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Are supercharging road trips time consuming?

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I just did a weekend trip with my friend from So-Cal to Phoenix. I left from Lake Forest CA (Orange County), picked friend up in Redlands, and we went to the Phoenix area.

Supercharging from Orange County to Las Vegas isn't that big of a deal. It's only one stop at Baker CA where I get Jersey Mikes or Eddies World where I just chill for 20 min. Las Vegas has alot of free chargepoint & charging options at shopping centers and hotels so while I'm in the area I usually don't have to supercharge.

But Phoenix we had to stop 3 times to make it to our destination. It feels like we could only drive for 2 hours and we always have to stop for 15-30 min. And I never found any free places to charge, so everything had to be supercharging. The only non supercharging was at the parents house, which only gave an e xtra 7% using the 110 V. If his parents house had a Wall Connector or 240V outlet, then I likely could eliminate supercharging during the day trip driving around Phoenix & Tuscon and only use superchargers just for going from CA to AZ.

My arcade friends eventually want to do a trip from So-Cal to Salt Lake City Utah. But I checked the area and it only has like 5 Superchargers in the entire area. If I get a hotel, should I try find one that is near a supercharger? Or how do you find hotels that could guarantee the use of a destination charger like a wall connector type? It just sucks always being forced to wait nearly an hour to top off each time at night so we have enough for the next day where we will be commuting 1-2 hours away round trip.

I think the part that made it a drag to go to Phoenix AZ for a Tesla is there were no random places to charge up while at a store. Las Vegas and CA have alot more free charging spots laying around. There are very limited supercharging spots in AZ so you can't just mindlessly drive and start looking for superchargers at 20% because you may risk not making it to the nearest supercharger. And supercharging takes a while.
 
A bit more than an ICE, sure. Given a large enough gas tank and a marginally economical car, I would drive 6 hours from San Jose to L.A. without stopping (down 101, not I-5; ~330 miles). I'm sure that I can't make that in my LR 3, so stopping for 15-20 minutes at a Supercharger is required. I did make a trip several years ago that went against my usual route in that I needed to go to Glendale so I took I-5 and stopped at Kettleman City, both down and back. Nice place. We got sandwiches and had lunch while the car charged.

As far as finding hotels with L2 charging, or an available 240V outlet, your best bet would be to start with Plugshare.com and change the plug filters to whatever you would consider using. When you find a place that could work for you, call them and confirm the charging situation. You can probably find free L2 or Destination Charging but good luck finding free public DC FAST stations.

Use the navigation system in the car to locate nearby charging infrastructure. Again, make sure that you set the filters (lightning bolts) to 2 or 3 to find the fastest chargers. If you're already down to 20% before you start looking for a charge, then you need to re-think your travel routine.

An EV is NOT the same as ICE. One hundred years of developing gas stations that are practically on every other street corner now allows the public to travel freely without too much trouble. EV charging is just getting started. You'll just have to get used to the little extra time it takes.
 
I just did a weekend trip with my friend from So-Cal to Phoenix. I left from Lake Forest CA (Orange County), picked friend up in Redlands, and we went to the Phoenix area.

Supercharging from Orange County to Las Vegas isn't that big of a deal. It's only one stop at Baker CA where I get Jersey Mikes or Eddies World where I just chill for 20 min. Las Vegas has alot of free chargepoint & charging options at shopping centers and hotels so while I'm in the area I usually don't have to supercharge.

But Phoenix we had to stop 3 times to make it to our destination. It feels like we could only drive for 2 hours and we always have to stop for 15-30 min. And I never found any free places to charge, so everything had to be supercharging.
That ratio of driving to charging time sounds about right, particularly if you've got an older Model S or X or an SR Model 3. Longer-range cars, of course, enable longer drive times and can also charge a little bit faster compared to shorter-range variants of the same model and age.

