ABRP Expertise

[brucek]

I am planning my first mini-road trip for next week. The timing could not be worse, with frigid winter temps expected, but some friends have a bourbon barrel tasting scheduled to make a selection for a private bottling, so I decided to join them and try a small road trip. They are happy to have someone drive to carry bourbon home so they can buy more.

Obviously, my preference is to make the trip using EA. I have a premium subscription to ABRP and an ODBL Bluetooth device to provide real-time data, but I have yet to figure out how to use ABRP effectively. Does anyone find any good resources for learning about it?
I figured maybe planning a trip on my phone is hard, and I should try using the webpage, which is better but still very quirky. In my mind I want to plan for all EA stops and if a EA station is full or otherwise not good to use, I will figure out the nearest alternate. This does not seem to be an option in ABRP.

In this image, I have the trip set to start at the EA charger at the King Of Prussia Mall, next to my nearest turnpike entrance. The planner calls for my first stop in 84 miles at a random Aero charger. As you can see from the image, there is an EA charger just on the other side of Harrisburg, so I can not figure out why it does not have me go to a higher SOC at departure and plan to the EA charger. This seems like a simple adjustment to the plan, but I can not figure out how to implement it. If I try to delete the Aero stop, it adds something else in, and I can not figure out how to add the Harrisburg EA, nothing I try gets me what I want.

Below is the plan, and beyond that, it shows EA selected. I am not sure how it decides to use a range of about 90 miles between stops. Should I really expect it to be that bad?

Using the ABRP app I have struggled with getting stops where I want them and swapping stations. We shall see how this goes. I did not set a departure time (due to the quirky interface not seeming to let me) as this will be a trip with an overnight stay. I will probably select overnight lodging with L2 charging to eliminate a stop.

If anyone has knowledge of this route and recommendations, please let me know.

EDIT - After looking at the map and realizing how much of a backtrack King Of Prussia is, I will probably AC charge to 95%at home and head out directly to the turnpike. The red arrow in West Chester is home, and the image puts that visual in focus.

 

[Jeffdawgfan]

I would say it is grossly underestimating your m/kwh.......but with the cold weather coming it may actually be pretty close to accurate.

 

[Sampras]

In the ABRP phone app, click on the three lines (settings) in the upper left corner. Scroll down to the 2nd option after "Charging Stops" called "Chargers & Networks." Click on that, then click "Avoid and prefer." Type in Electrify America, then give it 2 thumbs up (and remove the thumbs up from other options, if you have them). Then restart your route. ABRP will select your "preferred" network as much as possible.


Edit to add that when I plan a road trip, I use ABRP to give me ideas on routes and stops. Then I use plug share to evaluate the charging stops for reliability and look for better nearby options. Finally, I plan my route on Google Maps to go to the specific charger I've selected. It's extra work, but I find the planning satisfying for some reason. I also prefer to use Google Maps when I'm utilizing Android Auto while I drive.

 

[gvjim]

In the ABRP phone app, click on the three lines (settings) in the upper left corner. Scroll down to the 2nd option after "Charging Stops" called "Chargers & Networks." Click on that, then click "Avoid and prefer." Type in Electrify America, then give it 2 thumbs up (and remove the thumbs up from other options, if you have them).

You can also do that on the web page, however the setting is in the upper right hand corner on the web, instead of upper right. If you're logged on, all of the settings will carry over from web to phone (and also to iPad if you have that).

I usually do all of my route planning on the web, or occasionally on the iPad. Then when I'm actually driving I will pull up the already planned route on my iPhone.

Does anyone find any good resources for learning about it?

They definitely should have better resources for such a complicated product. One the one hand, it's great that we have it, it's way better than what's built into the car. On the other hand, as you've discovered, it's quite quirky and fiddly. If a trip doesn't require 2 or more charging stops, I usually don't bother with ABRP.

There is a reddit page for ABRP. Apparently they used to have a forum, but they shut it down.

https://www.reddit.com/r/abetterrouteplanner

I use ABRP to give me ideas on routes and stops. Then I use plug share to evaluate the charging stops for reliability and look for better nearby options.

I do the same.

When I'm actually driving, I prefer to use Apple Maps via CarPlay. For example, Apple Maps can tell me which lane to get in for turns, which last I checked ABRP cannot do. Also ABRP is kind of quirky with CarPlay. However, what I do like to do is also run ABRP on my phone (not the CarPlay screen). So I'm running the nav task on both Apple Maps and ABRP. The only reason for this is that ABRP will show me the estimated SOC at the destination. That's all I want to see, I ignore everything else in ABRP. I have ABRP connected via OBD, so the estimated SOC updates as I drive. Kind of the next best thing to using Telsa software. I don't know if this "double nav" technique still works, I haven't taken that long of a trip for about 6 months and ABRP has had a couple of major updates since then.

