Completed a 2,500 mile road trip from NC to Texas and back in my 2020 Tesla Model S LR last week.
Range on outbound trip was not great. I was struggling to get 180 - 200 miles between supercharger stops as I made my way to Texas.
Range on return trip to NC improved, but was nowhere close to Tesla stated range of 400 miles. I managed a couple of 240 mile sprints in addition to a few 180 mile jaunts returning to North Carolina from Texas.
I attribute my range loss mainly to cooler temperatures. On my return trip, I found that manually operating climate controls instead of relying on the "automatic" climate control improved my range without compromising comfort. In automatic mode, the A/C compressor is always enabled even though the A/C isn't really needed most of the time. Automatic mode also defaults to a much higher fan speed than I believe is really necessary for ride comfort.
Superchargers were always accessible when needed, although I nearly had to wait-in-line during a stop in Madison, GA. Many new 250 KW chargers have been installed over the last year on I-10, where they were sorely needed. On the outbound trip to Texas, I noticed that many of the supercharger locations I visited had 1 - 2 inoperable charging stations. Some supercharger sites in major cities along I-10 remain congested, such as the supercharger location in Baton Rouge, LA.
Another issue I encountered with supercharger stops was restaurant access. Most of the superchargers I visited had no restaurants or only a few restaurants within a reasonable walking distance from the supercharger location. This is a major issue from a travel time point of view. I've found that the fastest way to complete interstate travel in the US with an EV is to combine supercharger stops with major meals. On this trip, I was only able to eat at a restaurant while supercharging at about 25% of the supercharger locations I visited.
During this trip I had my first major issue with the car. The latch that locks down the rear trunk lid froze in the locked position and would not budge, even with the manual release. The manual release literally broke off in my hands as I tugged on the cable to release the lock and gain access to my trunk.
Although the rear trunk could not be opened, the rear hatch would not fully close either. The car sensors detected that the rear trunk was open, generating error messages, triggering an issue with AutoPilot and creating a problem with locking the car for the night.
While I was searching for an ad-hoc solution to the problem with latch for the rear trunk lid, I also managed to lock myself out of my glove box. While I was searching through documents in the glove box, my tire depth gauge managed to lodge itself in the gears that open and close the glove box.
Since access to my trunk is a necessity for travel and water intrusion is a real possibility with a partially closed trunk lid, I contacted Tesla Service in NW Houston to ask for assistance.
Even though I did not have an appointment, Tesla Service worked for several hours on my car to address the rear trunk lid issue and the glove box issue.
The trunk latch problem was addressed, but additional issues were found with the motors that raise and lower the trunk lid. The Tesla Service team was unable to repair the motors that raise and lower the trunk lid in the time remaining before my departure date, so they somehow converted my trunk lid for manual operation to enable me to get home on-time.
I have made several long distance road trips in my Model S. I have often wondered what would happen if I had an issue while traveling in another state. My expectation was that I would have to wait days for Tesla to confirm a service appointment, but what I found out last week is that Tesla will help travelers get back on the road with or without a pre-scheduled appointment.
"Tesla Model S" by cdorobek is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog thumbnail.
Range on outbound trip was not great. I was struggling to get 180 - 200 miles between supercharger stops as I made my way to Texas.
Range on return trip to NC improved, but was nowhere close to Tesla stated range of 400 miles. I managed a couple of 240 mile sprints in addition to a few 180 mile jaunts returning to North Carolina from Texas.
I attribute my range loss mainly to cooler temperatures. On my return trip, I found that manually operating climate controls instead of relying on the "automatic" climate control improved my range without compromising comfort. In automatic mode, the A/C compressor is always enabled even though the A/C isn't really needed most of the time. Automatic mode also defaults to a much higher fan speed than I believe is really necessary for ride comfort.
Superchargers were always accessible when needed, although I nearly had to wait-in-line during a stop in Madison, GA. Many new 250 KW chargers have been installed over the last year on I-10, where they were sorely needed. On the outbound trip to Texas, I noticed that many of the supercharger locations I visited had 1 - 2 inoperable charging stations. Some supercharger sites in major cities along I-10 remain congested, such as the supercharger location in Baton Rouge, LA.
Another issue I encountered with supercharger stops was restaurant access. Most of the superchargers I visited had no restaurants or only a few restaurants within a reasonable walking distance from the supercharger location. This is a major issue from a travel time point of view. I've found that the fastest way to complete interstate travel in the US with an EV is to combine supercharger stops with major meals. On this trip, I was only able to eat at a restaurant while supercharging at about 25% of the supercharger locations I visited.
During this trip I had my first major issue with the car. The latch that locks down the rear trunk lid froze in the locked position and would not budge, even with the manual release. The manual release literally broke off in my hands as I tugged on the cable to release the lock and gain access to my trunk.
Although the rear trunk could not be opened, the rear hatch would not fully close either. The car sensors detected that the rear trunk was open, generating error messages, triggering an issue with AutoPilot and creating a problem with locking the car for the night.
While I was searching for an ad-hoc solution to the problem with latch for the rear trunk lid, I also managed to lock myself out of my glove box. While I was searching through documents in the glove box, my tire depth gauge managed to lodge itself in the gears that open and close the glove box.
Since access to my trunk is a necessity for travel and water intrusion is a real possibility with a partially closed trunk lid, I contacted Tesla Service in NW Houston to ask for assistance.
Even though I did not have an appointment, Tesla Service worked for several hours on my car to address the rear trunk lid issue and the glove box issue.
The trunk latch problem was addressed, but additional issues were found with the motors that raise and lower the trunk lid. The Tesla Service team was unable to repair the motors that raise and lower the trunk lid in the time remaining before my departure date, so they somehow converted my trunk lid for manual operation to enable me to get home on-time.
I have made several long distance road trips in my Model S. I have often wondered what would happen if I had an issue while traveling in another state. My expectation was that I would have to wait days for Tesla to confirm a service appointment, but what I found out last week is that Tesla will help travelers get back on the road with or without a pre-scheduled appointment.
"Tesla Model S" by cdorobek is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Admin note: Image added for Blog thumbnail.
