How Bad is an Electric Car Road Trip in the Mach-E? 

Hahaha Matt thinks drivers will think of one another and be considerate. Great video!

This video is as real as it gets. No bias or excuses. Seems like for right now the trip can be painless or painful just depending on the outside circumstances.

I did 700 miles of driving in Washington 2 weeks ago. Never once had to think about how I'd refuel the car.

Some people like myself don’t enjoy spending much time at gas stations. It’s just a place to pick up gas and use the bathroom 🚽 if there are no lines. It seems to me that for someone like myself, charging stations are going to be a nightmare. Great video 👍 keep’em coming.

Thanks so much Matt for taking the time to inform all of us of how Road Trippin in an Electric Vehicle is. Once again a Huge help to people that actually want to purchase an Electric Vehicle

I appreciate you doing this Matt. This without a doubt is the number one reason I cant go electric yet. I live in LA and constantly drive down to San Diego & up to Davis.

Starting in spring of '24, a Mach-e road trip will become much less stressful when those vehicles can start using Tesla Superchargers.

I expected to hear about some of these problems after listening to Matt Farah talk about his challenges in California and Nevada.

Thanks for sharing your experience, Matt. Like many others said, the EV experience is very much YMMV. On my long trips, I would never stop as often as you did, nor for as long. Also, given our dietary requirements, there is a level of complexity/inconvenience that we would also have to deal with. For my around-town uses and general commuting, an EV would work just fine. However, for road trips, it's a no-go until the charging network is much larger and more convenient.

I'm glad that your first road trip was successful.

I drive an 18-wheeler for a living and I'm on a dedicated route. I drive the length of the PA turnpike every Monday. it is an enjoyable drive I get off at 376 which I hate that road with a passion lol.

I love my Mach E, it's such a fun ride, and definitely turns heads. I haven't done any long daily trips over 100 miles. But I will say the only inconvenience is when you have to wait for a charging station, and the owners are nowhere to be seen. Other than that, I charge at home, no more worrying about rising gas prices, and the car is fantastic as a daily driver.

Totally agree with your assessment. I LOOK FORWARD to charging stops now because it’s usually time after 2-3 hours and I go to the bathroom get food etc, it’s great and then I leave 15-20 minutes later. Some times it’s only 8-10 minutes sometimes it’s longer depending on what I’m doing or where I’m going.

Stopping at those charging stations stops seems pretty relaxing and refreshing, and like you say most people don’t drive across the country every weekend (exaggeration) or to the point where it’s a hassle to own an electric car because of limited range

Great vlog! All together, despite a couple small hiccups, it sounds like a great trip overall. I've been curious myself about how a longer journey couple be in an EV compared to a gas vehicle. I really liked how you pointed out that the timeframe wasn't as drastic as many worry about or try to say happens. Granted if you're a get in/get out type, gas is going to be quicker in the overall scheme of things. The average driver though, between putting charge on, going to the bathroom, grabbing a bite to eat, is going to be similar like you point out. I've got a 3500 mile journey, not counting all the driving I'll be doing after I get to where I'm going, that I'm taking in my Mach-E Premium AWD Extended Battery. All said and done, I'll put about 5000 miles on with this journey.

Definitely noticed the same with the lane centering feature in my F150. It wanted to be way closer to the cars in the adjacent lane than I would have wanted to be by myself

we have a machE and the car in itself is amazing, its the infrastructure for charging that is the pain. too many evs on the road and not enough chargers and also EA is notorious for having down chargers, its a crapshoot right now. Plugshare app helps in mapping out a road trip but still a reason we have a gas blazer suv ( 2 toddlers) sometimes we just want to get from point A and B asap without worrying is a station is down, congested line to charge etc lol.

Great video, Matt! We loooove our Mach-E and have only road tripped twice in 1.5 years, both times it was easy and uneventful, and wayyyy cheaper than paying for gas. The charging infrastructure definitely needs improvement, and it'll get that in the coming years, so I still recommend to people that are new to EVs or who road trip a LOT to get a Tesla or a PHEV so they don't need to think about it. But for most people who aren't road warriors, and who might only need to DC Fast charge once or twice a year, this is a far better daily driver than a Model 3 or Y (I know from experience) and I highly recommend it to those folks. RU-vid is mostly people showing bad charging experiences, while the normal 99% of us out there hardly have any problems, so I'm glad you showed that it's not all dread and drama. Just takes a bit longer than filling up at a gas station, but we always welcome the chance to stretch our legs and get a drink/snack/bathroom break. By the time we're done with that the car has easily reached 80% and we're back on the road. Never been a big deal.

