[sciencegeek]

Went on family vacation (desert camping trip) with the i-Pace and the Touareg. Some pictures attached. I think we were the first EV ever to travel the portion of the Mojave Road between Aiken Mine Road and Kelso Cima Road as no widely available EV other than the i-Pace has sufficient offroading capabilities. I managed to get it on two wheels on a bit with moguls >

The drive from Palo Alto to Barstow took two charging stops, ChargePoint in Coalinga and EVGo in Bakersfield. Barstow Days Inn has a few Level2 Chargers. Access to the Mojave Preserve was facilitated by the EVGo superfast charger in Baker. Also pic attached. Ridiculous setting .. at "The World's Tallest Thermometer."

[Sidebar: the Chargepoint app lets you see when other vehicles charged at these stations. In the four days between our trips down and back home, no other vehicle charged in Coalinga on I5; and there are no alternatives!. It's sobering to see how few EVs travel longer distances. The only Teslas around were on car transports.]

The distance between charge stops was 150 miles for two legs, 100 for one of them. I didn't compromise on driving style *except* on the way home approaching Tehachapi from Barstow. It's one of the windiest places in California, as evidenced by the enormous number of rapidly spinning big windmills, and the wind always comes from the West. Driving 60 was like driving 80, eating up range. So I drafted behind trucks for ~20 miles to get some money in the bank and got to Bakersfield with 20% left.

The i-Pace is an amazingly comfortable car for medium-long distance travel. Steering assist and adaptive cruise control make it easy and the long charging stops (which are a hassle, admittedly) force you to relax and regenerate. My wife now likes the car because "even the back seat is comfortable". The offroading capabilities are excellent for a car of this class. Oh, and we drove it through one foot of water on the way home on Panoche Road.

 

[Timbo]

Good for you! Personally I am terrified to get my car dusty much less fording 1’ of water. You are a braver man than I...

I agree that distance travelling is tough when our charge rate is capped at the rate that it is. I hope to see that update soon to allow us to use some of these new hot rod charging stations.

Based on this last trip what sort of real-world range were you seeing?

By the way, seeing $150,000 of vehicle to transport $12 of vinyl tent is an interesting contrast to say the least. No Hampton Suites out in the desert?

 

[JonB]

Sciencegeek. I am dead impressed I have to say. Can I ask that you copy and post your entire post with the pictures onto the UK forum as I think many of us here in Europe would love to see that our iPaces are competent to make a trip like yours.
https://www.ipaceforums.co.uk/

 

[sciencegeek]

Good for you! Personally I am terrified to get my car dusty much less fording 1’ of water. You are a braver man than I...

I agree that distance travelling is tough when our charge rate is capped at the rate that it is. I hope to see that update soon to allow us to use some of these new hot rod charging stations.

Based on this last trip what sort of real-world range were you seeing?

By the way, seeing $150,000 of vehicle to transport $12 of vinyl tent is an interesting contrast to say the least. No Hampton Suites out in the desert?

Hey those tents are $250 each! You should have seen the Barstow Days Inn, a Quality Establishment! Ugh. We stayed there only because it has several Chargepoint 6.6kW chargers. I'm frankly baffled that they put those at a hotel of this, ahem, quality.

I used 75% on 150 miles on each of four legs but to say that translates to 200 mile range is fooling oneself because unless you're at an overnight charger you're going to max out at 90%; and range anxiety prevents you from going below 10 because there's enough variance in local conditions that you never start a leg of a distance that's the same as your range ... in other words, you usually end up having 10-20% left.

The only time I had to manage driving style was that windy bit ... otherwise it was left lane.

Yeah we really really need 100kW and above charging. It would make a gigantic difference. But in the foreseeable future we'll be stuck with a lot of 50kW chargers in the more far-flung places because given the low usage they're not going to be upgrading or putting faster chargers near 50kW ones.

 

[McRat]

There is an update for I-Paces that will accept 105 kW peak.

The trick is to get them to load it in your car. Note that is barely 1.1C charging rate.

TOPIx claims my car just needs to be activated for SOTA updates. Har. You'd first have to find a dealer who knew that data can be sent via radio waves.

The good news is apparently the I-Pace might go higher than 50kW at 50kW chargers. They were not set up 108s charging, and they are rated in amps. I didn't keep detailed notes, but my car went from 31% to 98% at an EVConnect 50kW in 1h. That's 55kW average. Even with the high SOC taper.

 

[dtgsrq]

I hit the EA station at Florida Mall again on a 300+ mile journey this weekend... 75kw was max rate, but then again I didn't have the latest BEMS update (yet) to get 105kw. 35% to 99% in just under an hour (also including the SOC taper). Based on the 80% SOC text from EA, charging from 35% to 80% took just 30 minutes. Exciting to think that could get 33% faster (20 min?).

 

[Mister Dave]

Sounds like you had fun. This might seem like an odd question, but why would anyone want to camp out in a valley full of rocks and rattlesnakes?

I've always been partial to forest areas myself.

 

[Timbo]

Sounds like you had fun. This might seem like an odd question, but why would anyone want to camp out in a valley full of rocks and rattlesnakes?

