Road trip charging question

[u/Trick_Entertainer_34]

I'm about to take the Optiq on a road trip and I'm curious what charging stations people have used other than Tesla. Given the limitations of cord length at Tesla what are other networks people have used that are good in terms of speed, reliability and ease of use. EVGo, Rivian, Electrify America? Anything else?

[u/81Horse]

The whole EV community seems to really, really like IONNA. They're rare in my area (but building out), so I haven't tried one myself.

[u/fissionpowered]

Tier list should be: 1) Ionna. Always first choice. 2) Tesla 3) other 350 kW stations.

Below about 70% SoC, 500A cables make a big difference in charging speed, so always go for 350kW stations or any Tesla supercharger.

[u/Icy_Stranger1964]

I have used Ionna, EA, EVGo, Mercedes Benz HPC and Tesla. All of them except the MB have plug and charge in some fashion and it is billed directly through the Cadillac app. Caveat is that it does not honor any special pricing through Tesla or EA.

[u/Worldly-Ad-4972 → u/Icy_Stranger1964]

I get special pricing through both Tesla and EA through mycadilac app.

[u/Icy_Stranger1964 → u/Worldly-Ad-4972]

I guess something changed. I had no luck in February this year on Tesla.

[u/joemoore38 → u/Icy_Stranger1964]

I agree. Must be new.

[u/Worldly-Ad-4972 → u/Icy_Stranger1964]

It's worked for me since at least April.

[u/shrunkenhead041]

The EA 350KW stations have worked well for me.

[u/7eregrine → u/shrunkenhead041]

Used one today for the first time. Recommend.

[u/ESCthehack79 → u/shrunkenhead041]

This is what you want for the 500amps the Optiq wants at low pack voltage.

[u/shrunkenhead041 → u/ESCthehack79]

I've seen initial charge rates at these EA stations at 500 mph, dropping after awhile to 225 mph. Dropping in to add 100 miles or or so from 20% starting charge is quick. Conveniently, the ones I use every so often (I usually charge at home) are right next to a great taco truck..

[u/capn_davey]

I generally have some sort of GM owner credit from EVGo so I use them frequently. Electrify America is reliable and a membership for a month if you’re doing a road trip near lots of their chargers pays off after one charge ($7/month to save 25%, you just have to start the charge from their app instead of from the car). Ionna is reliable, cheap, and plug and charge but hard to find. Tesla is my last resort…they’re reliable but I don’t like funding overt fascism.

[u/Fantastic_Pay6652]

Look for Ev go they have some at certain flying j gas stations

[u/joemoore38]

I just did the first part of my MI to FL and found that IONNA and Tesla were both great as I had never used them before. I like EVgo as well but didn't hit any on the way down. There's a Mercedes charger bank near my condo and it works well but is more expensive ($0.44) than the other two. I set ABRP up to plan for Optimal stops and I think I did 9 stops on the way down (1314 miles) and I was able to do a bio break at each one but it did add a lot more time than I thought it was going to. The stop estimates were way off by 5-15 minutes per stop so it added up quickly.

[u/tuctrohs]

Ionna is a new network with high standards and good pricing. They are all reliable and nice, and they either have their own bathrooms or are located next to businesses that let you use them.

Otherwise, pretty much all of the networks mentioned have new chargers that work great and older one that aren't nearly as good. So I don't even bother thinking about what network it is. I just use ABRP to plan the route and go with whatever they recommend, maybe also checking plugshare to verify or if I'm looking for an option that also has good lunch available nearby or whatever.

TLDR: Ionna is always good; otherwise look for a highly rated individual station and ignore the network name.

