I just wanted to share my recent road trip experience in my 2018 Model 3 LR RWD. I bought it used almost 2 years ago, and it has about 80,000 miles on it. Overall, it was a pretty smooth ride, with a few interesting encounters along the way. My partner isn't as enthusiastic about EV road tripping. His Lexus is much smoother, but I agreed to take him to Fayetteville to meet a friend of ours and have him join us back up to the DMV area with us after I went on a road trip to Ohio and Michigan with him a few weeks back in his car.
We kicked off our journey from Gaithersburg, MD, around 7 AM. Fortunately, the Beltway and I-95 traffic in NOVA (usually a nightmare on a Saturday) was relatively manageable, except for a few slowdowns in Stafford County. Initially, the trip computer suggested stopping at the Petersburg, VA Supercharger. Still, I wanted to take I-295 around Richmond and Petersburg instead to avoid doubling back through Petersburg. However, nature called near Fredericksburg, so we made a quick 10-minute charging pit stop at the Wawa on Patriot Hwy, adding about 8.3 kWh. Since the car wasn't fully preconditioned, I only reached 90 kW with a 60% battery level. Nevertheless, I got to explore the Richmond-Petersburg area on I-295, dodging the chaos that often plagues I-95 within Richmond Proper due to construction, narrow lanes, and the somewhat hairpin turns in Downtown (a remnant from the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike days). We stopped at the Davis Truck Stop in Stony Creek, VA, and I wondered why there isn't a supercharger there, which would be a good stop if Emporia doesn't get a supercharger, but I digress.
Next, we headed to the Supercharger in Halifax, NC, located at the Oasis at Lakewood Landing. It's a decent place to stop, boasting a 250 kW charger. Within 20 minutes, I added 41.8 kWh, but I wished I had charged more - more on that later. Lakewood's dining options were limited to a Dunkin Donuts and a local pizza joint inside Lakewood Landing. My partner is still adjusting to the concept of EV road trips and the fact that charging stops won't always be conveniently located or offer a variety of amenities.
I-95 in NC tends to get congested due to the influx of traffic from the NE Corridor heading to Florida. Unfortunately, many truck stops and gas stations along that route seem to be scuzzy and sketchy, and you'd think there would be more decent stops along this route with the heavy traffic volume. I've noticed Kenly 95 and a couple of new Love's truck stops along I-95, but I think a Buc-ees or two would thrive along that corridor. The Buc-ees in Florence, SC is a godsend in that area (because a lot of stops in SC tend to be a bit questionable to me too), and having more clean and consistent truck stops and gas stations along this corridor would benefit everyone. Anyway, our journey on I-95 had its ups and downs, with a traffic jam near Roanoke Rapids caused by a car accident. Thankfully, autopilot handled it like a pro.
Arriving at our hotel in Fayetteville, we had 28% battery remaining. I planned to charge at the Fayetteville Supercharger. Still, we had our friend to meet in town, and honestly, I was exhausted and eager to check into the hotel. Fayetteville turned out to be much larger than I anticipated (it has around 200K in the city and 525K in its metro), and I think it could use a Supercharger within the city limits or at least more L2 chargers. Our hotel (Embassy Suites) didn't have one at all. Most of the city is located northwest of I-95, with several freeway options like I-295, NC-87, and the All-American Fwy leading to the city center. I didn't spot many Teslas there (they became more prevalent as we reached Raleigh), and very few hotels in Fayetteville offer Level 2 chargers, which I was aware of before the trip. Long story short, we explored the city, grabbed dinner, and visited the mall, resulting in my battery dropping to around 21% due to rain and the need for air conditioning in the heat of the NC Sandhills. I initially intended to charge during the day, but we didn't get to the charger until around 10 PM, requiring us to traverse the city. Without a crosstown freeway, I took Bragg Blvd and Cedar Creek Road to reach the charger near the DoubleTree hotel by I-95. By the time I arrived, my battery had dipped to 16%. There was only one other Tesla charging (a Model X), and the area felt eerily quiet. I only needed enough charge for local driving the next day, so I spent about 11 minutes charging, adding 25.5 kWh. After exploring the downtown area and indulging in some Krispy Kreme donuts, we happily returned to our hotel for a well-deserved rest.
