A Better Routeplanner

[blincoln]

As a new Model S owner, I felt the need of a route planner for my Tesla which helped me plan my long trips using Superchargers. The in-car planner has its issues and many other sites did not fit my specific Tesla needs either.

So, I hacked up A Better Routeplanner (which was a lot of fun). It works both off-car in your computer and phone as well as in the car browser. It will even follow your car as you drive and follow-up the consumption.

Try it out and see if you find it useful.

 

[brantse]

Excellent, thanks for sharing! I tested out a recent trip I made, which I know that evtripplanner oddly does not correctly account for a steep incline, and it appears to be giving me results that were consistent with my experience. I'll have to try it out in the car. Considering the others are essentially unusable in the car's web browser, that would definitely make this a favorite.

Just one feature request - it would be nice if we had a checkbox to convert km to miles.

 

[D.E.]

Blincoln,

That routeplanner is just excellent. I don't yet have a Tesla, it allowed me to compare trip times with various models. The large battery packs allow pretty much straight shots, the smaller battery packs often require relatively large route deviations. This can add substantial time to long trips. For those of us considering a Tesla and who do make long drives, these comparisons are valuable. Thank you!

For Brantse: If you open the settings window, you can change units from metric to imperial so will give distances in miles.

Best,
David

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Wow. Really nice work you've done there. I tried a few routes that weren't routed accurately on the other routing sites and yours did indeed provide the better route. I like how it is very concise with just the information that I need (providing a few numbers instead of an entire spreadsheet of data). I look forward to trying this out on road trips later this year.

About the only thing I noticed missing was the D cars. Since they get better range than non-AWD, it would be nice to be able to select those from the list.

 

[AudubonB]

Thank you for that work. Two inputs:

1. Most especially for those of us living in parts of the world with few or no Superchargers, what would it entail to add to your program other charging sites - Tesla Destination Chargers and others, for example?

2. Would it be feasible to allow the map to show simultaneously both the default route AND the alternate route?

 

[DCWitt]

Excellent, thanks for sharing! I tested out a recent trip I made, which I know that evtripplanner oddly does not correctly account for a steep incline, and it appears to be giving me results that were consistent with my experience. I'll have to try it out in the car. Considering the others are essentially unusable in the car's web browser, that would definitely make this a favorite.

Just one feature request - it would be nice if we had a checkbox to convert km to miles.

As a new Model S owner, I felt the need of a route planner for my Tesla which helped me plan my long trips using Superchargers. The in-car planner has its issues and many other sites did not fit my specific Tesla needs either.

So, I hacked up A Better Routeplanner (which was a lot of fun). It works both off-car in your computer and phone as well as in the car browser. It will even follow your car as you drive and follow-up the consumption.

Try it out and see if you find it useful.

Excellent work! And thank you VERY MUCH!
Sure wish you were employed at Tesla Motors.

 

[blincoln]

Thank you for that work. Two inputs:

1. Most especially for those of us living in parts of the world with few or no Superchargers, what would it entail to add to your program other charging sites - Tesla Destination Chargers and others, for example?

2. Would it be feasible to allow the map to show simultaneously both the default route AND the alternate route?

Thanks for your input.

1. I am considering adding ChaDeMo chargers and other fast charging options around the world to make it possible to reach other destinations. However, the optimization problem becomes a bit tricker when the chargers have different characteristics so I may have to think about it... One quick-fix is of course to add the Tesla Destination chargers to the map (without optimizing via them) so you can use it to plan long stops.

2. The map shows both the main route and up to two alternative routes (if you check the Alternative Routes option). You then have to click the route you want to have details on. Did you mean to list both alternatives next to each other?

 

[blincoln]

About the only thing I noticed missing was the D cars. Since they get better range than non-AWD, it would be nice to be able to select those from the list.

Well, yes, this is a bit inconsistent. You need to choose a model to get the right battery size, but the actual consumption is only determined by the "Consumption at 65 mph" value that you enter yourself. The idea was that you could fiddle with this number yourself knowing your driving style and extra consuming factors such as weather, roof rack, etc.

One way to make it better would perhaps be to set a reasonable default for "Consumption at 65 mph" when you select a certain car model.

By the way, what is a reasonable value for consumption at 65 mph for the model X? With 20" and 22" wheels?

