Illinois to San Diego pulling 7x14 trailer

[StuGoss]

Pulled my 4,500 lbs. converted cargo trailer from central Illinois to San Diego. It's been an adventure to say the least.

$1,143.76 in EV charging with the most expensive being Francis Electric around Tulsa, OK at $.71 per kilowatt.

Dead zone for EV charging entering Texas panhandle to Amarillo. Luckily found a National Forest RV park with 110v charging. Had to stay there for three nights to charge with camp power plus my 2,000 watts of solar.

Should be interesting heading back because I'm going the north route through Colorado.

When I put in San Diego to Colorado Springs, https://abetterrouteplanner.com/ it says, "No working plan could be found."

So this should be fun.

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[Mark_AZR1T]

I don’t know if I should be in awe or send snacks and a medal!

 

[R1Ted]

Awesome looking set up!

Check your settings in ABRP. I set the efficiency to 1.0 mi/kwh and it looks like that trip should be possible, assuming a large pack quad.

 

[JRock]

I have to wonder when places like McDonalds and other fast food restaurants will see the profitability of putting in levels 2 and 3 chargers. Not only will they turn a tidy profit from the chargers, but they’ll see an increase in restaurant business while we wait for the charging to complete.
Am I missing something here?

 

[Jonger1150]

Average speed?

 

[StuGoss]

I have a 2025 large battery pack.
Most of the trip has been at 60 mph.
Tesla and Rivian chargers have been flawless.
Electrify America's have been a struggle but they all eventually worked.
Most stops I've had to unhook the trailer to get to a charger.
I'll try ABRP again with different settings.
Interestingly I think the Rivian route planner in the truck takes into consideration the elevation difference between the starting point and destination, but not in between.
At the start it said I would end with 70 miles but between was a huge hill/mountain and on the way up the hill the truck said I wouldn't make it to the charger.
But once I crested the hill and got to the charger I had about 60 miles left.
I also wish it would show state of charge percent instead of miles because the miles is shows is without hauling a trailer.
Also, in the image I show above I have no idea how they are calculating the "Range at 100%" in the Trailer Estimates.
That is way WAY off, by more that double.

 

[Jonger1150]

It's clearly not a cost savings using an EV to travel in 2025. Very little competition for charge operators to compete with. This won't be the case in the future, but it's the situation we have in 2025.

 

[shamoo]

I have to wonder when places like McDonalds and other fast food restaurants will see the profitability of putting in levels 2 and 3 chargers. Not only will they turn a tidy profit from the chargers, but they’ll see an increase in restaurant business while we wait for the charging to complete.
Am I missing something here?

It is quite expensive to install a Level 3/DC fast charger somewhere. Upwards of $100-200K installed for a single one (hardware + labor). If it is 50-150kw, then it could be cheaper. After more than a couple, you may have to rework your entire electrical system on your property to support it. Then outside of general maintenance, you still have to pay for electricity. You can probably make a couple of bucks for each use potentially, and that would depend on what state/area you operate in.

Level 2 in a fast food restaurant may not make sense. On a Rivian, you might get 15 miles an hour? At a McDonalds lunch with the family, you might get 5 miles if you're lucky.

I think it is tough and maybe that's why the charging infrastructure in the country still needs work. If it was "easy", it would be done already. But I don't know all the details.

 

[malditofman]

Pulled my 4,500 lbs. converted cargo trailer from central Illinois to San Diego. It's been an adventure to say the least.

$1,143.76 in EV charging with the most expensive being Francis Electric around Tulsa, OK at $.71 per kilowatt.

Dead zone for EV charging entering Texas panhandle to Amarillo. Luckily found a National Forest RV park with 110v charging. Had to stay there for three nights to charge with camp power plus my 2,000 watts of solar.

Should be interesting heading back because I'm going the north route through Colorado.

When I put in San Diego to Colorado Springs, https://abetterrouteplanner.com/ it says, "No working plan could be found."

So this should be fun.

Enjoy the adventure. The current administration wants to scrap loans for more EV charging stations. There are still some charging deserts here and there. RV campgrounds will sometimes allow EV charging as possible oasis in the desert. Drive well.

 

[mm01rivian]

ABRP (and built in Riv Nav) are good STARTING points for longer drives but they are not the end all. To do long western Mtn pulls you 100% need to invest the time in on PlugShare to cross ref options and routes. I also pull in google mapping to see what amenities and locations are like via StreetView. Lastly, the Supercharge.info website is a must. Not a Tesla guy but must give a nod to the charging infrastructure. It's solid. [Edit to note the map is showing Cortez, NM SC nearing completion which is very much in the zone of routes that might work) ABRP/RIV sometimes makes odd choices in what they prioritize or the routing saving a few miles vs a MUCH better charging stop etc. Towing (I have not done) you likely have to plot your own course or FORCE the ABRP to make changes manually entering in efficiencies etc as done above. All that said, I tell everyone that asks I love my Rivian but would never tow with it at distance. It's just not great there. And everyone that complains about road tripping not being cheap with an EV. Yup - same as gas if not more expensive. But what % of your annual miles are DCFC? 15%?

The NM/ High plains of West Texas area is a known weak spot in the DCFC map. I keeping harping that a MASSIVE amount of EVs from Texas travel this route in the summer in the pilgrimage to cooler temps and man, there are some weak spots on the map. CLOVIS, NM (which does have some DCFC) screams for a Riv or Tesla outpost.

 

[JRock]

It is quite expensive to install a Level 3/DC fast charger somewhere. Upwards of $100-200K installed for a single one (hardware + labor). If it is 50-150kw, then it could be cheaper. After more than a couple, you may have to rework your entire electrical system on your property to support it. Then outside of general maintenance, you still have to pay for electricity. You can probably make a couple of bucks for each use potentially, and that would depend on what state/area you operate in.

Level 2 in a fast food restaurant may not make sense. On a Rivian, you might get 15 miles an hour? At a McDonalds lunch with the family, you might get 5 miles if you're lucky.

I think it is tough and maybe that's why the charging infrastructure in the country still needs work. If it was "easy", it would be done already. But I don't know all the details.

Hotels, maybe? At least level 2 chargers…

 

[mm01rivian]

Hotels, maybe? At least level 2 chargers…

I don't see the the point (usually ) for MOST L2 public chargers to be meaningful on road trip routes etc. As noted above, they're SLOW for nearly all "day time use". And their cost and maintenance add up for the site owner, vandalism being of particular note. Hotels and Airport parking make the most sense but even there, they are OFTEN full (airports are worthless in my opinion as unless you luck out, you cannot plan on them). In my mind, (with some caveats) I think the 50 AMP RV plug and BYOC is possibly the better route for overnight locations to go, especially in the more rural areas where the road trip user may be best served. A row of 10-15 parking spots with 50 amp plugs at a Holiday Inn Express in remote NM would be more useful I think. Same for a secure airport parking. Gimme a row of 40+ outlets vs hoping 1 of 6-8 is available.

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