I've always been partial to forest areas myself.

The aliens have an easier time abducting you that way. :grin2:

 

[Dantrium]

Sounds like you had fun. This might seem like an odd question, but why would anyone want to camp out in a valley full of rocks and rattlesnakes?

I've always been partial to forest areas myself.

I have had my fill of Uncle Sam sponsored ‘camping’. I’ve become partial to indoor plumbing, a climate controlled environment and a big comfortable bed...

 

[Mister Dave]

The aliens have an easier time abducting you that way. :grin2:

Aaahhh. Oustanding! :grin2:

 

[Sbingham60]

Went on family vacation (desert camping trip) with the i-Pace and the Touareg. Some pictures attached. I think we were the first EV ever to travel the portion of the Mojave Road between Aiken Mine Road and Kelso Cima Road as no widely available EV other than the i-Pace has sufficient offroading capabilities. I managed to get it on two wheels on a bit with moguls >

The drive from Palo Alto to Barstow took two charging stops, ChargePoint in Coalinga and EVGo in Bakersfield. Barstow Days Inn has a few Level2 Chargers. Access to the Mojave Preserve was facilitated by the EVGo superfast charger in Baker. Also pic attached. Ridiculous setting .. at "The World's Tallest Thermometer."

[Sidebar: the Chargepoint app lets you see when other vehicles charged at these stations. In the four days between our trips down and back home, no other vehicle charged in Coalinga on I5; and there are no alternatives!. It's sobering to see how few EVs travel longer distances. The only Teslas around were on car transports.]

The distance between charge stops was 150 miles for two legs, 100 for one of them. I didn't compromise on driving style *except* on the way home approaching Tehachapi from Barstow. It's one of the windiest places in California, as evidenced by the enormous number of rapidly spinning big windmills, and the wind always comes from the West. Driving 60 was like driving 80, eating up range. So I drafted behind trucks for ~20 miles to get some money in the bank and got to Bakersfield with 20% left.

The i-Pace is an amazingly comfortable car for medium-long distance travel. Steering assist and adaptive cruise control make it easy and the long charging stops (which are a hassle, admittedly) force you to relax and regenerate. My wife now likes the car because "even the back seat is comfortable". The offroading capabilities are excellent for a car of this class. Oh, and we drove it through one foot of water on the way home on Panoche Road.

Were the EVGo chargers the chargers located at the Walmart? The models installed there are the ABB Terra 53, which have worked for me in Florida. EVGo has another model of charger that I ran into a communication problem with the I-Pace. I still don't have enough data points to determine if the model of charger makes a difference or if the particular one I used in Vero Beach was an outlier. Side Note: EVGo put the Vero Beach unit under maintenance.

Sounds like a great trip with chargers in enough locations to make the trip work. Congratulations.

 

[sciencegeek]

Were the EVGo chargers the chargers located at the Walmart?

Yes indeed; they are 50kW units. I also used two different EVgo chargers, one 100kW and the other 150kW, at the Baker location. They all worked like a charm and were super easy to use. The only issue was EVgo's policy of stopping charging after 45 minutes, so on a couple of occasions I had to restart charging (which was not difficult).

 

[Sbingham60]

Yes indeed; they are 50kW units. I also used two different EVgo chargers, one 100kW and the other 150kW, at the Baker location. They all worked like a charm and were super easy to use. The only issue was EVgo's policy of stopping charging after 45 minutes, so on a couple of occasions I had to restart charging (which was not difficult).

Worlds tallest thermometer :smile2:
looks like they had plenty of high speed stations - 2 50kw combo, 2 150kw combo, and it looks like two that might be mislabeled as they say 350kw combo/100kw CHadeMO. So if you charged at both 100kw and 150kw, then you would have used the ABB model and the BTC model. That's helpful to know. I think there is a BTC model about 60 miles from Orlando that I'll check out. It's the same model as the one I had trouble with in Vero Beach. It's a hopeful sign the BTC model might not be the problem.

Okay, one last question - the EVGo site shows the cost at 27 cents per minute. I don't see a connect charge. Do you recall what the connect charge was?
In Florida, all the EVgo that I've seen are $5.95 to connect and 30 cents per minute.

I'm personally looking forward to Electrify America building some 150kw stations along the east coast of Florida. It'll make the long drives a little more reliable.

thanks for the reply

 

[sciencegeek]

Worlds tallest thermometer :smile2:
looks like they had plenty of high speed stations - 2 50kw combo, 2 150kw combo, and it looks like two that might be mislabeled as they say 350kw combo/100kw CHadeMO. So if you charged at both 100kw and 150kw, then you would have used the ABB model and the BTC model. That's helpful to know. I think there is a BTC model about 60 miles from Orlando that I'll check out. It's the same model as the one I had trouble with in Vero Beach. It's a hopeful sign the BTC model might not be the problem.

Okay, one last question - the EVGo site shows the cost at 27 cents per minute. I don't see a connect charge. Do you recall what the connect charge was?
In Florida, all the EVgo that I've seen are $5.95 to connect and 30 cents per minute.

