Bellevue - Vancouver and back

[darxsys]

I'd like some advice before I go and purchase a Tesla at some point. I am looking at buying a 75D at the moment (90/100Ds are usually way out of my budget unfortunately). Since I drive to Vancouver,BC a lot (at least once or twice a month), I'd like to understand if there are any range anxiety issues with a 75D.

I know there are superchargers along the way, with Burlington being the most convenient one, but I am curious: If I stop at Burlington for 15-30 minutes on the way up, can that suffice for coming back (with another stop at Burlington on the way back?). I don't drive a lot when in Vancouver, it would mostly sit parked. And if I do, I'd just drive to Surrey to get a charge. Also, is Burlington SC becoming more and more packed with more and more Teslas on the roads? I definitely don't want to wait for more than 5 minutes there. I usually drive up and down at weird times (Sundays at 10pm for example, so that hopefully means I can avoid crowds)

Superchargers in Vancouver area are in pretty inconvenient places for me (Tsawwassen is a weird detour and Surrey could be an option as mentioned). I just realized that White Rock and Burnaby won't be coming any time soon (at least according to supercharge.info) so that is also not great. There are chargers in Oakridge mall which is really convenient for me, but I don't know which ones they have and how fast they charge.

In any case, looking for impressions from people who have done this trip multiple times so that I can make a better informed decision.

 

[Kuhz]

You won’t have issues. In the last year or so the charging options for this route have increased exponentially.

Burlington doesn’t usually have wait times, surely not in the off hours. If the nav shows they’re full, you can always stop at Arlington, haven’t seen more than 3 Tesla’s charging there at the same time

Superchargers in DT Van (200 Burrard St) is now functional and they’re 72kw urban style. Not slow at all, especially considering that a 75D can charge up to 98kw max.

 

[PLUS EV]

As Kuhz says, it should be no problem at all.

Agree about the two in downtown Vancouver being inconvenient (and you have to pay) and Tsawwassen is also out of the way, but Surrey is a pretty good option. And as you already figured out, you'll probably be charging in Burlington down and back anyway. And while Burlington may get busy at peak times, Arlington has never ever been busy. Seriously would not expect it to be full at any point in the next 2-3 years. And by then presumably some more superchargers will have been built.

 

[modamoda]

I do that regularly in Winter with my X 75D, you should have no issue.
I generally travel between Bellevue - Whistler, and it took 50kWh from Bellevue - Surrey SC.

This is photo that I took at Surrey SC, "trip Whistler" started from Bellevue (near Issaquah SC)

 

[Kuhz]

As Kuhz says, it should be no problem at all.

Agree about the two in downtown Vancouver being inconvenient (and you have to pay) and Tsawwassen is also out of the way, but Surrey is a pretty good option. And as you already figured out, you'll probably be charging in Burlington down and back anyway. And while Burlington may get busy at peak times, Arlington has never ever been busy. Seriously would not expect it to be full at any point in the next 2-3 years. And by then presumably some more superchargers will have been built.

Is the 2nd DT location open already (one off Howe)? Strange how close they are to each other...

 

[darxsys]

I do that regularly in Winter with my X 75D, you should have no issue.
I generally travel between Bellevue - Whistler, and it took 50kWh from Bellevue - Surrey SC.

This is photo that I took at Surrey SC, "trip Whistler" started from Bellevue (near Issaquah SC)

50 kWh doesn't sound a lot at all. I could really have enough to not even have to charge in Canada over a weekend. What's your average speed? I really like doing 10mph over the limit at all times.

 

[PLUS EV]

50 kWh doesn't sound a lot at all. I could really have enough to not even have to charge in Canada over a weekend. What's your average speed? I really like doing 10mph over the limit at all times.

Keep in mind there will be some "vampire drain" if you are in Vancouver all weekend not plugged in, especially if you are parked outside in winter. So be careful with that until you get a feel for it. Your first time on the trip, you might want to charge to near full at Burlington just to be safe. Unless of course you don't mind having to make an excursion to the Surrey supercharger during your weekend.

 

[PLUS EV]

Is the 2nd DT location open already (one off Howe)? Strange how close they are to each other...

No, it isn't open yet. Maybe in a couple months?

 

[Brian's ReX]

Charged in Burlington many times. The most I've seen is 2 Teslas (besides myself) mid-day on a weekend.

Maybe I've been lucky?

 

[modamoda]

50 kWh doesn't sound a lot at all. I could really have enough to not even have to charge in Canada over a weekend. What's your average speed? I really like doing 10mph over the limit at all times.

