First longish road trip with GTS

[X-ray]

Just though I would share my experience and charging data for others here. My son and I went to visit my dad for the 4th of July. He lives about 2 hours away in Columbus, OH. We started the trip at 99% state of charge and drove straight from our home to the only EA charging location in Columbus, on the west side of town in a Walmart parking lot.

We traveled 110 miles in about 98 mins, arriving with 55% SOC. Average speed was 69 mph with lots of sustained 80+ mph stretches. Consumption was 37.5kWh/100mi

When we arrived, the first 350 kW station did not work. We plugged in and the charging button on the car turned red. I messed around with the app for a few minutes before moving to the other 350 kW charger. Plugged the charger into the car and things worked exactly how they should with plug and charge.

We charged from 55% to 88% in 20 mins. Charging rate started around 146 kW but quickly dropped to 124, 102 and finished at 91kW.

We then unplugged, hoped in the car and drove about 15 miles to my dad’s condo. For shits and grins I brought along the Porsche charger and the 120V adapter and charged the car in his garage over night.

When I plugged the car in at my dads I was at 82% SOC at around 11:30am. The car was charging at 0.6kW via 120V 15 amp household outlet. I was slightly stunned when the car told me the car would be charged at 7:11am…the following Tuesday (it was Sunday). I let the car charge till the following morning at 8:30am and ended up at 91% SOC after charging for 21 hrs.

After breakfast, we did the reverse of the trip up. We headed straight from breakfast to the EA charger in Columbus.

We arrived at 83% SOC and went straight to the 350 kW charger we used the day before. Plugged in and things worked flawlessly. We charged for 10 mins and went from 83% to 95%. Charging started at 80 kW and ended at 46 kW.

We drove the 110 miles home achieving a consumption of 37.3 kWh/100mi and arrived with 52% SOC.

Overall, I felt that my first road tip in an EV went pretty well. We spent a total of 30 mins charging for the entire trip and once we figured out which charger worked, it was qucik and painless. Hope this data might be helpful to others.

X

 

[Jhenson29]

We charged from 55% to 88% in 20 mins. Charging rate started around 146 kW but quickly dropped to 124, 102 and finished at 91kW.

That seems slow, timewise. Is that including other time outside of charging?

33% delta at 91kW average would only be 18 min, and your average should have been higher.

 

[Hirschaj]

Glad you had a good experience. Please consider not using 350kW chargers when you start charging at such a high SOC. If someone else with a low SOC pulled in they might have been able to use the potential of those charging points. As you can see, 150kW charging points should have been all you needed in both situations.

 

[submatrix]

Glad you had a good experience. Please consider not using 350kW chargers when you start charging at such a high SOC. If someone else with a low SOC pulled in they might have been able to use the potential of those charging points. As you can see, 150kW charging points should have been all you needed in both situations.

Can a 350 kW theoretically deliver >150kW at a 55% SoC? I thought it could, in which case it would be beneficial to do so vs. plugging into a 150kW charger.

 

[Hirschaj]

Can a 350 kW theoretically deliver >150kW at a 55% SoC? I thought it could, in which case it would be beneficial to do so vs. plugging into a 150kW charger.

My understanding is that the overall charging time difference would be minimal so why even block the 350kW charging point in the first place? Personally I’d head straight for a 150 if I pulled in at 55%.

 

[X-ray]

Glad you had a good experience. Please consider not using 350kW chargers when you start charging at such a high SOC. If someone else with a low SOC pulled in they might have been able to use the potential of those charging points. As you can see, 150kW charging points should have been all you needed in both situations.

Thanks for the etiquette tip. I figured I might see higher charging rate despite my fairly high SOC but I had no experience using any DC charger so….800V architecture I was told to use 350 kW if available.

I wasn’t too worried about anyone else since there are two chargers per unit at the charging site I went to and there was no one else charging. If you have two people on the same unit does it split the output to each person? How many other cars can use 350 kW chargers effectively beside the Porsche/Audi architecture?

X

 

[Hirschaj]

Thanks for the etiquette tip. I figured I might see higher charging rate despite my fairly high SOC but I had no experience using any DC charger so….800V architecture I was told to use 350 kW if available.

I wasn’t too worried about anyone else since there are two chargers per unit at the charging site I went to and there was no one else charging. If you have two people on the same unit does it split the output to each person? How many other cars can use 350 kW chargers effectively beside the Porsche/Audi architecture?

X

It’s a learning process for everyone and I’m certainly far from an expert on this stuff. I believe each charging unit only charges one vehicle at a time even though there can be 2 cords.

 

[X-ray]

It’s a learning process for everyone and I’m certainly far from an expert on this stuff. I believe each charging unit only charges one vehicle at a time even though there can be 2 cords.

I’m not sure that is true since the app shows two charging spots on each unit and sometimes showed one taken and one available. Be sill to have to cords and only be able to charge on vehicle at a time.

Puts foot in mouth….

You are correct. From the EA FAQ which was hard to find.

”Though there are two connectors at each Electrify America charger, only one can be used at a time. Having two connectors ensures that it’s easy for you to plug in—no matter where your car’s charging port is located. If either connector is in use, look for the next nearest charger. Most charging stations have at least four chargers to increase availability.”

X

 

[Hirschaj]

I’m not sure that is true since the app shows two charging spots on each unit and sometimes showed one taken and one available. Be sill to have to cords and only be able to charge on vehicle at a time.

Puts foot in mouth….

You are correct. From the EA FAQ which was hard to find.

”Though there are two connectors at each Electrify America charger, only one can be used at a time. Having two connectors ensures that it’s easy for you to plug in—no matter where your car’s charging port is located. If either connector is in use, look for the next nearest charger. Most charging stations have at least four chargers to increase availability.”

X

I found this on the EA website…

 

[outie]

Glad you had a good experience. Please consider not using 350kW chargers when you start charging at such a high SOC. If someone else with a low SOC pulled in they might have been able to use the potential of those charging points. As you can see, 150kW charging points should have been all you needed in both situations.

In that case you might be saving the the 350kW charger for a Mach-e that could arrive in the next few minutes. It’ll end up hogging the 350kW charger for an hour while you already left and opened up the 150kW long ago. Now imagine you used the 350 charger in the first place. Just some fruits for thoughts.

 

[Hirschaj]

In that case you might be saving the the 350kW charger for a Mach-e that could arrive in the next few minutes. It’ll end up hogging the 350kW charger for an hour while you already left and opened up the 150kW long ago. Now imagine you used the 350 charger in the first place. Just some fruits for thoughts.

It’s certainly a possibility but imagine a world where people were educated, considerate of each other, and did the right thing simply because it was the right thing to do. That’s the world I want to live in.

 

[McgR]

It’s certainly a possibility but imagine a world where people were educated, considerate of each other, and did the right thing simply because it was the right thing to do. That’s the world I want to live in.

This is the way I do things and educate our children. And hope others will do too.

Last week I was charging my car in the hotel garage. Only one of two chargers were working. First day XC40 let me go first. Second day he was gone but a etron was parked outside. My car finished charging at 23h. I unplugged my car. Next morning he was charging must have been happy with my action.

i don’t think I would get out of bed at 3 am but I would move my car before breakfast.

I think there is a price differnce between 50-100-150-350 Charing? The price per kWh is the same but the fee per minute increases. For an Ipace it would be more expensive to charge at a 350 kw charge when he can only charge at 100 kw anyway and the charge time will be the same.

The idle fees are a good idea too and should encourage people to move their car when done charging on public charger.

Sponsored