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50 state challenge last year

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smartypnz

Active Member
Supporting Member
Jan 23, 2013
2,402
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Monterey Peninsula
Haven't really documented it here, but last year my son, who lives in North Carolina, challenged me to do all 50 states in one year.

So, I took the challenge. Did 48 in my Model 3 and flew to Anchorage then changed planes to Honolulu. That last part almost didn't happen as I got a cold and was not about to fly on a plane while hacking ( given the current environment about sick passengers ).

But, for the driving part, I did three on one weekend - that being California - my home - then north to Portland, OR. Crossed the river - which put me in Washington state, then back home.

The other 45 states were done in one trip - relying on Superchargers except for two short charges in Pigeon Forge, TN at a Tesla home charger at REI. ( 2 weeks before the Supercharger there was opened ).

Anyway, my total cost was about 3.5 cents per mile for just under 11,000 miles.

I did keep track of all my charge rates and costs.
I met a lot of great folks in great places. Some sad places affected by Covid (financially).

If anyone is interested in more details I can provide.
 
Hyder Alaska can be reached with a long range Tesla and A CCS or chademo adapter, or even with an sr+ if you spend a night at the RV park in Hyder or Stewart with a tt30 adapter. Not last year though due to COVID-19 closing the border effectively.
Hyder, Alaska is the normal destination for people doing the 49 state drive. It should be open this summer.
 
Hyder Alaska can be reached with a long range Tesla and A CCS or chademo adapter, or even with an sr+ if you spend a night at the RV park in Hyder or Stewart with a tt30 adapter. Not last year though due to COVID-19 closing the border effectively.
Hyder, Alaska is the normal destination for people doing the 49 state drive. It should be open this summer.
Yes, and I was disappointed last year that I couldn't drive there (Canada wouldn't let me). Also was hoping to see Niagara Falls (one of the places I had not been to). I know, the American side was available, but I wanted to view the Canadian side - so will do both another time.
 
Yes, and I was disappointed last year that I couldn't drive there (Canada wouldn't let me). Also was hoping to see Niagara Falls (one of the places I had not been to). I know, the American side was available, but I wanted to view the Canadian side - so will do both another time.
After Aug 9, you could cross into Canada if a US Citizen, with test. As a Canadian, I could freely cross the border both ways. This week you can cross without a test. Hyder was effectively shut down as a town due to border rules. There is no US border station so you can enter it, but they could not re-enter Canada if American, and even after Aug 9 they needed a test which you could not get in Hyder, and video tests were rare in those days. I tried to make it to Hyder but I have a mid-range, and while you can get there, you need to pick up a charge there of some sort, and the RV parks there were all shut down because the tourist trade was shut down. It's 150 miles to Hyder, plus you want to go to the bear viewing and the glacier view (though in a model 3 the road may not be great, so my plan was to park my car at the RV park and hitch up to the glacier.)

It's a challenge in an EV. There is a fast charging station (25kw) on the way there that is free if a bit slow. But you want to pick up some more charge there and the best you can do is 30 amp RV park, which only gives you about 10mph of charging, so the best plan is to overnight there and park your car at the RV park to pick up 100 extra miles. Even in a long range I think you would need some charging there to be safe.
 
Started the trip end of May. Canada was a no-no. Several places in U.S. that I had planned to stop at were also closed.
Going to Alaska would have been fairly easy in the Tesla (only needed to reach Alaska border). Plan was to drive to Stewert, B.C. and then cross the U.S. border to Hyder, Alaska (so just 500 miles from the nearest Supercharger). Figuring a week's worth of campground chargers up and back would get me there beyond the Superchargers.
 
Started the trip end of May. Canada was a no-no. Several places in U.S. that I had planned to stop at were also closed.
Going to Alaska would have been fairly easy in the Tesla (only needed to reach Alaska border). Plan was to drive to Stewert, B.C. and then cross the U.S. border to Hyder, Alaska (so just 500 miles from the nearest Supercharger). Figuring a week's worth of campground chargers up and back would get me there beyond the Superchargers.
You don't need campground charging (except at Stewart/Hyder.) You just need the CHAdeMO adapter (which is what I used) or the CCS adapter once it comes out (unless you want to waste money on the 3rd party ones.) There is lots of fast charging in BC but not superchargers. At least up to Prince George. As I said, you can get to Hyder on fast charging, but without enough charge to get back without using a RV park. 50 amp RV parks are not common in that region. Give it a while and probably one of the hotels or parks in Stewart or Hyder will put in some EV charging or 50a because anybody wanting to do the 49 states in an EV will need to use it. Until somebody puts in a fast charger. Which is not out of the question -- some new fast chargers are coming in that are much less expensive, but use batteries so they can only fast charge a few cars a day.

