I just completed x-country loop covering over 10,000 miles, 102 supercharges in over 32 states. This trip was done primarily to gather vehicle to infrastructure data
for my thesis work at MIT. It was also an amazing chance get to know this amazing country with my beautiful wife.
Model S 70D is super reliable vehicle that is backed by an even more reliable charging infrastructure. The vehicle was driven on average for 15 hours per day for over 15 days in temperatures well over 100F through midwest and southwest. No issues what so ever. You can see the timelapse of the trip at Untitled Map
Autopilot:
I drove over 9000 miles on autopilot - in two weeks - and can absolutely vouch for its safety and convenience in most driving conditions: from the infinite straightaways in Kansas and South Dakota, to the sweeping 70MPH curves in Colorado and Utah, to the bumber-to-bumper traffic in LA and DC. The harmony between driving and automation is simply beautiful - again, in most driving conditions. Here are some pointers for enhancing your autopilot experience:
* Always be ready to take over immediately at any point, specially when driving over bridges or over rolling hills where, for some reason, it tends to veer off past lane markings.
* Keep your hands on the wheel. Not only is it safer but it dampens the ever-so-slight lane hunting autopilot does in straight roads.
* Do not pass large vehicles with more than 15MPH speed difference; not only is it unsafe but you will also trigger the collision avoidance maneuver.
* Avoid driving on the side of the road with exits as vehicle will hunt for exit.
* Pick who you follow wisely. Professional truck drivers at a safe distance are the best to lead autopilot: they are large predicable objects that travel at constant speeds.
* Create a driver profile for autopilot driving position. It allows you to switch modes safely and quickly.
Telemetry:
* Always tell the car where you are going. Charging estimates and traffic avoidance all work beautifully when you do that.
* Always monitor at the state of charge % at arrival. Navigation system knows your route and elevation change and, unless you get lost or hit inclement weather, it will be very accurate in its estimates.
* Practice range recovery - it is nice to know that you can go from the scary red 6% to the yellow 12% if you need to.
* Practice range depletion too - specially if it is your last leg prior to destination charging - it will help you learn what habits make a difference.
* Always check the ETA for the overall trip - you will find that slowing down may actually decrease the ETA as it will reduce the charge time. Save the fast driving for last segment prior to destination charging at the hotel.
Charging:
* If you know where you are going, there is no need to overcharge by more than 5% for the 70D in normal summer conditions. If you don't know where you are heading, charge it up to the max to avoid surprises.
* Check wind conditions on the next segment prior to leaving the supercharger. Add 1% buffer for each MPH of headwind; 1.5% per MPH of headwind when it is raining.
* When possible, avoid charging immediately next to another vehicle as you may be sharing the max available current.
* Make sure that you are charging at the highest possible current (300A); If not, consider moving another spot.
* Think really hard about skipping superchargers if your destination range estimate is less than 15% and the weather along the route is unknown. Longer segments are less predicable than shorter ones and the 15% can quickly become a scary 5% if you hit some bad weather.
* Traffic is good for range. Electric vehicles do very well in slow moving heavy traffic. If you know you are going to hit traffic, there is no charge beyond the estimates.
Comfort:
* Be ready walk across mall parking lots and multi-lane roads to get from supercharger to the next available restroom.
* There is a nice flat bed back in the Model S. If you are under 6' tall, you can easily lie flat in the trunk with the rear seats down.
* If you do decide to sleep while charging, turn on the volume on the navigation and nav system will automatically wake you up when the car is ready.
All in all - it was an amazing experience. After 10,000 miles, I like this vehicle a lot more than I did when I first picked it up. It just makes sense - every bit of it. I am also forever thankful for the unprecedented infrastructure Tesla has deployed to support it.
Keep up the good work Tesla. I can wait to experience what you will do next!
ricardodematos.com
for my thesis work at MIT. It was also an amazing chance get to know this amazing country with my beautiful wife.
Model S 70D is super reliable vehicle that is backed by an even more reliable charging infrastructure. The vehicle was driven on average for 15 hours per day for over 15 days in temperatures well over 100F through midwest and southwest. No issues what so ever. You can see the timelapse of the trip at Untitled Map
Autopilot:
I drove over 9000 miles on autopilot - in two weeks - and can absolutely vouch for its safety and convenience in most driving conditions: from the infinite straightaways in Kansas and South Dakota, to the sweeping 70MPH curves in Colorado and Utah, to the bumber-to-bumper traffic in LA and DC. The harmony between driving and automation is simply beautiful - again, in most driving conditions. Here are some pointers for enhancing your autopilot experience:
* Always be ready to take over immediately at any point, specially when driving over bridges or over rolling hills where, for some reason, it tends to veer off past lane markings.
* Keep your hands on the wheel. Not only is it safer but it dampens the ever-so-slight lane hunting autopilot does in straight roads.
* Do not pass large vehicles with more than 15MPH speed difference; not only is it unsafe but you will also trigger the collision avoidance maneuver.
* Avoid driving on the side of the road with exits as vehicle will hunt for exit.
* Pick who you follow wisely. Professional truck drivers at a safe distance are the best to lead autopilot: they are large predicable objects that travel at constant speeds.
* Create a driver profile for autopilot driving position. It allows you to switch modes safely and quickly.
Telemetry:
* Always tell the car where you are going. Charging estimates and traffic avoidance all work beautifully when you do that.
* Always monitor at the state of charge % at arrival. Navigation system knows your route and elevation change and, unless you get lost or hit inclement weather, it will be very accurate in its estimates.
* Practice range recovery - it is nice to know that you can go from the scary red 6% to the yellow 12% if you need to.
* Practice range depletion too - specially if it is your last leg prior to destination charging - it will help you learn what habits make a difference.
* Always check the ETA for the overall trip - you will find that slowing down may actually decrease the ETA as it will reduce the charge time. Save the fast driving for last segment prior to destination charging at the hotel.
Charging:
* If you know where you are going, there is no need to overcharge by more than 5% for the 70D in normal summer conditions. If you don't know where you are heading, charge it up to the max to avoid surprises.
* Check wind conditions on the next segment prior to leaving the supercharger. Add 1% buffer for each MPH of headwind; 1.5% per MPH of headwind when it is raining.
* When possible, avoid charging immediately next to another vehicle as you may be sharing the max available current.
* Make sure that you are charging at the highest possible current (300A); If not, consider moving another spot.
* Think really hard about skipping superchargers if your destination range estimate is less than 15% and the weather along the route is unknown. Longer segments are less predicable than shorter ones and the 15% can quickly become a scary 5% if you hit some bad weather.
* Traffic is good for range. Electric vehicles do very well in slow moving heavy traffic. If you know you are going to hit traffic, there is no charge beyond the estimates.
Comfort:
* Be ready walk across mall parking lots and multi-lane roads to get from supercharger to the next available restroom.
* There is a nice flat bed back in the Model S. If you are under 6' tall, you can easily lie flat in the trunk with the rear seats down.
* If you do decide to sleep while charging, turn on the volume on the navigation and nav system will automatically wake you up when the car is ready.
All in all - it was an amazing experience. After 10,000 miles, I like this vehicle a lot more than I did when I first picked it up. It just makes sense - every bit of it. I am also forever thankful for the unprecedented infrastructure Tesla has deployed to support it.
Keep up the good work Tesla. I can wait to experience what you will do next!
ricardodematos.com