Ok but i don’t get a drink, snack, and bathroom every time i get gas. Plus, that’s adding more money. You said that each stop was max $10, but then you add 20 more for snack and drink for 2 people and now its $30 per stop for 3 stops, that’s 90 total. If you had gas, you’d only need to stop once, so its actually very similar

On top of being heavy, ugly, expensive, inconvenient, and soulless, I also need to worry about being respectful of other people’s time when charging an electric car? What’s not to love?

Great review, Matt. I also have a Bullitt, thank God. I am not against EVs out of some principle, but we’re about ten years away from EVs being convenient and so that you dont have to think, plan, etc. we need greater range, faster charging, and the infrastructure. It is early on in this process. We will get there. Until then, the Bullitt and my WRX are the vehicles of choice. Thanks, again, Matt.

Matt, great video. I’ve owned a couple of EVs (Tesla Model 3 and Chevy Bolt EUV) and this mimics my experienced with EA. The Tesla Supercharger network is still so far ahead of the others, but had minimal issues with EA. I think we’re at the point now, too, where finding open chargers is more difficult but still not bad. Overall, I feel taking a trip in an EV is more relaxing and personally better for my bad back (more time to stand and stretch).

Matt Maran loves Mustangs. ❤️ Bought a low mpg Bullitt and justified the carbon emissions with the Mach-E. Matt Maran loves Mustangs. ❤️

It's super nice to arrive home and to be able to charge without having to first stop at a gas station to fill up. I often fill up my gas car at Costco because it has the best gas prices. As a result I am often waiting in line for 15 plus minutes. However as more and more folks switch to all electric cars there will definitely be more demand for more chargers.

This is like playing an RTS on hard mode. Road trips should be stress free and you able to go to random interesting places too, this is like fighting with everything, not the way to have a fun road trip.

Great review. My wife and I recently bought an EV and with how robust a charging system the US has, the range anxiety people have is completely unfounded.

Thanks for the video Matt and the insight about that charge station life.

I'm impressed you actually found EA chargers which worked.

Hi Matt, I am a realtor and driving to open houses and such. As well as delivering Door dash. I've been wanting to get a Mach E. But really concerned about costs. From vehicle financing to charging. What are your tips/ tricks in that regard?

A great video on Mach-E road trip. Thanks Matt. Happy new year!

Been doing road trips for years in my ev!!!

I went on my first trip soon after I got my GT Performance in August and had no issues going from NYC area to Philly then just outside of Washington D.C. and returning. An EVGo station had just opened near my hotel so it was brand new and it worked flawlessly (It is next to a Tesla station so some may know where it is). My next trip is in 2 days up to Boston which has only one fast charger which has been low rated so I will charge as high as possible for returning halfway to a EA Charger: at least 4 on the route which is all withing a single charge range but it is winter now so an extra stop may be needed. The next trip is to Maine (8+ chargers along the route including the hotel) then in June out to Pittsburgh so I will be visiting 2 of the stations shown in this video. WARNING: the Ford Pass App will have you paying E.A.'s highest rate versus just belonging to E.A., $0.43 vs. $0.31, so I have dropped it.

Thank you for making this video Matt. It is important people see automotive journalists giving real world experience for EVs. Despite your positive experience, as well as many other EV owners, some will still have bones to pick. While road trips are a shortcoming of EVs at the moment, they are virtually superior in most other categories. I feel like people miss that.

Sounds like the baby goes through a tremendous number of diapers 😬

They have updated the charge speed curve a few times since you filmed this. In a GT I start at about 165 and stay over 130 kWh until 80% and then drops. But its better than it was and even 80-90% was pretty fast this last weekend.

Your forcing yourself to spend more money each stop to justify how much time charging takes, which makes the total cost pretty much the same as gas vehicle

Thank you for a real world test of driving an EV on road trip. I’ve been looking at the Mach E as a replacement for my current SUV. A key decision maker for me is DC fast charging in Bedford PA since that would be one of my road trip destinations.

great video thanks matt

SubaruWrxfan! I just rediscovered your channel!

I had broken pumps at the petrol station, so i had to switch to a another. That issue isnt exclusive to EV´s. there are just at ton of pumps and stations. (and you spend less time at each)

You gave your baby a top off lol!! Definitely a car guy :)

I loved the video! When I do road trips I like to stop top off and go. I’ll still wait for the infrastructure to improve. I Just did a road trip in my vehicle (NY-VA) 6 hours and I stopped once for 10 mins and kept it moving that is what I am use to but as things improve I will purchase an EV.

