Be honest: is SCing on a long trip annoying?

[Owner]

I don't know about you, but about 355 days a year, I drive less than 250 miles, and on those days I'd prefer the lighter car and more moderate battery.
--Snortybartfast

In general yes, but it would be nice if there were an option for those of us who like to road trip.

I like road trips and I like road trips to really remote places. I don't like fast food and I'm a vegetarian, so I prefer to stop wherever I please. So if i had a longer battery, I could go down the 2 lane highway instead of the interstate and eat at that organic place in that little town instead of the 3 more conventional choices at the supercharger.

I'm happy with my 85kW battery, but I'd love a 150kW. I'm going to Yosemite soon and it would be really nice!

Am I mainstream - no.

 

[wdolson]

"I don't know about you, but about 355 days a year, I drive less than 250 miles, and on those days I'd prefer the lighter car and more moderate battery. in fact, 330 days a year, the range of a Leaf would be totally adequate."

I would say most people fit pretty close to this use case. If you have home charging and wake up with a full tank every morning you actually are saving hours and hours at gas stations. And the added benefit of, no more late to a meeting(work, appointment Etc.) because you forgot to fill up the night before. For the average person a Tesla actually makes you spend less time fueling your vehicle.

For your roughly ten days of road tripping a year, sure it takes a little longer, but you're still left with a net gain in time spent fueling a vehicle. I feel this point is so often overlooked.

I wouldn't need the range on a day to day basis, but I do need the space. The only EVs on the market with enough leg room for me are the Model S and X. The extra cargo capacity is pretty nice too. I need to haul a cabinet to my SO's office soon and the Model S is the only vehicle we have that has the cargo space.

 

[bob_p]

Just finished a two day 1000 mile trip - our longest road trip with our "classic" P85. And...

The only negatives on the trip were about the locations of the superchargers. While most were at pretty good locations - one was at a gas station/minimart that wasn't in very good condition. And another stop was early in the morning at a restaurant - which wasn't open that early - so we had a hike to the nearest bathroom.

We found the periodic stops broke up the trip - and while it may have taken a little longer than driving in an ICE - the drive wasn't an endurance contest (trying to see if we could drive 4 to 5 hours between stops).

While it would be helpful to have a larger battery than our P85 - there is a trade-off between battery capacity/range and charging times. Trying to recharger a 150 battery would take much longer to get the full range. Though with a 150 battery, charging the battery up to 50 or 60% would be faster - so a larger battery could reduce times at the chargers, but only if the full capacity of the battery was used only after overnight charging.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

'm happy with my 85kW battery, but I'd love a 150kW. I'm going to Yosemite soon and it would be really nice!

I am "all-In" with a 150kW battery or real world 350 mile range at real 80mph speeds, elevation changes, rain and wind. I'll leave out snow, since I have no experience with it, but imagine it cuts mileage massively on unplowed roads.

 

[EVie'sDad]

That's an interesting comment, especially in light of Elon's thought's about the time-value of "local" supercharging at the recent annual meeting.

My work commute is only 25 miles so I don't need to supercharge every day. If I had a 300 mile commute every day, I could see that getting annoying; same charger, same food options, same old view. Having to stop for 20-30 minutes compared to a quick splash and dash at the gas pump does seem less than optimal.

But here's the thing, though. We made the decision going in, and hopefully it was an informed one, that we need to use the superchargers to get from point A to point B when B's more than say 250 miles away. That's now part of your travel constraints. Your initial decision could have been to buy a Ferrari, which wouldn't have been great if you had a lot of stuff to cart around with you. Or to buy a pick-up, which would have been less than perfect if you wanted to do 90 regularly on the highway. And those parameters would have then been part of your constraints. You've bought an electric car so you know you're going to have to spend time charging.

I've grown to appreciate all my SC stops. They're places in the country that I wouldn't have had a chance to see otherwise and some of them are VERY pretty. I wouldn't trade our Mt. Shasta stop for a bag of gold (platinum, maybe . I still don't know how I'd deal with having to stop at the same one every day but it's something I'll think about now.

beats stopping at the same gasoline station every day or two...

 

[Cyclone]

Not. At. All!

 

[Cyclone]

I don't find the stops annoying, but I find the zig-zag route I have to take sometimes very annoying!
Last weekend I went from Goose Creek (Charleston), SC to Huntsville, AL and back. Route was Goose Creek to Greensboro, SC, to Atlanta, GA, to Chattanooga, TN and (finally!) to Huntsville, AL. Probably and extra 100+ miles to hit chargers. Return on Sunday was significantly improved - Huntsville to Chattanooga to Atlanta to Augusta, GA (SC opened there Saturday afternoon) to Goose Creek. No more Greensboro to get to Atlanta! Now if they had an SC in Huntsville, the trip would be very direct (not that I plan on returning to Huntsville anytime soon).


