Dallas -Baltimore road trip advice

[nitynity]

We are driving from Dallas to Baltimore this weekend and trying to figure out what to plan ahead since this is our first long road trip on Tesla model 3. I already used the navigation feature to track down my supercharge stations en-route. It’s supposed to be a 27 hour long trip including charging times. Is there anything else I need to be aware of or prepared about before we start? I had the tires rotated last week. Maybe top up the windshield washer fluid as well?
Any tips and advice from the experts here are greatly appreciated. Forecast is most likely rainy. So that’s another concern as well which might extend the trip time further.

 

[animorph]

I usually add a couple more PSI tire pressure for long trips in my X and check it again at the destination. Lots of miles will lead to a little faster pressure loss. Low pressures and fast Interstates are bad for the tires, and the X is particularly sensitive.

Look at A Better Route Planner. It may be able to do a slightly faster trip.

I use the ABRP stops as waypoints within the in-car nav. Then follow the nav's charging advice. ABRP tends to have more, quicker, stops than the nav. The battery charge taper means 1 kW added above 70% state of charge is significantly slower than at 20% state of charge. The nav tends to plan longer charge stops for higher charge levels and extra delay, though I thought it was doing better the last time I looked. Charging is not like filling a car with gas.

You can check for Superchargers at hotels for overnight stops. That saves a bit of your time since you don't sit and wait at the Supercharger. Same thing for planning meals. Something at a SC will be less delay. I just check potential stops using Google maps.

Watch your charge remaining at destination. I usually aim for no less than 10% during the drive (15% to 20% to start). If you find the charge at destination falling too low, you just need to slow down enough to start it rising again, usually 3 MPH or so will do. Rain or headwinds may require a bit of extra charge or more slowing if the nav is thinking the weather is normal. Following a semi at a normal following distance is good if your range looks insufficient.

I use AP and now FSD for most of the driving. It does the simple stuff and I watch for potential problems. That plus charge stops every two hours or so leads to a pretty easy trip.

 

[LoudMusic]

I just used ABRP to guestimate your route. This is with settings for my car so yours will be a little different (probably better if your Model 3 is Long Range).

I echo what @animorph said. Also, I tend to grab food from drive through or carry out as I approach the supercharger and eat in the car if it's not at or near a restaurant. If it is at or near a restaurant I might stay there for a full charge and have a nice sit down meal. Like Texarkana at Olive Garden!

I have actually driven a significant portion of that MANY times. But it's been a couple years and there's new Superchargers for you!

You can either follow the car's routing explicitly, or you can do a little work and make some choices, now that there are more charging locations along this route. Stay at some longer for a bigger charge while you explore the area which might let you skip the next one or just be there a little less time.

Texarkana is at an Olive Garden. It's a much older station and slower, but likely won't be many people there now since they opened the newer one just down the road. And you can have a sit down meal while your car charges!

Little Rock is also older, but it's at an outlet mall! Shopping!

Brinkley is a short walk from a Sonic. Meh. For places like this I usually grab food first and then go to the charger and eat in my car while it charges. Or possibly plug in then get food and walk back to the car to eat. Depends on how long the charge session is supposed to take and how far the food is from the charger.

There are now THREE options in Memphis! One is actually on I-40 and probably best, but the original one (old and slow!) is in a shopping center with a bunch of restaurants.

Jackson TN is at the Casey Jones place. It's a road side attraction and one of a very few sites where I actually saw people being assholes toward Tesla owners. There is also a restaurant here but I've never eaten at it.

Dickson TN is at a hotel. There are a couple restaurants nearby and a Sonic across the road.

There are several in Nashville. Where are you spending the night? It might be good to find a hotel in Nashville that has overnight charging. We stay at the Hermitage which has two plugs (bring your J1772 adapter!) because ... we are hotel snobs And if you can't charge overnight there are a few superchargers to choose from in the morning. Plugshare can help you filter for plug type and features such as lodging. PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge

Cookeville is WAY off the interstate. I think it's at a Walmart or Target or grocery store or something. There's fast food nearby. I try to skip that site if possible. Charge longer at the preceding one to get past it.

