Really stupid ABRP routings

[SimonS]

I've noticed that ABRP can sometimes come up with a really illogical routing and I think this one will take some beating.
I was planning a routing from Ayr to Shipley and it has come up with the route pictured below, It avoids taking a simple turn onto the A65 to the chargers in Kirby Lonsdale which are directly on my route and instead has me going down the M6 to the Carnforth junction to then turn back north the Burton in Kendal services for a 9 minute stop (18-42%). Then continue back north to the A65 turnoff. That's a detour of 17 miles which is going to use about 9% of the 24% added.

Has anyone got a sillier example?

 

[Rolfe]

I'm doing a very similar route at the moment - West Linton to Halifax - and it's playing the same games with me.

First try, go into Kendal to a 50 Kw charger (taking me down to 8% when I specified 10%) then back across to Kirkby Lonsdale. 4 hr 26 min journey time.

So I tell it to avoid that charger. The second time it suggested going into Carlisle (an Instavolt somewhere, not even the Ionitys by the motorway for 22 min, then a 6-min charge in Kirkby Lonsdale. But I've also had it tell me to go to Burton-in-Kendal which is completely nuts. Sometimes it actually sends me the long way by the motorway through Manchester, which might be quicker if the motorway is clear but is 35 miles longer. I wouldn't even do that in an ICE car!

It seems to perm some fairly bizarre off-route chargers round about there like Porsche Centre South Lakes and Greenlands Farm. One time I had to strike off all of them one by one and it even gave me Killington Lake which has very severely underpowered chargers and requires a stop of over an hour, before it would tell me something sensible.

It took quite a lot of telling it to avoid various unsuitable chargers before it gave me what genuinely seems to be the quickest solution - a single 28-minute charge at Booth's in Penrith, bringing the journey time down to 4 hours 3 minutes. Interestingly it was regularly giving me 2-stop suggestions when I had it set to "few but long" for the stops.

 

[SimonS]

I used to regularly drive from Dunfermline to the south side of Bradford and the quickest way was usually the longest, M8/M74/M6/M61/M60/M62/M606. Coming back it was always via the A65 for cheese

 

[Rolfe]

I go this way a lot (I have friends in Halifax) and although I know the motorway route can often be significantly quicker, the thought of burning that much extra petrol has always sent me on the A65, in a series of ICE cars, going back I think to 1987 when my friends moved there. It's a nice drive.

 

[SimonS]

It was usually in a company provided hire car so I wasn't paying for the petrol.

 

[Rolfe]

It was usually in a company provided hire car so I wasn't paying for the petrol.

I was thinking about the pollution and the CO2 though.

 

[Archev]

I'm doing a very similar route at the moment - West Linton to Halifax - and it's playing the same games with me.

First try, go into Kendal to a 50 Kw charger (taking me down to 8% when I specified 10%) then back across to Kirkby Lonsdale. 4 hr 26 min journey time.

View attachment 22237

So I tell it to avoid that charger. The second time it suggested going into Carlisle (an Instavolt somewhere, not even the Ionitys by the motorway for 22 min, then a 6-min charge in Kirkby Lonsdale. But I've also had it tell me to go to Burton-in-Kendal which is completely nuts. Sometimes it actually sends me the long way by the motorway through Manchester, which might be quicker if the motorway is clear but is 35 miles longer. I wouldn't even do that in an ICE car!

It seems to perm some fairly bizarre off-route chargers round about there like Porsche Centre South Lakes and Greenlands Farm. One time I had to strike off all of them one by one and it even gave me Killington Lake which has very severely underpowered chargers and requires a stop of over an hour, before it would tell me something sensible.

It took quite a lot of telling it to avoid various unsuitable chargers before it gave me what genuinely seems to be the quickest solution - a single 28-minute charge at Booth's in Penrith, bringing the journey time down to 4 hours 3 minutes. Interestingly it was regularly giving me 2-stop suggestions when I had it set to "few but long" for the stops.

I tried ABRP and couldn’t agree with it either so I just wing it and will accept my inadequacies if I run out of charge, battery explodes, goes of fire, run out of fruit and nut chocolate or any such Horrendous problem befalls me.