I'm not really complaining, mind you - this is just part of the "fun" of being one of those reaching towards the future. And we also get the thrill of seeing new infrastructure opening up for our benefit - something folks 10-20 years out will not get to enjoy.

Thankfully the route I take in an ICE vs. my S for my most popular destinations result in only a 10-mile increase when taking the S. I'd likely feel as you do if I had to detour/zig-zag for charging.

 

[Branzo90D]

Just completed a 2,200 mile road trip from NorCal to SLC, UT through the five national parks in UT, north rim of the Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon dam, Lake Powell, and back home through Death Valley and the eastern Sierra. My wife and I found the SpC stops refreshing, breaking up the long drive into small segments, arriving fresh at our destinations ready for activity. I would not characterize this as "annoying" in any way.

In fact, my wife's biggest concerns before buying the car were exactly this: How do we use this car for long trips without taking all day stopping to recharge? Where can we recharge? Range anxiety? After the trip, she tells all her friends about how great the trip was, how easy the charging was, etc.

The modern, emissions-free road trip is here!

 

[buckerine]

Just completed a 2,200 mile road trip from NorCal to SLC, UT through the five national parks in UT, north rim of the Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon dam, Lake Powell, and back home through Death Valley and the eastern Sierra. My wife and I found the SpC stops refreshing, breaking up the long drive into small segments, arriving fresh at our destinations ready for activity. I would not characterize this as "annoying" in any way.

In fact, my wife's biggest concerns before buying the car were exactly this: How do we use this car for long trips without taking all day stopping to recharge? Where can we recharge? Range anxiety? After the trip, she tells all her friends about how great the trip was, how easy the charging was, etc.

The modern, emissions-free road trip is here!

What did you do for charging at the north rim of the Grand Canyon?

 

[Cyclone]

Agreed. For a solo-traveller, who has a flood of emails every day, doing them at each stop means that the time is "saved" when arriving at the destination.

I haven't got my mind around swapping "never having to stop for Gas" with "sometimes having to stop for SC", but if every SC stop is taken up with having a Pee, getting coffee - and then, when more time needed, doing emails - fuelling will become zero downtime.

But I'm not speaking from experience ... yet ...

This is exactly how I do my trips. Emails and Facebook on top of a bio break. Usually the car has long been ready before I am.

I "hop" though. First stop is a quick, second is a meal break, third is quick, fourth is destination for the day. Occasionally I go further, so I just stick with the same pattern -- fourth being a meal break, fifth being quick, so on and so forth.

For me, that is usually...
- Leave Charlotte, NC @ 100%
- Stop in Santee, SC and walk to restroom
- Stop in Savannah, GA and eat lunch
- Stop in Kingsland, GA and walk to restroom
- Stop somewhere below St. Augustine, FL for the night or continue to Port Orange, FL and eat dinner
- Stop in West Palm Beach, FL and walk to restroom
- Stop in Miami, FL, my destination

 

[Branzo90D]

What did you do for charging at the north rim of the Grand Canyon?

We were staying at Cliff Dweller's Lodge in Marble Canyon, AZ. It is about 75 miles from the north rim of the GC. It has two Tesla destination chargers (240V up to 80A - we used 40A as we only have one charger built-in) and one Clipper Creek L2 J1772 charger. We charged at night when coming home to sleep after a long day of touring that area including Glen Canyon Dam, Page, AZ, Zion NP, and the north rim of the Grand Canyon, as previously mentioned.

It is a great place to stay as it is about equidistant from the SpC in Flagstaff, AZ and the one in St, George, UT. Also, it has a convenience store and a very good restaurant. Had breakfast there several times and dinner as well. Highly recommended!

By the way, they will let anyone charge their car free of charge, according to the manager. Very nice lady!

 

[Dankersnake]

I have a 70D and love it 95% of the time. However, I commute from SF Bay Area down to Palm Springs every three months. I like to drive on the fast side down I5 and in an ICE, stop only for gas once. I eat in the car. While the SC are nicely spaced and in safe locations for a single woman, I find the frequent stopping an annoyance. Don't stone me boys! So for someone like me, getting from point A to B around 450 miles, the ICE does it about in about 3 hours quicker. The rest of the time the MS rules for me.

 

[aus]

I have a 70D and love it 95% of the time. However, I commute from SF Bay Area down to Palm Springs every three months. I like to drive on the fast side down I5 and in an ICE, stop only for gas once. I eat in the car. While the SC are nicely spaced and in safe locations for a single woman, I find the frequent stopping an annoyance. Don't stone me boys! So for someone like me, getting from point A to B around 450 miles, the ICE does it about in about 3 hours quicker. The rest of the time the MS rules for me.

I totally agree. don't need 40 minutes to stretch my legs.
Anyone who drive from LA to Vegas knows that every 30 minutes after noon on Friday going to Vegas and after 11AM on Sunday coming back means an extra hour of drive time. Then you add in the potential for a 4 hour wait at some SC during long weekends... no thanks.