Crossville must be new - I haven't been there. Write a report if you go!

Knoxville on the west side is at a big shopping center. There are a few restaurants, some stores including Target, and a huge parking lot. It's old and slow and there are a lot of people around. It was good during pandemic because no one was there

Knoxville in town I haven't been to - it's also new and fast. Let us know what it's like!

Bristol TN is again in a shopping center. It's closer to the food places but you could walk to other shopping if you're there a long time. It's old and slow.

Bristol VA is new and I don't think I've been to it.

Atkins I have no memory of.

Wytheville is hidden behind a hotel. It's old and slow but if you want secluded it's good? There's no good food nearby.

Salem is at a Sheetz gas station. Get used to it - it's common out that direction!

Now we're getting into territory where my memory is sketchy ...

Lexington has two. The newer one appears to be far superior of a location and obviously faster. The older one does have a couple restaurants. It's hidden behind hotels too though.

Raphine - new never been there.

Staunton. Old. At a Sheetz. I think I played catch football with a stranger there.

Harrisonburg, Sheetz again. As I recall there have been profoundly bad drivers entering and exiting the gas station every time I've been there.

Mt Jackson, old Sheetz. Nothing else around.

Woodstock, never been. Looks way better.

Strasburg, old. My personal map says I've been there but I don't really remember it.

Winchester new but at a Sheetz again. Bleck.

Frederick I haven't been to either.

Man that trip is probably so much better now! I should make another trip to the Annapolis boat show

 

[CapsEngineer]

Frederick I haven't been to either.

Frederick has two. V3 at a Sheetz (don't hate on them, they are great for charging locations) and a V2 at the mall.

 

[Konicom04]

We are driving from Dallas to Baltimore this weekend and trying to figure out what to plan ahead since this is our first long road trip on Tesla model 3. I already used the navigation feature to track down my supercharge stations en-route. It’s supposed to be a 27 hour long trip including charging times. Is there anything else I need to be aware of or prepared about before we start? I had the tires rotated last week. Maybe top up the windshield washer fluid as well?
Any tips and advice from the experts here are greatly appreciated. Forecast is most likely rainy. So that’s another concern as well which might extend the trip time further.

We went to the Florida Keys ( 26 hours) and Nashville from Chicago. Both trips were so flawless and good that we're constatnly looking for places to go in our Tesla.
The only thing i did that was extra - got a spare tire and kept it behind the driver seat

 

[ewoodrick]

We are driving from Dallas to Baltimore this weekend and trying to figure out what to plan ahead since this is our first long road trip on Tesla model 3. I already used the navigation feature to track down my supercharge stations en-route. It’s supposed to be a 27 hour long trip including charging times. Is there anything else I need to be aware of or prepared about before we start? I had the tires rotated last week. Maybe top up the windshield washer fluid as well?
Any tips and advice from the experts here are greatly appreciated. Forecast is most likely rainy. So that’s another concern as well which might extend the trip time further.

As your first trip, listen to the nav, it will keep you safe.
Get out and stretch, I'm assuming that you are driving straight through, (ugghh) So make sure you take some brakes so that you arrive able to move.

Make sure that you are planning in meals and charging at the same time. Try not make a stop to do anything unless you can charge. That will generally reduce the extra time needed to charge on the road. On a 7 hour trip to Orlando, charging only extends the trip by about 15 minutes, that's because I arrange charging and biology requirements with each other.

Now after a little bit, you may start to question why the Nav is picking the stations that it does to charge. For one, it seems to be favoring 250kW stations. And it is trying to be really conservative.

Before I go much further, assume that the distance on the front screen is lying to you. Look at the Energy Graphs, they will tell you reality.

What the Nav seems to be choosing these days doesn't really seem to be the most optimal. (like I said it's conservative) Once you start to feel familiar enough, you'll see that there will be some charging options that make a lot more sense.

