Long trip by electric car requires luck and patience – 12/29/2023 – Market

A back-and-forth trip between São Paulo and Rio would be the ideal scenario to put a 100% electric car on the road. The opportunity arose during the Christmas holiday, a busy period on the roads.

The experience gained in the Folha-Mauá test showed that the ideal would be to get a car with at least 400 km of autonomy. Ford had one available: the recently launched Mustang Mach E (R$486,000).

Here is the first lesson: compact electric cars with low range and low power are efficient in urban use, but can leave the driver on the road if the distance between one charging station and another is long.

There is also a risk of the equipment being inoperative, as reported by several drivers on the PlugShare app, which displays maps with charging stations in different regions and allows interaction between users.

The trip started on Saturday morning (23), leaving at 9am from Brooklin Novo (south zone of São Paulo). The Mustang’s digital dashboard showed 83% battery charge and an estimated range of just over 300 kilometers.

The objective was to always run within the permitted limit on each stretch. On the Presidente Dutra highway, for example, the maximum speed reaches 110 km/h.

Amid traffic and the low speeds permitted in urban areas of the capital, autonomy slowly fell. By taking advantage of the energy spent on braking, electric cars do well in traffic jams.

The initial plan was to drive 169 km to the Arco Íris station, in Roseira (interior of São Paulo), and do the first recharge at a point installed by Vibra Energia.

However, the navigator indicated that the best route at that moment would be along the Carvalho Pinto highway, where there was a fast charger from the same company, which has the licensing contract for the Petrobras brand. The plugs are located in the São Paulo city of São José dos Campos.

However, there was a Chevrolet Tracker – which is flex-fuel, not electric – occupying the two spots for the CCS-type chargers, which have greater power (in general, between 43 kW and 150 kW). There was a couple in the car.

When informed that it was an exclusive point for electrified cars, the woman stated that she was pregnant. She then said that her husband only parked there because it was an emergency: he needed to give water to the dog who was traveling with them.

The Tracker vacated the space and the recharge began. First, however, it was necessary to download the Easy Volt company application (which manages the payment), register and register the credit card.

It’s a trend: after a grace period, charging stations start charging for energy. But there are still free points, such as those highlighted in four travel itineraries from São Paulo.

In 18 minutes, 80% charge was reached. It was 21.6 kWh at a cost of R$55. During that time, a BMW 330e, a plug-in hybrid (can be charged from the socket), parked next door, in the space with a type 2 socket, slow charging (between 7 kW and 22 kW). The owner tried to access the app but was unable to do so. After complaining about the bureaucracy, he continued his journey using only gasoline.

The difficulty in accessing the applications that unlock the chargers is among the main complaints about the PlugShare app. Operation failures are also reported.

“Be careful, because sometimes the charger turns off and you have to start over”, wrote the owner of a Volvo XC40 who used the Vibra Energia electric station on the 23rd. On the same date, the driver of a Chery Tiggo 8 Hybrid complained about the price. “R$2.50/kW, very expensive.”

The amount is the same as that charged at the Arco Íris Roseira gas station, which offers an advantage: both charging slots (slow and fast) are covered. This makes a difference especially if it is raining, as happened in Piraí (RJ), at Mamão Restaurante.

It was a quick stop: the 10 minutes needed to activate the charger were equivalent to the time plugged in. The system was down, making it necessary to ask for help from a gas station attendant at the Ipiranga gas station next door.

The attendant unlocked the equipment with his own card – in this case, there was no charge. If it was connected to the internet, the device would be unlocked using the WeCharge app. The kWh costs R$1.90.

Not all charging stations that use apps offer the possibility of offline unlocking.

“The system was inoperative. The telephone number for assistance was not answered. No one at the station understood how it worked. In short, chaos,” said, in October, the owner of a BYD Yuan Plus who tried to use the WeCharge charger at the National Station — which is also in Piraí, but towards São Paulo. This was the first stop on the return trip, on Monday (25).

After spending Christmas Eve in the garage, the Mach-E had 35% charge and autonomy to travel 147 km. This number was reached after a few hours plugged into a 220V residential socket, as the Mustang came with a portable charger with a three-pin connector (20 amps).

This was only possible because it was in a house in the west of Rio. If the accommodation was in a building, it would be difficult to obtain authorization or even a suitable connector.

Installed next to the pool, the available socket is intended for the backyard spotlights. Therefore, it was only possible to keep the car connected while there was sunlight. In eight hours, 27.2 kW was recovered. At this rate, it would take 27 hours for the 91 kWh battery to go from zero to full charge.

This type of recharging requires attention to the specifications of the portable charger. It is not possible to use adapters as there is a risk of heating. If a problem is detected on the network, the system shuts down automatically.

The National Post was 63 km away, but there was an obstacle ahead: the climb of Serra das Araras, between the municipalities of Paracambi and Piraí, in Rio de Janeiro. The Mustang didn’t lack power to overcome the long incline, but seeing the autonomy drop quickly in this condition gave rise to palpitations.

But as everything that goes up must come down, the Mach E recovered some of its charge during the braking that followed, arriving at the charging station with a range of another 72 km.

But there was a BYD Seal plugged into the fast charger. The good news was that the system was working normally, but it would be necessary to wait. With the growth of the fleet, driving a 100% electric car in Brazil requires a good dose of luck and patience.

Fortunately there were two type 2 (slow) chargers installed under a solar panel roof. The Mustang stayed connected there for an hour, until the BYD owner continued his journey.

The Mach E’s charge was topped up at the quick plug. There were 31.18 kWh in around forty minutes at a cost of R$61.24, which includes the service fee of R$2.

After almost two hours of stopping, there was enough energy to get to the Arco Íris Roseira station, whose fast charger offers up to 150 kW of power, which can vary depending on the car.

In the case of the Mustang, it was 100 kW at the beginning of refueling, a number that dropped to 80 kW at the end. It is normal for this to occur, to avoid overcharging and damaging the battery. When it approaches 100% of storage capacity, the pace is the same as slow chargers.

In 30 minutes, 45.96 kWh were recharged at a cost of R$115.91. Enough energy to drive 200 km – which, when added to the remaining energy, was enough to get home easily.

In this last stretch, of 160 km, the anxiety went away. The fear of finding busy or inoperative plugs was gone, and only then was it possible to enjoy the car. There was one last stop at Shopping Morumbi (south zone of São Paulo), where the car was connected to a slow charger (free) in the garage.

The Mustang Mach E will still undergo the Folha-Mauá Test. It is a high-performance SUV that drives comfortably on the road. Silent like any electric car, it offers good space and a giant screen installed vertically. All the car’s information is concentrated there.

And yes, it is strange to see the little horse that symbolizes the brand placed on the front of a sports utility vehicle – even more so without the noise of the 5.0 V8 gasoline engine of the Mach coupe (R$576,500). These are new times.