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Well, yes, this is a bit inconsistent. You need to choose a model to get the right battery size, but the actual consumption is only determined by the "Consumption at 65 mph" value that you enter yourself. The idea was that you could fiddle with this number yourself knowing your driving style and extra consuming factors such as weather, roof rack, etc.

One way to make it better would perhaps be to set a reasonable default for "Consumption at 65 mph" when you select a certain car model.

By the way, what is a reasonable value for consumption at 65 mph for the model X? With 20" and 22" wheels?

Ah yes. I fooled around with that number so I guess I can just set it myself and not worry about the selected model. Thanks for pointing that out.

I don't have an X yet but @Bjorn might be able to provide some Model X values for you.

 

[AudubonB]

...2. The map shows both the main route and up to two alternative routes (if you check the Alternative Routes option). You then have to click the route you want to have details on. Did you mean to list both alternatives next to each other?

I did indeed mean simultaneously, as follows: I was envisioning the two - or three - routes showing at the same time on the map; by hovering over each then the table on the left also would toggle back and forth to the appropriate route. Does that seem clear?

It appears from your first answer to me that the map DOES show both (or all three) routes....but when I tried it for two different trips I could get only one route shown per time; I had to switch back and forth from "optimal" to "alternate" in the main menu. Did I do something wrong?

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Could you use a cookie or local storage to save the Settings so they don't have to be changed each time?

BTW, I just checked out the alternate routes (for an itinerary where alternate routes are available) and was able to toggle between the two. Previously, I tried a Colorado - Kansas itinerary and there are no alternate routes.

Also, I had problems trying to remove the "take a long break here". Does that functionality exist or am I doing it wrong?

 

[David99]

Excellent tool! Love it.

 

[Snerruc]

Just tried your planner on my case. I need round trip data as I have great height changes. Couldn't get it to plan a route. The EV's do it easily. Yours said no route available.

 

[AudubonB]

I believe, Snerruc, that this planner is applicable when and only when a trip can be effected solely through Superchargers.

 

[blincoln]

Could you use a cookie or local storage to save the Settings so they don't have to be changed each time?

BTW, I just checked out the alternate routes (for an itinerary where alternate routes are available) and was able to toggle between the two. Previously, I tried a Colorado - Kansas itinerary and there are no alternate routes.

Also, I had problems trying to remove the "take a long break here". Does that functionality exist or am I doing it wrong?

Alternative routes are generally tricky; you do not want to get proposals on obviously stupid routes. So it has to find routes which it knows are sub-optimal (in terms of total time) but still are reasonable. Here, the algorithm will keep a path in the search if it uses partially different chargers than the optimal route. It is in no way perfect, so I'll just keep it as a non-default option.

 

[blincoln]

Could you use a cookie or local storage to save the Settings so they don't have to be changed each time?

BTW, I just checked out the alternate routes (for an itinerary where alternate routes are available) and was able to toggle between the two. Previously, I tried a Colorado - Kansas itinerary and there are no alternate routes.

Also, I had problems trying to remove the "take a long break here". Does that functionality exist or am I doing it wrong?

Yes, I will use local storage for your settings, any day now

The "long break" feature simply lets the optimizer charge "for free" in terms of time in certain chargers. Click your favourite charger, select "take a long break here" and re-plan. If you want to remove it, do the same again.

 

[HookBill]

You might want to make sure the program routes to only SC sites that are actually turned on. I ran a test trip this AM and it had me stopping at a SC that is under construction and not yet open. Other than that, it appears to be a solid start.

 

[evp]

I love that you offset the drive time and distance lines from the waypoint lines - that makes it clear that they apply to the items above and below. You could tighten up the lines a bit so they were partially overlapping, save some space and still be clear. Can you put a button in to collapse the list?

 

[blincoln]

You might want to make sure the program routes to only SC sites that are actually turned on. I ran a test trip this AM and it had me stopping at a SC that is under construction and not yet open. Other than that, it appears to be a solid start.

Thanks, fixed!

 

[blincoln]

I love that you offset the drive time and distance lines from the waypoint lines - that makes it clear that they apply to the items above and below. You could tighten up the lines a bit so they were partially overlapping, save some space and still be clear. Can you put a button in to collapse the list?

Very important aspect! Yes, I chose to waste some space in terms rows and columns to make it as clear as possible. Collapsing the list is an excellent idea, I'll definitively add that.