• First reason to go to another charge is better bio-options (better restaurants, etc.)
• Next reason is that you really want to be nearly empty as you roll up to the charger. If you can extend to the next charger, do so. The car charges a LOT faster from 5% to 40% than it does 40% to 70%.
• Don't be afraid of 150kW Superchargers. They just won't charge quite as fast up to 40%, but above that, they all charge just as fast. And if you are going to take more than 30 minutes to eat, you may not have to get out and move the car due to Idle rates.
• Whatever you decide will be your charging stops before you go, probably won't be the ones that actually use. Look at all the locations around your route before you leave, just to become familiar with the options.
• Look for any stretches along you route that Superchargers are more then 100 miles apart, especially when they get more than 150 miles, your charging options start to be limited. (If it is 200 miles, then you tend to have to hit the Superchargers before and after. That may change your mind on the charger or two before and after the stretch.
• If it appears that you may be running a little short of making the next stop, the car should pop-up a notification that you should need to slow below a certain speed to get to the next point. Follow it's advice (but remember, it's really conservative, you still may be okay, just look at the Energy Graphs and make up your own mind.)
• On your last leg, you may want to charge close to your destination and more than is indicated so that you have running around range once you get there. (it's terrible not to be able to show people what the car can do because you are low on battery!!!)
• Charge at your destination if at all possible. Even 120V 15A will give you 60 miles in 12 hours, that's often enough for running around. If you have to use an extension cord, get the shortest possible and the lowest gauge (i.e. something likes a 25 ft 12/3 Southwire 25 ft. 12/3 SJTW Outdoor Heavy-Duty Extension Cord with Power Light Plug 2587SW8802 - The Home Depot is much better 14 or 15 gauge cord and better than a 50 or 100 ft. If you don't get the best, it becomes more probable that your charging slows down and fire occurs)

Have fun!!!

 

[nitynity]

Wow, thank you so much for all the useful information guys. I did look into ABRP and as you guys stated, it adds more stops with short charging time which is really helpful I think than waiting longer to get a higher battery level. I have Tesla free miles credit, so I will be focusing mainly on Tesla super chargers (hopefully 250kw), but again mine is M3 RWD, so not quite sure if it really matters. Also we are taking our doggy friend with us, hence pet friendly hotels are our only option for over night stay. Never thought about checking out the nearby restaurants and other stuff when charging, but thats a very good pointer. Really appreciate y'all with the tips . Do we need to make reservations at these hotels ahead of time or can we just walk in depending on where we are?

 

[LoudMusic]

Wow, thank you so much for all the useful information guys. I did look into ABRP and as you guys stated, it adds more stops with short charging time which is really helpful I think than waiting longer to get a higher battery level. I have Tesla free miles credit, so I will be focusing mainly on Tesla super chargers (hopefully 250kw), but again mine is M3 RWD, so not quite sure if it really matters. Also we are taking our doggy friend with us, hence pet friendly hotels are our only option for over night stay. Never thought about checking out the nearby restaurants and other stuff when charging, but thats a very good pointer. Really appreciate y'all with the tips . Do we need to make reservations at these hotels ahead of time or can we just walk in depending on where we are?

Point on dogs - most Superchargers have good pet areas, but not all of them are all that great. Not everyone is as tidy and sometimes they leave behind things your dog should not be getting into. Some of them are near busy roads.

I've been traveling in my Tesla for a couple years and I still am not completely comfortable relying on overnight charging at hotels. Their chargers might be broken, or in use. I try to get a hotel situated in an area where there is a Supercharger as well.

As far as making reservations, it's certainly recommended these days. You wouldn't want to be stuck searching for a hotel and discovering there's some weird convention going on and all the rooms are booked for the next 50 miles.

