I’ve been toying with the idea of driving my electric vehicle to Oshkosh Wisconsin for the annual airshow.  The opportunity presented itself so I thought about it, gathered some data, and started the journey the next day. This video covers some highlights about the journey.

Here is some additional detail for those looking for more than what I was able to include in the video…

The Course Google Map suggested taking the route that goes right through Chicago. On the way to Oshkosh, I elected to ignore the map suggestion and take the I294 beltway around the city. It was UNBELIEVABLE! Four lanes of traffic, lots of trucks, and lots of construction. My solution was to follow a truck going a little slower than everyone else and let the world fly by. Interestingly enough, on the way back, google map again suggested the city route. I ALMOST ignored it again when I noticed that ALL of the trucks split off for the beltway. I took the city route which was only cars and a few utility trucks. I wondered if tractor/trailer trucks were restricted from going there during daylight hours.

The Car As mentioned in the video, the car came equipped with a 17” Infotainment system powered by Google. The nice thing about Google Map on this screen was its integration with the car. Predicted state of charge at the end of a navigated route was shown. In addition, if the destination was a charger, the car would automatically “condition” the battery before arrival. I was able, hands free, to hear music, receive/send text messages, and phone calls. I always drive with regenerative braking set to “normal”. Using regenerative braking was very helpful when driving in stop/go traffic around Chicago because it eliminated moving your foot between the throttle and brake every few minutes. My version of the Equinox EV came with “Super Cruise” which was great especially when traveling solo. Having two hands available to do something simple like unwrap a piece of candy was great.
 
Plugshare I know, I know, Plugshare has a builtin route planning routine. I played around with it but simply preferred building the spreadsheet shown and having a printed version of it for reference. I also played around with “A Better Route Planner” and decided my reference list approach works better for me. Besides, I enjoy doing the planning.

Station List As mentioned above, this approach works best for me. I kept the list handy for reference and was basically navigated from charger to charger. The list included chargers located at new car dealers. In general, these were listed for a last resort situation. Comments suggested that some of these non-networked chargers were reserved for customers only. However, I did find a couple dealer located chargers that were attached to the ChargePoint network and found that they were open to the public. I charged at stations located at a Hyundai dealer in Ohio and a Toyota dealer in Oshkosh and even used their restroom without issue. Attached to the ChargePoint network meant there is a payment process in place.

Networks I’ve had apps for the three networks shown loaded on my phone for quite some time. I did, however, have to update credit card information. The nice thing about these apps is the ability to look ahead and see if the next batch of stations were operational. I did meet with success charging at a couple networks other than these three but it was always a mystery what I’d find when I got there.

SOC & Range As mentioned in the video, an 80% state of charge gave me a predicted 250-260 mile range. Like many EV drivers, I do have a case of “Charger Anxiety” so stops on the way To Oshkosh tended to be closer together. Fortunately, (knock on wood) things worked at every stop so my confidence grew as I went along. I went a little further between stops on the way back because I had visited some of the stops on the way to Oshkosh. I also realized that I could use apps to see what condition chargers are in before getting there.

Closing While some consider frequent stops, and time lost, to charge is a negative, it was NOT for me. Being forced to get out of the car every couple hours saved me. I’m an oldster (77) and needed that 20 minutes or so to walk around a bit.

The Cost I added up what I spent on charges and the total came out to around $220. Taking a gas car on this trip would have cost about the same.

Trip Information 1838.3 Miles  3.5 mi/kWh