Road Trip...Sort Of

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PV1

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Anybody more experienced with highway driving than me at 60 MPH? What kind of range figure would I be looking at, no heat or AC?

I may need to do this trip very soon. I'd like to do it in the i-MiEV, but will most likely end up taking another vehicle.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/198+Garber+Rd,+Washington,+PA+15301/5200+U.S.+30,+Greensburg,+PA+15601/Sheetz,+U.S.+22,+Blairsville,+PA/400+E+Plank+Rd,+Altoona,+PA+16602/University+Park,+Centre+County,+PA/@40.4701201,-79.5932265,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m32!4m31!1m5!1m1!1s0x8835abdaad4f382d:0xae5209af6778ceb7!2m2!1d-80.153866!2d40.1434549!1m5!1m1!1s0x8834d1c63a38d8b3:0x1de81376bea0b0f9!2m2!1d-79.5027771!2d40.3024229!1m5!1m1!1s0x89cb37c9869c1fdb:0x2ac96a8fa9dc167e!2m2!1d-79.23026!2d40.444113!1m5!1m1!1s0x89cb916b8b133ba9:0xeda63ea9ffa2c2fc!2m2!1d-78.4026668!2d40.4801557!1m5!1m1!1s0x89cea6a5f4c6435f:0x5c94ee82eddd2a73!2m2!1d-77.8653126!2d40.8147955!3e0

Heading east, the first stop in Greensburg, PA is a Nissan dealer with a level 2 unit, the rest are Sheetz gas stations with quick chargers. Tons of places to charge at my destination. There's a general climb on the outbound leg, but nothing too steep. Will probably be just me in the car with a few boxes and my cord+adapters. At most, 220 lbs. total weight including my own. Temperature should be 50-70 F.

Thanks!! :mrgreen:
 
LOVE IT
:mrgreen:
ROAD TRIP
We're planning one for later this summer.

My best guestimate on a full charge would be
On flat ground

Speed of 55 mph ( 90kmph ) could get you 50 miles (85km) - or run over.

Speed of 60 mph ( 100kmph) could get you 46 miles (74 km)

At Fast chargers you would have to adjust this by 80%
Keep in mind this is coming from a guy who lives in the hills.

If you go for it -do share what you end up getting.

Good Luck
 
Can you drop the MPH to 55?
That should save a little.

But I am very anxiously watching this !
And video tape it !!
 
Looks like a piece of cake to me, especially with those Sheetz CHAdeMO stations. Be sure to take your 14-50 adapter just in case (I think you have the EVSEUpgraded EVSE?), as there are a few campgrounds along the way. Having a 10-30 adapter would also be good in case you need to mooch off somebody's older dryer outlet.

That's funny, the Nissan dealer in Greensberg doesn't show up on PlugShare, but the Star Chevrolet (usable 24/7) does.

Actually, since you're leaving on a full charge I think you might be able to skip Greensberg and go directly to that first Sheetz in Blairsville. Just find a truck doing 55 and follow it. Once there, I would spend an extra hour and have lunch and charge to 100% because of the the climb just ahead even though it's only 50 miles to the next stop.

You have some pretty good climbs starting at the 65 miles point but you get a huge downhill drop starting at about 105 miles. Use http://www.gpsvisualizer.com and enter your Google Map route link and select "Make a Profile".

Be sure to check the wind direction and strength predictions before you leave - that can totally alter your predictions.

We should start a pool as to exactly how many hours and minutes it will take from the time PV1 leaves until the time he arrives at that address - including stops for meals, traffic, blondes, etc. Just eyeballing it, my guess is seven hours.
 
Don said:
That's funny, the Nissan dealer in Greensberg doesn't show up on PlugShare, but the Star Chevrolet (usable 24/7) does.
The pins are practically on top of each other. You have to zoom in pretty close to see the Nissan dealer. I have noticed some issues with pins not showing up. Sitting in the same spot for a minute helps.

Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, I have the EVSEUpgrade, and so far I have adapters for L6-30, 14-50, and 10-50.

I'll probably be doing 55, I just asked about 60 mph range to have a cushion.

Depending on how much charge I have left will be the deciding factor for the stop at Nissan. I've reached out to Sheetz to have a quick charger put in at New Stanton (a few miles before Greensburg), but they haven't yet.

I mapped out a test route from my work to the quick charger in Cranberry (Eaton). It's 36 miles, just about all highway. I'll have to make up a "Range Test" sign. :lol:

MitsiRangeTestSign.jpg
 
Went to a jobsite today and took I-70 towards Greensburg. Though it was the company car, I was successful (read: not run off the road) at running 55 MPH, so 55 it will be.

Also, travelling along Route 22 on Street view, it seems the speed limit along most of the route from Blairsville to Ebensburg is 55, then it turns to 65 after that. But, I found an alternate route that reduces high-speed highway travel (and is actually 2 miles shorter). So, there is 40 miles of highway and 10 miles of 2-lane road between Blairsville and Altoona instead of 51 miles of highway. Even with a hill climb, that seems doable.

Then in between Altoona and State College, I can stay on the main road to Tyrone and avoid another 17 miles of highway travelling without a major time penalty!

Updated route:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/198+Garber+Rd,+Washington,+PA+15301/5200+U.S.+30,+Greensburg,+PA+15601/Sheetz,+U.S.+22,+Blairsville,+PA/400+E+Plank+Rd,+Altoona,+PA+16602/800+E+Park+Ave,+State+College,+PA+16803/@40.7276627,-78.0411477,12z/data=!4m52!4m51!1m5!1m1!1s0x8835abdaad4f382d:0xae5209af6778ceb7!2m2!1d-80.153866!2d40.1434549!1m5!1m1!1s0x8834d1c63a38d8b3:0x1de81376bea0b0f9!2m2!1d-79.5027771!2d40.3024229!1m10!1m1!1s0x89cb37c9869c1fdb:0x2ac96a8fa9dc167e!2m2!1d-79.23026!2d40.444113!3m4!1m2!1d-78.5350997!2d40.4727182!3s0x89cb9bdbd5872461:0x5b07771e6f446619!1m20!1m1!1s0x89cb916b8b133ba9:0xeda63ea9ffa2c2fc!2m2!1d-78.4026668!2d40.4801557!3m4!1m2!1d-78.3608061!2d40.5328282!3s0x89cb8d8ac5d1b07f:0xc1f6e9a01885912b!3m4!1m2!1d-78.2579626!2d40.6601074!3s0x89cbf50d41332f8d:0x56ff507045e6135a!3m4!1m2!1d-77.8948335!2d40.8075898!3s0x89cea7d9f1be1853:0xb749a85d972bacdf!1m5!1m1!1s0x89cea61422d9c65b:0x5cf3e6d9843bbced!2m2!1d-77.8546423!2d40.8147832!3e0
 
PV1 said:
But, I found an alternate route that reduces high-speed highway travel (and is actually 2 miles shorter). So, there is 40 miles of highway and 10 miles of 2-lane road between Blairsville and Altoona instead of 51 miles of highway.
We go almost everywhere this way - Often in sight of the freeway, but on a slower road which frequently turns out to be a little shorter too. Takes a bit longer, but always uses less juice and therefore you have more range

Some (but not all) Garmin GPS units have a 'custom route' feature where you can pre-program your trip, turn by turn using any route you like on any road. Makes it impossible to get lost, even when complicated sets of turns are involved. I originally thought they all had that capability, but they don't - Many GPS units are just about useless unless you stick to the freeways using only point A to point B. Not sure why anyone would want to buy one like that . . . . I guess many folks think a GPS is a GPS - NOT! :shock:

Don
 
Yeah, I have one of those highway cruiser style navs. Unless I specifically tell it to avoid highways, it'll take me 10 miles out of my way just to get on the highway. Once the highway avoidance is enabled and set on fastest route, it actually does pretty well. Just got to show it who's in control every now and then ;) .