Average winter temperature (around 40F?), range mode on, cabin temp 70~72
If you drive +10 mph all the time, energy consumption would be same as me. (I was slowed down by traffic near Everett, Marysville, and border)

 

[N8DGR8]

I have driven our 4 year old 60 to the Vancouver airport, plugged in, and skipped supercharging altogether. If you can get something installed near your destination or there is a level 2 nearby, you will love it. There are 50 amp camping extension cords for nema 14-50 outlets.

 

[ahhlun]

I'd like some advice before I go and purchase a Tesla at some point. I am looking at buying a 75D at the moment (90/100Ds are usually way out of my budget unfortunately). Since I drive to Vancouver,BC a lot (at least once or twice a month), I'd like to understand if there are any range anxiety issues with a 75D.

Hey there,
I am in the exact same situation as you~
I live in Redmond,WA (Apartment, no EV charging), but I suppose I can charge at work to 90% before I leave.
I head to Vancouver (Richmond, BC) every week as well and is considering Tesla mainly for its AutoPilot along I-5 and 405 as well as a little bit on gas savings?

How has this been working out for you on the 75D? How's Auto Pilot working out for you on the highway?

-Alan

 

[PLUS EV]

Hey there,
I am in the exact same situation as you~
I live in Redmond,WA (Apartment, no EV charging), but I suppose I can charge at work to 90% before I leave.
I head to Vancouver (Richmond, BC) every week as well and is considering Tesla mainly for its AutoPilot along I-5 and 405 as well as a little bit on gas savings?

How has this been working out for you on the 75D? How's Auto Pilot working out for you on the highway?

-Alan

In the months since this thread was active a new supercharger opened in Blaine and a 2nd supercharger opened in Vancouver. There is also a supercharger under construction in Richmond, BC. And the Arlington supercharger has still never been even half full. So if anything, the situation has improved. I would not worry at all about getting to and from Vancouver in a 75. There are many other reasons why you may want a bigger battery, but on this trip it is not much of an issue (might slow you down by a few minutes needing to make an extra stop to top off).

Autopilot is great for all types of freeway driving with the exception of construction zones where you will have to take over.

I'd be much more concerned about your lack of home charging and your charging situation at work. Do you consistently physically go into your work place many days each week? And are you sure you will consistently have access to those chargers? If not, a lack of home charging can prove to be quite annoying. Is there any way you can move to a parking spot that is near a 110V outlet? People laugh at the slow rate of trickle charging, but being able to add 30-60 miles/night and not suffer vampire drain can make a world of difference vs. not plugging in at all. I know, because I too live in an apartment building with no EV charging, but they let me switch my parking spot to a spot that has a 110V/15a outlet and I plug into that most nights and rarely have to use other charging options while at home in Seattle (maybe 1 or 2 supercharger visits each winter in weeks when I'm driving a lot).

 

[ahhlun]

Thanks for the reply,
Yeah I also was thinking about my charging plans locally. The SC location on the East side is very inconvenient until the totem lake or Bellevue SC will be brought up. (who knows when)

I consistently physically go to work and from what I hear you somewhat have some access eventually during some time of the day.
My work forces employee to move after 4 hrs (first 4 hrs 0.50/hr, afterwards 5.00/hr) Gotta check on moving a parking spot, or maybe buy one long 110v extension cord~ On those occasional WFH days, could be good to get 24hrs of lvl 1 charging in ^_^~ Do they charge you for using the port?

-Edit-

Oh wow, you drove 90K tesla miles with no home chargers~ it can be done!
btw, I am looking into getting a used CPO Model S with AP1 75 or 75D or 90D for context
Looks like you upgraded from 90D to 100D~

 

[Kuhz]

Thanks for the reply,
-Edit-

Oh wow, you drove 90K tesla miles with no home chargers~ it can be done!
btw, I am looking into getting a used CPO Model S with AP1 75 or 75D or 90D for context
Looks like you upgraded from 90D to 100D~

He’s also been to most supercharger locations in the US......

 

[f-stop]

In the months since this thread was active a new supercharger opened in Blaine and a 2nd supercharger opened in Vancouver. There is also a supercharger under construction in Richmond, BC. And the Arlington supercharger has still never been even half full. So if anything, the situation has improved. I would not worry at all about getting to and from Vancouver in a 75. There are many other reasons why you may want a bigger battery, but on this trip it is not much of an issue (might slow you down by a few minutes needing to make an extra stop to top off).

Autopilot is great for all types of freeway driving with the exception of construction zones where you will have to take over.

