We are about to pick up a Tesla in Florida and drive it half way back across the country. Any tips for cross country driving? How to best use supercharging stations, etc? I looked for a cross country driving FAQ but didn't see one. 
TIA!
TIA!
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You can use A Better Routeplanner on pretty much any device and in the car to plan in advance and just get a general idea of the stops, etc.
When I'm actually on the trip, I usually just use the car's navigation and it's done a good job for me so far.
When I'm actually on the trip, I usually just use the car's navigation and it's done a good job for me so far.
I published some long roadtrip tips back in 2015 in preparation for our 8k+ mile Southern California to Maine roadtrip.
Here's Day One for the trip.
Is the car a CPO RWD with a large trunk...
If so, you can fit a full size 19 as a spare.
IMG_20150609_161433 by Dennis Pascual, on Flickr
Here's Day One for the trip.
Is the car a CPO RWD with a large trunk...
If so, you can fit a full size 19 as a spare.
IMG_20150609_161433 by Dennis Pascual, on Flickr
I've done a few xcountry trips and I stick to the supercharger routes, I advise you to use trip planner in the car and be aware that the initial readings are skewed go 25 miles or so and force a recalc, get the www.plugshare.com app in order to find charging options, try to drive on the lower end of the battery because arriving at a SpC with a low SOC will allow for faster charging, plan your extended charging sessions at meal breaks and when sleeping, be aware of climatic conditions, temperatures, rain and headwinds could severely affect your range, try to keep your speed to 70-75 mph, I find keeping the wh/miles below 330 or so gets me the best balance between speed and range, be comfortable with drafting trucks when you are nervous about your range, on AP I set the distance to 2 and follow bigger vehicles, keep the tire pressure up and plan plan plan your whole route.
I only read the first page of the blog but I would add a couple of things:
1) charging station etiquette
2) most commonly used plugs (buy at least two more styles from the service center)
Also keep in mind that the trip planner doesn't suggest charging places when you stop. If you know you are needing to stop for a half hour (like for lunch) while using the trip planner I would stop navigation a while beforehand and then ask the car for the nearest supercharging station. If you keep charging icons on the screen it helps plan but in some navigation views they still seem to disappear.
1) charging station etiquette
2) most commonly used plugs (buy at least two more styles from the service center)
Also keep in mind that the trip planner doesn't suggest charging places when you stop. If you know you are needing to stop for a half hour (like for lunch) while using the trip planner I would stop navigation a while beforehand and then ask the car for the nearest supercharging station. If you keep charging icons on the screen it helps plan but in some navigation views they still seem to disappear.
I agree with these statements....I just got back from a 6000 mile road trip from Florida out west and back. I used a better route planner to plan my trip because I wanted to go a different way from the way the onboard route planner suggested. I found that putting in smaller sections (say Jupiter, Fl to Mobile, Al) worked better for me. I also found that the onboard nav system was really accurate with percentage of charge left at destination. Be aware that the percentage at the beginning of your trip varies wildly and then "settles" as you get 50% completed...so don't worry if it looks like you won't make the next supercharger...I was never off by but a few percent at the completion. I used the AP-1 for 90% of my highway miles...found it was very relaxing. Of course i was always ready to take over, but very seldom ever needed to. Have fun.
cpa
Active Member
A few odds and ends.
I would get PlugShare on my phone to locate other charging opportunities besides Superchargers. Hotels with Tesla destination chargers are listed. Other spots also have not only Tesla destination chargers but also the common J-plugs, most of which are 30A/208/240V. If you plan on a 2-3 hour stop en route these slower chargers can add many miles while you are enjoying something else. Destination charging overnight is a wonderful way to wake up and hit the road in the knowledge that you might be able to skip the first SC stop as you have 90% in the tank.
The onboard trip planner works pretty well, but does not factor weather into its calculation. If you are driving in rain or into a stiff headwind or crosswind, you will consume much more energy that on a dry road with calm conditions.
It takes a few segments to get your Tesla legs. Your driving style will determine whether you achieve expected range, less range, or greater range. It is also better to start a longer leg slower than you might ordinarily drive until you can determine that your style will afford you enough buffer at your destination. It is easier and less stressful knowing that your reserve at the end of the drive is in your comfort zone, rather than sweating the entire time you are driving and arriving with 4% when you expected 15%.
I would get PlugShare on my phone to locate other charging opportunities besides Superchargers. Hotels with Tesla destination chargers are listed. Other spots also have not only Tesla destination chargers but also the common J-plugs, most of which are 30A/208/240V. If you plan on a 2-3 hour stop en route these slower chargers can add many miles while you are enjoying something else. Destination charging overnight is a wonderful way to wake up and hit the road in the knowledge that you might be able to skip the first SC stop as you have 90% in the tank.