Every reputable source I've ever consulted on this issue recommends driving for no more than about two hours between stops, and resting for at least fifteen minutes at these stops, for safety reasons. (For instance, this site offers this recommendation.) Thus, your experience sounds like a good one from a safety point of view. That said, if you're driving with multiple people, you might be able to cut down on the stop time by swapping drivers at stops, assuming you have the range. OTOH, even a bathroom break would be likely to take at least 5-10 minutes, so stopping for 15 minutes to charge while you use the facilities shouldn't be that big of a hardship.
My arcade friends eventually want to do a trip from So-Cal to Salt Lake City Utah. But I checked the area and it only has like 5 Superchargers in the entire area. If I get a hotel, should I try find one that is near a supercharger? Or how do you find hotels that could guarantee the use of a destination charger like a wall connector type? It just sucks always being forced to wait nearly an hour to top off each time at night so we have enough for the next day where we will be commuting 1-2 hours away round trip.
You shouldn't need to wait one hour to charge at a Supercharger.

If you're planning to stay in a hotel overnight, consult PlugShare to locate hotels with on-site level 2 (J1772 or Tesla) EVSEs. PlugShare has filter options so that you can find charging near lodging. Hotels with EVSEs are becoming increasingly common, and they can help on long road trips; you can pull in with close to no charge and have a full charge when you depart in the morning. Be sure to check the PlugShare rating so as to minimize the risk of hitting a hotel with unreliable EVSEs. You might even consider calling them ahead of time to be sure their EVSEs are working; some might even let you reserve an EVSE parking spot. If you can't find a hotel with a level 2 EVSE, and if you're traveling in the winter, stop at a Supercharger as close to the hotel before stopping for the night. This will enable you to charge when the battery is still warm; if it cools down overnight, it might not be at optimal charging temperature to charge in the morning.
I think the part that made it a drag to go to Phoenix AZ for a Tesla is there were no random places to charge up while at a store. Las Vegas and CA have alot more free charging spots laying around. There are very limited supercharging spots in AZ so you can't just mindlessly drive and start looking for superchargers at 20% because you may risk not making it to the nearest supercharger. And supercharging takes a while.
I'd suggest relying on the Tesla's navigation system and/or A Better Routeplanner. Aside from overnight stays, level 2 charging is not likely to be very useful on a road trip; you just can't add enough range in a stop of an hour or less to make it worth the bother of locating the EVSE. Tesla's navigation tools, though, will direct you to Superchargers along your route, so you don't need to find charging options in some other way.

I've done several road trips in my own 2019 Model 3 LR RWD and I've never had problems with charging. That said, I live in Rhode Island, and my road trips have never taken me further than Cincinnati, so I'm not familiar with the areas where you're traveling. I have written a couple of Web pages documenting my experiences:
 
I don't have anything useful to contribute other than RayK and srs5694 are right, and I've had the same experience. Here's a map of the places I've charged. Red are supercharging, other colors are other forms of slower charging.

1661225437364.png

Do your best to find accommodations at your destination and en route that provide EV charging. BUT DON'T RELY ON IT. If it's not available then you're screwed. Make sure there is a supercharger within range just in case.

When you can charge overnight it's FANTASTIC and a feeling of what the future should be. There shouldn't be any need for charging at destinations like stores or entertainment, even though it is nice, because you should be starting the day with a full battery anyway.
 
Okay, so a bit more info than in the other thread, but still don't know what car you are driving, or how fast you are driving, or extra weight, etc.

I put in my own car (LR Model 3 RWD) into ABRP and it came up with this plan (I upped the arrival SOC in Phoenix to 15% for this trip):

1661267926865.png


Certainly did not require 3 stops, and the one stop that was required was only 14 minutes.

Granted, if you have a Model 3 SR, or older Model S, you're obviously going to have to stop more frequently.

And yes, if you are planning on a few day trips (1-2 hours) and only have 120V charging at your destination in Phoenix, you will have to plan accordingly and "fill up" at a Supercharger (just as you would a gas car), unless of course you found a nearby L2 charger. As others have said, when I travel, I try to stay at hotels with L2 charging, and I favor visiting places (restaurants, stores) that offer L2 charging to keep topping off my vehicle.
 
