you haven't seen anything close to being the worst. perry ok is on the list of the worst as is defuniak springs fl
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Be honest: is SCing on a long trip annoying?
- Thread starter buckerine
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- Model S Supercharging
It does not work like that for such drives when they (mostly) take place in Germany, the part of the vehicle value proposition called the Autobahn experience:
I would start my daily ICE 500-1000 miles (800km to 1600km) drive such that I would arrive in time for bed (or maybe a dinner first and some mellowness for the shorter drive).
I stop only for fuel, while the pump is running I eat a prepacked sandwich after having exercised my legs and lower body like this (say 50 times):
So when I get my Tesla, I will really have to completely change how I think of traveling. Like maybe in a desert caravan going from one oasis to the next, for free replenishment...
The resale value of my ICE is negligible, so I guess I will hold on to it for when I really just need to get from A to B as fast as possible. And with luck there will one day be an optional 300 kWh battery, to cover a whole day's driving.
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mikeash
Active Member
I cast my vote for West Palm Beach, FL for Worst Supercharger. It certainly is the worst one I've been to, and I have trouble imagining how they could be much worse. Ugly, ugly industrial area, nothing around whatsoever, if you arrive after hours then you won't even have a bathroom, let alone any possibilities for food. Adding insult to injury, it's a couple of miles off the interstate, with roads full of completely ridiculous drivers in between.
Although I love my Model S, I will not use it again for long distance travelling (Over 500Mi.) I bought my Model S in Texas and drove it back home to Florida. I did that so that I could have an extended learning period for the car, functions, supercharging and range expectations. I loved the amount of knowledge I gained. I hated that with an 85D, the furthest I could realistically go at 5MPH over highway speeds was ~200 miles without getting very low on charge. What should have been a 23 hour trip using a ICE or Hybrid, took 31 hours. I would never take my family or friends on a road trip in the Tesla. Again, I love everything about the Model S and even the Supercharger Network. I hate that it adds 30% more time to a trip. Until the range of a Tesla or other BEV gets over 350 real world miles, I can't see being an all BEV household.
75-80mph seems to be pretty standard interstate car speeds outside of metro areas. I have not had a ticket in years. I88 west of Chicago moves so fast (80 in a 55) that the toll authority has resorted to threatening everyone on their big electronic signs.
On this road Teslas move with traffic, while Leafs stay in the right lane.
EV is just not a good choice for people who trips like Chicago - Denver in a day. But EV doesn't need to work for everyone today.
I think a lot of this depends on where you are, what route you're taking, and how you expect your travel to go.
I'm not a road trip person by any means. We took a few trips of about ~450 miles in our Honda CRV. When my road-tripping husband got the Model S, I found the same routes to be far more tolerable. Now that the route is Supercharger-heavy, it's no big deal to me at all. He's determined to take a cross-country road trip next year. If we weren't taking the Tesla, there would be zero chance I'd go with him. Also, I'm a New England gal so 75-80 mph feels plenty fast enough for me. There are a very limited number of situations in my usual driving where I have an opportunity to go much faster than that.
I wonder if there's a newness factor involved, though maybe not so much for MikeJr specifically. I know most Tesla owners are quite well informed, but in my experience, there was a sort of instinctive mental shift that needed to happen as well. When I first got my Smart ED, I had some range anxiety and I was far more cautious about making sure I had enough charge for my journeys. Over the next three months, I realized I could go a lot farther than I thought after I got the "find a charger! plug me in!" alert (the analog gauge [yes, it's analog] turns red at 20% state of charge). I used to map out trips to Boston around the parking garages with chargepoint stations; now I just park on the street because I know I have plenty of miles to get home. Maybe it parallels how some people think the "empty" light on the gas gauge means "find a station immediately!" and others interpret it as "stop by the gas station on your way home tomorrow."
Side note on physiology: males have a secondary urinary sphincter. Females do not. This affects the need for stops on road trips a lot more than most people realize.
Hilarious. You and my wife are clearly in the same boat. We could never go more than 200 miles without stopping just once anyway.
brucet999
Active Member
Burbank is the worst!
On two 1,000 mile round trip trips between Huntington Beach to Lake Tahoe, using different routes, (17 different supercharger locations) all were easily accessible except for Burbank. There, at 10pm on a Thursday, I found all 6 stations in use and a line of 4 cars waiting.
Judging by the lack of bugs on their windshields and people sitting in their cars while charging, I deduced that most were locals taking up stations that those of us who were traveling needed to get to the next SC on our routes. Another traveler, who frequently has to use Burbank, told me that there is always a wait there.
On two 1,000 mile round trip trips between Huntington Beach to Lake Tahoe, using different routes, (17 different supercharger locations) all were easily accessible except for Burbank. There, at 10pm on a Thursday, I found all 6 stations in use and a line of 4 cars waiting.
Judging by the lack of bugs on their windshields and people sitting in their cars while charging, I deduced that most were locals taking up stations that those of us who were traveling needed to get to the next SC on our routes. Another traveler, who frequently has to use Burbank, told me that there is always a wait there.
Don't you stop for lunch or dinner? We drove Texas to Florida this spring in a 60. Stopped at every supercharger along the way but usually had lunch or dinner during a stop, so it hardly added any travel time. For example lunch in Lake Charles, dinner in Slidell.
