I'm about to leave on a weekend trip with my family, and I'm going just a bit out of my comfort zone. (I had to convince my wife that we shouldn't take the ICE -- she's substantially further out of her comfort zone -- so I *really* hope it all works out!) I thought others could potentially be interested in the research I've done, although much of it could be moot once the Edison supercharger goes live.
The trip up to NJ will be easy -- I'm doing a range charge + preheat now and will supercharge in Delaware. I've noticed a ~20% range penalty for using heat (and I'm not going to freeze my family), so I expect I'll use a total of 265 miles of rated range to go 220 miles one-way, and therefore I should arrive with about the same number of miles in the battery that I'm able to add to the car in DE. I'm hoping I can add at least 100 miles in DE, although with the charge rate tapering down after 80%, I'm a bit concerned my family might run out of patience before that point. Then the question is how to regain sufficient mileage to get back to Delaware on Monday, given that I also plan to do ~50 miles of driving over the weekend.
We're staying at the Hyatt House in Branchburg, NJ, whose manager (Brian) is allowing me to plug in to their 110V outdoor outlets overnight. He even went so far as to make sure I'm in a room near an outlet. I suggested he add his hotel to PlugShare and he seemed quite receptive to the idea. That might give me +60 miles over two nights. By contrast, I originally reserved a room at the Embassy Suites in Somerset/Piscataway; that hotel's manager told me their policy is to disallow EV charging of any kind on their property.
I experienced a similar study in contrasts when I contacted two local Nissan dealers by filling out their online forms to ask about charging. Bridgewater Nissan's internet manager (Seth) called me and said it would be no problem, the chargers are accessible 24/7, and feel free to stop in and say hi if they're open. On the other hand, North Plainfield Nissan called me and asked whether I was interested in buying a new or used vehicle. When I told them I was interested in charging, they said their policy is "Nissans only." (I've updated North Plainfield Nissan's PlugShare and Recargo entries accordingly.)
My final option, other than plugging in to 110V at my in-laws' house in Bridgewater, is Raritan Valley Community College, which is very close to the Hyatt House and has two 30A J1772 chargers that look to be free and accessible 24/7 but require a ChargePoint card.
I'm guessing I'll still have to spend a couple hours at one of the L2 chargers (RVCC or Bridgewater Nissan) to have enough buffer to make it back to DE comfortably.
The trip up to NJ will be easy -- I'm doing a range charge + preheat now and will supercharge in Delaware. I've noticed a ~20% range penalty for using heat (and I'm not going to freeze my family), so I expect I'll use a total of 265 miles of rated range to go 220 miles one-way, and therefore I should arrive with about the same number of miles in the battery that I'm able to add to the car in DE. I'm hoping I can add at least 100 miles in DE, although with the charge rate tapering down after 80%, I'm a bit concerned my family might run out of patience before that point. Then the question is how to regain sufficient mileage to get back to Delaware on Monday, given that I also plan to do ~50 miles of driving over the weekend.
We're staying at the Hyatt House in Branchburg, NJ, whose manager (Brian) is allowing me to plug in to their 110V outdoor outlets overnight. He even went so far as to make sure I'm in a room near an outlet. I suggested he add his hotel to PlugShare and he seemed quite receptive to the idea. That might give me +60 miles over two nights. By contrast, I originally reserved a room at the Embassy Suites in Somerset/Piscataway; that hotel's manager told me their policy is to disallow EV charging of any kind on their property.
I experienced a similar study in contrasts when I contacted two local Nissan dealers by filling out their online forms to ask about charging. Bridgewater Nissan's internet manager (Seth) called me and said it would be no problem, the chargers are accessible 24/7, and feel free to stop in and say hi if they're open. On the other hand, North Plainfield Nissan called me and asked whether I was interested in buying a new or used vehicle. When I told them I was interested in charging, they said their policy is "Nissans only." (I've updated North Plainfield Nissan's PlugShare and Recargo entries accordingly.)
My final option, other than plugging in to 110V at my in-laws' house in Bridgewater, is Raritan Valley Community College, which is very close to the Hyatt House and has two 30A J1772 chargers that look to be free and accessible 24/7 but require a ChargePoint card.
I'm guessing I'll still have to spend a couple hours at one of the L2 chargers (RVCC or Bridgewater Nissan) to have enough buffer to make it back to DE comfortably.