I'm personally looking forward to Electrify America building some 150kw stations along the east coast of Florida. It'll make the long drives a little more reliable.

thanks for the reply

Yeah, check out the Thermometer in one of the pictures of the first post .. it also shows two chargers. You're right about the chargers. If you look at the picture, I charged at both the blue (which is the 100/150kW) and the green (which I think is the 100/350kW).

 

[dennis]

I'm personally looking forward to Electrify America building some 150kw stations along the east coast of Florida. It'll make the long drives a little more reliable.

There's one EA site live at a Walmart near Daytona Beach with 5 CCS and one Chademo. The other 8 south of Daytona Beach are all Coming Soon. There is even one planned for Key Largo.

 

[Sbingham60]

There's one EA site live at a Walmart near Daytona Beach with 5 CCS and one Chademo. The other 8 south of Daytona Beach are all Coming Soon. There is even one planned for Key Largo.

Yeah, I'm hoping that two of the planned Walmart sites along 95 between Melbourne and Ft. Lauderdale will be installed this summer. I don't mind a 3.25 hour drive extending to 4 hours in order to charge and grab a snack, but if the fast charger at Vero Beach isn't working the only other options are L2 chargers which will mean a couple of hours to get the extra distance or I have to drive "slow". :frown2:

I haven't tried the Gulf route yet along interstate 75. Am planning a trip to Naples area from Orlando. I think there are a few more along that route. Just can't cut through on 27 in the middle of the state. Very few chargers, not even SuperChargers for Teslas.

The folks in California are lucky. A lot more option and EA has to meet earlier deadlines to satisfy the terms of the Dieselgate suite.

 

[McRat]

Yeah, I'm hoping that two of the planned Walmart sites along 95 between Melbourne and Ft. Lauderdale will be installed this summer. I don't mind a 3.25 hour drive extending to 4 hours in order to charge and grab a snack, but if the fast charger at Vero Beach isn't working the only other options are L2 chargers which will mean a couple of hours to get the extra distance or I have to drive "slow". :frown2:

I haven't tried the Gulf route yet along interstate 75. Am planning a trip to Naples area from Orlando. I think there are a few more along that route. Just can't cut through on 27 in the middle of the state. Very few chargers, not even SuperChargers for Teslas.

The folks in California are lucky. A lot more option and EA has to meet earlier deadlines to satisfy the terms of the Dieselgate suite.

Exactly the opposite. California is rolling back their EV program. We still have poor coverage on the major highways. We are more than 2 years behind our "EV Corridors" that we funded. We have built exactly zero of them. We are taxing people for owning EVs whether or not they drive them. We are focusing on making Sacramento the EV City of the Future. Why not Compton or Pelican Bay?
We have spent more on Hydrogen car infrastructure than EV, yet H2 sales are weak and flat. One of the perks of EV ownership in CA, was access to the HOV lanes. They are trimming that down. Our stickers can expire in 24 months.

Only private companies have done anything significant in California so far with EVs. The government is regressing.

 

[Sbingham60]

Exactly the opposite. California is rolling back their EV program. We still have poor coverage on the major highways. We are more than 2 years behind our "EV Corridors" that we funded. We have built exactly zero of them. We are taxing people for owning EVs whether or not they drive them. We are focusing on making Sacramento the EV City of the Future. Why not Compton or Pelican Bay?
We have spent more on Hydrogen car infrastructure than EV, yet H2 sales are weak and flat. One of the perks of EV ownership in CA, was access to the HOV lanes. They are trimming that down. Our stickers can expire in 24 months.

Only private companies have done anything significant in California so far with EVs. The government is regressing.

Okay, understood. Yet, you do have a higher volume of fast chargers along 101, 5, and 99 than what we're seeing in Florida. It seems that trip planning for many routes is not bad. Sorry to hear that EA is far behind as that makes me think the locations in Florida might not get done in 2019.

 

[McRat]

Okay, understood. Yet, you do have a higher volume of fast chargers along 101, 5, and 99 than what we're seeing in Florida. It seems that trip planning for many routes is not bad. Sorry to hear that EA is far behind as that makes me think the locations in Florida might not get done in 2019.

101 are 22kW chargers paid for by BMW/VW. 5 has only Tesla support for the most part. 99 is privately funded. California issues press releases that they building them, but no, it's other
people.

Tesla has fought EV networks by other MFRs, especially in California since it's the biggest market. TSLA has a lot of pull in Sacramento, almost as much as Toyota.

EA is being blocked by California because that's they way we fly. California DID build a route from the rich areas of SF to the Mammoth Ski Resorts, and it's very nice. Not useful for the middle class, but nicely done.

 

[dennis]

EA is being blocked by California because that's they way we fly.

Can you please explain what that statement means? $800M of EA's $2B penalty is to be spent in California. How are they being blocked? The only complaint that I read from EA in their reports to CARB were that getting chargers through the permitting process with municipalities in California was much more arduous and time consuming than in other states. See pg.6 of EA's latest report to CARB.

https://elam-cms-assets.s3.amazonaw...America Q3 2018 Quarterly Report - Public.pdf