Advice on going from LA to SF and back

[Dwdnjck]

The Monterey/Seaside supercharger opens up the route through Big Sur to Atascadero making it three ways to go. Everyone should do this drive at least once.

 

[AmericanPharoh]

I have done the trip dozens of times over the past 40 years, and at least 9 times in my Model S. My advice is for your first time is to take the Central Valley route one way and take the 101 coast route one way and see which you like best. Both are easy in a Tesla. The in-car nav will only route you on I5 because that is the shortest and fastest way. It will show you when to stop and charge. To take the 101 route, just start driving it and after an hour enter your destination in the nav and it will show you the charging stops on the 101.

There are no Superchargers you need to make a point of avoiding (since you are starting from LA you won't need the Burbank Supercharger which is chronically jammed).

Have fun.

Great idea on trying both routes. I may just do this!

 

[bmah]

I am so wanting to do a road trip after seeing this thread. (I've done SF-LA-SF twice in a Corolla, one in my Prius, and once in a rental van. I am sure taking the Tesla would be way more fun.)

Bruce.

 

[Eclectic]

I drive this route frequently (in reverse order) on I 5 with my Tesla and the advice you're getting is solid. Autopilot is great on this road if there's not a lot of traffic. This can't be repeated enough, though....don't ever use AP without being ready to take control in a split second. AP is a second set off eyes, hands and feet. You are the primary driver.

Here's my best advice, though...lots of professional drivers on I5. Don't use the left lane unless you're going faster than the flow of traffic or overtaking another vehicle. If you engage in left lane banditry on this two lane (each direction) major road, you will leave yourself open to a lot more trouble.

 

[rxlawdude]

You mean "Dublin off I-580" right? The Dublin Supercharger / Service Center is roughly at the intersection of I-580 and I-680, and coming from I-5, you'd hit it going westbound on I-580.

Bruce.

You mean "Dublin off I-580" right? The Dublin Supercharger / Service Center is roughly at the intersection of I-580 and I-680, and coming from I-5, you'd hit it going westbound on I-580.

Bruce.

Yeah, I'm map challenged today. Orienting the Class of 2020 today, obviously disorienting myself.

 

[thecloud]

Here's my best advice, though...lots of professional drivers on I5. Don't use the left lane unless you're going faster than the flow of traffic or overtaking another vehicle. If you engage in left lane banditry on this two lane (each direction) major road, you will leave yourself open to a lot more trouble.

While this is good advice, you should also be aware that on I-5, the condition of the right lane is often far worse than the left lane (torn-up asphalt, potholes, etc.), likely because that's the lane used by semi trucks and heavy equipment. Some stretches are really brutal on your tires, so you'll want to get into the (smooth) left lane at that point. You'll know when it's time.

 

[ecarfan]

on I-5, the condition of the right lane is often far worse than the left lane (torn-up asphalt, potholes, etc.), likely because that's the lane used by semi trucks and heavy equipment.

Very true. My strategy is I use the left lane and keep an eye on the rear view mirror: I move to the right lane if a vehicle comes up on my and is going faster than my preferred speed which is about 75. So yes, I am often moving to the right and then back to the left. I don't mind. The condition of the right lane is often rather poor, making for a noisy and bumpy ride.

 

[S'toon]

Blanket, extra clothing, parka, toque, gloves, mukluks, small shovel, scraper, snow brush, a candle in deep can and matches, first aid kit, sand salt or kitty litter for emergency traction, antifreeze, jumper cables, fire extinguisher, road flares, food, water, seat belt cutter, window punch....

 

[thecloud]

Blanket, extra clothing, parka, toque, gloves, mukluks, small shovel, scraper, snow brush, a candle in deep can and matches, first aid kit, sand salt or kitty litter for emergency traction, antifreeze, jumper cables, fire extinguisher, road flares, seat belt cutter, window punch....

Since this is California, you'll clearly need all of those, plus a wine bottle opener.

 

[Mike K]

Teton going south is scary as others mentioned but once you crest that initial ascent you're basically coasting until Santa Clarita. I think I lost 10 miles of range my first time through that stretch and it's probably 40 - 45 miles.

Harris Ranch smells like garbage, more specifically the kind of garbage that seeps out of the rear of a cow.