We're out in Palm Springs right now and had we driven the MS, I would have been sweating bullets two nights ago after arriving and then going out to dinner and then up the hill to the Ritz for some drinks after dinner since they were staying there. Our hotle has a charger but there's been a MS who;s been plugged in all weekend. The next SC is 20 minutes away in the wrong direction.
It's also been 105 out here, so the AC would be going full blast while driving.
.

 

[buckerine]

I have a 70D and love it 95% of the time. However, I commute from SF Bay Area down to Palm Springs every three months. I like to drive on the fast side down I5 and in an ICE, stop only for gas once. I eat in the car. While the SC are nicely spaced and in safe locations for a single woman, I find the frequent stopping an annoyance. Don't stone me boys! So for someone like me, getting from point A to B around 450 miles, the ICE does it about in about 3 hours quicker. The rest of the time the MS rules for me.

Yep, this is exactly the scenario where supercharging would get annoying. Although, maybe a bigger capacity battery would help your cause.

 

[Cyclone]

I completely agree with your list except for #3, the Tesla navigation range estimates do take into account elevation changes.

I should have thought that through. I left Snowshoe Mountain with 92% SOC and 10 miles later had 94% SOC and the trip graph clearly showed where it was expected that I have negative energy consumption (net generation) on parts of the segment back to the Wytheville, VA SuC.

It only accounts for net elevation change, not what your route actually gives you. I used the Trip Planner today and was supposed to arrive at the bottom of the mountain in Saluda, NC with 47% power. However, it took me on the usual Google Maps route down a 15% grade. I arrived with 50% power. On the return, I ignored the Nav that said "stay under 50" and took the longer route that avoids going up that incline. About 10 minutes in (when I was far enough for the Nav not to say make a u-turn), it suddenly said I would arrive with 13% power. I ended up arrived with 9% after some detours for breaks.

 

[Super_Popular]

For those who've done significant long distance trips, doesn't this get tiring/annoying?

100% yes. But I would do it over and over again. I love Tesla road trips. (once I get home) lmao.

 

[TaoJones]

Have never considered a 60 or a 70 as sufficient for road trips. An 85 is barely sufficient. More power to ya if you travel long distances in a 60 or 70.

I've made the case for a 600-mile battery software locked to 500 miles. Used between 20% and 80%, that's 300 miles of practical optimal range. Now there's a car that would handle touring nationwide in a variety of conditions including legs with elevation or high speed limits or both.

Can it be done in a 60 or 70? Sure. It can be done in a Leaf, too. Patience is a commodity.

 

[jerry33]

Not annoying at all. Last year when we drove from DFW to Seattle, most stops were 15 minutes or less. Just the same as if we were driving an ICE. In most cases the car was ready to go by the time we got back from a pit stop. Actually, it's far more pleasant than an ICE due to the lack of engine vibration. We'd stop about the same amount of times anyway.

 

[wdolson]

The answer to the OP's original question boils down to "it depends". For people who want to drive like Lisa Nowak (Lisa Nowak - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) will find supercharging annoying. People who prefer to mosey like the breaks. People who are somewhere in between have a range of answers from not annoying to sometimes annoying to just fine.

I would think people who just like to go and not think about the details would find supercharging kind of annoying. You do have to give some thought about where your next charge is coming from and if you have the range to make it there. Gas stations are still more common than superchargers and if you go to some small town off the beaten track, you are pretty much assured you will find gas somewhere before you run out. Almost everyone in the town you're going to needs gas for their ICEs and so there is some around somewhere.

The nature of the tech is batteries are less energy dense than gasoline, they take longer to charge, and chargers aren't as common as gas stations.

Superchargers are free, the fastest chargers available today, and they are conveniently located along more major highways. The downside is there are a lot of gaps in the network and you can't get there without going out of your way, or sitting for long periods at slower chargers, and it does take longer to recharge, even with a supercharger, than it does to refuel an ICE. I can put 400 miles of range in my SO's Impreza in about 5-10 minutes. With the limitations to batteries, charging tapers as you get closer to full, so it will always take longer to get to 100% and the best EV in the world only has 300 miles of highway range under good conditions which is the low end for an ICE.

So for those who want to go like a bat out of hell and minimize stops to the bare minimum, supercharging is going to be a negative for a Tesla. For those who see some benefit to stretching your legs every couple of hours or taking a power nap, supercharging is going to be just fine. For those who don't mind planning the day's trip, it will be a no brainer, for those who like to be more spontaneous, it's going to be a drag. It all depends on how you like to travel.

 

[kort677]

people who tend to drive long distances and find super charging to be an annoyance should not be buying a tesla.
SpC usage is akin to going to a gas station. Tesla EVs have shorter ranges than most ICE vehicles, so on long trips the SpC stops will add time and sometimes miles to their long distance trips. this is no secret and is part of the deal of driving a tesla.
if someone thinks that making SpC stops to be an annoyance it is the wrong tool for the job they want their vehicles to do and they need to find a better tool.