Previously I answered no, but I'd like to amend my answer.
I have an upcoming trip to which I'm probably not going to be taking the Tesla, and taking the ICE instead (first time in 1+ years of ownership). One of the reasons is supercharging time.
I'd need to charge to close to 100% at the SpC (we're going camping, and our friends got a non-electric hooked up camp site. All the electric sites are taken. This is the middle of PA, supercharging deadzone. Need close to 100% to have enough buffer to go from SpC-camping-back to SpC).
But on a typical trip? I still stand by SpC is not annoying.
I have an upcoming trip to which I'm probably not going to be taking the Tesla, and taking the ICE instead (first time in 1+ years of ownership). One of the reasons is supercharging time.
I'd need to charge to close to 100% at the SpC (we're going camping, and our friends got a non-electric hooked up camp site. All the electric sites are taken. This is the middle of PA, supercharging deadzone. Need close to 100% to have enough buffer to go from SpC-camping-back to SpC).
But on a typical trip? I still stand by SpC is not annoying.
Model S M.D.
Ludicrous Radiologist
I honestly don't care how inconvenient/annoying it is to stop at superchargers. I would much rather do that than drive a noisy, slow, vibrating ICE that can't even drive itself. We forget how mind numbing just engine vibration is, let alone noise, slow acceleration and lack of AP.
The benefits far outweigh the costs (minor inconveniences).
The benefits far outweigh the costs (minor inconveniences).
TaoJones
Beyond Driven
By definition of the word average, half the SCs will be below average and half above average. However, in terms of the threshold of acceptability, they're the only game in town and it's not close.
I've been waylaid by awful Nav directions to/from SCs much more than I have experienced snafu'd SCs by virtue of location or implementation. And the former have improved somewhat.
Quartzsite is an example of a below average SC only because the restrooms smell terrible and the cleanliness of the restaurant suspect. But access to the SC is above average both coming and going, and it has never been close to full. So there's that.
That SC in Florida that is accessible only via toll road exit (and a no-cash-accepted toll road exit at that) is interesting. Expect a bill in 3 weeks from the State for using that one. It's a nicely formatted bill. The picture of my car was completely black so evidently they read plates separately.
There's a lot of work left yet for the national SC infrastructure (DISTANCE), and challenges looming to stay ahead of DENSITY, but Tesla has committed to both insofar as their SC deployments go.
So far, the Great Supercharger Wasteland (I-10 from Tucson to San Antonio) aside, along with all of the other missed 2014/2015/2016 targeted locations, there are glimmers of hope - deploying SCs at most SvCs for public use is brilliant, and now it becomes a matter of execution for Elon's 2x goal in less than 18 months.
I've been waylaid by awful Nav directions to/from SCs much more than I have experienced snafu'd SCs by virtue of location or implementation. And the former have improved somewhat.
Quartzsite is an example of a below average SC only because the restrooms smell terrible and the cleanliness of the restaurant suspect. But access to the SC is above average both coming and going, and it has never been close to full. So there's that.
That SC in Florida that is accessible only via toll road exit (and a no-cash-accepted toll road exit at that) is interesting. Expect a bill in 3 weeks from the State for using that one. It's a nicely formatted bill. The picture of my car was completely black so evidently they read plates separately.
There's a lot of work left yet for the national SC infrastructure (DISTANCE), and challenges looming to stay ahead of DENSITY, but Tesla has committed to both insofar as their SC deployments go.
So far, the Great Supercharger Wasteland (I-10 from Tucson to San Antonio) aside, along with all of the other missed 2014/2015/2016 targeted locations, there are glimmers of hope - deploying SCs at most SvCs for public use is brilliant, and now it becomes a matter of execution for Elon's 2x goal in less than 18 months.
The worst thing about the Supercharging experience is having your hand forced when it comes to food. You can be creative if you wish - pick up before you plug in - but we often find ourselves eating at places we'd never visit otherwise. There are a couple of exceptions but mostly it's your run of the mill chain food.
JC86
Member
Just recently did my first road trip from orange county to Vegas and back. Stopped by Barstow SpC on the way to Vegas, charged briefly at the Vegas SpC, then did Primm and Victoria Gardens on the way back.
I wouldn't call it annoying since the bathroom breaks and food stops are necessary anyways. That being said, the trip did take longer when we factor in the stops etc.
I also think it took longer because with AP and TACC, i drove more passively than I normally would. For example, I'd be content just leisurely following a car driving 75 mph whereas in the past, i'd be following much closer and at the first opportunity, pass the car.
I wouldn't call it annoying since the bathroom breaks and food stops are necessary anyways. That being said, the trip did take longer when we factor in the stops etc.
I also think it took longer because with AP and TACC, i drove more passively than I normally would. For example, I'd be content just leisurely following a car driving 75 mph whereas in the past, i'd be following much closer and at the first opportunity, pass the car.
You'll really enjoy it.
Perhaps, but I've had mine for over three years and I still look forward to road trips--so does Denise.
rhumbliner
Member
Ha! Check out San Mateo -- an upscale mall with a fitness center. So many locals clog the SC while working out that Tesla actually has an employee sitting next to the stalls monitoring their usage. He admitted he couldn't actually enforce any rules of etiquette but it was Tesla's attempt at mitigating the problem without actually hurting anyone's feelings.
