Great descriptions about the EV driving experience, Rosana. One thing I'm curious about to compare to ICE trips... when you did have to pay, how much did it cost for each fill up, and how long did it take?
Good question! I haven't been keeping close track because we've hardly paid at all and I was so focused on just getting to the next stop. But this morning in Santa Fe we stopped for 35 min, charged the car from about 60% to 90% (and keep in mind it slows down after 80%), and it would have cost us $6 (the Electrify America chargers let us know how much we would have paid if the promotion hadn't still been in effect). We paid $20 to fully charge overnight once at a slower charger. The longest we've ever stopped was an hour and a half, to charge from very low to almost full because we had a long stretch ahead of us. Most of our charges are 30 - 50 min, and once we stopped for just 15 min to top off a bit. I'll track the amounts more on the way home. Of course, charging at home is much cheaper.
Great post. Love the photos. I still have range anxiety after 6 years and almost 100K miles. I once had to call AAA to tow me as I stopped in traffic (thank god late at night in low traffic with two passing guys willing and easily push my Leaf to a parking spot) less than a mile from my intended charging station. I foolishly added unplanned trips at the end of a work day (wishing they had installed at least outdoor L1 outlets in the parking lot). My unplanned extensions were plagued by 3 non-working L2 and L3 chargers. Sigh. Another time I stopped just within the charging cable’s reach!
I wish I have your luck of a plug-in promotions on my future road-trips. My all electric 2016 Nissan Leaf has a 30 KWH battery that has degraded (almost 25 percent) so now I get only 100 miles for a level trip driving myself with light load on a warm day. In cold weather expect 30%-40% less. If going uphill expect up to 50% less. I concur planning (using PlugShare and other apps) and having a flexible arrival time makes a huge difference in reducing range anxiety! Wouldn’t you say that is a metaphor for life? 🤓
Indeed, that can apply to so many things in life! As for an EV road trip, having a Bolt with a new battery helps. I applaud you for being an early adopter! But the reality is that a trip like this would be much harder with a Leaf. We can easily get 250 miles on a charge, though it does of course go down with hills, etc. When there are chargers every 50 miles it will be easier for you — and by then there may be many more options for longer-range EVs, even used ones.
Great descriptions about the EV driving experience, Rosana. One thing I'm curious about to compare to ICE trips... when you did have to pay, how much did it cost for each fill up, and how long did it take?
Good question! I haven't been keeping close track because we've hardly paid at all and I was so focused on just getting to the next stop. But this morning in Santa Fe we stopped for 35 min, charged the car from about 60% to 90% (and keep in mind it slows down after 80%), and it would have cost us $6 (the Electrify America chargers let us know how much we would have paid if the promotion hadn't still been in effect). We paid $20 to fully charge overnight once at a slower charger. The longest we've ever stopped was an hour and a half, to charge from very low to almost full because we had a long stretch ahead of us. Most of our charges are 30 - 50 min, and once we stopped for just 15 min to top off a bit. I'll track the amounts more on the way home. Of course, charging at home is much cheaper.
Great post. Love the photos. I still have range anxiety after 6 years and almost 100K miles. I once had to call AAA to tow me as I stopped in traffic (thank god late at night in low traffic with two passing guys willing and easily push my Leaf to a parking spot) less than a mile from my intended charging station. I foolishly added unplanned trips at the end of a work day (wishing they had installed at least outdoor L1 outlets in the parking lot). My unplanned extensions were plagued by 3 non-working L2 and L3 chargers. Sigh. Another time I stopped just within the charging cable’s reach!
I wish I have your luck of a plug-in promotions on my future road-trips. My all electric 2016 Nissan Leaf has a 30 KWH battery that has degraded (almost 25 percent) so now I get only 100 miles for a level trip driving myself with light load on a warm day. In cold weather expect 30%-40% less. If going uphill expect up to 50% less. I concur planning (using PlugShare and other apps) and having a flexible arrival time makes a huge difference in reducing range anxiety! Wouldn’t you say that is a metaphor for life? 🤓
Indeed, that can apply to so many things in life! As for an EV road trip, having a Bolt with a new battery helps. I applaud you for being an early adopter! But the reality is that a trip like this would be much harder with a Leaf. We can easily get 250 miles on a charge, though it does of course go down with hills, etc. When there are chargers every 50 miles it will be easier for you — and by then there may be many more options for longer-range EVs, even used ones.