I took the auto train in December in ms75 for trip between Boston to Bonita Springs, FL. First leg was about 9 hrs and second 4 hrs. My goal was to reduce driving time and felt the train was safer than potential falling asleep at the wheel. To reduce traffic along the northeast corridor, I elected to start the trip on a Sunday. Using A Better Route Planner, it recommended more frequent, but very short (18 min), recharge / rest periods about every 2-3 hours. I welcomed the breaks!
When boarding the train in Virginia at 2:30pm, there was about 25 mi of range, ample for next SC in Florida. But the next day at 9am, only 14 mi remained with Sentry off. Arriving at nearest SC caused range anxiety as I had only 4 mi remaining. How could I lose 11 mi overnight? I wonder if they leave keys in the vehicle so ms stays on with hvac running, sucking up unnecessary power. What could I do to mitigate that loss?
My second problem was the GPS losing calibration when retrieving vehicle in Sanford, FL. I had to use phone GPS to find SC. It thought the car was in Virginia when it lost satellite signal ,but I was in Florida. Concerned when it didn’t recalibrate in 15 minutes, I phoned Tesla service who said give it up to 30 min to find the satellites. They were correct. Clearly, the steel rail car blocks GPS satellite connection.
Make sure you bring food because the train menu is horrible.