Seems like it will be a while till the infrastructure will be ready for all electric cars. What would be the amount difference if you took a regular gas SUV (paying for fuel)instead of the Mach E(paying for electricity)?

After Farley and Musk’s announcement the other day, I’d be very interested to see if adopting the Tesla charger makes a big difference or not. Can’t wait for those tests

Road trippin tomorrow in my Mach E Premium SF to LA. No worries!

Excellent report! Thanks.

Okay but factor in 6 stops, at $10 dollars a stop that's $60 dollars. Not much cheaper than gas and on most cars, you can go at least 350mi or more on a full tank depending on the vehicle. That's one-stop as opposed to multiple stops with an electric vehicle. Just does not make sense In my opinion for longer trips, if your a city commuter and barely drive, electric vehicles make sense, but in most cases gas is king, at least as of now.

Sure would have been helpful to have more data rather than trying to tally it all up as I watch. How many times did you end up stopping? Total time spent sitting at charging stations? Total cost of all fill-ups if they hadn't been free? I've got about 450 miles of range with my car so a 400-mile trip for us would be one, 10 minute top-off/kid RR break. It seemed like you guys stopped a lot.

Thanks for this video Matt! The Mach-E is high on my list of EVs when I pull the trigger next year.

Great video Matt, glad you and your family had a great roadtrip/vacation!

Pretty meaningless unless you have a new baby and will need to stop frequently no matter what. Otherwise, 10 minute total for stops in my C8. At malls and shopping centers, isn't the whole charging idea is to plug in enjoy the mall as long as possible so you can charge for a long time (and spend more money).

Try doing a much longer trip in cold weather. Your experience maybe very different.

Can't imagine the EV charge station lines in a couple of years! Thx Matt, very informative.

Still not a fan of the mach e look & it having a big screen right in your face know how & why that became a thing I'll never get. Not to be political but I already knew road trips were gonna be a pain with evs but the government doesn't care

It is good to save some money, but both of our ICE vehicles could the 400 miles one way without stopping. One would have cost just under $80.00 for fuel for a round trip and the bigger one, about $88.00 total.

So how long did the 400 mi trip take? I ask because I can make this on one tank of gas in several vehicles with range to spare..

You had pretty decent weather it appears. I noticed not a single charging area is/was covered. Have you seen any that are? I am curious how well the receptacle is designed if you HAD to charge while it was sprinkling/raining, besides the inconvenience of standing in the rain is there a safety concern?

Awesome video! Can you please elaborate on how you got free charging? You spoke very quickly at that part and I couldn't make out exactly what you said. Thanks so much!

I think it would help the perception of EVs for road trips if there were Bucc-ees like charging stations, a place you can go in and shop and grab some food in comfort or just stay in your car if you like. I don't like the fact that the EV chargers I see seem to be on the outskirts of parking lots most times. I personally think gas stations like Bucc-ees should add EV chargers and become a road trip destination for those drivers.

And parked next to. Bullit edition Mustang GT in the garage?

Maybe i missed it, but about how much total did it cost you for an 800 mile trip?

Matt has the beard coming in. Great video too

Well. I love you, subaruwrxfan man. However, i charged my 3,020 lbs vehicle with almost 600 miles of range during the first two commercials before your episode started. ev’s are lame.

Very informative, but not quite ready for an EV. Side note, while I know natural disasters are few and far between. Having just gone through a hurricane with no electricity albeit just for a day, I’ll pass for now.

Apple Maps has update that allows ford to find EV and plan routes :D

This was a great video showing some pros and some cons to EV Road Tripping. Pros are its cheap and if you have kids or baby by the time you are done fiddling with them the car will prolly be topped off on charge. Cons are 3 stops on a 400 mile trip is crazy what should be a 5 hour trip is now a 7nhalf hour trip losing a ton of time. Seems like EV just isnt there yet i know its still a growing and more improvements are coming but it seems the charging stations and time it takes to charge isnt there yet. As a single person and being it would only take me 1 stop and i dont buy snacks or use the restroom at gas stations too often my stop is no more than 10 mins Max. Ill wait till they force everyone to buy EVs to get one. Not that i dont like Ev vehicles just they dont fit my use case. I will say i am looking forward to the VW Van though.