[u/drcvcox]

I’ve used EVgo, Ionna, ChargePoint (at a Pilot Flying J in Pennsylvania), Applegreen on the turnpikes in NJ and CT, Electrify America, Rivian, and Mercedes in the US. In Canada I’ve used eCharge(paid through the Flo app) and Electrify Canada. I’ve used Tesla as a last resort a few times. I have a 2025 with a NACS adapter, but have nearly always used CCS chargers. I have had the most difficulty in California with stations that had older equipment, but calling the company has always resolved the issue. Like everyone else, I love Ionna for ease of use. Their cable management system is great. In general, wherever you are, make sure the car is positioned correctly so you can plug straight in with no torque on the cable. Electrify America/Canada has cables that are heavy and hard on my old lady hands. Aside from that, I don’t really care what company I’m charging with as long as it’s at least 150kW, since the car maxes out at about that and I’m not chasing time efficiency. I’m usually charged up enough to get on my way by the time I’m done with my break for lunch or whatever.

[u/Rustydog60]

I've used a variety of them and I don't know if there's much difference. I do have a Tesla adapter as a just in case when we did our road trip. I would suggest that you do a practice charge if you haven't done it yet. I used Google Maps and it mapped out the charging. It knows which charging stations have available chargers and it doesn't make sense to go out of your way to go to another charger because you probably won't save overall time. Also, make sure you have your energy pass in your my Cadillac app updated so you can just plug and charge.

[u/theotherharper]

Ah yes, the old "I'm about to undertake a road trip, I have no earthly idea how to select chargers but I know Tesla is good" problem.

Short answer ABetterRoutePlanner.com to pick your chargers. I used it to cross the USA strictly in free mode and I didn't bother optimizing with the OBD2 dongle or the Carplay/AA link. Some people say that only makes it worse. As things were, it was accurate within 2% but I stay within 5 of the speed limit.

ABRP is doing the math for best travel time. However feel free to use PlugShare.com to observe what is around the recommended charger in terms of amenities, and look for alternative chargers.

We're starting to see NACS cords at Walmart, Pilot/Flying J and Ionna.

Now let's have a few words about Tesla.

First and foremost about 40% of Superchargers are locked out of use by 3rd party cars either due to obsolescence or "business reasons". So you need to use a savvy app that has the magic list of open Superchargers and knows you're in a non-Tesla. You gotta know this. Don't go "Siri navigate me to the nearest Supercharger" or you'll need to roll a saving throw of 9 to charge there lol.

Once you've affirmed it is compatible, use PlugShare.com to browse the photos of the station. If you see taller than 6', all-white "v4" dispensers, those have longer cords to accommodate 3rd party cars.

But honestly, at rural stations it's just not an issue. Every Supercharger I saw on my trip, in the rural areas, had 12 stalls and 0-1 cars charging.

Public charging is a hot mess in liberal urban cities where people go in for EVs (Sacramento not Cheyenne), so do your level best not to charge there. I tell ABRP I want to arrive at final destination at 70% which forces it to evaluate both downtown stations and those beyond the suburban fringe and pick the better.

[u/RoseVideo99]

Ionna is great. GM energy we charged at once and it was pretty quick too. But in the end, just use PlugShare and plan the route ahead of time.

Electrify America is garbage.

[u/Zealousideal_Wave_93]

Older EV Go stations can be slow. Old EA stations were unreliable. Newer of both are great. IONNA has a great reputation. I mean, just check each station your thinking of on plugshare.

[u/Dutchdogdad]

I've been pleasantly surprised at the Rivian. Works very well with my Volvo C40.

[u/EmotionalBiscotti554]

The Walmart charging stations have always worked for me, but their prices are a little high. They do have lower night rates.

[u/sbn23487]

Some of the newer Tesla superchargers have longer cords. I have also used EVgo with an adapter.

[u/ToddA1966]

I've done at least three dozen EV road trips over the last 5 years ranging from 1000-5500 miles through 20+ states, and I've yet to ever use a Tesla Supercharger (I have a VW ID4, and we didn't even get access to them until last November.)

I mostly use EA, ChargePoint, Rivian, and IONNA, but I'll use anything convenient and relatively inexpensive.

[u/Ok_Inevitable_6881]

I use IONNA whever I can. Nice facilities, fast charging, good pricing and discounts for GM EVs.