First Road Trip Palm Springs to Portland

[PSPJames]

Decided to road trip our six month old Macan 4S from Palm Springs to Portland. I've done the drive 14 times in the past 4 years. 13 times were in our old Model 3 and last year was in our Cayenne. This year I decided (after watching daveo4ev's trip to WA) to try the Macan. I did my research as we take back roads out of the city and up highway 99 (versus the suggested route around Los Angeles and up I-5, which adds about six layers of stress). Mapped out the route, looked at the EA stations, came up with alternative plans, investigated the Pilot Flying J stations (at 66 cents/kwh!). Used the Porsche Navigation with ABRP on my phone as a backup. Said a prayer and took off with the dog and cat in tow...

Day One was Palm Springs to Red Bluff. We charged at four different EA stations without any issues! Plug and Charge worked flawlessly, charging speeds were good, we never had to wait for a station..... just like driving with the Tesla! 658 miles took 12 hours with charging stops.

Left Red Bluff this morning with a full charge (thanks, Best Western for the free charging!). At stop one, Medford OR, the fun begins... Plug and Charge won't work. Then I try through the app, but it won't connect with the car. Tried three of the six chargers. Finally called EA. The rep reset the charger and walked me through initiating through the EA app. 4th time was the charm.

Next stop was Sutherlin, OR. The PCS kept redirecting me further up the road to the Flying J, but it was 66 cents/kwh and I needed a long charge (16-85%) to make it to Portland. Decided I'd roll the dice at Sutherlin. Pulled in and noticed one 150 and one 350 charger empty. Started charging at the 350 kw (plug and charge worked this time). Was pulling a whopping 60kw at a 16% SOC. Now I see why Bolts tie up all the chargers. Time for a nap! The guy at the 350kw charger next to me was charging at 70kw at 70% SOC. This wasn't a "balanced charger." Kept charging and then the guy at the other 150kw charger left and someone else pulled in. Peeked around and they were charging at 174kw! Again called EA to inquire what was up. The non-helpful response was, "well, the last person who charged there was at 150kw, so the charger is working (even though it's labeled 350) so we will open up a ticket, but the charger is working as it's supposed to." Uh huh. Decided on a whim to move to the other 150kw charger. Started right up at 174kw!

Moral of the story... charging still is not perfect, but better than I expected. If you are getting slow speed, try the slower charger. Go figure! I will say that this car is THE BOMB on a road trip... so comfortable, incredibly quick, can zip around slow people driving in the fast lane... we did hit triple digits a few times by accident with such ease. Ended up at about 2.4 efficiency, which isn't bad with a full load + a/c going + ventilated seats + well over speed limit.

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[Barry41561]

This was GREAT to read - thank you so much for taking the time to write this out.

I've done the mapping for my upcoming (first week of Oct) Los Angeles -> Edison NJ trip. Average days will be pretty much identical to what you reported - approximately 600-650 miles / day. Total distance is 2,900 miles. Thinking (planning) I can get it done in 5 days (did the reverse trip 38 years ago in my Saab 9000 - took 4 days....). Of course - as 'insurance' Supercharger access would let me breathe a bit more easily, but who knows when that will be available....

I will update as I make my way across the USA.

 

[daveo4EV]

Decided to road trip our six month old Macan 4S from Palm Springs to Portland. I've done the drive 14 times in the past 4 years. 13 times were in our old Model 3 and last year was in our Cayenne. This year I decided (after watching daveo4ev's trip to WA) to try the Macan. I did my research as we take back roads out of the city and up highway 99 (versus the suggested route around Los Angeles and up I-5, which adds about six layers of stress). Mapped out the route, looked at the EA stations, came up with alternative plans, investigated the Pilot Flying J stations (at 66 cents/kwh!). Used the Porsche Navigation with ABRP on my phone as a backup. Said a prayer and took off with the dog and cat in tow...

Day One was Palm Springs to Red Bluff. We charged at four different EA stations without any issues! Plug and Charge worked flawlessly, charging speeds were good, we never had to wait for a station..... just like driving with the Tesla! 658 miles took 12 hours with charging stops.

Left Red Bluff this morning with a full charge (thanks, Best Western for the free charging!). At stop one, Medford OR, the fun begins... Plug and Charge won't work. Then I try through the app, but it won't connect with the car. Tried three of the six chargers. Finally called EA. The rep reset the charger and walked me through initiating through the EA app. 4th time was the charm.