Lots of "Hopium" in this video, good luck to all you beta testers out there. I'll be thinking about all of you when I road trip for the 19th year to the Tail of the Dragon. My 2022 Elantra N gets 38 mpg on the freeway and sounds awesome doing it...FREEDOM😎

Seems like a pain

Maybe people start hiding geocaches near these chargers to give you something to do while charging

My parents live 400 miles away. It's exactly 6 hours door-to-door. (Actual driving time). If we just stop for gas once, I only have to add 15 minutes to my trip. - When an EV can do this, I will consider getting one. I can't imagine having to "pre-program" my route. What a pain in the ass. - Also, people 'hogging' charging stations is going to be a massive deal. On my last trip to my parents, there was a mini-van full of dudes just sitting a pump eating pop-cycles. There were 3-4 cars waiting in line, but these assholes just sat there for the entire time I was pumping my gas. With evs, people will hook up and go get a meal, with no regards for other people. Heck, here in my town where I charge my electric motorcycle, there is an asshole with an electric porsche who plugs in Friday mornings, and his car is parked there all day.

As someone who hardly ever does long road trips, an EV would really fit the bill in my case. I only drive about 5k mi a yr and most drives are short, under 20 mi if even. I'd just top it up at nite at home and it would be more than enough for my purposes.. it all depends, EV's Can work Right now for some people , especially the short hop drivers... Pity I cant afford one cuz im utterly fed up with working on old broken down gas cars ,struggling to keep them running.. I just want to turn the key and have a car perform reliably and run Strong...

Keep in mind Tesla chargers become available soon to ask EVs. When chRging network is perfect demand and pricing goes up. Remember people want progress yet hate change.

Nicely presented were you using plug and charge?

I see my town on that map

We're not there yet, kids. See you in 5-10 years.

At least it’s a short trip

Not every i3 has the engine to charge a battery. JFYI.

I bet most people who have an EV, own a gas guzzling SUV. That's realistically going to be the way forward for the next 50 years. An EV for the commute and gas for traveling, a blend of ownership options. EV's don't have the range. Manufactures are trying to convince you that you only need 200 miles vs the 400 miles of a gas car, because they can't make a 400 mile charge cheaply. Maybe someday, but that is too much of a compromise for me. Besides, a 5.0L just sounds cooler.

Did you move? I thought you only had a 1 car garage

Good video! Do you have an estimate on how much you saved in gas if you hadn’t driven electric?

I could buy alot of gas for what u paid for your mustang .just saying....

EVs will be interesting for vacation rentals. More people charging their EVs increasing their power bill eventually they will need to charge for this. Basically robbed some power from the guy haha

of course Matt seen a wrx sti lol

While I like the Mach-E, those interior screens are the ugliest things I've ever seen. lol

It didn't look like it would have been that cheap-it looked like it was usually around $10 a stop and you stopped 3-4 times which would be $30-$40 and I just filled up my mustang and it was about $40 for about 360 miles.

Governor Hairdo has decreed that this EV idiocracy is our future. 🤡

The stressful journeys are the ones without a Tesla .

Gas car would be much more convenient. You never took me 20 minutes to fill up a gas car not even at a Costco.

Random but Matt are you a Steelers fan

bro charging at 49% lol....you need to get to a fast charger at like less than 20%

Your Daughter is so cute

You had a real Mustang to take on your trip and took the Mache? I am sorry but it would not have been the choice I would make.

You need to file a flight plan.

Why don’t you mention it’s complementary charging. What are you trying to pretend like you’re spending money ?

It's interesting to see some of the comments here, which seem to think that any EV is intended for frequent very long road trips. Of course the fact that 99% of driving is not very long road trips means that that puts such people in a very very small minority of individuals. Or, just rent a car for the road trip. For the occasional road trip, they are perfectly fine unless you are the marathon type driver that doesn't want periodic stops to stretch your legs and eat.

Too many hoops, all this etiquette stuff, finding things to do while waiting to charge, finding an adapter...atleast it's convenient at those stations when it rains 🙄🙄🙄 I'm glad your family had a good trip Matt😇

No matter how fast they want to push EV’s on to the public we’re just not ready for it yet.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetz

"Saving a ton of money"? 30mpg vehicle can go 200 miles for $25 with current fuel prices. Once we are out of this Biden economy, it will be even cheaper. Plus you can go 400 miles between fill ups.

So funny, revmatchtv just traded his mach e for a gr86. He said his first time roadtrip was terrible because of the problems with charging stations. By the time the infrastructure is setup properly all these EVs will need new batteries. Then we will have another problem of disposal and environmental issues with these batteries