Do your best to find accommodations at your destination and en route that provide EV charging. BUT DON'T RELY ON IT. If it's not available then you're screwed.
True enough, but sometimes it's possible to move on to another hotel if the first one's EVSE is broken, in use, ICEd, or whatever. I did that once -- the hotel's EVSE was brand-new and not yet online, although PlugShare claimed it was, so I went a few miles down the road to another hotel. I figured that was better than using a Supercharger first thing the next morning.

That said, in some cases this may not be an option; it depends on how many hotels within a reasonable distance have EVSEs.
 
Okay, so a bit more info than in the other thread, but still don't know what car you are driving, or how fast you are driving, or extra weight, etc.

I put in my own car (LR Model 3 RWD) into ABRP and it came up with this plan (I upped the arrival SOC in Phoenix to 15% for this trip):

View attachment 844126

Certainly did not require 3 stops, and the one stop that was required was only 14 minutes.

Granted, if you have a Model 3 SR, or older Model S, you're obviously going to have to stop more frequently.

And yes, if you are planning on a few day trips (1-2 hours) and only have 120V charging at your destination in Phoenix, you will have to plan accordingly and "fill up" at a Supercharger (just as you would a gas car), unless of course you found a nearby L2 charger. As others have said, when I travel, I try to stay at hotels with L2 charging, and I favor visiting places (restaurants, stores) that offer L2 charging to keep topping off my vehicle.

My Tesla required 2 stops. And I left my home with 100%. It made me stop at Cabazon then Enberg AZ. Then later we topped off some in Buckeye AZ because there was a Peter Piper Pizza my friend wanted to see. Then we topped off at Tempe AZ before heading to his parents house (in Chandler AZ). Then plugged in at his parents house wall outlet and got an extra 7%.

It be nice if I could just do one stop in Quartzite AZ. But I always listen to the Tesla especially when supercharging are further apart.

Unfortunately, non the arcades we went to had Level 2 charging. I brought E-scooters in case there were free charging nearby but too far to walk. I was gonna try charge at a Jersey Mikes parking lot nearby an arcade I was going to, but it had signs saying "tow away, only customers, $200 to recover". Plus they were not even working.

Las Vegas is much nicer for topping off, they have alot of free Level 2 charging at hotels or shopping centers.
 
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My Tesla required 2 stops. And I left my home with 100%. It made me stop at Cabazon then Enberg AZ. Then later we topped off some in Buckeye AZ because there was a Peter Piper Pizza my friend wanted to see. Then we topped off at Tempe AZ before heading to his parents house (in Chandler AZ). Then plugged in at his parents house wall outlet and got an extra 7%.

It be nice if I could just do one stop in Quartzite AZ. But I always listen to the Tesla especially when supercharging are further apart.
Well to be fair, my car is a long range, and maybe yours isn't, so I may be able to get away with one stop, whereas you couldn't. I will say, though, that I've found the car's recommendations to be pessimistic, meaning I can usually stop less frequently / for shorter times than the car recommends. If you find you are routinely arriving at Superchargers with higher than 10% state of charge, you are probably stopping too often / for too long.

And as you updated us, this was not a case of the car requiring three stops as you said originally, but rather two. The Tempe top-off I would consider preparation for your side-trips rather than a true requirement for the trip in question, although yes, it's fair to take that into consideration.
 
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Well to be fair, my car is a long range, and maybe yours isn't, so I may be able to get away with one stop, whereas you couldn't. I will say, though, that I've found the car's recommendations to be pessimistic, meaning I can usually stop less frequently / for shorter times than the car recommends. If you find you are routinely arriving at Superchargers with higher than 10% state of charge, you are probably stopping too often / for too long.

And as you updated us, this was not a case of the car requiring three stops as you said originally, but rather two. The Tempe top-off I would consider preparation for your side-trips rather than a true requirement for the trip in question, although yes, it's fair to take that into consideration.