 

[ewoodrick]

Wow, thank you so much for all the useful information guys. I did look into ABRP and as you guys stated, it adds more stops with short charging time which is really helpful I think than waiting longer to get a higher battery level. I have Tesla free miles credit, so I will be focusing mainly on Tesla super chargers (hopefully 250kw), but again mine is M3 RWD, so not quite sure if it really matters. Also we are taking our doggy friend with us, hence pet friendly hotels are our only option for over night stay. Never thought about checking out the nearby restaurants and other stuff when charging, but thats a very good pointer. Really appreciate y'all with the tips . Do we need to make reservations at these hotels ahead of time or can we just walk in depending on where we are?

I will usually make road trip hotel reservations while on the road, when I have a better idea of where I'm going to want to stay. I do that so that I can check rates and make sure that there is availability without having to drive from hotel to hotel.

Oh, and there's usually no need to wait until the car is at 80 or 90%. You'll see that charging starts slowing significantly as the charge increases.
It's always cool to have a nearly empty battery and watch the charge rate go over 1,000 miles per hour. But you will see that it doesn't take long before it decreases to 500mph and then around 70% about 200mph.
ALWAYS make sure that you do look at the charge rate when you plug in. While the most important reason to confirm that you are correctly plugged in, you may sometimes find that a pedestal may not be at 100% health and switching to another may help.

But if you are eating at a stop, remember that most locations have idle charges that are at least $1 per minute. When full, make sure you move your car.

Oh and for hotel charging, Plugshare.com or it's app are your friend. It will tell you where all the J-1772 or Tesla destination chargers are. (as well as DC Fast chargers)

 

[jcanoe]

Makes sure you have a valid credit card or debit card linked to your Tesla account. Test charging at a local Supercharger if it has been a while or if this is the first time you will be using the Supercharger network.

Bring the Tesla SAE J1772 charging adapter since this takes no space and enables charging at any public Level 1/2 charging station. Google Maps and Plugshare can locate charging stations wherever you happen to be.

Bring a 12V or battery powered tire inflator, tire plug kit. (Some would bring along a spare wheel and tire and tools; this is something to consider for future trips.) Tesla Roadside Assistance can be contacted via the Tesla app or by phone. Tesla Roadside Assistance can dispatch a contracted tow company tow vehicle if you need assistance while on the road (you may have to wait several hours for the tow truck or flat bed tow truck to arrive.)

Most Supercharger locations lack even the most basic amenities by the charging spaces. Bring trash bags, a windshield squeegee, glass cleaner (Invisible Glass spray works great), paper towels and microfiber wash cloths. Fill the Washer fluid reservoir (1.2 gallons) with the regular generic blue washer fluid before you leave. (Washer fluid with added rain repellent and bug cleaning additives can leave streaks on the windshield.) You will need to keep the windshield by the front cameras and the other camera lens covers clean else Autopilot or Full Self Driving may be unavailable.

Bring an accurate tire pressure gauge (a quality digital or analog tire pressure gauge should be accurate to within +/- 1 PSI.) Check tire pressure in the A.M. when the tires are cold (before the sun has a chance to warm one side of the Tesla vehicle, tires.) The recommended cold tire pressure for the Tesla Model Y (for all OE tires, wheel sizes) is 42 PSI.

 

[ewoodrick]

Makes sure you have a valid credit card or debit card linked to your Tesla account. Test charging at a local Supercharger if it has been a while or if this is the first time you will be using the Supercharger network.

Bring the Tesla SAE J1772 charging adapter since this takes no space and enables charging at any public Level 1/2 charging station. Google Maps and Plugshare can locate charging stations wherever you happen to be.

Bring a 12V or battery powered tire inflator, tire plug kit. (Some would bring along a spare wheel and tire and tools; this is something to consider for future trips.) Tesla Roadside Assistance can be contacted via the Tesla app or by phone. Tesla Roadside Assistance can dispatch a contracted tow company tow vehicle if you need assistance while on the road (you may have to wait several hours for the tow truck or flat bed tow truck to arrive.)

