2016 ElMoto 4Corners - Titusville, FL to Moultrie, GA
After an eventful weeklong vacation with my girlfriend and family, it was time to finally head North toward home. It will still be a few days before I get home, but knowing I am headed in that direction feels good.
The morning felt nice and cool as I headed toward Field's BMW, a friendly and familiar charging spot. The sales floor wasn't open yet, but service was, so I made myself comfortable in the waiting area while my motorcycle charged up. By the time it finished charging the temperature had soared from the 70's to 90 degrees.
Next I stopped at a Nissan dealership just south of Jacksonville, and I found them to be very friendly. Particularly Ryan who met me in the parking lot and offered to make me feel comfortable. They had a theater in the dealership for people waiting for their service repairs, so I watched a good portion of the first Hunger Games movie while charging there.
That charge got me to Lake City where I charged up again at the Inn & Out RV Park. The kind woman at the desk said her boss told her to charge $20 to charge any electric vehicle, but she said I could charge for $5 again. If anyone asked, I was to tell them that I paid $20. I appreciate her kindness, and wish I could have charged without the need for any subterfuge.
My battery temperature hit 120 degrees at that charging stop which is about when it stops charging to protect itself. The next stretch of riding included a little rain, which may have helped keep my battery temperature under control. This is not a problem under normal circumstances, but riding at highway speeds, then fast charging is not normal circumstances for this machine.
At my final charging stop of the day at Griner Nissan in Valdoosa, GA they welcomed me openly. The challenge was to charge the bike without increasing the temperature of the battery. Fortunately I could park in the shade, and also the weather was cooling down a bit (into the low 90's from over 100F). I began charging my 122F battery at 3.4kW in hopes it would not overheat. When I checked on it 30 minutes later, the battery had actually cooled down a bit to 118F. So I charged at 6.6kW for the final 15% that I needed to get to my destination.
The battery heated up to 120F again, but I didn't care because I can ride it up to 136F and I only had about 42 miles to go. The final leg of the ride was easy and I found my friend's house with no problem. We made some "pizza" (see photo below) and I had some quality time with their kids. Since I arrived around 6pm, there was some time to relax and catch up which was good for the soul.
Tomorrow I head to Asheville, NC where another friend awaits with some precious genepy!