 

[Zcd1]

What speed do you have set for the route? It’s hard to imagine the consumption could be that high unless you’re planning to cruise at 85+mph…

I’ve also found that ABRP is super pessimistic with regards to the GV60’s consumption. I’ve gotten better, more accurate results when reducing the default consumption by 15-20% before planning the route

Finally, do you let ABRP plan the route for quickest arrival, rather than more stops or fewer stops?

 

[gvjim]

I am not sure how it decides to use a range of about 90 miles between stops.

I didn't really read this carefully enough the first time, or look closely enough at your spreadsheet, sorry about that. I agree with @Zcd1, these numbers seem way off. I just ran a couple of plans in ABRP and got segments up to 170 miles between stops, this is with temps in the 30s and 40s.

I also agree that ABRP is a bit pessimistic, but I'd say for me it's closer to 10% pessimistic rather than 20%. (And I'd much prefer it to be pessimistic rather than optimistic, I'm not an "Out-of-Spec" style road tripper, at least not yet.)

 

[MBGV60]

I am planning my first mini-road trip for next week. The timing could not be worse, with frigid winter temps expected, but some friends have a bourbon barrel tasting scheduled to make a selection for a private bottling, so I decided to join them and try a small road trip. They are happy to have someone drive to carry bourbon home so they can buy more.

Obviously, my preference is to make the trip using EA. I have a premium subscription to ABRP and an ODBL Bluetooth device to provide real-time data, but I have yet to figure out how to use ABRP effectively. Does anyone find any good resources for learning about it?
I figured maybe planning a trip on my phone is hard, and I should try using the webpage, which is better but still very quirky. In my mind I want to plan for all EA stops and if a EA station is full or otherwise not good to use, I will figure out the nearest alternate. This does not seem to be an option in ABRP.
View attachment 61165
In this image, I have the trip set to start at the EA charger at the King Of Prussia Mall, next to my nearest turnpike entrance. The planner calls for my first stop in 84 miles at a random Aero charger. As you can see from the image, there is an EA charger just on the other side of Harrisburg, so I can not figure out why it does not have me go to a higher SOC at departure and plan to the EA charger. This seems like a simple adjustment to the plan, but I can not figure out how to implement it. If I try to delete the Aero stop, it adds something else in, and I can not figure out how to add the Harrisburg EA, nothing I try gets me what I want.

Below is the plan, and beyond that, it shows EA selected. I am not sure how it decides to use a range of about 90 miles between stops. Should I really expect it to be that bad?
View attachment 61166
Using the ABRP app I have struggled with getting stops where I want them and swapping stations. We shall see how this goes. I did not set a departure time (due to the quirky interface not seeming to let me) as this will be a trip with an overnight stay. I will probably select overnight lodging with L2 charging to eliminate a stop.

If anyone has knowledge of this route and recommendations, please let me know.

EDIT - After looking at the map and realizing how much of a backtrack King Of Prussia is, I will probably AC charge to 95%at home and head out directly to the turnpike. The red arrow in West Chester is home, and the image puts that visual in focus.

Bruce, as fun as trip planning is....how was the private bottling?

 

[brucek]

Bruce, as fun as trip planning is....how was the private bottling?

I leave for the trip tomorrow. We will see how cold weather and snow affect my GV60. I will report on the tasting and other visits next week after I return.

What speed do you have set for the route? It’s hard to imagine the consumption could be that high unless you’re planning to cruise at 85+mph…

I’ve also found that ABRP is super pessimistic with regards to the GV60’s consumption. I’ve gotten better, more accurate results when reducing the default consumption by 15-20% before planning the route

Finally, do you let ABRP plan the route for quickest arrival, rather than more stops or fewer stops?

I tried the quickest arrival previously and found it puts many stops in at chargers that turn out to be full. If I am going through waiting for a charger I have to believe getting as much charge as possible makes sense. Also, in the cold weather, I think many charging stops will cause more battery conditioning, thus hurting the overall goal. See below about consumption.

I didn't really read this carefully enough the first time, or look closely enough at your spreadsheet, sorry about that. I agree with @Zcd1, these numbers seem way off. I just ran a couple of plans in ABRP and got segments up to 170 miles between stops, this is with temps in the 30s and 40s.

I also agree that ABRP is a bit pessimistic, but I'd say for me it's closer to 10% pessimistic rather than 20%. (And I'd much prefer it to be pessimistic rather than optimistic, I'm not an "Out-of-Spec" style road tripper, at least not yet.)

Upon inspection I see ABRP is using 352 Wh/mile. On my last trip with my wife in the car, we had seat heaters and a high temp so maybe that was what we got. What is a realistic number I should put in for the freezing temps? I randomly tried 260 Wh/Mile and got a better seeming plan, but back to EVGo stations. I did tell it I have an EA card and to prefer EA.
"Out-of-Spec" trips, I assume, refer to the blogger, and he has some history of pushing the limits of how low he can get.

Plan using 260

 

[Zcd1]

I leave for the trip tomorrow. We will see how cold weather and snow affect my GV60. I will report on the tasting and other visits next week after I return.


