I mainly use A Better Route Planner (ABRP) and PlugShare for route planning and finding charging stations. ABRP can even connect with a Bluetooth OBD2 dongle to track real-time battery data. Ford isn’t very open with third-party API access, so Ford’s website and the FordPass app are pretty much it for online vehicle data.
I’d also recommend getting a Tesla-J1772 adapter (like TeslaTap) for charging on Tesla destination chargers and a NACS-CCS adapter for SuperChargers. Lectron and A2Z make good ones if the Ford adapter has a long wait.
@Basil
Just a heads-up, A2Z has been getting swamped with orders lately, so their adapters are taking over 2 weeks to ship. Order early if you’re planning to use it soon.
Roger said: @Basil
Just a heads-up, A2Z has been getting swamped with orders lately, so their adapters are taking over 2 weeks to ship. Order early if you’re planning to use it soon.
Yeah, I ordered mine a week and a half ago and keep checking in… hoping to have it before Thanksgiving. There’s a Magic Dock SuperCharger on my route, but I’d feel better with a backup.
Roger said: @Basil
Just a heads-up, A2Z has been getting swamped with orders lately, so their adapters are taking over 2 weeks to ship. Order early if you’re planning to use it soon.
Also, just a note—the only adapters that Tesla officially allows on their network are the ones Ford provides.
Ford’s adapters are actually manufactured by Tesla and Lectron. The one sold by Tesla is only available through Ford, but the Lectron one they sell is identical to the direct version from Lectron (minus branding).
Roger said: @Basil
Good to know… So are there any risks to using unofficial adapters, or do they just lock them out?
If something goes wrong while charging (bad connection, short, etc.), you’re liable for any damage to the station or your car. The official adapters don’t have this risk since Tesla and Ford cover it.
@Basil
Thanks! I’ve used ABRP and PlugShare in the past but haven’t had to for a while. Didn’t know ABRP could link up with an OBD2 dongle—that’s cool!
I got a TeslaTap-style Level 2 adapter, and it mentions it won’t work if the Wall Connector is in “Only Tesla” or “Authorized Tesla Only” mode. Any experience with that, or does it apply to all adapters?
Got the Lectron SuperCharger adapter on order as well. Hoping it ships soon, but I’m not holding my breath. I have two trips planned this week, each 200+ miles one way, so I’m counting on decent hotel charging or CCS stations. My last CCS experience was with a Bolt EV back in 2017-18, and it wasn’t great… a lot of time spent resetting stations or switching to another unit instead of actually charging. Hopefully, things have gotten better over the years.
@Nova
With Tesla chargers, the usual process is to connect the charger to the adapter, wait around 30 seconds, and then plug it into the truck. This allows the Tesla-specific protocol to time out, so it defaults to regular J1772 charging.
If the charger is set to “Tesla-Only” mode, it won’t fall back to J1772, and it won’t work with any adapter. If it’s set to “Authorized Tesla Only,” it also needs a recognized Tesla ID to begin charging.
I haven’t yet come across a Tesla Wall Connector or Destination Charger at a hotel that’s set to Tesla-only. When hotels have both Tesla and J1772, the Tesla chargers tend to charge faster.
I haven’t road-tripped with the SuperCharger adapter yet, but my best experiences have been with EVgo 350kW chargers at Pilot and Flying J stations, often under “GM” or “Ultium” branding. EA has improved over the past year and a half but isn’t as reliable as EVgo.
Took a 1,000-mile road trip from Atlanta to West Virginia on my second week with the Lightning, planned with ABRP. The only hiccup was slow charging at an EA stop. It was way better than my old EV experience.