We ventured to Raleigh the following day, with our friend returning his rental car at RDU. He then joined us for the ride back to Maryland in my Model 3. I maintained an average energy consumption of 262-273 Wh/mi on this leg of the trip, partly due to trying to keep up with our friend, who has a lead foot. Usually, I stick to no more than 75 mph for efficiency and to avoid speeding tickets. However, this time I had my acceleration set to "Standard" and occasionally reached 80 mph to keep up with our friend's rental. Upon reaching Cary with 10% battery remaining, I discovered that three chargers at the Cary Supercharger were out of order, which caused a slight delay. Eventually, I found a working charger and spent 30 minutes adding 53.3 kWh/89%.
I spotted a Cary PD Model Y charging at the Cary SC, which was interesting to see. After a satisfying lunch at Dame's Chicken and Waffles in a nearby shopping plaza (so delicious!), I moved my car after it was finished charging while waiting for my order, ensuring it was well-fed too. Following lunch, we drove back on I-40 towards The Streets at Southpoint in Durham. One careless driver abruptly cut me off while attempting to exit (going across 3-4 lanes of traffic), but the autopilot swiftly slowed down. Giving the driver an irritated look, I continued on my way. Once we were done exploring the mall, our friend dropped off his rental car at RDU Airport, and we began our journey back home via I-540/I-40/I-885/I-85, and I-95. I charged in Colonial Heights and avoided South Hill. We briefly stopped at the Davis Truck Stop in Warfield, VA, and I couldn't help but wonder if it could be a potential Supercharger location. Alternatively, relocating South Hill's charger to the newer Love's truck stop off US 1 might be viable. Leaving Colonial Heights with 14% battery, I quickly replenished it to 85% (48.2 kWh in 25 minutes) for a hassle-free drive back to Maryland, except for some traffic caused by roadwork near Ashland and Fredericksburg. It was a mostly uneventful trip, with a couple of exceptions, like finding the charger in Fayetteville and encountering the broken chargers in Cary. My overall distance was about 805 miles round trip, 207kWh total energy, and an average energy rate of 257 Wh/mi.
My partner has yet to be entirely sold on EVs for road trips, but we did drive from Maryland to Ohio last year. While it was more manageable than he anticipated, his concern stems from the fact that charging infrastructure isn't as ubiquitous as gas stations, requiring more planning. The broken chargers and wait at the Cary station and the stop in Fayetteville the night before weren't exactly swaying him. On the other hand, our friend seemed quite content with the car trip and didn't express any strong opinions either way.
All said and done, EV road trips have their unique considerations, but with a bit of foresight and adapting to charging locations, it's entirely feasible and offers its own advantages. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences on long-distance travel in our Tesla vehicles!
We kicked off our journey from Gaithersburg, MD, around 7 AM. Fortunately, the Beltway and I-95 traffic in NOVA (usually a nightmare on a Saturday) was relatively manageable, except for a few slowdowns in Stafford County. Initially, the trip computer suggested stopping at the Petersburg, VA Supercharger. Still, I wanted to take I-295 around Richmond and Petersburg instead to avoid doubling back through Petersburg. However, nature called near Fredericksburg, so we made a quick 10-minute charging pit stop at the Wawa on Patriot Hwy, adding about 8.3 kWh. Since the car wasn't fully preconditioned, I only reached 90 kW with a 60% battery level. Nevertheless, I got to explore the Richmond-Petersburg area on I-295, dodging the chaos that often plagues I-95 within Richmond Proper due to construction, narrow lanes, and the somewhat hairpin turns in Downtown (a remnant from the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike days). We stopped at the Davis Truck Stop in Stony Creek, VA, and I wondered why there isn't a supercharger there, which would be a good stop if Emporia doesn't get a supercharger, but I digress.
Next, we headed to the Supercharger in Halifax, NC, located at the Oasis at Lakewood Landing. It's a decent place to stop, boasting a 250 kW charger. Within 20 minutes, I added 41.8 kWh, but I wished I had charged more - more on that later. Lakewood's dining options were limited to a Dunkin Donuts and a local pizza joint inside Lakewood Landing. My partner is still adjusting to the concept of EV road trips and the fact that charging stops won't always be conveniently located or offer a variety of amenities.
I-95 in NC tends to get congested due to the influx of traffic from the NE Corridor heading to Florida. Unfortunately, many truck stops and gas stations along that route seem to be scuzzy and sketchy, and you'd think there would be more decent stops along this route with the heavy traffic volume. I've noticed Kenly 95 and a couple of new Love's truck stops along I-95, but I think a Buc-ees or two would thrive along that corridor. The Buc-ees in Florence, SC is a godsend in that area (because a lot of stops in SC tend to be a bit questionable to me too), and having more clean and consistent truck stops and gas stations along this corridor would benefit everyone. Anyway, our journey on I-95 had its ups and downs, with a traffic jam near Roanoke Rapids caused by a car accident. Thankfully, autopilot handled it like a pro.
