers and future owners. They will simply have to learn the hard way .. as I did. These things are a huge hassle, all those lost hours sitting in those charging stations, huge anxiety, plus a outrageous expense in the long run. Good luck trying to sell a used Electric car with wore out battery modules. You'll find out nobody wants to pay the ridiculous price of batteries ... Batteries are very ... very expensive to replace ( thousands and thousands of dollars) ... and make no mistake, you will be replacing them. These batteries are highly toxic to our environment, with a high potential for disaster to our surroundings. DON'T FOOL YOURSELF and CERTAINLY, DON'T LISTEN TO A SALESMAN , ... THESE NEW SPECIALIZED AUTOMOTIVE GRADE BATTERIES ... ARE NOT GREEN CLEAN ENERGY BY ANY MEANS! ... I wish I knew all this before I bought my car . Do your homework before buying !

[@transportevolved]

...which car did you buy?

[@ouch1011]

EA is capable of providing a reliable charging experience. They did for a while. But yeah, the past 6 months or so have been pretty bad. It would be really nice to see expansion of some other charging networks so that there are other options.

[@gudfarfar]

Thanks for the nice scenery pics. Such a pity that the charge network providers are sleeping on the job. This will just make the transition to EV's go slower, because the only network that you can rely on is Tesla's.

[@Wendy-nm9zw]

We all know, you can trust a car manufacturer or a car dealer. .. say anything, do anything, to make a sale ..... especially to a unknowing car buyer !

[@carrtb]

What a huge disappointment by EA. The only reason I’m on the fence for a Lightning is exactly this. EA is spoiling the experience in, and interest for the EV industry. It seems EA took the money, made half hearted investments in infrastructure and then ran with the residuals. How embarrassing for the site sponsors as well. Too, Ford should have anticipated need for reliable on-the-road charging infrastructure before churning out BEVs in mass, they don’t share the near century long existence of the ubiquitous fueling station. Ford should have remembered what it took to get fueling convenience accomplished in their early days of mass producing their first ICE vehicles. If Tesla does get their Supercharger network open to other EVs by the end of the year I hope it will be enough and soon to temper the negative consequences. Thank you for drop kicking EA some tough love.

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

EA is not cutting it. But VW did build some chargers (at gunpoint). GM's "lead" apparently has no plan to set up charging stations to power their "million EVs in 2025." That's okay, though - GM won't make a tenth of that.

[@TeslaTimATL]

This channel often criticizes Tesla for higher prices, but the company is using profit to grow the charging network. You can buy a cheaper EV but you get what you pay for when it comes to fast charging

[@toddfraser3353]

This channel doesn't criticize Tesla for higher prices. They do try to recommend good cheaper brands because not everyone could afford a Tesla. Just like not everyone can get an ICE Mercedes, where a good Honda Accord would do the trick. This channel is more Critical to Elon Musk and Tesla business practices (or lack of). TEN tends not to complain that Tesla's are too expensive for the car you get, but provided reviews of options for those where Tesla is not a good fit.

[@davidc2838]

@@toddfraser3353 By (lack of) business practices...you mean creating the most successful EV company in the world?? Or having the best Supercharger Network in the World?? Or is it doing more to grow EVs than pretty much ALL of the Legacy Automakers combined??

[@ArtiePenguin1]

@@davidc2838 They're probably referring to Tesla's business practices of insane price hikes when other EV manufacturers are staying with competitive pricing. Also, the whole debacle that is "full self-driving" being in a perpetual beta while Tesla still tries to sell it for $15k on new purchases. Tesla is clearly not looking at all towards the sub-$40k EV market and that will hurt them in the next few years.

[@toddfraser3353]

@@davidc2838 No, poor HR management (in diversity and race relations), as well lack of thoughtful public relations. Tesla success is selling a good product, that fills a niche. However Tesla image has been tarnishing slowly. I am not saying Tesla is doomed, but it has issues that needs to be addressed, like for every company, and every person for that matter.

[@CSHarvey]

10:20 Orange Bolt is Best Bolt!

[@stefanweilhartner4415]

yes, it seems that the charging experience at these stations was shitty. but on the other side without EA it would be even worse. i think the only problem is over promising and under delivering.

[@desertdan100]

You are just feeling the pinch of what all of us truck guys have been talking about for the last ten years. All of us in the more Rural areas have been trying to bring this to the front of the conversations. All we ever hear is that we are just haters and idiots. That is not the case at all. We just deal with reality and make decisions according to what we deal with. I like the concept of EVs but the usage case dictates the minimums that we have to deal with. I am invested in Atlis and many other various startups and tech companies. I am invested in heavy trucks also. I really think that more Hybrids with slightly larger batteries well help move people toward full Electric in the future but for the next 5 to 10 years the infrastructure is not ready yet.

[@dangrass]

the thing to consider is that when you actually own an EV you will mostly charge at home, which is a whole lot more convenient than going to a gas station....and a whole lot cheaper. As for infrastructure not being there, Nikki's determination to avoid Tesla is at the root of her problems. I drive an EV in rural Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming all the time and it's no problem at all. But I have a Tesla, and that's the difference. In response to your reasonable concerns what I can say is that it's almost a certainty that Tesla's network will be opened up to all EVs by the end of the year, so whatever is wrong with EA will be not so important. Just to be clear, while Nikki is certainly correct in her assessment of EA's charging network, this is no way should be taken as an indictment of EV charging overall.