I like roads that run along a river. Nice and level, smooth, gentle-sweeping turns, at least around here :D .
 
Halfway through my test run to Cranberry. 72 F, calm winds, sunny. I ran 40 miles from work to the charger, all but 4 miles on highway at speeds 55-60, with some 30-35 mph traffic and 65-75 for about a mile. I arrived at the quick charger with 7 bars, 30 miles RR. Trip had some hills, but fairly level and both endpoints near same elevation.

CaniOn dropped the connection on me three times, but an update seems to have fixed that. I'm nearly done with my quick charge and will be heading back, same route minus a detour. I will try to do better to hold 55 and not draft anybody.

Still have to analyze all the data and sync it with the video of the trip.

Oh, quick charging and level two match charging speed at 96% if anybody was wondering.
 
PV1, sounds like a good information-gathering trip. Will give you confidence when you embark on 'the real thing'.
PV1 said:
Oh, quick charging and level two match charging speed at 96% if anybody was wondering.
At 96%SoC, Level 2 is still at 3.1kW (about 13Aac) which is still above 5Adc into the battery pack. Do you have a CaniOn capture ever showing DCQC putting in less than 5A into the i-MiEV?

BTW, I now have a magnetic RANGE TEST IN PROGRESS that I stick onto the left rear whenever I'm long-trip hypermiling.
 
I had CaniOn running until the charger shut down, so there is data. I remember seeing kW input as low as 1.9 kW. When I charge level 2, I normally see 2.3 kW into the pack.

Yes, it was very informative. What a difference 55 instead of 65 makes. Warmer temperatures also help big time.
 
I started to comb through the data. The trip back, from the quick charger to the off-ramp, was 47.4 km. Consumption was 7,158 Wh, regen 200 Wh. Average moving speed was 71.9 kmh, overall average 65.3 kmh. I believe the trip to the highway caused the low average. My speed on the highway was between 55-60 mph (roughly 93 kmh), mostly at 58 MPH. Overall efficiency of this trip was 147 Wh/km, or 4.225 mi/kWh. Taking the main road to work, I usually see 120 wh/km.
 
We took this trip last year to Hyner Run State Park North of State College.

Ephrata to Hyner Run

We actually made a short stop in Lock Haven (a person I found on PlugShare) on the way up, but on the way back we didn't need too. I used 14-50 plugs (on my Clipper Creek L2 EVSE) at the campsites in Buttonwood and at Hyner Run. The weather was warm, not hot, so we didn't have to use the AC. Total miles round trip was about 400, trip time (driving + charging) was 18 hours ... so a day each way. That sounds long, but we had a nice 4-5 hour break in the middle to play mini-golf and kayak on the way up/back, respectively, while the car charged at L2. With just one L3 charger at the mid point and just 30% more range in the iMiev, this could actually be a trip not significantly longer than an ICE does it.

When driving my goal was always to keep it between 55 and 60, or the max speed limit for the road if less than that. It was slow and ponderous, but I never felt like people were annoyed or trying to run me off the road. I kept a log of the actual miles driven, we never had a leg more than 55 miles (my wife would have had a conniption if I had pushed it any more than that).

I had considered other trips up to State College in the meantime, but one of the Sheetz L3 chargers on the way appeared to be out of order, and I just didn't want to risk it. So, you might want to keep that in mind to have backups.
 
Thanks for your input. I may also have to continue the trip to Hershey, PA, but I'm not sure yet.

How was that hill before State College? There are two places on Plugshare on that stretch of road, but there is a decent hill between them. Buttonwood is almost halfway between them, and will probably make the climb easier, but seeing how you went from there to State College gives me comfort.

The two locations on Plugshare are Seven Mountains Campground and a residential 14-30 outlet (Glen H.). Seven Mountains Campground is at the top of the hill I saw on gpsvisualizer.com.
 