Arriving at our hotel in Fayetteville, we had 28% battery remaining. I planned to charge at the Fayetteville Supercharger. Still, we had our friend to meet in town, and honestly, I was exhausted and eager to check into the hotel. Fayetteville turned out to be much larger than I anticipated (it has around 200K in the city and 525K in its metro), and I think it could use a Supercharger within the city limits or at least more L2 chargers. Our hotel (Embassy Suites) didn't have one at all. Most of the city is located northwest of I-95, with several freeway options like I-295, NC-87, and the All-American Fwy leading to the city center. I didn't spot many Teslas there (they became more prevalent as we reached Raleigh), and very few hotels in Fayetteville offer Level 2 chargers, which I was aware of before the trip. Long story short, we explored the city, grabbed dinner, and visited the mall, resulting in my battery dropping to around 21% due to rain and the need for air conditioning in the heat of the NC Sandhills. I initially intended to charge during the day, but we didn't get to the charger until around 10 PM, requiring us to traverse the city. Without a crosstown freeway, I took Bragg Blvd and Cedar Creek Road to reach the charger near the DoubleTree hotel by I-95. By the time I arrived, my battery had dipped to 16%. There was only one other Tesla charging (a Model X), and the area felt eerily quiet. I only needed enough charge for local driving the next day, so I spent about 11 minutes charging, adding 25.5 kWh. After exploring the downtown area and indulging in some Krispy Kreme donuts, we happily returned to our hotel for a well-deserved rest.
We ventured to Raleigh the following day, with our friend returning his rental car at RDU. He then joined us for the ride back to Maryland in my Model 3. I maintained an average energy consumption of 262-273 Wh/mi on this leg of the trip, partly due to trying to keep up with our friend, who has a lead foot. Usually, I stick to no more than 75 mph for efficiency and to avoid speeding tickets. However, this time I had my acceleration set to "Standard" and occasionally reached 80 mph to keep up with our friend's rental. Upon reaching Cary with 10% battery remaining, I discovered that three chargers at the Cary Supercharger were out of order, which caused a slight delay. Eventually, I found a working charger and spent 30 minutes adding 53.3 kWh/89%.
I spotted a Cary PD Model Y charging at the Cary SC, which was interesting to see. After a satisfying lunch at Dame's Chicken and Waffles in a nearby shopping plaza (so delicious!), I moved my car after it was finished charging while waiting for my order, ensuring it was well-fed too. Following lunch, we drove back on I-40 towards The Streets at Southpoint in Durham. One careless driver abruptly cut me off while attempting to exit (going across 3-4 lanes of traffic), but the autopilot swiftly slowed down. Giving the driver an irritated look, I continued on my way. Once we were done exploring the mall, our friend dropped off his rental car at RDU Airport, and we began our journey back home via I-540/I-40/I-885/I-85, and I-95. I charged in Colonial Heights and avoided South Hill. We briefly stopped at the Davis Truck Stop in Warfield, VA, and I couldn't help but wonder if it could be a potential Supercharger location. Alternatively, relocating South Hill's charger to the newer Love's truck stop off US 1 might be viable. Leaving Colonial Heights with 14% battery, I quickly replenished it to 85% (48.2 kWh in 25 minutes) for a hassle-free drive back to Maryland, except for some traffic caused by roadwork near Ashland and Fredericksburg. It was a mostly uneventful trip, with a couple of exceptions, like finding the charger in Fayetteville and encountering the broken chargers in Cary. My overall distance was about 805 miles round trip, 207kWh total energy, and an average energy rate of 257 Wh/mi.
My partner has yet to be entirely sold on EVs for road trips, but we did drive from Maryland to Ohio last year. While it was more manageable than he anticipated, his concern stems from the fact that charging infrastructure isn't as ubiquitous as gas stations, requiring more planning. The broken chargers and wait at the Cary station and the stop in Fayetteville the night before weren't exactly swaying him. On the other hand, our friend seemed quite content with the car trip and didn't express any strong opinions either way.
All said and done, EV road trips have their unique considerations, but with a bit of foresight and adapting to charging locations, it's entirely feasible and offers its own advantages. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences on long-distance travel in our Tesla vehicles!
