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ChadS
Last tank of gas: March 2009
I've done most of that route; just missing part of it in the middle of Nevada. Super easy...two days won't be a problem.
cassiopeia
Member
I’ve done that route in a 2019 Model S 100D with shorter range than yours (did it a couple years ago)… SF -> Denver on 80. On the way back, left Denver on 70 through Colorado then up to SLC and 80 the rest of the way back. We took three days in each direction but stopped and did touristy stuff along the way. On the way back, drove up to >14k feet on Mt Evans, stopped in Aspen, hiked in Moab, etc. Charging was no problem and everything was smooth the whole way. If you want to do it in two days, it will be a lot of driving. Multiple drivers can help.
mbp11
Member
I am planning to drive from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Boulder Colorado area in early September, should I could on two days to get there and two days back?
mbp11
Member
Oh, I think we are OK. We have streaming Radio Lab, books on Audible, all kinds of things to do. I have to remember not to fall asleep!
Late reply here - but keep an eye on I-70 in western Colorado. Due to recent forest fires the soil has eroded in places causing mudslides across I-70, shutting it down for weeks at a time.
As of today (17-Aug) it appears to be back open, but I recommend you check the CDOT site for the latest.
As of today (17-Aug) it appears to be back open, but I recommend you check the CDOT site for the latest.
IronCoffee_Max
Member
Why I80 instead of I70? I’m thinking of going to San Diego from Denver in September so wondering.
I am driving from Vegas to Jacksonville in 3 days then to Myrtle Beach in my M3LR next month. I do LV to Myrtle beach in 3 days twice per year in an ICE vehicle. We do well in excess of 12 hrs per day and the goal is 900 miles per day. First trip to the east coast in an EV.
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IronCoffee_Max
Member
I’ve driven from Denver to Houston twice now…no problems. Once summer and once winter. I love road trips in my EV.
mbp11
Member
My girlfriend is getting somewhat anxious about our upcoming SF Bay Area to Boulder CO trip this September in my Model X. We have not done a long trip before. I have shown her the Better Route Planner web site and our planned stops to try to cool her down. She is getting somewhat confrontive about where we are going to spend the night since we are making the trip in two days. She believes that there will be a lot of wasted time charging and where is the best place to stop for the night? (I don't think she is confident about the challenges of EV travel). She thinks there will be no accommodations along the way and hotels will be sold out unless we make reservations now. She will not accept my suggestion about looking ahead and then just call for reservations on the way to a suitable hotel.
We will be bringing along her loyal pet beagle and otherwise traveling light. I think I will have enough room for two chairs and a small card table and we can bring her picnic basket, a cooler, a tablecloth and have fun picnics along the way while charging. I think I will love the EV (and free supercharging) trip, but what else can I do to reassure her that we will be ok?
We will be bringing along her loyal pet beagle and otherwise traveling light. I think I will have enough room for two chairs and a small card table and we can bring her picnic basket, a cooler, a tablecloth and have fun picnics along the way while charging. I think I will love the EV (and free supercharging) trip, but what else can I do to reassure her that we will be ok?
IronCoffee_Max
Member
You’ve already done the ABRP route - that’s the best thing to reassure. I’ve found it to be near 99% accurate. My road trip plans:
1. Leave at 90-100% charge in the morning
2. Stop for lunch and charge simultaneously
3. Stop for 3pm snack/bathroom, stretch legs and charge
4. Stop for dinner and charge
5. Stop for hotel and sleep and charge
Yes, I’ve done 18 hr road trips without stopping for sleep…but I’m 44 now and I like my sleep. Usually I’ll do about 12 hours of driving in a day.
1. Leave at 90-100% charge in the morning
2. Stop for lunch and charge simultaneously
3. Stop for 3pm snack/bathroom, stretch legs and charge
4. Stop for dinner and charge
5. Stop for hotel and sleep and charge
Yes, I’ve done 18 hr road trips without stopping for sleep…but I’m 44 now and I like my sleep. Usually I’ll do about 12 hours of driving in a day.