You seem to imply there are options of where to stop. I'm unfamiliar with this opportunity :D (Arkansas and surrounding areas have sparse supercharger locations still :( )
 
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Done right, charging takes close to zero time. Part of that is to stay at hotels with level 2 charging -- that takes zero time as you sleep while it happens. They are starting to be plentiful and soon will be everywhere.

Step 2 is to do your first charge at a supercharger while eating lunch. Lunch will take longer than the charge. Again zero time, though may have to compromise your food choices. You can bring a small table and eat take-out or a picnic lunch if you don't like the food at your expected charger -- often they are mostly chain fast, but there is almost always 1-2 decent local places too.

Step 3 is to do your second charge at an early dinner. Again, the supercharger is too fast, you will need to get up in the middle of dinner to move your car except at fast counter service restaurants. So it takes zero time.

Of course you also pee, shop for what you need etc at these stops. Plus when there is level 2 available at places you stop to do tourist things, use that, and it gives you a mild improvement.

At your hotel/home destination there may not be level 2. So now you supercharge for breakfast. Also good to pick up 50 extra miles with level 1 -- gives you more choice on where and when you charge though it may not seem like much.

Can you always be this good, taking zero time? Not all the time today, but it gets easier and easier as time goes by. And when you can't do it, the delay is not long, and use use it for pausing, catching up on the interwebs, as you know you were going to do anyway, shopping and the bathroom.
 
My pattern is similar, but I got tired of looking for hotels that are reasonably priced, please my wife, AND have L2 - plus the chargers were sometimes blocked/broken anyway. My wife also needs/wants more stops (she loves tea and has a 200-mile bladder). So we aim for something more like this:

Wake up, take off.
Have breakfast at the first supercharger in the morning. Leave when done eating.
At the second supercharger (mid-morning), my wife uses the restroom and gets a cup of tea. Obviously we don't charge until full, but no need because...
Third supercharger is lunch. Leave when done eating.
Fourth (mid-afternoon) is another pee/tea break.
Fifth is dinner.

When the supercharger spacing is good, we can travel 800 miles a day and NEVER wait for the car to charge...I often find myself waiting for my wife instead. Of course the spacing isn't always quite right, so sometimes we do wait a bit. But we usually welcome the break. It's far better than visiting gas stations year-round!

If you eat in the car and have a 400-mile bladder, you might find yourself doing more waiting for the car. But my wife refused to travel that way even in a gas car, so driving electric is no penalty at all for us.
 
My pattern is similar, but I got tired of looking for hotels that are reasonably priced, please my wife, AND have L2 - plus the chargers were sometimes blocked/broken anyway. My wife also needs/wants more stops (she loves tea and has a 200-mile bladder). So we aim for something more like this:

Wake up, take off.
Have breakfast at the first supercharger in the morning. Leave when done eating.
At the second supercharger (mid-morning), my wife uses the restroom and gets a cup of tea. Obviously we don't charge until full, but no need because...
Third supercharger is lunch. Leave when done eating.
Fourth (mid-afternoon) is another pee/tea break.
Fifth is dinner.

When the supercharger spacing is good, we can travel 800 miles a day and NEVER wait for the car to charge...I often find myself waiting for my wife instead. Of course the spacing isn't always quite right, so sometimes we do wait a bit. But we usually welcome the break. It's far better than visiting gas stations year-round!

If you eat in the car and have a 400-mile bladder, you might find yourself doing more waiting for the car. But my wife refused to travel that way even in a gas car, so driving electric is no penalty at all for us.
Well, to me doing 800 miles/day isn't a road trip, that's hell. If you are averaging 70mph, including slow zones and other non-charging pauses, that's almost 12 hours of driving. It's probably more. That's for when you just have to get somewhere very far away, have a lot of time to waste and can't afford a plane ticket or must have a car at the other end and rental cars are not suitable (which admittedly is more true these days as rental prices shot way way up.)

Most long haul road trips are a bit closer to 500 miles/day, which is 2 supercharges in a long-range or 2.5 in a SR+. Less if you can charge at the hotel. In time, I hope hotels will have more chargers, and let you reserve them, and know if they are broken etc. Admittedly that day is not quite here.
 