The onboard trip planner works pretty well, but does not factor weather into its calculation. If you are driving in rain or into a stiff headwind or crosswind, you will consume much more energy that on a dry road with calm conditions.
It takes a few segments to get your Tesla legs. Your driving style will determine whether you achieve expected range, less range, or greater range. It is also better to start a longer leg slower than you might ordinarily drive until you can determine that your style will afford you enough buffer at your destination. It is easier and less stressful knowing that your reserve at the end of the drive is in your comfort zone, rather than sweating the entire time you are driving and arriving with 4% when you expected 15%.
Lots has been written on TMC including the links in previous posts.
I'll just make sure you know: you don't have to charge to 100% every stop. Merely enough + your comfort buffer to get you to the next charging (/supercharging) destination.
I'll just make sure you know: you don't have to charge to 100% every stop. Merely enough + your comfort buffer to get you to the next charging (/supercharging) destination.
Thanks for all the feedback and pointing me to those good articles. I do have a chargepoint account and keyfob card and I will check at the Tesla service center to make sure I have the right adapter for the chargepoint stations in case I need to charge at one of those. I used that better route app and let it plot the course and while I won't charge to 100% at each supercharger station I'll probably charge 5 or 10% beyond what the route app says at first, until I get comfortable with the results.
if your kit of adaptors that the car came with is intact you have the j1772 adaptor. as for what level to charge to your assumption of 10%+ is fine except when you will be encountering routes with long upgrades, severe headwinds, cold temps or rain/snow conditions, then you should consider getting an even higher buffer.Thanks for all the feedback and pointing me to those good articles. I do have a chargepoint account and keyfob card and I will check at the Tesla service center to make sure I have the right adapter for the chargepoint stations in case I need to charge at one of those. I used that better route app and let it plot the course and while I won't charge to 100% at each supercharger station I'll probably charge 5 or 10% beyond what the route app says at first, until I get comfortable with the results.
Yes the car has all the original adapters, I just wasn't sure if that included one that worked at chargepoint stations or not, thanks for clearing that up. I probably didn't state the buffer accurately, for example if the better route app says to charge to 70% to arrive with 10% then I will charge to 80% which theoretically means I should arrive with 20%.
that assumption could be problematic if you encounter some of the conditions that I mentioned.I probably didn't state the buffer accurately, for example if the better route app says to charge to 70% to arrive with 10% then I will charge to 80% which theoretically means I should arrive with 20%.
For example when I was driving west on I70 in kansas, which has a long steady upgrade for a few hundred miles, with temps around 15f with a 30+ mph headwind, which is normal there, fortunately I was forewarned by the people on TMC about the conditions there I would not have added a big buffer and I would probably not have been able to complete that hop, as an aside I wound up doing a lot of drafting along the way.
the bottom line is to be very aware of conditions ahead of you when on your long trip.
Kurt'sX
Member
I have a question......on my recent trip I stopped over night at several destination chargers (Hotels that provided free charging). I always reset my charging limit to 100% at these times, and started my journey the next morning with a full tank. Is this something I should re-think? Normal charging for me is set at 90%, or I charge to the suggested limit if Im on the highway and heading to another destination. Just curious if Im doing something wrong by getting a full charge over night?
EVie'sDad
Member
I personally always charge with a 25 to 30 percent buffer in my Model S 85D. Never have any range anxiety even in adverse conditions.
if that's what makes you feel good, I have no problem arriving at the SpC with less than 10 miles to spare, in fact it speeds the time necessary. In good driving conditions I rarely charge too far over what the trip planner recommends.
cpa
Active Member
The wisdom from others on this site suggests that if we charge to 100%, not to let the battery sit for long without discharging it. I cannot give you a firm length of time, but others have proposed that about an hour at 100% is OK. You do not want to plug in with 45% and have the battery reach 100% at 4:30 in the morning with your departure time being ~8:30.
If you do wish to leave with 100%, keep the charging bar at 90% for overnight. Then about an hour before you plan to leave, increase the charge level to 100% and resume charging. It should be at or very near 100% when you unplug.
ChargePoint
Former Vendor
Thanks for all the feedback and pointing me to those good articles. I do have a chargepoint account and keyfob card and I will check at the Tesla service center to make sure I have the right adapter for the chargepoint stations in case I need to charge at one of those. I used that better route app and let it plot the course and while I won't charge to 100% at each supercharger station I'll probably charge 5 or 10% beyond what the route app says at first, until I get comfortable with the results.
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If you do find you need more help with determining what will work with at the ChargePoint charger you can call on the help of our team 24/7 at 1-888-758-4389!
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