I have travelled this country by car for work and pleasure for decades. I have never had trouble getting a hotel room on the fly. while in transit, i am not looking for 4 or 5 star accommodations. if I am rolling in at 10pm I am staying at some very budget friendly properties. Some of them downright dumps. I will not pay premium for a bed I will use for 6 hrs. I like to find ones that are full of contractor trucks. These guys all need to be at work at 6 or 7am so they are in bed early, but do not expect to 'sleep in' in the morning. On more than one occasion on cross country trips, I have pulled into a rest area at 2am and put the seat back for 4 hrs and moved on.
That said, destinations are a different story. Many are very crowded and booked well in advance.
Your 2 day trip will sort of dictate where you'll end up for the first day so check availabilities on any of the aggregator hotel sites to reassure her there will be accommodations. Remember the dog as a requirement for your rooms. Many places do not allow pets.
If you are going to do the trip in two days, I would try to stop in Tooele or West Wendover as your halfway point. We've made the trip numerous times and while it's a stretch from Denver to Tooele or West Wendover, it can easily be done in a day. Neither is a big city but both have Superchargers and lots of food options nearby. Try to charge up to 90% at the Supercharger when you arrive by immediately plugging in and then heading in to check into the hotel. By the time you are checked in and have your luggage unloaded, the car might already be finished charging. If not, grab a bite to eat and then unplug. In the morning, plug the car back in before getting breakfast at the hotel and you'll be able to leave with nearly a full charge. Tesla has opened at least two new Superchargers along this route since we took it last December, so there are even more charging options and finally some v3 Supercharging options. Even if your X is older, you might be able to hit charging speeds close to 180 kW or more on the v3 Superchargers.
You can also do the trip with overnight charging at locations that have Tesla destination chargers or public J1772 chargers but you can't always rely on these being available. There are enough Superchargers for most of this route that there shouldn't be a wait except for Lovelock, which you might be able to skip.
Be sure to check out A Better Routeplanner in advance to get an idea of how long it will take each day. Once you're on the road, just navigate to your final destination per day and the car will do the rest to navigate you. Remember that you usually don't need to charge above 80% and that by doing a "splash and dash", you can charge quickly and be back on the road again.
I-70 in western Colorado has recently had a number of long closures resulting in extensive detours, due to mudslides. Check the CDOT site to check the current conditions before you pick a route.
We have taken several, 2-day road-trips in our 2020 LR X (the longer ones being: DEN -> PHX and DEN -> El Paso, TX) with zero stress. If you are on an interstate, you'll be totally fine as there are plenty of charging options. As others have said, use ABRP to account for your specific usage to get a better estimate on a charging plan. For going off the beaten path, you'll need to do more planning, but we drive all over rural Colorado/NM/AZ and we plan around Supercharger locations, often having several options.
Remember, these tools (including Tesla's route planner) can optimize for more frequent, but shorter stops, resulting in a faster trip.
My wife was also a bit concerned about taking more stops than we were used to, but honestly, it hasn't been a big deal. Forcing yourselves to get out of the car for 15-20 minutes every couple of hours to stretch, use the bathroom, have a bite to eat, etc. results in an overall better drive. If you use AP or FSD on the highway you can relax a little bit, knowing the car is looking out for you and you can enjoy a bit more of the scenery. If you fear you'll be bored during those stops, you always have the entertainment built into the vehicle!
Oh Y E A. Road trips in an EV are awesome. We've done a few in our 2018 Model X. Hope to do more.
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mbp11
Member
Well, my girlfriend and I did the first half of the SF Bay Area to Boulder trip and it went pretty well, although we did it in two days with two overnight stays. We generally followed A Better Route Planner and took a little longer for charging, since it seemed that there was not enough time to find bathrooms and walk the dog and rarely, search for food. We did pack light and took a suggestion from the Model X trailering thread and Ohmman’s adventures, and brought along a folding card table and two chairs and a cooler and picnic basket. We brought along drinks and sandwiches and in the afternoon or evening we searched out interesting local restaurants and had picnics while supercharging. That worked out very well, and gave us a little extra time for charging. Our dog could also could stretch out and eat with us.
Here are some cute photos.
Mike P
Here are some cute photos.
Mike P
