ABRP says go through Canada to avoid midwest/rockies states

[RBR1S]

So I gave ABPR the basics (it's already setup with R1S for planning) - get me from Normal IL to Seattle WA. My idea was a factory delivery for my R1S.

Is this thing serious? Is the charging across those states that bad that it is telling me to go to Canada?

Thoughts on "a better route" than ABRP. I'm a bit mind blown that it wants me to avoid 5 states and go to a different country to get home.

What is the "midwest/rockies" really like for charging? Is it really that bad?

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[cbrcanuck]

That’s funny. It was always the opposite road tripping cross Canada. You went through the US if you wanted faster highways and cheaper gas.

 

[schwartz83]

I used to get that route from Minneapolis to Tacoma. Now it says I can make it on I-90. I entered 2.2 mi/kWh for the reference consumption since I'll be making the trip in warmer weather.

 

[Mjhirsch78]

Non-Tesla charging is that bad in the Dakotas. Up until this month, Montana was also barely possible. We are still not sure if we can use our truck this summer for our big trip from WA to WI.

 

[COdogman]

It gave me a different route when I entered Normal to Kirkland, but also came with a disclaimer LOL

That section cutting through WY appears to be the issue.

 

[Riviot]

It could be either 1) weather/road accessibility or 2) incorrect charger information. Our recent trip to Montana sent me from Spokane up through Canada near Fernie, because it thought the Smelterville EV chargers were unavailable. They all worked fine.

 

[bhopkins]

Also look at Plugshare and check out the charging stations along the US route to see if they are up and working. South Dakota doesn’t have a lot of chargers online yet (appears they are building some that will make the route doable in a few months).

 

[crashmtb]

Non-Tesla charging is that bad in the Dakotas. Up until this month, Montana was also barely possible. We are still not sure if we can use our truck this summer for our big trip from WA to WI.

It’s also that bad in Alberta and Saskatchewan. ABRP presumes functioning petro-canada chargers…

 

[lslick23]

So I gave ABPR the basics (it's already setup with R1S for planning) - get me from Normal IL to Seattle WA. My idea was a factory delivery for my R1S.

Is this thing serious? Is the charging across those states that bad that it is telling me to go to Canada?

Thoughts on "a better route" than ABRP. I'm a bit mind blown that it wants me to avoid 5 states and go to a different country to get home.

What is the "midwest/rockies" really like for charging? Is it really that bad?

I think it might be taking the elevation changes into account as well. It stays pretty flat until you hit the Canadian Rockies and into Montana.

 

[crashmtb]

I think it might be taking the elevation changes into account as well. It stays pretty flat until you hit the Canadian Rockies and into Montana.

Flat, sure(can watch your dog run away for three days etc), but you’re still going “uphill” mostly toward the mountains across the prairies, and generally with head or crosswinds.

 

[VSG]

Yeah I don't know what went wrong on your end, or whether that's due to your settings somehow, whether you have an account or a premium membership or are doing this anonymously ... but I NEVER get that route, even if I start up in Minneapolis. The route ABRP shows me goes due west from Normal, through Denver and Salt Lake (staying south of WY), then up 84 through Boise and Yakima then 90 through the pass.

Try dropping a waypoint somewhere along the way to force the route in the direction you want to go. You can cross most dead zones if you plan an overnight with hotel charging to bridge the gap between fast chargers. You have to sleep somewhere ... Chose a hotel, add that to your waypoints, and set the departure charge for that waypoint to account for your overnight charging. Then re-route. Lots of hotels have Tesla destination chargers which will allow you to charge fully overnight. Make sure you have a Tesla to J1772 adapter with you.

 

[96-ramair]

So I gave ABPR the basics (it's already setup with R1S for planning) - get me from Normal IL to Seattle WA. My idea was a factory delivery for my R1S.

Is this thing serious? Is the charging across those states that bad that it is telling me to go to Canada?

Thoughts on "a better route" than ABRP. I'm a bit mind blown that it wants me to avoid 5 states and go to a different country to get home.

What is the "midwest/rockies" really like for charging? Is it really that bad?

I'm a Mach-E owner who's driven from MT to Denver twice, and yup, charging in eastern MT, the Dakotas and northern WY is really that bad, at least for DCFC stations. I have to go through UT and add several hundred miles to my trip to make it, because that area is a black hole for charging options.

Heck, the state is quoted as saying: " Wyoming has no desire to establish infrastructure that will likely fail." Nice.

 

[Autolycus]

Heck, the state is quoted as saying: " Wyoming has no desire to establish infrastructure that will likely fail." Nice.

Yikes. Of course, they're being pretty stupid with this in a cut off your nose to spite your face kind of way. I understand why they don't want to commit any state dollars to the projects, but the 20% can come from private sources. I'm sure EA, Tesla, EVGo, etc. would all love to get 80% of the costs for a charging station covered. Admittedly, $27MM over 5 years isn't a ton of money, but it's better than nothing.

While I agree with Wyoming that the routes to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons should get some subsidies, this thread shows why the administration is insisting on the AFC's first. They're essential for interstate travel, whereas getting to the popular NPs isn't.

I also have a really hard time believing that no 4-pedestal station would be profitable until the 2040s even with the federal government funding 80% of the installation cost.

 

[Doug]

I live in southwest MN. Yes the Dakota and Montana are sparse with chargers. Especially level 3 chargers. We are planning a trip this summer to Red Lodge Montana then coming home thru North Dakota as we have some work on the way home. Billings to Glendive worries me a little. 220 miles of nothing and one level 2 that is reported to be expensive in Glendive. On the bright side it looks like there are plans for several chargers to be built to fill some of the gaps.

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