I'm driving to a friend's house next week. It is 104 miles. I will start at sea level, go up to 4000 feet and back down to about 2000 feet. The return trip I would really like to take would be from his house up to 8000 feet and back to my house at a distance of 153 miles. An intermediate return route would go from 2000 feet up to 7000 feet in 143 miles. I went on a drive this past weekend of 150 miles and I returned with an ideal range of 54 miles remaining. About half of that drive was on the freeway at 75 mph with maybe 1000 feet of elevation gain. So, how much can I expect elevation to affect my range?
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Battery Use/Mountains
- Thread starter Pantera Dude
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- Roadster
ChadS
Last tank of gas: March 2009
In my experience with the Roadster, you spend about 7 miles on every 1,000' feet up, and get back roughly 4 miles on the way down. (More details on how elevation and other factors affect range HERE. That is tilted towards Model S, though. A Roadster-specific one is HERE, but that's older and doesn't include elevation).
So on the way there, you'd spend 28 miles going up, and get about 8 miles coming back down, for a net cost of 20 miles.
The return trip you'd like to take would expend 42 miles going up, and get 32 miles coming back down for a net cost of 10 miles.
Unless you have really bad weather or go really fast, you should be able to make both of those. Just a warning though: it's hard to keep the speeds down on a twisty mountain road!
So on the way there, you'd spend 28 miles going up, and get about 8 miles coming back down, for a net cost of 20 miles.
The return trip you'd like to take would expend 42 miles going up, and get 32 miles coming back down for a net cost of 10 miles.
Unless you have really bad weather or go really fast, you should be able to make both of those. Just a warning though: it's hard to keep the speeds down on a twisty mountain road!
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Tesla 940
Member
Should not be a problem. If in doubt start out slow - I know it is painful. I've done round trips from LB - San Bernadino - LB at both 60mph and again at 65. The difference was nearly 10%. I believe at 60mph my wh/mile was about 215 versus 235 at 65mph (top on, windows up, no AC). At 75mph the difference becomes even more dramatic.
Are you aware there is/was a 70/205 charger at the McDonald's in Barstow Station - Main St? I used it once - about 48 Ideal Miles per hour. The SC are at the Lenwood Outlet Mall but are useless to us true "early adapters".
Are you aware there is/was a 70/205 charger at the McDonald's in Barstow Station - Main St? I used it once - about 48 Ideal Miles per hour. The SC are at the Lenwood Outlet Mall but are useless to us true "early adapters".
Good stuff, that's exactly what I was looking for! I'm planning to make the drive home after dark on a road I haven't driven for many years. Hopefully that will help me keep my foot out of it. :biggrin: Thanks
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Good to know about the Barstow charger, thanks! Is that charger designed specifically for our roadsters? My buddy's place is in Apple Valley and he's got a 14-50 outlet with a 40 amp breaker, (for a motor home), so I'm in luck!
Excellent! I doubt that it gets much use? I really can't think of any place I'd rather spend 3 or 4 hours than at the McDonalds in Barstow. :biggrin: If you've ever been to Barstow, you know what I mean.
Used the Barstow charger twice on a LV trip last year. It kept shutting off. Thankfully most of the time it would self start back up but not every time. You have to watch it. Easier from Starbucks if you have the Tattler or OVMS.
As always, check the Recargo reports on any far flung waypoint station before leaving home.
As always, check the Recargo reports on any far flung waypoint station before leaving home.
