Ford F-150 Lightning Race Pits Tesla’s Superchargers Towards Electrify America

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Lately, Tom Moloughney and Kyle Conner took two Ford Vans from New Jersey to Florida to see who would get there first. However there’s a catch: One needed to depend on Electrify America stations and the opposite needed to depend on Tesla’s Supercharger community. In most methods, this provides a reasonably truthful comparability between the networks, as each vehicles are the identical, with the identical charging speeds and the identical charging curves. Additionally they restricted speeds to 10 MPH over the pace restrict to make it much more truthful.

Let’s check out the video after which talk about what occurred and what we are able to be taught from it! (article continues after embedded video)

 

The race began out sucky, with some rain that may have an effect on vary, nevertheless it’s one thing that each vehicles must cope with. Underneath splendid situations, Tom predicted that it might take 4 charging stops, however he ready to have the ability to do a fifth one simply in case. One other small factor they did was use the ability of the truck to prepare dinner some pizzas alongside the best way. Even with that additional draw, they had been getting 1.8-1.9 miles/kWh.

They stopped for the primary time in Stafford, Virginia, with 4% left. This put him 26 miles forward of Kyle and his dad. Some individuals had been very nice and switched spots with him to offer him the quickest 350 kW station, which actually helped him. 

The second cease was at a Sheetz station in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He managed to get a 350 kW station once more, which was fortunate, as a result of the opposite 350 kW station was down. At this level, the opposite truck was behind them, and would seemingly go them whereas they charged, however they had been getting an excellent cost and would seemingly handle to catch up and go the Conners once more. 

Cease #3 was at a Walmart in Florence, North Carolina. He managed to snag one other working 350 kW charger, so his luck continued. He was forward of the opposite truck by 30 miles, however Kyle would quickly be stopping, so that they had been nonetheless neck-and-neck at that time, too. So, if anybody had a hiccup, they’d lose.

That hiccup got here not lengthy later, with Kyle’s truck operating out of juice simply wanting the charger. They managed to push it into the Supercharger station and begin getting a cost, nevertheless it didn’t set them again by that a lot. A weak cell within the battery or a BMS error shut the car down with supposedly two miles of vary remaining.

The fourth cease ended up being in Walterboro, South Carolina. This one was operating effectively in any respect 4 stalls, and getting a 350 kW station wasn’t a difficulty, so that they managed to remain forward. Once more, they had been stopped and handed by the Conners, however they nonetheless had nearly 30% once they had stopped, so that they didn’t want an excessive amount of time to get again to 80% once more. His coverage of charging greater than wanted as a substitute of leaving early gave the impression to be panning out.

The ultimate cease in Brunswick, Georgia (one other Walmart), labored out effectively, too. The charger wasn’t crowded, so he was capable of get a 350 once more. As a substitute of charging to 80% this time, he determined to cease earlier and simply get sufficient juice to get to the end line. However, the EA website was a number of miles off the freeway, which value them some minutes.

The ultimate cease was some new Mercedes-Benz chargers within the metropolis proper subsequent to some Superchargers (the Speedway had an occasion occurring). Once they arrived, they discovered the Conners there ready for them, however they’d solely been there for about six minutes. Struggles with discovering the charger was solely 3 minutes, so that they nonetheless gained regardless, even when solely by a handful of minutes.

Curiously sufficient, the additional time driving to the freeway to an EA charger and again to the freeway was what sunk them (Superchargers had been almost all near the interstate). Each groups agreed that the vehicles had been wonderful, and even when there was a variety of charging time. 

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How Did EA Mainly Tie With Superchargers? Don’t They Suck?

Whereas Electrify America sucked fairly dangerous in lots of locations in 2022 and 2023, the corporate has been placing in a variety of time to enhance in latest months. It lastly acquired a provide of recent energy modules for a lot of older stations that had been struggling and even damaging just a few autos, and this appears to be paying off. Different issues, like extra proactive monitoring and upkeep and upgrading to latest-gen chargers has additionally been serving to in different areas.

It additionally didn’t damage that a lot of the driving occurred at night time, when visitors was low and it was simpler to seek out open stations on the Electrify America community. However that’s an issue that can be alleviated each by continued CCS community enlargement and by entry to the Supercharger community for a lot of EVs, so this may truly be a good comparability for 2024.

All in all, this reveals us how a lot charging of each type has improved!

Keep Tuned For An Even Higher Race That Provides An Even Higher Comparability

Sadly, there are some issues this race doesn’t inform us, together with what would occur if a truck had been used that would pull the utmost 350 kW of energy from the Electrify America stations and one other truck with sooner charging at Tesla stations had been to go face to face. This race tells us about reliability with out testing all strengths of each networks in opposition to one another.

Happily, quite a few common EV guys from YouTube (together with Conner) took a visit throughout america in 4 electrical vehicles to see whose truck would get throughout the South and Southwest first. The Cybertruck, after all, would depend on Tesla’s Superchargers. The F-150 Lightning was capable of play on both crew, both natively at Electrify America or at Superchargers through an adapter. However on the time of the race, the Rivian and the Chevy Silverado EV had been caught with CCS networks solely.

You may suppose that the Cybertruck and/or Ford would win fingers down, however the Silverado’s huge battery pack and 350 kW peak charging  is a power to be reckoned with. By taking full benefit of the better speeds theoretically accessible at many EA stations, the outcome was removed from predictable in the beginning.

That video ought to be popping out quickly, so we’ll cowl that one in one other article quickly!

Featured picture offered by Ford.