[@desertdan100]

@@dangrass As I have been saying over and over. Your type of use case is not the same as everyone's. I live in the Midwest and we are spread out. Like many we have to drive longer distance for everything we need and for jobs. Many people, me included spend all day moving around and traveling in construction and service. We can't just charge up at home and make it all day. We also can't spend a lot of time charging or waiting line to get to a charger. Time is money and we have to pass that onto the customer. If it costs us it costs them. The other issue , as Nicki has learned , no one is building chargers with a truck or truck and trailer in mind. They sure as hell don't think about maneuvering through a parking lot to get to the chargers. I don't care if it is Tesla or any of them. I have actually owned an Electric car but not an Electric truck yet because they just will not work for my use case at this time. I have already pre-ordered for the Atlis work truck but it is taking much longer to come to market and our own Government is fighting them on it. Now they are looking to go to Australia and have signed agreements to start building them there. Sucks to be me and I have lots of shares in the company. They were smart and have asked for input from average truck people a long the whole journey. They understand the issues and needs and have designed a platform geared towards it. Tesla's Cyber truck is a joke. It was never geared toward work or heavy use. It is a life style vehicle or as we call them Mall Crawlers. It is not a serious truck. The F150 is awesome but it still has a way to go. Currently I am driving or using 2 trucks. 1 is my runner. It is a 2021 Silverado 1/2 ton with the 2.7l turbo gas motor. It is one of the best business decisions I have made. It gets phenomenal gas milage, can tow 10,000 lbs and has a 2000 lb payload. It is great for hauling and towing long distance mid sized loads. My big truck for the Heavy work is a 1 ton Ram 4x4 Crew cab with an 8 foot box. It has a range of 500 miles carrying 3000 lbs. It can tow 14,000 lbs and at a range of 320 miles. It has a factory 50 gallon fuel tank. That is my money maker. I can refuel it in about 8 minutes flat and be back on the road and I can fuel it anywhere. That is what Electric trucks need to compete with or it is pointless to bother with them. Atlis is there but the Government is fighting them. 🙄

[@ab-tf5fl]

@@desertdan100 For your use case, I understand your point perfectly and agree that electric trucks are not ready yet. However, your use case is not the type of driver the F150 lighting truck is marketed at. Rather, the target audience is someone who doesn't haul things for a living and doesn't even really need a truck at all, but has lots of money and is very image-conscious. This type of person highly values the "macho" image of being seen driving a truck, and doesn't care if achieving that macho image means paying thousands of dollars more to buy and fuel the vehicle vs. simply driving a Prius. For this type of person, the lightning truck is perfect. It's a chance for them to get the "green" image from driving electric, while still preserving that "macho" image from driving a truck. The lack of towing range doesn't matter to this person because they never tow. Or their "towing" needs is simply hauling a boat 20 mile from home to the water, a task which even today's electric trucks are perfectly capable of. While I'm sure it's disappointing that your use case is not covered by electric trucks yet, I'm sure it will happen eventually, once batteries get better and cheaper. But, an electric truck that simply focuses on people buying the truck solely for the "macho" image is technologically easier, so it's not surprising that that's the one that comes out first.

[@ChristopherHolmquist]

Not to mention that public charging is incredibly confusing for new ev users

[@Hans-gb4mv]

No more confusing than refuelling an ICE car for new drivers.

[@ChristopherHolmquist]

@@Hans-gb4mv have you ever worked with technology and customers in a retail environment?

[@davidc2838]

@@Hans-gb4mv Sure it is.

[@davidc2838]

@@ChristopherHolmquist No-one would let Hans get NEAR a customer in a retail environment...Unless it was the Troll Factory!

[@Hans-gb4mv]

@@ChristopherHolmquist - open the charge port - take the cable from the charging station and plug it into your vehicle - if your car doesn't support plug-and-charge, hold your form of compatible payment in front of the card reader on the charging station Congratulations, your vehicle is now charging If you are fuelling your ICE vehicle on the other hand, you need to know how payment for fuel works before you can even fill up. Is it fuel first and go for payment afterwards or is it payment first and fill up? Do I have a payment terminal at the pump, near the pump or is it a service station where I need to go inside? What fuel do I need to use as the nozzle for the incorrect fuel also first in my car? And you're telling me that refuelling an ICE car for beginners is not confusing at all? Why would it not be confusing? Oh, you grew up with it, have seen your parents do it all your life. So, basically, you've been thought for over a decade on how to do it before you finally had to do it on your own. How will that be different from EV charging once EVs have become common place?

[@nes999]

I worry that some of these early challenges might scare the commercial markets. I hear of alot of owners/upper bosses wanting electric pickups. If that truck isn't a better experience than their previous it'll be spread like wild fire.

[@jamesvandamme7786]

We need to hire some Europeans to show us how to run charging stations. Just think: canopies! Inconceivable!!

[@carlosmartin3353]

just an Idea, perhaps inviting EA to an interview and let them expose the situation from their perspective, perhaps they might have some kind of a plan or are facing the struggle of been more used than before. I saw a German youtuber doing something similar with a srvice supplier also struggling with their service and apparently it triggered actions that improved the service level