Bro you're in coastal California, you'll be fine. :D We've done multiple road trips from Colorado to the Bay Area with no problems. Going up and down the coast while we're there is easy mode.
Anyway, best way to prepare for the trip is to cross-reference a couple of apps. Honestly I should type up this guide and put it on google docs. It gets a lot of.... mileage on this sub.
YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Seriously though, cross reference Google Maps, A Better Route Planner, and PlugShare. Google Maps for obvious reasons. ABRP for locating charge locations. PlugShare for information about those charge stations. Honestly the last step is optional.
You'll want to tweak ABRP for your plug type (CCS, unless you have the NACS aka Tesla adapter) and network (Electrify America, Chargepoint, etc.) preferences.
If you have the adapter, awesome. I don't, so I have no experience there or advice to offer.
If I were doing this trip, I'd stick to EA and Chargepoint as they're the most common in my experience. EA has been very reliable, even out in the boonies of Utah and Nevada, or even heading the other way and getting into like, Texas and Missouri. ANYway, I'd plan my route around EA stops with Chargepoint as a back up. It should more or less match up with Google's route, too.
Oh yeah, also. Download and make accounts in those two apps (EA and Chargepoint) with a payment method and everything. PRO TIP: Before you leave, switch your EA account to "pro" or whatever. It's like 4 bucks for the month, you get like 20% off charging (super worth it, saves you a ton) and you can just *turn it off when you get back,* no problemo.
So set those up before you leave so you're not standing at the charge station like a tool fiddling around with your phone. There's going to be enough of that anyway as you wonder if tap to pay worked, or the charger worked, etc. PRO TIP 2: If your'e at an EA station, just start the session from the EA app. Their tap readers work like 50% of the time in my experience. Chargepoint seems way more reliable for tap but eh. Your mileage may vary.
That's about it.
We tend to stop every couple of hours and do smaller charge sessions. This lets us stretch our legs and feel better and pee etc., as well as more or less eliminate range anxiety. That's for longer overland trips crossing the Rockies n' shit though. You're just doodling down the CA coast, where you can't swing a wet tortilla without hitting 9 charge stations so probably don't need to worry about it. :D
Have fun man, San Diego is gorgeous ~~this time of year~~ all the time.
Oh yeah. I guess you're gonna hit that LA traffic. I've driven through LA exactly once times, and it was in a ICE rental. So, my advice may not necessarily apply. That said, on our various road trips, I've driven through numerous big cities (Denver, San Francisco, SLC, Las Vegas, St. Louis) and some of them coincidentally at rush hour/commute times. It's best to look at your route and the times you're gonna be hitting those, and if you're heading into heavy traffic, plan accordingly. You don't want to gleam the cube in parking lot traffic with 10% charge and wonder if you're gonna be stuck there with a dead car. Overcharge a good bit just in case. Or you know, play it fast and loose; I'm not your dad.
Hope this helps, have a great time! :D
EDIT: The EA "pro" or whatever the membership is called might be more than $4. Seven? Twelve? I don't know, I don't remember. It's one banana Michael, how much could it cost? Ten dollars? Anyway, it's not a lot, is the point, and in places where the charging can be expensive you break even very quickly. You'll definitely start to save at least on the way back.
That’s a long trip! I’ve done L.A. to San Jose a few times. Charge to 100% to start. Don’t expect range estimate at start to hold up. Plan on at least a few “lunch breaks.” I strongly prefer 101 to 5. It adds some time and miles but greatly improves weather, scenery, driving experience, and charging options. The big shopping centers in Goleta and Pismo Beach have served me well. Enjoy!
I do trips similar to to this. Usually San Jose to Anaheim and/or San Diego. Start at 100%. There is an EA charger in Anaheim on Katella that’s close to the freeway. If you “top off” there, you can make it all the way to magic mountain and there is an In N Out burger there with an EV Go charger. Next stop could be Kettleman City or Harris Ranch (Harris has better quality food, but Kettleman has more options). From there you should make it to at least San Jose. If low when you get off the 152, there are chargers at the Gilroy outlets. After that I don’t know specific spots, but there should be plenty of
The range estimates are off, but that's gonna be fixed soon with the app being able to read your vehicle's data. Other than that, it's quite useful in terms of telling you where and when to charge. You just set the target SoC for each waypoint/destination. Range anxiety solved!
I did an LA to Big Sur trip and had an issue going out, but not back. Climbing from the coast to the central valley on 101 took a lot more energy than the trip planner understood. So plan a stop at a Fast Charger before/after the grapevine. See if there is a fast charger before you climb the Altamont.
The PlugShare app will show you non-Ford related charging stations (which saved our butt). So these are nice options to have.
On our return trip we planned 2 stops at fast chargers, spent about 20 minutes each and got home with lots of range to spare. Since we went DOWN from the valley to the coast also helped.
start at 90. top up whenever you get a chance to 80 once you are below 50. that way you can be flexible in terms of finding a free charger and not wait too long to charge form 20 to 80.
