Planning upcoming road trip from Southwest Florida to South New Jersey

[Doni Landefeld]

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

Thanks for contributing to my steep learning curve Darren - so good to know!

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[Foobar]

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.

I would trust the navigation since it knows how much juice you have and what kind of efficiency you're getting along with where the available charging stops are and what to do about conditioning.

That being said, the navigation is not a set once and forget proposition - it makes course corrections throughout the trip so be aware of mid-course changes that you might need to make as the computer figures out what the most efficient route is based on realtime conditions.

For what it's worth, I have a trip planned from Long Island, NY to Orlando, FL and back and for the entire duration, it's keeping me on the expected route - I95 for the most part. This is using CCS1 and NACS charging options.

 

[Foobar]

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.

I've done a NY to Illinois trip and aside from a crowded stop in Northern Indiana where I decided not to wait and found a slower charger at a nearby car dealership, the navigation computer was spot on with recommended charging stops and routing through traffic. I was running ABRP on my phone as a secondary and they deviated slightly due to the navigation computer knowing more about pre-conditioning efficiencies and needing to charge sooner than later.

 

[Doni Landefeld]

I would trust the navigation since it knows how much juice you have and what kind of efficiency you're getting along with where the available charging stops are and what to do about conditioning.

That being said, the navigation is not a set once and forget proposition - it makes course corrections throughout the trip so be aware of mid-course changes that you might need to make as the computer figures out what the most efficient route is based on realtime conditions.

For what it's worth, I have a trip planned from Long Island, NY to Orlando, FL and back and for the entire duration, it's keeping me on the expected route - I95 for the most part. This is using CCS1 and NACS charging options.

Great to know and thanks for chiming in!

 

[diabolik]

@Doni Landefeld have you ordered an adapter so you can use the Tesla superchargers? Having one should help ease all of your anxiety! I know @A2ZEV is currently taking about 4-5 weeks from order to delivery. Depending on when your trip is that could be a great option.

Alternatively, I live in Punta Gorda and if the dates do not conflict with any of my travel plans I would be happy to loan you mine!

 

[Doni Landefeld]

@Doni Landefeld have you ordered an adapter so you can use the Tesla superchargers? Having one should help ease all of your anxiety! I know @A2ZEV is currently taking about 4-5 weeks from order to delivery. Depending on when your trip is that could be a great option.

Alternatively, I live in Punta Gorda and if the dates do not conflict with any of my travel plans I would be happy to loan you mine!

That's so very kind of you to offer Sean. I opted in for the Tesla adapter and am hoping it will arrive before end of May/early June.

 

[A2ZEV]

@Doni Landefeld have you ordered an adapter so you can use the Tesla superchargers? Having one should help ease all of your anxiety! I know @A2ZEV is currently taking about 4-5 weeks from order to delivery. Depending on when your trip is that could be a great option.

Alternatively, I live in Punta Gorda and if the dates do not conflict with any of my travel plans I would be happy to loan you mine!

We are happy to announce that it now takes 2 weeks from today for an order to ship. We are now doing first week of April and are getting pretty fast at shipping orders.

 

[Deacon]

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.

If you are going up I-95 Circle K has chargers in Fayetteville and Dunn in NC. My experience with Circle K has been good. Chargers are new and don't show up in most apps. Be sure to download the app beforehand. I generally pick out all my charging options along my desired route ahead of time so that there is always a plan B. First option is always RAN. I have had pretty good success with EA. You never know, so always have plan B!

 

[R.I.P.]

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.

Get an adapter & make your life easy.

?

 

[ads75]

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.

About 33% of the time I have done HVDC charging, I have had to wait in line to charge (mostly on Fri/Sat/Sun, weekends more people travel, so more crowds). Usually the waits are around 30 minutes, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. I don't mind that it usually takes around 30-45 minutes to charge at a HVDC station, but adding 30 minute waits prior to plugging in makes me consider using my Wrangler for longer trips (and my Wrangler sucks for long road trips).

I don't take my Rivian to the Jersey Shore because of the lack of chargers in the area, most HVDC stations are located closer to I-95. If you are renting a house with a charger, that won't matter to you. Also, because its the Jersey Shore, if you park and don't drive until you leave, the lack of HVDC chargers may not matter. As I remember, most of Sea Isle is walking distance from anywhere else in Sea Isle. When I used to go to Sea Isle, I usually parked, and didn't drive until I left to go home.

 

[Doni Landefeld]

If you are going up I-95 Circle K has chargers in Fayetteville and Dunn in NC. My experience with Circle K has been good. Chargers are new and don't show up in most apps. Be sure to download the app beforehand. I generally pick out all my charging options along my desired route ahead of time so that there is always a plan B. First option is always RAN. I have had pretty good success with EA. You never know, so always have plan B!

Added this to my notes. Thanks @Deacon

 

[Doni Landefeld]

@Doni Landefeld you may want to reconsider the A2Z adapter! I think the general consensus is the official Rivian adapters are going to take some time to get caught up with demand and they haven't even started shipping them yet. I doubt you will see it in time!

Many people (including myself) have used the A2Z with no issue whatsoever. With any of the referral links you should be able to get it for $168 and it may be great to have with you just in case!

Thanks @diabolik, I'll look into this adapter.

 

[Doni Landefeld]

About 33% of the time I have done HVDC charging, I have had to wait in line to charge (mostly on Fri/Sat/Sun, weekends more people travel, so more crowds). Usually the waits are around 30 minutes, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. I don't mind that it usually takes around 30-45 minutes to charge at a HVDC station, but adding 30 minute waits prior to plugging in makes me consider using my Wrangler for longer trips (and my Wrangler sucks for long road trips).

I don't take my Rivian to the Jersey Shore because of the lack of chargers in the area, most HVDC stations are located closer to I-95. If you are renting a house with a charger, that won't matter to you. Also, because its the Jersey Shore, if you park and don't drive until you leave, the lack of HVDC chargers may not matter. As I remember, most of Sea Isle is walking distance from anywhere else in Sea Isle. When I used to go to Sea Isle, I usually parked, and didn't drive until I left to go home.

Thanks @ads75 . My plan was to charge with the included 220 plug by hooking up to my dryer outlet. But you're making me think. Totally makes sense that weekends would be more crowded and congested, so maybe I'll do my driving through the week.

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