Done right, charging takes close to zero time. Part of that is to stay at hotels with level 2 charging -- that takes zero time as you sleep while it happens. They are starting to be plentiful and soon will be everywhere.

Step 2 is to do your first charge at a supercharger while eating lunch. Lunch will take longer than the charge. Again zero time, though may have to compromise your food choices. You can bring a small table and eat take-out or a picnic lunch if you don't like the food at your expected charger -- often they are mostly chain fast, but there is almost always 1-2 decent local places too.

Step 3 is to do your second charge at an early dinner. Again, the supercharger is too fast, you will need to get up in the middle of dinner to move your car except at fast counter service restaurants. So it takes zero time.

Of course you also pee, shop for what you need etc at these stops. Plus when there is level 2 available at places you stop to do tourist things, use that, and it gives you a mild improvement.

At your hotel/home destination there may not be level 2. So now you supercharge for breakfast. Also good to pick up 50 extra miles with level 1 -- gives you more choice on where and when you charge though it may not seem like much.

Can you always be this good, taking zero time? Not all the time today, but it gets easier and easier as time goes by. And when you can't do it, the delay is not long, and use use it for pausing, catching up on the interwebs, as you know you were going to do anyway, shopping and the bathroom.

That's the dream, but it's very regionally dependent. Large parts of the continent have such sparse charging options that you're required to charge when it's available, and there is also little to nothing to eat while you're there. If you can accomplish what you've described it can be glorious.
 
That's the dream, but it's very regionally dependent. Large parts of the continent have such sparse charging options that you're required to charge when it's available, and there is also little to nothing to eat while you're there. If you can accomplish what you've described it can be glorious.
My solution is to carry a small portable table and chairs on road trips. If I notice a charging station does not have acceptable food, I look for some good take-out on the way to the charger, phone in an order, pick it up and take it to the charger, plug in and eat the take-out. A better thing would be the presence of covered picnic tables at all chargers, or of course an enclosed eating room, but we're not there yet.

With this system, you can have a meal at any charger. And while it's not quite zero time now, it's still close.
 
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My solution is to carry a small portable table and chairs on road trips. If I notice a charging station does not have acceptable food, I look for some good take-out on the way to the charger, phone in an order, pick it up and take it to the charger, plug in and eat the take-out. A better thing would be the presence of covered picnic tables at all chargers, or of course an enclosed eating room, but we're not there yet.

With this system, you can have a meal at any charger. And while it's not quite zero time now, it's still close.

I hope that could fit in my car when packed for a trip. I only have a Model 3.

I just hope it doesn't take up too much space and it's easy to put away. My friends will probably just opt to eat in the car, but I prefer tables. But I wish every rural supercharger can have picnic tables or be at a rest stop.

I opt to bring E-scooters or E-skateboards so I can use that to get around while my car is charging and not worry about running back to my car and getting idle fees. Sometimes superchargers can be placed in the very back of a mall and can be a 5-10 min walk to a restaurant, but by the time you get there your car is already over half way done charging. And I don't want idle fees and want to be back on time, so having an E-scooter is fast and like having your car while it's charging.
 
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I hope that could fit in my car when packed for a trip. I only have a Model 3.

I just hope it doesn't take up too much space and it's easy to put away. My friends will probably just opt to eat in the car, but I prefer tables. But I wish every rural supercharger can have picnic tables or be at a rest stop.

I opt to bring E-scooters or E-skateboards so I can use that to get around while my car is charging and not worry about running back to my car and getting idle fees. Sometimes superchargers can be placed in the very back of a mall and can be a 5-10 min walk to a restaurant, but by the time you get there your car is already over half way done charging. And I don't want idle fees and want to be back on time, so having an E-scooter is fast and like having your car while it's charging.
I bought this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R8VK4W9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
1661481942662.png

It works pretty well and will almost surely fit in your car without taking much room.

