Advice: St Louis-Florida round trip

[grichard]

I live in St. Louis and frequently travel to north Florida. Usually we fly, but this March, we'll probably drive in our 70D. Assuming that the mythical Paducah / Sikeston supercharger doesn't materialize by then, I'm trying to figure out how to get there.

On the way down, we usually drive a few hours after work, then do the rest the next day. So that works pretty well: I think we can make it to Fern Lake campground in Paducah, which has lots of mentions on Plugshare. Stay the night in one of the nearby motels, then drive the next day.

For the way back north, though, I'm not sure. In an ICE, we would drive one afternoon from St Augustine to about Atlanta, then do the rest the next day. So 40 amp charging in Paducah wouldn't be very helpful for this. I guess the obvious thing is to go via Indianapolis, but I'd be happy to hear suggestions about anything more efficient.

(70D, single charger, don't have a Chademo adaptor but would get one if it would help much...)

Thanks!

 

[Electric700]

You could contact Victoria National in Newburgh, IN and offer to pay for your usage. It should be available in Navigation, but here's what's listed in the Find Us section on TeslaMotors.com:

Victoria National

• 2000 Victoria National Blvd
  Newburgh, IN 47630
  Driving Directions
• http://www.victorianational.com/
• • Phone(812) 858-8230
  • Roadside Assistance(877) 798-3752
• Charging
  3 Tesla Connectors, up to 80A.
  Available for patrons only. Please call ahead.
  

Until the Paducah-area Supercharger is online it looks like another option as you mentioned would be to use PlugShare stations.

Also, I started a new Paducah Supercharger thread here: Supercharger - Paducah, Kentucky

 

[FlasherZ]

I live about 45 minutes east of St. Louis. We've done two trips to Florida in the past year, one of them to St. Augustine. I have a Signature P85. We elected to take the path through Effingham, Indianapolis, down to Lexington, Knoxville, Atlanta, Lake City, then to St. Augustine, rather than spend the time sitting at a campground.

Stopping overnight at Paducah is a bit early for the night if you're looking to do in day-and-a-half... it means you'll do about 14 hours the next day. I might recommend doing St. Louis to Lexington the first day, then the remainder the next.

On the way back, if you charge to full at St. Augustine, you can generally make Tifton without needing to stop at Lake City, and it's the same stops on the way back. If it's warm enough, you should be able to skip the same ones in the 70D (skipping London, Chattanooga, and Macon just like us).

The last time I inquired, Tesla told me that they still have no plans to address I-24 with a Supercharger, and the contact I have in Paducah says Tesla contacted them once and then went silent. Tesla told me that they still planned for Mt. Vernon, IL, that would get you a path to Louisville. That all doesn't matter, though, if you're shooting for March.

If you do shoot for the Paducah route, let us know - would love to hear other options.

 

[greencharge]

I am in Marion IL with a 14-50 at home, I am 135 miles from St.Charles supercharger and 190 miles to Brentwood TN, if you have a Chademo adapter 160 miles to the Nissan dealership in Clarkesville, I had few owners stop by charge, let me know if you would like to

 

[grichard]

FlasherZ: Yeah, I agree that Paducah is on the early side, but it's usually all we're up for after a full day's work. If they put a charger in Mt. Vernon, I wonder if that also means that they're headed for Sikeston and Memphis.

greencharge: Thanks for the offer!

 

[48Riley]

I live in Hilton Head, SC and I'm planning a trip to KC. I would normally go through Atlanta to Chattanooga, through Paducah and so on. With my S85, and using EV Trip Planner EV Trip Planner, I will now go to Santee, SC; Greenville,SC; through Asheville, NC; Knoxville; Lexington; Louisville; then on to Effingham, IL. The only issue along that route is the Louisville to Effingham segment. IF I drove the speed limit, had no traffic delays or detours, I could make it with about 27 miles to spare. Too risky! One solution is Indianapolis, Tere Haute, Effingham. Added miles. Added time. I needed a route that was less than 200 miles for a little cushion. Hello Google Maps! I found a 197 mile route on state highways (50 to 150 then on to Effingham via Olney, IL.) that cut diagonally across from the Louisville Supercharger to the Effingham Supercharger. Saves miles and time. There are plug shares along the route for back up if needed.

 

[kort677]

in your 85 27 miles is about 8% of charge. assuming good weather conditions and not driving overly fast I wouldn't be concerned about arriving with "only" 27 miles left. this is a manageable hop. trust your trip computer and adjust speeds as warranted.

 

[48Riley]

Thanks kort677. JC