I tried the quickest arrival previously and found it puts many stops in at chargers that turn out to be full. If I am going through waiting for a charger I have to believe getting as much charge as possible makes sense. Also, in the cold weather, I think many charging stops will cause more battery conditioning, thus hurting the overall goal. See below about consumption.

Upon inspection I see ABRP is using 352 Wh/mile. On my last trip with my wife in the car, we had seat heaters and a high temp so maybe that was what we got. What is a realistic number I should put in for the freezing temps? I randomly tried 260 Wh/Mile and got a better seeming plan, but back to EVGo stations. I did tell it I have an EA card and to prefer EA.
"Out-of-Spec" trips, I assume, refer to the blogger, and he has some history of pushing the limits of how low he can get.

Plan using 260
View attachment 61190

ABRP is likely incorporating the current extreme weather, winds and low temps into its projections.

352 wh/mile is certainly possible at 75+ mph, 20 degrees F. and a headwind... Also, a general cold-weather tip: Keep the cabin temperature lower and seat heating higher for better overall efficiency.

I'd also suggest charging to 100% before you leave - no real reason not to...

 

[gvjim]

"Out-of-Spec" trips, I assume, refer to the blogger, and he has some history of pushing the limits of how low he can get.

Yeah, Kyle Conner. He likes to come in as close to zero as possible and he himself calls it "Out-of-Spec" style. This also includes only charging enough to get to the next station, only using the bottom of the pack where the charging is faster. For our EGMP vehicles the charging remains fast at higher SOCs, so there is not so much time gained with this strategy - plus it's just too stressful for me. I *really* have no interest in ever calling a tow truck - especially if my wife is with me.

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[brucek]

Yeah, Kyle Conner. He likes to come in as close to zero as possible and he himself calls it "Out-of-Spec" style. This also includes only charging enough to get to the next station, only using the bottom of the pack where the charging is faster. For our EGMP vehicles the charging remains fast at higher SOCs, so there is not so much time gained with this strategy - plus it's just too stressful for me. I *really* have no interest in ever calling a tow truck - especially if my wife is with me.

I have about 300 miles on the PA Turnpike to learn what I am really seeing for Wh/mi in this weather. Most interchanges have some charger; the real question is if I can optimize with EA.
I have it set to go to 100% tonight in the garage with my 110V charger.
The news and weather forecast for the area are concerning. My wife wants me to cancel.

 

[gknyce]

I am invested in this trip

 

[Zcd1]

I am invested in this trip

I hope for the best for the OP, but fear for the worst given the forecast.

 

[Looney100]

I find it hilarious that Bruce is driving out to a boozefest, and we're all worried about his safety on the WAY OUT.

 

[brucek]

Mid trip report while I am in passenger seat. Most concerning is my current rush to Buffalo Trace and will they have any left when we get there. No one has ever heard of them doing this before

Using EV is this weather is slower travel than expected. The range impact sucks. ABRP is using 2mi/kw estimate and plans for me to arrive below 10%. By the time we get there I am usually 20%+. Since I have only done EA chargers they are not close enough together where getting the extra % would help much. ABRP wanted to take to a station in Cincinnati where all chargers were out of service. Lucky the need to find charger in onboard system alerted me to situation.

Needing to use the onboard nav for battery conditioning is painful. I can not figure out how to get it to find a charger that is more than 50 or so miles away.

Overall when I used Tesla the navigation seems easier.

Biggest surprise- the car will close windows when entering a tunnel and then opens them again when you exit. Since I smoke cigars in car I usually have the window open. The first tunnel I figured the window up was accidentally hit and opened it in the tunnel. The second one we realized the car closed them and then upon exit it opened the window again.

 

[Locutus]

Needing to use the onboard nav for battery conditioning is painful. I can not figure out how to get it to find a charger that is more than 50 or so miles away.

I noticed this also, how I got around it was to set a destination near where the charger (not using the EV as the destination, but just the village / town), then searched for EV Chargers at the destination, I used the network filters to find the one I wanted then set that as the destination.

 

[Zcd1]

Needing to use the onboard nav for battery conditioning is painful. I can not figure out how to get it to find a charger that is more than 50 or so miles away.

Overall when I used Tesla the navigation seems easier.

This is about what I expected/feared unfortunately.

Hope the rest of the trip goes okay, and I hope you're able to snag some of that hard-to-get hooch!

Tesla's charging/nav integration is the envy of the industry, but of course can only be as good as it is because Tesla owns the entire experience!

 

[Zcd1]

So @brucek - what happened?

Did you get the hooch?

Did your frustration get worse or better?

Did you get stranded?

Did you get drunk?? ;-)

Enquiring minds wanna know...

 

[gknyce]

@brucek - might we politely ask for closure on this driving-and-bourbon adventure of yours?

 

[brucek]

@brucek - might we politely ask for closure on this driving-and-bourbon adventure of yours?

I thought I posted a quick summary and said I would do a trip report with more detail, but I do not see it here. I am in a waiting room while my wife has cataract surgery, but will post when I get home.