Most Supercharger locations lack even the most basic amenities by the charging spaces. Bring trash bags, a windshield squeegee, glass cleaner (Invisible Glass spray works great), paper towels and microfiber wash cloths. Fill the Washer fluid reservoir (1.2 gallons) with the regular generic blue washer fluid before you leave. (Washer fluid with added rain repellent and bug cleaning additives can leave streaks on the windshield.) You will need to keep the windshield by the front cameras and the other camera lens covers clean else Autopilot or Full Self Driving may be unavailable.

Bring an accurate tire pressure gauge (a quality digital or analog tire pressure gauge should be accurate to within +/- 1 PSI.) Check tire pressure in the A.M. when the tires are cold (before the sun has a chance to warm one side of the Tesla vehicle, tires.) The recommended cold tire pressure for the Tesla Model Y (for all OE tires, wheel sizes) is 42 PSI.

And to think that with over 100,000 miles under my belt, when going on a trip, I just jump in the car.

 

[nitynity]

An update guys. Thanks for all the tips. Finally we made it to MD and it was a fun trip.

We started on a Thursday evening and used the route planner app to identify the charging stops and there after used the Tesla nav. We made three overnight stops, Texarkana, TX, Dickson TN and Salem VA. Except the Texarkana hotel where we initially checked in, was a SCARY experience. The other two were good.

And now, those who are curious about our SCARY exp, this is what happened. We started calling around 930pm once we reached Texarkana looking for a place to stay overnight. Most were full and few had vacancies. Looked up this one place (I don't wana name it), they had both king and queen suites available. So we drove to that location. We walked in around 950pm and wanted to check in to the double queen bed suite. Paid the transaction at the receptionist and took the elivator to the 5th floor to our room.

We were having difficulty to get our room key card working. There happened to be a middle aged couple who were trying to check in as well, She and her hubby was standing in the hallway about 15ft from our room in front of another room. She said you need to try it quite a few times to get the door opened, its tricky. So I did, finally the door opened but it was locked from inside using the door chain and was dark inside. We were like why is it locked? I wasnt thinking straight, I tried to use my finger to see if I can unlock the chain. Not working, Tried to push open the door again.... and someone opened the door from inside. Turned out to be teen (may be in his early 20s) and we were like Oh...I am sorry, is this your room? He said NO. I asked " Then Why are you in this room?" He didn't say anything and just ran out of the room down the hallway.

My family and our dog, we were all standing outside surprised, not a clue whats going on. I turned around the other direction where the middle aged lady and hubby were standing. She was like deer staring into the headlights with her mouth wide open. I asked her, who is that guy? No response, the same stare on her face.
We were like, screw this place, and started walking towards the elevator to go down to the lobby/receptionist. We turned around one more time and the teen was standing there at the other end of the hallway staring at us. On seeing us walking away, he ran back and used his key to get inside the room.

We went to the receptionist, there was a big line of clients waiting to check in and she was busy. I told her what just happened. There is somebody in that room and he just ran out on seeing us. The lady standing on the line next to us was like Whaat?

The receptionist, acted as if everything is normal and no big deal, simply asked us, So you want a different room or want to cancel the reservation?
I am like WTH? Some stranger ran out of the room that was assigned to us, and all she asked was different room or cancel? My wife got upset and started confronting her. At that point she got upset as well. I am like its 10pm, we dont have time for this. Please cancel our reservation and we walked out, drove across the street to another place. That was our final TX experience on our way to MD.

Other than that, it was a cool trip, we enjoyed it, arrived at our destination on Sunday afternoon. With all the frequent charging breaks we had to take, we didnt feel tired at all after a 27 hour long trip that lasted almost 3 days.

Now I am thinking if I should call the corporate office of that hotel in TX and report the incident. I am pretty sure, somebody let that teen sleep in on an empty room off the record assuming it would be less busy on a weekday. And he panicked when we opened the door and scared the heck out of all us and the middle aged couple. Or maybe something fishy going on and atleast some of the staffs are involved. What you guys think?