Planning upcoming road trip from Southwest Florida to South New Jersey

[Doni Landefeld]

I've had my RIS since end of January and recently took a local road trip to experience "on the road EV charging." I downloaded all the apps, set up accounts and this past weekend set out on a 4 1/2 hour trip totaling about 225 miles. I had a 100% charge when I departed and intentionally planned a trip less than 300 miles to "test the EV charging station waters." I made my first stop at an EV Go station and charged for about 20 minutes to mostly top off. All smooth. Was feeling good! Did a decent amount of driving on Saturday though didn't leave myself high and dry. Before heading home I stopped at an EV connect station and none of the 4 stations were working properly. There was one other EV driver who was there with me, who also tried all 4 chargers and couldn't get them to work. We were in a remote area of Florida, by the way, with no other EV charging options nearby. Still, I had enough range left to travel a couple hours south toward Tampa. Range anxiety creeped in a bit as I had 50 miles left upon arriving at an EV Go facility. Upon arrival, there were 3 other cars lined up in front of me waiting for the other chargers that were all in use (the app indicated there were some available - not true!). My friend and I looked around for other nearby stations, but none were fast charging and we were a bit afraid to venture too far away and get stuck. So, we waited for about 20 minutes until a charger became available. It took about 50 minutes to charge to 70%. Not horrible, though I'm wondering how often there are cars lined up waiting. Maybe it's because it was an urban area (Tampa?). And I wasn't in a rush, but typically, time is not as abundant. Feeling meh after only 1 of 3 charging experiences going smoothly. Oh and I forgot to mention two other EV drivers got in a verbal fight over whose turn for the next available charger at this Tampa facility. Not cool.

I made this trip in hopes of calming my nerves over an upcoming road trip that I make a few times per summer to south NJ. It's about 1200 miles one way. I plotted my address in the Rivian nav system and viewed a route that is what I would call "off the beaten path" and not my typical route on mostly major highways. I live in Cape Coral (Ft Myers area) Florida and will be traveling to Sea Isle City, NJ. So for example, when I depart, I spend the first 4 hours on Interstate 75. Rivian nav wants me to drive inland toward a town called Bartow (south of Orlando) for my first charging stop.

Guess my question is.....do I trust the Rivian nav or is it better to stick to main highways? Then again, the Tampa experience was a little unnerving. I love my RIS and want to love extended road trips without range anxiety, especially since I usually do the drive up the eastern seaboard with just my dog. Thanks for any and all feedback.

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[Dave Cundiff]

Consider cross-sourcing your charger information, @Doni Landefeld. One method among many: Use Rivian Nav as a source of suggestions, then use PlugShare to check charging costs and user ratings AND to scout nearby backup chargers in case of problems.

PlugShare routes nicely to Apple Maps or Google Maps, but those don't show on Rivian's screens without special hardware/software.

Rivian's nav software will precondition the battery if it knows you're navigating to a charger and not to something else. You can also trick the Rivian Nav into preconditioning the battery by setting Nav for a charger that's a little closer than the charger you actually plan to go to. Consider enrolling in multiple charging apps that cover all the reasonably likely stops.

***

My impression is that finding available, working, economical, time-efficient DC Fast chargers is still a complex game like chess, not a simpler game like checkers. Breathe deeply, and enjoy the adventure! Most of us are still learning.

Others will have even more helpful suggestions.... Very best wishes!

 

[Coj]

All good suggestions. . . in addition to PlugShare try ABRP. I am planning a trip from CT to Wis in July and using that for lunch/charging and overnight/charging stops as well as enroute charging. I also included Tesla chargers hoping I will have my adaptor by then. We have had successful trips from CT to Philly and CT out to the end of the Cape. So I am feeling good about this journey or errr "adventure".

And yes, we are all learning together but are proud early adopters.

 

[AnninSI]

When I picked up my R1S in NJ in February I followed Rivian Nav and charging guidance back to Charleston SC - and it was terrific. All major highways I would have taken anyway and charging sites immediately off highway. No, I didn't compare pricing etc as it was the maiden voyage, was happy to get all fast charging sites and easy to work through. I had done all sorts of homework plotting trip ahead, but went with the Riv guidance and was perfectly happy. I can't help you with Florida or Georgia - but once you get to SC and north, its all good. Yep, waited in line once but all well behaved EV-ers! Have fun!

 

[Dhevey]

Once you get to the Rivian charger in Daytona, it’s pretty clear sailing. If you can’t make it to the next Rivian charger in Savanna, there are several places to top up in between. From there, you’re on to Buc-ees in Florence, where there are some very nice Mercedes/Chargepoint chargers.

 

[Doni Landefeld]

Consider cross-sourcing your charger information, @Doni Landefeld. One method among many: Use Rivian Nav as a source of suggestions, then use PlugShare to check charging costs and user ratings AND to scout nearby backup chargers in case of problems.

PlugShare routes nicely to Apple Maps or Google Maps, but those don't show on Rivian's screens without special hardware/software.

Rivian's nav software will precondition the battery if it knows you're navigating to a charger and not to something else. You can also trick the Rivian Nav into preconditioning the battery by setting Nav for a charger that's a little closer than the charger you actually plan to go to. Consider enrolling in multiple charging apps that cover all the reasonably likely stops.

***

My impression is that finding available, working, economical, time-efficient DC Fast chargers is still a complex game like chess, not a simpler game like checkers. Breathe deeply, and enjoy the adventure! Most of us are still learning.

