Chicago 2020 - The Trip

As I mentioned last week, I drove my 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV to the Chicago Auto Show from West Michigan. I used the website abetterrouteplanner.com to plan my trip ahead of time. This was my first experience with DC Fast Charging, and I am hooked! I used both the EVGO and Electrify America charging networks, in addition to some ChargePoint destination charging at McCormick Place. My journey was 450 miles round trip, including some side errands while in the Windy City. The ambient temperature was about 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was snowing, so my highway range was impacted by the conditions. I’m guessing in the spring I would have been able to skip one of my charging stops. My first stop was about 120 miles from home to charge for 45 minutes in Mishawaka, Indiana. I used an Electrify America station at the University Park Mall, and paid $13.89. From there, I had enough juice to get me all the way to McCormick Place, where I could use the 240 volt ChargePoint charger in the parking ramp while I was inside at the show. Through the ChargePoint app, I could see how much my car had charged, and knew when it was 80%, so that I could move my car off the charger for someone else to use if needed. There was no cost for this stop. Due to the aforementioned side trips, I stopped at an EVGO DC fast charger at the South Holland Oasis before leaving town, to top off for a quick 20 minute charge. Cost $6.67. The oasis charger is located at the 7-Eleven, which was very convient. By the time I had run in to use the restroom and grab a drink and a snack, my car was ready to hit the road. From there I drove 132 miles to another Electrify America charger in Portage, MI. In hindsight, I actually charged up quite a bit more than was necessary at this last stop, staying another 45 minutes or so, and spending $13.62. I could have easily spent half as long at this last charger, and made it home with range to spare. But, it was late, I was tired, and so I set my alarm for 45 minutes, and took a cat nap. My total cost for charging for the trip was $34.18. Having covered a total of 450 miles, this works out to 7.5 cents per mile. For comparison sake, I calculated what the trip would have cost in a Chevrolet Cruise and I saved about a dollar versus the ICE hatchback. Next, I figured out what I would have spent if I had taken our other car for this trip, and my savings were closer to $20. Even running the heat, and driving in the snow and cold temperatures, my car easily covered the 130 miles between stations. I based my distance I was willing to drive on having a buffer of 25 miles. I picked 25 miles in case I couldn’t find the charger, or needed to make additional stops in between charges. As a self-proclaimed road-trip aficionado; I was was curious to see how an EV road trip would compare, and it did not disappoint. Truly, the cure for “range anxiety” is driving an EV, as I am very much looking forward to my next electric adventure. On a sidetone, I have a friend that has a Tesla Model 3, and I’m hoping he will let me take it on a little trip for comparison sake. I’ll keep you posted, in the meantime, enjoy!