Plugshare trip planning
PlugShare.com has a trip planning tool to map routes, identify chargers and estimate trip time. Teslas already have a trip planning tool so this is for Leaf, BMW i3, and other EV owners. I will use my BMW i3-REx as an example for a pure EV trip from Huntsville to Nashville.
Entering my destination charger at the “Brentwood YMCA,” it drew an “Avoid Highways” route with a circle showing the EV range. The fast DC charger in Manchester TN disappeared from the range circle because the option “Show Along Route Only” meant Manchester was not close enough to display (See Fig 2.) http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_020.jpg After disabling “Show Along Route Only,” the range circle included both the NEMA 14-50 at the Tennessean Truck Stop along I-65 and the fast DC charger in Manchester (See Fig 3.) http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_030.jpg Clicking on the Manchester charger pop-ups the option to “Add to Trip” (See Fig 4.) http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_040.jpg Enabling this charger draws the route to Brentwood but shows a red box warning “76.2 mi” on the Huntsville to Manchester segment. It is just over the rated 72 mi (See Fig 5.) http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_050.jpg On a nice day without A/C or heating, driving the speed limit while using “ECO PRO” or “ECO PRO+” mode, the BMW i3 has just enough EV range to reach Manchester. Of course my BMW i3-REx has a gas engine in case the charge runs out. Fast DC charging in Manchester takes 40 minutes and costs ~$12 to get enough to reach Nashville.
So I replaced the Manchester charger with the NEMA 14-50 at the Tennessean Truck Stop and allowed Highway routing by disabling “Avoid Highways” (See Fig. 6.) http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_060.jpg The slower, NEMA 14-50 charge time, ~2 hours, cost $3. However, the shorter distance means more reserve range for each segment to deal with heating, A/C, or bad weather.
Always check the charger user log before leaving as they can beak. Worse, many “J1772” chargers do not document reduced charging rates. For example UAH limits charging to 16 A and Blink is well known to limit charging to 24 A. When initially charging, check to see if the rate matches your expectation by noting the SOC, taking a 5-10 minute break, measuring the time, and the increased SOC. Be a friend and include this in your charging comment. Bob Wilson ps. Key trip planning options:
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Now that we have a model from PlugShare, how does the theory validate with reality:
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_210.jpg http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_220.jpg Driving aggressively with cruise control set on the +5 to +10 mph of the 55 to 75 mph speed limit, I reached the Tennessean Truck Stop quickly, parked and plugged in: http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_230.jpg http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_240.jpg http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_250.jpg To my surprise the NEMA 14-50 was energized. I used it to configure my EVSE for 32 A service and called the ShorePower number, (888)841-3137. The service clerk was nice and quickly setup my account. Apparently I get the first 10 hours free and they waived the $1 connect fee. My two hours would only cost $2 if I was being charged ... nice. I walked the dogs, visited the bathroom, and had a coffee with hot truck stop soup. The EVSE was configured for a maximum of 32 A but the BMW i3-REx will only accept up to 31 A. Not knowing how the charging session was timed, I set an alarm to go off after 1 hr and 30 minutes: http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_260.jpg http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_270.jpg This agreed nicely with the posted 30 A limit. Along with a $5 package of beef jerky to reward the dogs, it was time to drive home. The drive back, I took a detour to work on a 2003 Prius with a bad brake booster. This added miles so I had to approach the free, Huntsville, fast DC charger driving efficiently to avoid the 6% threshold that would start the REx: http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_280.jpg Even with the detour, I still reached the Huntsville, fast DC charger without burning gasoline: http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/BMW/Plug_290.jpg CONCLUSIONS The 111 miles with the detour exceeds the 104 miles in the PlugShare model even with the extra detour miles. It was ~50 F (10 C), dry, and low wind showing the drive to Nashville was entirely practical. Had I driven the speed limit on the first leg and used the full, 2 hour charging, I would have had extra kWh reserve and fewer miles to reach Huntsville. Charging at an EVgo station in Nashville runs about $12 so total EV cost to Nashville would be ~$14. It takes ~$6 gasoline to drive the same distance. However, on the return trip, the truck stop, ShorePower $2 and free Huntsville charge would be a significant savings over the $6 in gasoline to drive back. By happy accident, this validation test costs nothing to drive 111 miles. Bob Wilson |
It cost you $5 in beef jerky, an undisclosed amount for coffee and soup, and hours of your time.
I'm not willing to pay that much every 100 miles I want to travel in either time or money. The adventure aspect I get, and I'd do it a couple times just for that, but as a regular means of travel, it's not my cup of tea. I'd stick to local driving in my hypothetical EV, or burn that gas if I had a REx. |
Problem is that a lot of these charging stations are a rip off if you aren't already signed up for a subscription through the owning company.
On the leaf owners fb group people some where in CA are complaining that they got charged $70 to use a DC fast charger. They got charged something like $20 or $25 for parking there and then got hosed for $2 per kwh. |
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