 

[Rolfe]

I tried asking it for Dunfermline to Shipley in an LR and it gave me 16 minutes on the Carlisle Ionitys, which looks perfectly sensible. Journey time 4 hours 8 min. (It's suggesting crossing the Forth rather than going round by the M73.) But I can confirm that idiotic game with Burton-in-Kendal, because it was doing the same to me when I was planning my trip last week. Also some charger in Garstang at one point.

 

[Ayoull]

ABRP is deffo not a better route planner, I wish they'd use Google maps as a backend and just add their EV charger data ontop.

As Google's electric efficient routing is actually quite good

 

[Rolfe]

I find its various permutations useful to give me an idea of what's around there, and the possibilities. I also find it's handy to make it quote for the journey plan I favour and see how long it thinks the stops have to be. Sometimes there are surprises. That's how I discovered about Killington Lake, and how low-powered the chargers are there. My preferred plan, going there, changed a 35-min stop at the Porsche Centre to a 2 hr 5 min stop at Killington Lake!

Playing around, and laughing at some of the sillier suggestions, has clarified for me that the three chargers of interest are the Carlisle Ionitys, Booth's in Penrith, and Booth's in Kirkby Lonsdale. A single stop at Penrith seems to be the best, but there may be queuing as there are only two chargers. Alternatively a stop at Carlisle would get me to Kirkby Lonsdale where there are four chargers, albeit only 50 Kw. So I'm going to keep these three charging sites in mind and see what I feel like on the day.

ABRP is deffo not a better route planner, I wish they'd use Google maps as a backend and just add their EV charger data ontop.

As Google's electric efficient routing is actually quite good

I'm still not convinced Google knows I'm driving an EV.

 

[SimonS]

I agree that ABRP is not the greatest at actual routing and its traffic detection is a work of fiction but the way it monitors chargers and presents them on screen seems to work quite well. Last week when I was heading for a Tesla charger it was telling me how many were free and it was accurate with what I found when I arrived. I’ve also had it change route to a different charger to avoid queuing in the past.
I do agree however, if Google gets the same charging info available then ABRP’s days will be numbered.

 

[Ayoull]

I'm still not convinced Google knows I'm driving an EV.

You have to set it up, in the settings and it'll give you the option of most efficient route for an electric vehicle

 

[Rolfe]

I thought I had, but it doesn't seem to have taken.

 

[Grriff]

Have you tried the Electroverse app which has a route planner?

 

[Ayoull]

Have you tried the Electroverse app which has a route planner?

Doesn't integrate with OBD2 adapters which is the unique selling point of ABRP to me

 

[Jto]

I've noticed that ABRP can sometimes come up with a really illogical routing and I think this one will take some beating.
I was planning a routing from Ayr to Shipley and it has come up with the route pictured below, It avoids taking a simple turn onto the A65 to the chargers in Kirby Lonsdale which are directly on my route and instead has me going down the M6 to the Carnforth junction to then turn back north the Burton in Kendal services for a 9 minute stop (18-42%). Then continue back north to the A65 turnoff. That's a detour of 17 miles which is going to use about 9% of the 24% added.

Has anyone got a sillier example?

Which Shipley are you going too

 

[ari197]

I agree that ABRP is not the greatest at actual routing and its traffic detection is a work of fiction but the way it monitors chargers and presents them on screen seems to work quite well. Last week when I was heading for a Tesla charger it was telling me how many were free and it was accurate with what I found when I arrived. I’ve also had it change route to a different charger to avoid queuing in the past.
I do agree however, if Google gets the same charging info available then ABRP’s days will be numbered.

ABRP relies on an open source map for traffic detection which not always so up to date.

In mainland Europe, i find ABRP routing working really well. It will suggest some funny route if you set some preferences..

 

[SimonS]

Which Shipley are you going too

It was the one in Yorkshire.

 

[Jto]

As I come from a village over looking Shipley I would have come down then across to scotch corner then down A1 to Wetherby Harewood Otley Gusiseley then Shipley.
You miss road works on M62 on Manchester side and is a better route for traffic.

 

[Sloucher]

I must admit, I've cancelled my ABRP subscription as I just don't get the use out of it I thought I would. I find Google every bit as good when I do need any charger info, so I prefer to save myself 5 Euros each month.