As far as superchargers go, I've found that Tejon can be particularly busy but I've never not been able to get a stall. Mountain View has been full both times I've gone though and once was really early on a Sunday morning.

I don't know where you're staying in San Francisco but we stayed on Fisherman's Wharf and there is a Walgreens with a Level II charger that told me they didn't care how long I parked there as long as I was plugged in. So I left the car there 4 - 5 hours a couple days to get myself back to full charge.

 

[finallybuying]

Curious how long the trip ends up taking from, say, San Jose to Sunset Blvd/Westwood/UCLA exit, including stops?

I'd normally drive 10-15 mph over the limit on that trek in an ice. (So 75-85MPH.)

 

[Jeff4155]

So in short, you guys make me feel like never driving in that part of the world, I thought Johannesburg and Cape Town traffic was bad, but it sounds like it is worse that side of the pond. Lucky me, these days I live in a small town where at 5pm if there is 4 vehicles at the traffic light it's peak traffic.

 

[ecarfan]

Curious how long the trip ends up taking from, say, San Jose to Sunset Blvd/Westwood/UCLA exit, including stops?

It all depends on the length of the stops. Some people stop for the bare minimum, which might be as little as an hour total for charging -- just two stops -- if you start with a full charge and end at a very low state of charge and you get the max rate at the Superchargers, others like to stop for a leisurely lunch and multiple short breaks to stretch their legs. Use Google Maps to plot the route, note the travel time, then add time for your stops. Of course the average speed one likes to travel at influences the time, but it gets complicated because while you can go 80+ on the I5 in the Central Valley that means you have to spend more time charging. This has been discussed extensively on TMC. Many feel it is smarter to go 65-70 and spend less time charging. I agree.

So in short, you guys make me feel like never driving in that part of the world

Seriously? It's an easy trip, I've done it more times than I can clearly recall.

 

[Bonlaw]

Easy trip. Have done it multiple times in a 60 and 70D. Many options with different SuperChargers. Use EVTripplanner and go for it!

 

[aesculus]

If you engage in left lane banditry on this two lane (each direction) major road, you will leave yourself open to a lot more trouble.

My pet peeve on I5 is when people stack up in the left lane waiting for another truck passing a single or group of trucks. The cars keep stacking up behind naturally because the passing truck is dog slow. Then there are a group of people who zoom down the right lane approaching the trucks being passed. They force their way into the left hand queue causing those drivers to put on the brakes and pushing everyone in the queue back further. I swear this one inconsiderate tendency so turns me off to I5 drivers.

 

[mach.89]

I just did the drive this past weekend- if you take I-5, be very careful using autopilot between Tejon Pass/Buttonwillow super chargers and Harris Ranch super chargers. There is one good size section of construction where the southbound lanes are temporarily routed on the northbound lanes and i had to takeover AP or it would have driven me into baracades.

And if you use the onboard navigation and follow the charging times it recommends for the trip (usually landing at next SC with about 12% state of charge), don't be surprised if early on between super chargers the navigation suddenly says turn around and go back to your previous super charger, especially if you're doing many things contrary to efficiency (accelerating fast, driving faster than the average speed NAV calculated between SC, headwinds, Air condition blasting, etc). It's more a nuisance if that happens but slow down, turn on range mode, cancel NAV and re-initiate NAV, monitor your energy graph, and hopefully you should be good to continue to next SC. Good luck and have fun! And don't be in a hurry, could easily wind up taking you an extra hour than you had planned.

 

[NikeWings]

Curious how long the trip ends up taking from, say, San Jose to Sunset Blvd/Westwood/UCLA exit, including stops?

I'd normally drive 10-15 mph over the limit on that trek in an ice. (So 75-85MPH.)

From my Palo Alto office to Santa Monica on a Friday, its a day trip >7 hours. I most always take the coastal route where I have a pathway of familiar of SCs & DCs available, favorite dine spots and of course fabulous views. I've found traveling I5 to be unpredictably frustrating between traffic, trucks, weather and SC congestion. So I've adjusted my schedule for a longer than previous commute, plug into the workload via technology and know the day is shot but I arrive home relaxed and already in weekend-mode.