Next stop was Sutherlin, OR. The PCS kept redirecting me further up the road to the Flying J, but it was 66 cents/kwh and I needed a long charge (16-85%) to make it to Portland. Decided I'd roll the dice at Sutherlin. Pulled in and noticed one 150 and one 350 charger empty. Started charging at the 350 kw (plug and charge worked this time). Was pulling a whopping 60kw at a 16% SOC. Now I see why Bolts tie up all the chargers. Time for a nap! The guy at the 350kw charger next to me was charging at 70kw at 70% SOC. This wasn't a "balanced charger." Kept charging and then the guy at the other 150kw charger left and someone else pulled in. Peeked around and they were charging at 174kw! Again called EA to inquire what was up. The non-helpful response was, "well, the last person who charged there was at 150kw, so the charger is working (even though it's labeled 350) so we will open up a ticket, but the charger is working as it's supposed to." Uh huh. Decided on a whim to move to the other 150kw charger. Started right up at 174kw!

Moral of the story... charging still is not perfect, but better than I expected. If you are getting slow speed, try the slower charger. Go figure! I will say that this car is THE BOMB on a road trip... so comfortable, incredibly quick, can zip around slow people driving in the fast lane... we did hit triple digits a few times by accident with such ease. Ended up at about 2.4 efficiency, which isn't bad with a full load + a/c going + ventilated seats + well over speed limit.

glad to hear it's going well - ROFL laughing - same charging stops in some cases as my Santa Cruz to Seattle round trip
Medord, OR

NOTE: the dual-cord-front-holster 350 kW stations in my experience have always been more problematic - unless they are the newer model "single cord" units - if you pull in and the stations have "two cords" and the holsters for the cords are on the "front" of the unit - then those 350 kW units/hardware have always been more problematic in my experience - the 150 kW unit routinely deliver 175 kW if the battery is in the correct SOC range to allow it…

the single cord units have been rock stars @ EA and work really really well in my personal experience.

good luck on the rest of your trip!

 

[daveo4EV]

I've had much much better experience with the types of EA hardware shown below (single long cord units)

vs. the dual cord units with the cord holsters on the front (see below) - I can rarely think of a time with my Taycan or Macan that I've had success @ the 350 kW versions of these units - the 150 kW versions are ok in terms of my experience and 175 kW is common initial charging speed:

YMMV - but beware the dual-cord-front-holster units - I've even rerouted my planned charging stops when there is a choice if the plug-share pics show these units and I have a choice of different EA hardware at a different location…

my $0.02

 

[CandianPorsche83]

Thanks for sharing!

BTW Anybody know how to set the Porsche Nav to sort out points of interest in order of distance? I used search on a recent trip and when I entered in a location it told me to drive to Maine (I live in Canada lol) as the first option and then a mix bag of other options. I had to scroll down quite a bit to find the location I wanted

Optionally I suppose I can use Google maps or Apple Maps but just wondering if there was an option for the Porsche NA since that’s the one I would use for roadtrips

Thanks!

 

[fubar.droid]

This is why I refuse to take my Macan on a long distance trip, just do not want to deal with the hassles of DCFC charging. I'll stick to ICE until EV charging gets to a point where it can be done without planning ahead.

 

[refazi]

I've had much much better experience with the types of EA hardware shown below (single long cord units)



vs. the dual cord units with the cord holsters on the front (see below) - I can rarely think of a time with my Taycan or Macan that I've had success @ the 350 kW versions of these units - the 150 kW versions are ok in terms of my experience and 175 kW is common initial charging speed:


YMMV - but beware the dual-cord-front-holster units - I've even rerouted my planned charging stops when there is a choice if the plug-share pics show these units and I have a choice of different EA hardware at a different location…

my $0.02

They are replacing all of these older units (made by ABB i think) to the BTCPOWER single cord.
They are more reliable then the older stuff but still not perfect.
In february they replaced the 14 chargers here to the new one, and they still go "unavailable" for days until someone comes to fix them.
even in the "Flagship" site they have in SF with 20 stations, 1-2 are always broken when i'm there on a monthly basis, maybe @Flying ace can share more of his experience there.

 

[dbsb3233]

This is why I refuse to take my Macan on a long distance trip, just do not want to deal with the hassles of DCFC charging. I'll stick to ICE until EV charging gets to a point where it can be done without planning ahead.