Though I actually don't find too many chargers without some food nearby. A bigger use for the table was because due to Covid, it is always wise to dine outdoors if you have the choice, and having a table allows it. In fact having a table and chairs, even at home, means every restaurant with takeout can be a dine-outdoors restaurant. Never found a restaurant that will kick you out of their parking lot if you are a paying customer. Some will even serve you out there, but mainly you just get your take-out food hot rather than cold.

If you are the person who tolerates McDonalds/Subway/fast-chain type food, there is almost always some of that at the charger. But I prefer to find local restaurants, not to have chains. Chains for for emergencies when there is nothing else.

Some SCs are being put in odd locations with no food or just one restaurant. That's what the takeout table is for. There is one location on I-5 where Tesla has a full lounge, with bar, tables, outdoor patio with tables, etc. But there are also some restaurants a short walk away so you can get some take-out and eat it at the supercharger lounge. This would be nice in more places but they have not done many like this as it's expensive. However, every charger should have a couple of picnic tables with umbrella. In winter locations, the heated lounge room would be desired, absent Covid. EA is also building rooms like this. But they build them imagining you are just going to sit in a lounge while you charge, which is not what I want.
 
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There is one location on I-5 where Tesla has a full lounge, with bar, tables, outdoor patio with tables, etc.

You are talking about the original Kettleman City location with 40 stalls. They also have restrooms in the lounge area. In case that is closed (not sure of the hours) you get a 4 digit pin on the map that lets you in to that or the exterior restrooms. They also have window squeezees.
But the 2nd location a few blocks away has 56 stalls and no facilities. But they do have In-n-out, McD and Bravo Farms (store, restaurants, museum, play area, dog park)
 
Well, to me doing 800 miles/day isn't a road trip, that's hell.
We've done 800 mile days when traveling through places with 80mph limits, but 650-700 is more typical. We typically have 4-6 supercharging stops per day. But even on those very long days your basic approach is spot on - coordinate your charge stops with the stops you need to make anyway for food and bathrooms. This is why my favorite supercharing locations are the ones at the sevice centers along the Inidana and Ohio turnpikes. Fast off/on, everything you need is there (but the food choices can suck), and they're all V3. It's the only route I've driven where taking a Tesla is about the same total time as an ICE car. I wish they were all like this.
 
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You are talking about the original Kettleman City location with 40 stalls. They also have restrooms in the lounge area. In case that is closed (not sure of the hours) you get a 4 digit pin on the map that lets you in to that or the exterior restrooms. They also have window squeezees.
But the 2nd location a few blocks away has 56 stalls and no facilities. But they do have In-n-out, McD and Bravo Farms (store, restaurants, museum, play area, dog park)
Food there is not fantastic, though I have heard Bravo Farms is OK. There used to be a decent taco truck right by the lounge supercharger, so I got food there and took it to the lounge. I am surprised they built a 56 stall unit as the lounge one was not that busy in my experience, but I haven't been in a year. Since I always eat outdoors when possible in the covid era, I might well select the charger by the in-and-out which has shaded outdoor tables, and is the best of the fast food places.

The lounge is nice, but my rule is never to just sit around while charging. So all I really want at charging stations would be covered picnic tables (or a heated eating room in cold places after Covid) and some bathrooms. Comfy chairs and a coffee bar, while nobody would turn them down, is not what I want them spending the money on.
 
My experience, yes it takes about 50% longer. However that was on an old B pack that is much slower to charge than the newer models. For example, a trip from NY to FL would typically take me 18 hours. In the P85, it tool 28 hours (each way). This was a straight drive, no stops other than to supercharge. (No i didnt sleep other than cat napping for an hour or two while car was charging, and yes it took 2 hours to charge fully.) As a weekly central ny to nyc driver, in a normal car it would take 3.5 hours. In my P85, it would take 5-7 hours. This is one of the primary reasons why I sold my P85, well that and not driving it for 2 yrs when the pandemic started. I am hoping the newer models have solved that issue and dont degrade and charge slower over time.