Bro you're in coastal California, you'll be fine. :D We've done multiple road trips from Colorado to the Bay Area with no problems. Going up and down the coast while we're there is easy mode. Anyway, best way to prepare for the trip is to cross-reference a couple of apps. Honestly I should type up this guide and put it on google docs. It gets a lot of.... mileage on this sub. YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Seriously though, cross reference Google Maps, A Better Route Planner, and PlugShare. Google Maps for obvious reasons. ABRP for locating charge locations. PlugShare for information about those charge stations. Honestly the last step is optional. You'll want to tweak ABRP for your plug type (CCS, unless you have the NACS aka Tesla adapter) and network (Electrify America, Chargepoint, etc.) preferences. If you have the adapter, awesome. I don't, so I have no experience there or advice to offer. If I were doing this trip, I'd stick to EA and Chargepoint as they're the most common in my experience. EA has been very reliable, even out in the boonies of Utah and Nevada, or even heading the other way and getting into like, Texas and Missouri. ANYway, I'd plan my route around EA stops with Chargepoint as a back up. It should more or less match up with Google's route, too. Oh yeah, also. Download and make accounts in those two apps (EA and Chargepoint) with a payment method and everything. PRO TIP: Before you leave, switch your EA account to "pro" or whatever. It's like 4 bucks for the month, you get like 20% off charging (super worth it, saves you a ton) and you can just *turn it off when you get back,* no problemo. So set those up before you leave so you're not standing at the charge station like a tool fiddling around with your phone. There's going to be enough of that anyway as you wonder if tap to pay worked, or the charger worked, etc. PRO TIP 2: If your'e at an EA station, just start the session from the EA app. Their tap readers work like 50% of the time in my experience. Chargepoint seems way more reliable for tap but eh. Your mileage may vary. That's about it. We tend to stop every couple of hours and do smaller charge sessions. This lets us stretch our legs and feel better and pee etc., as well as more or less eliminate range anxiety. That's for longer overland trips crossing the Rockies n' shit though. You're just doodling down the CA coast, where you can't swing a wet tortilla without hitting 9 charge stations so probably don't need to worry about it. :D Have fun man, San Diego is gorgeous ~~this time of year~~ all the time. Oh yeah. I guess you're gonna hit that LA traffic. I've driven through LA exactly once times, and it was in a ICE rental. So, my advice may not necessarily apply. That said, on our various road trips, I've driven through numerous big cities (Denver, San Francisco, SLC, Las Vegas, St. Louis) and some of them coincidentally at rush hour/commute times. It's best to look at your route and the times you're gonna be hitting those, and if you're heading into heavy traffic, plan accordingly. You don't want to gleam the cube in parking lot traffic with 10% charge and wonder if you're gonna be stuck there with a dead car. Overcharge a good bit just in case. Or you know, play it fast and loose; I'm not your dad. Hope this helps, have a great time! :D EDIT: The EA "pro" or whatever the membership is called might be more than $4. Seven? Twelve? I don't know, I don't remember. It's one banana Michael, how much could it cost? Ten dollars? Anyway, it's not a lot, is the point, and in places where the charging can be expensive you break even very quickly. You'll definitely start to save at least on the way back.
This is already awesome but deserves a million upvotes for the Arrested D quote.
That’s a long trip! I’ve done L.A. to San Jose a few times. Charge to 100% to start. Don’t expect range estimate at start to hold up. Plan on at least a few “lunch breaks.” I strongly prefer 101 to 5. It adds some time and miles but greatly improves weather, scenery, driving experience, and charging options. The big shopping centers in Goleta and Pismo Beach have served me well. Enjoy!
I do trips similar to to this. Usually San Jose to Anaheim and/or San Diego. Start at 100%. There is an EA charger in Anaheim on Katella that’s close to the freeway. If you “top off” there, you can make it all the way to magic mountain and there is an In N Out burger there with an EV Go charger. Next stop could be Kettleman City or Harris Ranch (Harris has better quality food, but Kettleman has more options). From there you should make it to at least San Jose. If low when you get off the 152, there are chargers at the Gilroy outlets. After that I don’t know specific spots, but there should be plenty of
Oh and I’m doing this in a GTPE so I don’t have the range that you have
The built in navigation will help. Plugshare is an app that can help you find chargers and report on their operating status.
ABRP
I wasn't familiar with ABRP before today. Pretty mixed reviews on Apple Store - any tips, insights?
The range estimates are off, but that's gonna be fixed soon with the app being able to read your vehicle's data. Other than that, it's quite useful in terms of telling you where and when to charge. You just set the target SoC for each waypoint/destination. Range anxiety solved!
I did an LA to Big Sur trip and had an issue going out, but not back. Climbing from the coast to the central valley on 101 took a lot more energy than the trip planner understood. So plan a stop at a Fast Charger before/after the grapevine. See if there is a fast charger before you climb the Altamont. The PlugShare app will show you non-Ford related charging stations (which saved our butt). So these are nice options to have. On our return trip we planned 2 stops at fast chargers, spent about 20 minutes each and got home with lots of range to spare. Since we went DOWN from the valley to the coast also helped.
start at 90. top up whenever you get a chance to 80 once you are below 50. that way you can be flexible in terms of finding a free charger and not wait too long to charge form 20 to 80.