It's not for everyone. We've been doing CCS road trips for 5 years now, with over 60,000 miles thru 40 states (most in our Mach-E, an now 3 trips in the Macan). One trip was 6000 miles alone. Completed a 3000 mile trip this week. It's certainly doable, but it does take more prep, planning, and time. The vast majority of it was using EA, but some Supercharger use (the Mach-E has SC access) and some other networks.

It becomes sort a game in itself, finding chargers (and backups just in case), calculating range and efficiency, elevation changes, weather, the whole nine yards. It's almost like filing a flight plan between airports.

With each passing year it gets easier as charging gets better, faster, and better coverage. But it's extra time and effort and stress, to be sure.

 

[PSPJames]

Since I'm based out of Palm Springs, we have only one set of 4 EA chargers in the city. Often at least one is out of service. Frequently there is a wait (especially if Bolts are charging). My fear, especially on the first day of our trip which was 12 hours driving, was finding a charging station inoperable or with a long queue. Luckily if you use the Porsche navigation, it shows the next charger and current availability. It certainly isn't as simple as when we drove the Tesla, but I agree that it seems the system is getting better. My hope is that by allowing more non-Teslas to use their system, it frees up the EA network a bit.

 

[Paris92]

I have used the Harrison Street Flagship location four times over the last two months, and on two of the four occasions one unit has been down.

 

[dbsb3233]

Since I'm based out of Palm Springs, we have only one set of 4 EA chargers in the city. Often at least one is out of service. Frequently there is a wait (especially if Bolts are charging). My fear, especially on the first day of our trip which was 12 hours driving, was finding a charging station inoperable or with a long queue. Luckily if you use the Porsche navigation, it shows the next charger and current availability. It certainly isn't as simple as when we drove the Tesla, but I agree that it seems the system is getting better. My hope is that by allowing more non-Teslas to use their system, it frees up the EA network a bit.

You can pretty much count on 1 charger at any 4-unit EA station (which most are) being down or seriously de-rated. Not quite as bad as it used to be, but still common.

But being retired, we have the luxury of often driving on off-peak days (midweek). That can make a big difference. We rarely run into waits at EA stations, but of course it's far more likely at peak travel times. Or in a peak state like CA where you live. Most of our CA drives have been on 395 getting between Vegas and Reno. But EV competition for DCFC is far more prevalent on the coastal side of the state, with more peak bottlenecks. I'd guess Palm Springs gets fairly busy (although moot point if you have home charging there).

 

[Paris92]

[

It becomes sort a game in itself, finding chargers (and backups just in case), calculating range and efficiency, elevation changes, weather, the whole nine yards. It's almost like filing a flight plan between airports.

This is how we are looking at it. It was part of our decision tree when we switched from looking at hybrids to considering the Macan EV. This will be a road trip car for us. We assume trips are going to be longer when we have to do advanced planning, build in the charging time, find alternate chargers when some are not functioning or unavailable, etc. We are retired and can typically afford the extra time involved. It is a welcomed challenge, but definitely not as easy as just getting in an ICE and taking off on a trip.

 

[USMA81]

[

This is how we are looking at it. It was part of our decision tree when we switched from looking at hybrids to considering the Macan EV. This will be a road trip car for us. We assume trips are going to be longer when we have to do advanced planning, build in the charging time, find alternate chargers when some are not functioning or unavailable, etc. We are retired and can typically afford the extra time involved. It is a welcomed challenge, but definitely not as easy as just getting in an ICE and taking off on a trip.

Ditto. Also, I’ve found that once I get out of urban areas, the EA stations along the highways are mostly unoccupied, at least where I’ve been driving, AZ, NM, UT, CO. And that lower utilization also helps when one is not working - just move to the next.

 

[Greybeard72]

This is why I refuse to take my Macan on a long distance trip, just do not want to deal with the hassles of DCFC charging. I'll stick to ICE until EV charging gets to a point where it can be done without planning ahead.

I don't know who or what you are.. but you have no location and your post looks like a troll or a bot.

 

[fubar.droid]

I don't know who or what you are.. but you have no location and your post looks like a troll or a bot.

So let me get the facts straight.. since you, Daniel AKA Greybard72, don't know who I am and I don't have a location listed, and my post, which I'm assuming doesn't agree with you, I am a troll (or a bot)?

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