Others will have even more helpful suggestions.... Very best wishes!

Thanks very much @Dave Cundiff this is super helpful. And yes, it is definitely a learning curve

 

[Doni Landefeld]

Consider cross-sourcing your charger information, @Doni Landefeld. One method among many: Use Rivian Nav as a source of suggestions, then use PlugShare to check charging costs and user ratings AND to scout nearby backup chargers in case of problems.

PlugShare routes nicely to Apple Maps or Google Maps, but those don't show on Rivian's screens without special hardware/software.

Rivian's nav software will precondition the battery if it knows you're navigating to a charger and not to something else. You can also trick the Rivian Nav into preconditioning the battery by setting Nav for a charger that's a little closer than the charger you actually plan to go to. Consider enrolling in multiple charging apps that cover all the reasonably likely stops.

***

My impression is that finding available, working, economical, time-efficient DC Fast chargers is still a complex game like chess, not a simpler game like checkers. Breathe deeply, and enjoy the adv of =enture! Most of us are still learning.

Others will have even more helpful suggestions.... Very best wishes!

Curious though and now have a question. Does the preconditioning of the battery make a difference in any way in terms of charging time?

 

[Doni Landefeld]

All good suggestions. . . in addition to PlugShare try ABRP. I am planning a trip from CT to Wis in July and using that for lunch/charging and overnight/charging stops as well as enroute charging. I also included Tesla chargers hoping I will have my adaptor by then. We have had successful trips from CT to Philly and CT out to the end of the Cape. So I am feeling good about this journey or errr "adventure".

And yes, we are all learning together but are proud early adopters.

Thanks Christian, I just downloaded the ABRP app!

 

[Doni Landefeld]

When I picked up my R1S in NJ in February I followed Rivian Nav and charging guidance back to Charleston SC - and it was terrific. All major highways I would have taken anyway and charging sites immediately off highway. No, I didn't compare pricing etc as it was the maiden voyage, was happy to get all fast charging sites and easy to work through. I had done all sorts of homework plotting trip ahead, but went with the Riv guidance and was perfectly happy. I can't help you with Florida or Georgia - but once you get to SC and north, its all good. Yep, waited in line once but all well behaved EV-ers! Have fun!

Appreciate this feedback Ann and it makes me feel a lot more confident about trusting the Rivian navigation and trusting the process. Thank you!

 

[Dave Cundiff]

Curious though and now have a question. Does the preconditioning of the battery make a difference in any way in terms of charging time?

My understanding, subject to correction by the many technical experts on this forum, is that the high voltage (HV) battery charging speed, on DC chargers, is pretty limited if the battery isn't in an optimal temperature range (maybe 65-75 degrees F?). This seems to apply even at very low charging rates.

This winter with outdoor temperatures around 40, I dropped in on a 50-kW charger with about 80% charge, hoping to "top up" for a long trip home. I hadn't preconditioned the battery. My initial charge rate was about 19 kW, which I thought was because the battery was nearing 100%. But the R1S started warming up the battery, and soon I was getting the full 50 kW.

So my tentative answer is: Yes, preconditioning speeds DC charging -- often dramatically -- especially if the outside temperature is cold or hot.

Others will contribute their knowledge too. I hope this helps!

 

[jerseyff]

I will emphasize the app game. Download all the network apps that you could potentially run into along the trip, it will save you hassle and downtime trying to activate chargers with the kiosk interaction. Card readers dont often work on charge stands. Payment methods already setup in your ChargePoint, EVgo, Blink, EA, etc apps will only lessen the frustration of charging on a trip!

 

[Doni Landefeld]

Once you get to the Rivian charger in Daytona, it’s pretty clear sailing. If you can’t make it to the next Rivian charger in Savanna, there are several places to top up in between. From there, you’re on to Buc-ees in Florence, where there are some very nice Mercedes/Chargepoint chargers.

Excellent to know David, thanks so much for sharing. But-ees is a fun place, so sounds like a good reason to stop there!

 

[Doni Landefeld]

I will emphasize the app game. Download all the network apps that you could potentially run into along the trip, it will save you hassle and downtime trying to activate chargers with the kiosk interaction. Card readers dont often work on charge stands. Payment methods already setup in your ChargePoint, EVgo, Blink, EA, etc apps will only lessen the frustration of charging on a trip!

Great, thank you and I'll look for Blink as I've not heard of that one yet.

 

[jerseyff]

Great, thank you and I'll look for Blink as I've not heard of that one yet.

I have run into Blink mostly at hotels as a L2 overnight option.

 

[Doni Landefeld]

My understanding, subject to correction by the many technical experts on this forum, is that the high voltage (HV) battery charging speed, on DC chargers, is pretty limited if the battery isn't in an optimal temperature range (maybe 65-75 degrees F?). This seems to apply even at very low charging rates.

This winter with outdoor temperatures around 40, I dropped in on a 50-kW charger with about 80% charge, hoping to "top up" for a long trip home. I hadn't preconditioned the battery. My initial charge rate was about 19 kW, which I thought was because the battery was nearing 100%. But the R1S started warming up the battery, and soon I was getting the full 50 kW.

So my tentative answer is: Yes, preconditioning speeds DC charging -- often dramatically -- especially if the outside temperature is cold or hot.

Others will contribute their knowledge too. I hope this helps!

Excellent help! Thanks for all!

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