Colorado Tesla Owners

[Rico321]

Hello,
Tesla MYLR owner on East coast and am planning a trip to Colorado with family and thinking of renting a MY in Denver once I arrive via Turo. Planning a trip from Denver to Great Sands National Park then to Sante Fe, NM. Would it be possible with the charging network in Colorado?

 

[Zaxxon]

Doable? Yes. But it's one of the more difficult areas to get to. Colorado's Supercharger network is largely very good, but the Dunes are not ideally situated given the lack of a Supercharger in the Alamosa area. (Ask any Colorado resident where we need additional Superchargers and you'll get Durango or Alamosa as the answer.)

You can get to the Dunes from Denver via the Poncha Springs Supercharger without too much trouble, and can get back to Denver by reversing course. But if you instead want to continue south, it enters 'doable but possibly risky' territory. ABRP says that taking a LR AWD Y and leaving Poncha with 100% charge gets you through the Dunes and to Trinidad with 16% range left, before subtracting for losses while parked and exploring the Dunes or any penalties if weather is bad during your trip.

Were I looking to do this route, I'd plan to have an RV spot reserved nearby (there are several locations in that area, including one that's right outside the park) to park and charge for an hour or two and have a meal just to have that in my back pocket to remove any range anxiety.

 

[Aaf0052]

Exactly what Zaxxon said. You might find it annoying waiting to charge all the way to 100% with family at the Poncha Springs charger (which is a beautiful location, btw, possibly my fav supercharger so far) so will want to have a backup RV charger plan in mind. Possibly ask the Turo person if they have the Nema adaptors. But you should be fine to make to Trinidad if you plan to go straight from the park. Maybe just avoid launching too much

 

[Rico321]

Thank you! Some great suggestions. If you think I could make it to Trinidad after the Dunes and a substantial charge at Poncha Springs before going I would just spend the night in Trinidad and go on to Sante fe the next morning. That would work .

 

[Aaf0052]

Great plan! If you guys are going to the Dunes, its worth it to rent some sandboards (and make sure to ask for wax!) from the Oasis place at the park if that's your thing. So fun. It doesn't hurt to wipe out at all like you would expect