Enhancement request: GPS must be dynamic regarding range

[Bbq9]

Requirement: charge points need to adjust / adapt based on current consumption rate and not just when the route is first planned.

Description: much like dynamic routing based on traffic conditions suggested charge points need to flex based on driver style and conditions. This should be updated every 5 mins or so.

Bonus: chargers status needs to be incorporated into the map. Ideally live charger status should be incorporated into route planning.

Context:
Coming back from Scottsdale yesterday I entered my home address - 750 miles away - and the GPS plotted a nice route with two stops (I was staring at 65%)

As many know the route is not flat with two significant passes.
The suggested stops were at San Bernardino and Harris ranch.

With no way of setting minimum charge nor destination charge (cf abrp) i arrived at charge stop1 with 4% … at 2am … and extremely high anxiety. Why 4% ?? Well … wind for the last 60+ miles was bad. Really bad.
And while I thought I’d arrive at with 10% the routing took us a wrong way and then simply skipped to the next charge stop (250 miles away - even though I had 4%)
My old ice should have every petrol station flashing loudly as soon as my rant was at 25 miles (it showed the icons of all petrol stations when I got to 50 miles).
But nooo had to try to find fast charger using the awful search (though anything at that point would have been good and I almost diverted to find an L2 charger

Worse. 2am. Four chargers. Only one working. Three cars. Sigh. That stop was nearly two hours.

After this experience I added an extra stop since I knew it was going to be wet n windy in the Bay Area when I made it back

Total journey: 745 miles / average 3.1 miles/kWh / 16 hours

@Firstto520

 

[DeaneG]

Wow, that's the most difficult EV trip I've heard of.

 

[Bbq9]

Wow, that's the most difficult EV trip I've heard of.

the family slept
and I did my maths

when they woke I smiled and said "Its all good"

 

[DeaneG]

the family slept
and I did my maths

when they woke I smiled and said "Its all good"

We bought the EV ticket, not them.. it'll get better over the coming few years.

 

[hellolucid]

Worse. 2am. Four chargers. Only one working. Three cars. Sigh. That stop was nearly two hours.

yikes. is this normal? any long time (non-Tesla) EV users please chime in. at 2am, i would not expect other cars at the charging station but if three chargers are not working, i guess it makes sense

@Bbq9 have you used plugshare for this trip? i wonder how up to date their information is. I'm surprised that you didn't deplete your remaining 4% charge while waiting for the other cars to finish charging (~2hrs).

 

[Sandvinsd]

I haven’t done a 2am charge, though I have done some after 11p. i have never had to take 2 hours to charge, but have had it take over an hour - two chargers, both in use, one person waiting and I pull up. Wait 30‘ for the second person to finish, who had just started his charge and then 30’ for me. If there were two people waiting, then I would try and go find another charger, but if you only had 4% charge, you are really caught between a rock and a hard place. If you were in an interstate travel corridor, I can absolutely see that “2 hr to charge“ happening. Rule of thumb is never to allow your charge to get that low on a trip. try to charge at 20%. Also always check station histories through PlugShare before leaving on a trip to make sure there haven’t been problems with stations. Map out your stations and alternates on the trip. Anytime you stop, always try to get a little charge, even if it is only 10’. These are not something you have to think about in an ICE, but you do in an EV for now.

 

[DeaneG]

Besides checking Plugshare, check the charge station provider's phone app - Electrify America etc. It may have more up-to-date into than Plugshare, though no app will tell you how many cars are waiting.

 

[hellolucid]

does EA app shows how busy their location is? maybe an estimated wait time?

 

[Adnillien]

does EA app shows how busy their location is? maybe an estimated wait time?

It just shows the number of chargers available.

 

[Sandvinsd]

Besides checking Plugshare, check the charge station provider's phone app - Electrify America etc. It may have more up-to-date into than Plugshare, though no app will tell you how many cars are waiting.

I have found the Pugshare app to be reliable as to machine functionality. The users are very good about reporting on the app if they have had issues, both chargers not working and not available because they are in use. That losses the score of the station. I avoid specifically stations with low scores If I can help it. You can scan the checkins to make sure they are recent.

 

[Bbq9]

I haven’t done a 2am charge, though I have done some after 11p. i have never had to take 2 hours to charge, but have had it take over an hour - two chargers, both in use, one person waiting and I pull up. Wait 30‘ for the second person to finish, who had just started his charge and then 30’ for me. If there were two people waiting, then I would try and go find another charger, but if you only had 4% charge, you are really caught between a rock and a hard place. If you were in an interstate travel corridor, I can absolutely see that “2 hr to charge“ happening. Rule of thumb is never to allow your charge to get that low on a trip. try to charge at 20%. Also always check station histories through PlugShare before leaving on a trip to make sure there haven’t been problems with stations. Map out your stations and alternates on the trip. Anytime you stop, always try to get a little charge, even if it is only 10’. These are not something you have to think about in an ICE, but you do in an EV for now.

Yes, in hindsight - lots of things I could have done differently (first EV etc)
Very good advice here (for fellow newbies)
I think what I would have liked is - like some of the petrol cars I’ve driven - when you get low, the gps starts marking (increasingly loudly) all the petrol stations. The lucid nav does not. In fact it doesn’t replan / or adjust the projected charging stop even if the weather or driving style mean you will never make it. I foolishly thought it might… and that quickly became wished it did

 

[Bbq9]

yikes. is this normal? any long time (non-Tesla) EV users please chime in. at 2am, i would not expect other cars at the charging station but if three chargers are not working, i guess it makes sense

@Bbq9 have you used plugshare for this trip? i wonder how up to date their information is. I'm surprised that you didn't deplete your remaining 4% charge while waiting for the other cars to finish charging (~2hrs).

I was relying on the car, abrp and the ea app… so no I wasn’t using plugshare (Though I had it available)

once I realized I was going to be waiting, I turning off the ac, and turned the lights to side lights only to minimize. Then tried to guilt trip the two cars in front to let me go quick (didn’t work) they too were on a long road trip.

it was stressful, but worked out ok, and I learnt a LOT