Last summer I got to Prince George (which now has superchargers on the route, which it did not back then) and you can get to Prince Rupert, all on fast charging. The Yukon now has lots of fast chargers, so we are waiting for a connector link of fast chargers on the Alaska Highway or Highway 37 (which is shorter and more scenic) and you will be able to get to Alaska -- though fast chargers there are still fairly rare, but it's growing. I figure you could pull off the Alaska highway with RV park overnights but it would be a slog.

The 50 state challenge makes no sense, as you can't possibly drive it, though a dedicated person could take a ferry. I don't know why flying and renting a car would count.
 
The 50 state challenge makes no sense, as you can't possibly drive it, though a dedicated person could take a ferry. I don't know why flying and renting a car would count.
yeah, the challenge from my son was to visit all 50 states. The previous year he had called me and said "We need to go to Montana." I asked why. He said "Because that's the last state you haven't been to." I finally gave in and I drove to Denver - he flew there from North Carolina and together we continued to Montana (via Pike's Peak, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and then Montana. He flew home from there and I returned home via Idaho, Washington, Oregon and home to California. I had used my Model 3.
Then last year he challenged me to do all 50 in one year. I accepted. But since the M3 was a great way to travel, I decided to use it wherever I could.
The Tesla was never a part of the challenge. Doing all states was. I would have done Alaska in the car if I could have. Thing is... I have no use for a CHAdeMO adapter anywhere else. Where I live and travel you can throw a stick and hit a Tesla Supercharger.
After Canada opened up, I would have used Tesla Superchargers till there were none. If slow charging was only available.... I was in no hurry - I had half a year ahead of me.
 
yeah, the challenge from my son was to visit all 50 states. The previous year he had called me and said "We need to go to Montana." I asked why. He said "Because that's the last state you haven't been to." I finally gave in and I drove to Denver - he flew there from North Carolina and together we continued to Montana (via Pike's Peak, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and then Montana. He flew home from there and I returned home via Idaho, Washington, Oregon and home to California. I had used my Model 3.
Then last year he challenged me to do all 50 in one year. I accepted. But since the M3 was a great way to travel, I decided to use it wherever I could.
The Tesla was never a part of the challenge. Doing all states was. I would have done Alaska in the car if I could have. Thing is... I have no use for a CHAdeMO adapter anywhere else. Where I live and travel you can throw a stick and hit a Tesla Supercharger.
After Canada opened up, I would have used Tesla Superchargers till there were none. If slow charging was only available.... I was in no hurry - I had half a year ahead of me.
I think you're mistaken about the value of the CHAdeMO adapter. It turns out to be much more useful than you think, even in places like where I live where you also can't throw a stick without hitting a supercharger. It is valuable even if you never use it, because it gives you the confidence to go to lots of places without fear. It's like having more range. You may end up not needing to stop at the CdM station, but the fact that you can lets you say, "I will take that detour." You get a bit closer to the lack of fear on this which is gasoline's last advantage.
Of course it is no longer for sale, and costs $800 on eBay so I would no longer justify it. I got it for $400 and even then planned to share it among a small group of friends, paying $100 each which makes it a slam dunk -- you just use it on road trips, not driving your local area.

However, the CCS adapter will be $200, and faster and small, if your car has the chip. Probably $400 if your car does not. That's a no-brainer if you road trip at all.
 
I think you're mistaken about the value of the CHAdeMO adapter. It turns out to be much more useful than you think, even in places like where I live where you also can't throw a stick without hitting a supercharger. It is valuable even if you never use it, because it gives you the confidence to go to lots of places without fear. It's like having more range. You may end up not needing to stop at the CdM station, but the fact that you can lets you say, "I will take that detour." You get a bit closer to the lack of fear on this which is gasoline's last advantage.
Of course it is no longer for sale, and costs $800 on eBay so I would no longer justify it. I got it for $400 and even then planned to share it among a small group of friends, paying $100 each which makes it a slam dunk -- you just use it on road trips, not driving your local area.

However, the CCS adapter will be $200, and faster and small, if your car has the chip. Probably $400 if your car does not. That's a no-brainer if you road trip at all.
True, it is valuable.
We are on our 3rd Tesla. Year 2013, my wife got her 1st Model S which after around 175,000 miles was replaced with her second (already over 105,000 miles. She prefers Supercharger because she does not pay. I got my Model 3 in Dec 2017 it only has just over 50,000 most of which was on that trip. I, on the other hand do pay at Superchargers. Funny thing is... at just over 3 cents per mile - WHO CARES ??
Our travel is mostly in California, so we are Supercharger rich. Early adopters - we learned to keep battery level low, arrive at a charger with a low level, and just charge enough to get to next stop plus a buffer. Rarely stay over 15 minutes charging.