I'd be much more concerned about your lack of home charging and your charging situation at work. Do you consistently physically go into your work place many days each week? And are you sure you will consistently have access to those chargers? If not, a lack of home charging can prove to be quite annoying. Is there any way you can move to a parking spot that is near a 110V outlet? People laugh at the slow rate of trickle charging, but being able to add 30-60 miles/night and not suffer vampire drain can make a world of difference vs. not plugging in at all. I know, because I too live in an apartment building with no EV charging, but they let me switch my parking spot to a spot that has a 110V/15a outlet and I plug into that most nights and rarely have to use other charging options while at home in Seattle (maybe 1 or 2 supercharger visits each winter in weeks when I'm driving a lot).

+1 agree with everything PlusEV mentioned.

I have a 70D (original 70kW pack, NOT a software locked 75) - I just came back from a weekend trip Vancouver to Seattle and back, and have made that trip (or ones further south and back) several times. No worries about range with my 70D. Yeah a bigger battery might have been nice, but was out of my price range at the time. Besides, I enjoy taking a rest break every couple hours so no problem stopping to charge once along the way. Autopilot even with my old AP1 car is great on I-5, although I generally drive manually in the busy sections close in to Seattle.

For reference - on this trip, I left home at 100% and stopped on the way down at Arlington, knowing from previous trips that that location never seems busy (16 150kW stalls). My destination (hotel) in downtown Seattle had no charging, so original plan was to not charge at all in Seattle, then stop at Arlington again or perhaps Burlington on the way home. This time I was the only car at Arlington SC. Arrived with about 50%, left with about 80%.

In Seattle itself Saturday I was in the area for the afternoon so I parked in one of the Amazon parkades and luckily got a spot at an L2 charger there (free weekend parking & free charging, thanks Amazon, & Plugshare), so managed to top back up to ~90% in the afternoon before heading to the hotel. On Sunday after some short driving around downtown, headed out of Seattle with about 80%. Could have driven all the way home Seattle to Vancouver on that (IIRC nav estimate was about 10% on arrival), but I decided to check out the newly opened and conveniently located Supercharger in Blaine along the way - arrived there with about 33%. Since I only have 120V/15A charging at home, it was a convenient stop for me to top up a bit and save me some time charging overnight when I got home. Note: other than road trip, for normal driving around town my daily mileage is very low, so 120V/15A charging at home does the job

As mentioned, there's also Burlington SC along the way, I've been there several times in past and never had to wait, but I wonder if that's changed recently. In any case, Arlington is a better bet with its 16 stalls and being a bit off of I-5 I'd guess there's never more than a few cars there. I've never been to Lynnwood SC but being an urban SC close to Seattle my guess is that it's often busy, so that's why I avoided it.

On the Vancouver side of the border, yes there's a new 20 stall 150kW Supercharger now under construction at Richmond Centre w/ free parking, but looks like it might at least several weeks or so away to completion (I was there and took a peek yesterday)

BTW, the OP asked about public L2 chargers in Oakridge Centre mall - yes that's a convenient (and free) spot to charge if you're in the area. Used to be no problem finding an available charger there, but be warned - these days there are sooooo many Model 3 in town that these and many other public chargers are always busy. At Oakridge there are 2 Tesla 80A HPWCs, plus 6 FLO network L2 and 4 ChargePoint L2 plugs there - all free. The L2 plugs will give you about +30km/hr range, the HPWC higher rate depending on what onboard charger capacity your car has (my 70D with single charger gets ~+40km/hr at 40A HPWC). Note that ChargePoint and FLO networks have some sort of sharing agreement so a free account on either will give you access to the other. In Vancouver, there are a ton of public L2 chargers, mostly on FLO or ChargePoint networks, and most of them free to charge (though some are in pay parking) - Plugshare is your friend here! So if you're going to Vancouver, register a free account with either or both networks and get their app to be able to activate.

 

[PLUS EV]

Thanks for the reply,
Yeah I also was thinking about my charging plans locally. The SC location on the East side is very inconvenient until the totem lake or Bellevue SC will be brought up. (who knows when)

I consistently physically go to work and from what I hear you somewhat have some access eventually during some time of the day.
My work forces employee to move after 4 hrs (first 4 hrs 0.50/hr, afterwards 5.00/hr) Gotta check on moving a parking spot, or maybe buy one long 110v extension cord~ On those occasional WFH days, could be good to get 24hrs of lvl 1 charging in ^_^~ Do they charge you for using the port?

-Edit-

Oh wow, you drove 90K tesla miles with no home chargers~ it can be done!
btw, I am looking into getting a used CPO Model S with AP1 75 or 75D or 90D for context
Looks like you upgraded from 90D to 100D~

Actually more like 180k Tesla miles total, but as Kuhz points out, most of the miles have been out of state on the supercharger network. The 90D got wrecked so it was a forced upgrade