Well, I had quite an interesting experience on a trip to Morgantown, WV today.

About a week ago, I called Nissan in Morgantown and asked them about their quick charger. After checking with someone else at the dealer, they confirmed that it is open for anyone to use. OK, great. I get there this morning, park and start charging. Had an issue with the quick charger displaying a continuous message in a foreign language (Japanese? It was a Signet unit), but was able to start charging. Not too long after arriving, a salesman comes out and asked me if my car is in on dealer trade. I say no and that I called the dealer and they said it was OK for me to charge. He asked who I talked to. I don't know, didn't ask. He then says that he guesses it's ok if 'they' said it was. So, he disappears. He comes back a few minutes later, and more or less said to unplug and leave as the station is not public. No apology for the miscommunication or a decent demeanor. Okay, I can recognize a GTFO (Get the frig out), so I stop charge, unplug, gather my passengers, and peel out. Whatever, the whole dealer had a negative vibe. :roll: We continue on our trip, I update Plugshare, and later on I stop at the Mitsubishi dealer and juice up on Level 2 ... after I caught an employee before they closed to move TWO i-MiEVs (both owned by the dealer) from blocking one charging station. After spending almost 2.5 hours there, I have enough to where I think I can make it home. We decide that since the dealers are closed, to go past that Nissan dealer again. Now, there are signs on the charger to "Please Pay Inside. Thank you." :| The emergency stop was also pressed.

Maybe they're more receptive to LEAF drivers. Good to know before I'm in a jam that Morgantown charging is unreliable.
 
PV1 said:
How was that hill before State College? There are two places on Plugshare on that stretch of road, but there is a decent hill between them. Buttonwood is almost halfway between them, and will probably make the climb easier, but seeing how you went from there to State College gives me comfort.
The climb wasn't too bad, especially since I was worried at how much we were loaded down (4 passengers and packed full with camping gear). I probably went a little slower on the steepest part (like 50mph), but that was maybe about 10 miles of it from Buttonwood to State College.

It's sad to hear that Nissan is being anal about non-Leaf EVs charging on their QC. We have used the QC (or L2 before they had one) a couple times at the Nissan dealership in Exton without any issue. But, maybe with many more EVs coming online now and eating into their market share they've become less open to others using their chargers. But, it seems like they should just have a higher rater for non-Nissan vehicles so if we're in a bind, a trip could still be made conveniently.
 
Yeah, I thought my local Nissan dealer was bad. I can at least charge there without issue.

Oh well, that was the point of the trip yesterday. Besides cooking my battery at 100 F, I pulled off 127 miles and had 3 bars left over when I got home with 2 passengers, mostly 45-50 mph main roads, hills, and highway hill climbing.

So, if I do take the i-MiEV to State College, I will have to have air flowing into the pack the whole way to keep it cool. My pack seems very healthy and I don't want to compromise it. I wouldn't mind even turning down the quick chargers to 30 kW.
 
danpatgal said:
It's sad to hear that Nissan is being anal about non-Leaf EVs charging on their QC.
It doesn't sound like it's Nissan, it's just that one guy. Not even a consistent policy within the dealership.
 
So, after a trip to Hershey, PA, I'm doubting the possibility of the i-MiEV trip. On the leg out, I took the route to State College with the company car. The span between the Blairsville and Altoona quick chargers is looking very difficult. Both ends have lengthy hill climbs, one at speed, and there is no charging available between them.

I did see a HUGE inventory of Mitsubishis in Altoona, but not a single i-MiEV. In fact, on the entire trip, I saw 5 LEAFs (only one on the road, two Hershey cars in their lot and two Penn State cars parked) and one Ford Focus Electric.

Maybe instead of buying a new laptop, I should invest in a suitcase battery pack.
 
I want a suitcase Battery.
But I think they cost the same as I just paid for my Used 'i'

Too bad the trip won't work :(

Is there a different route that you could take ?
 
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