Driving Montreal to Quebec City... with a 60 kWh

[pbrulott]

Hi, just wanted to share my first long trip with my 60 kWh. Some inquired about it so here are some details.

For the record, I wanted to buy the 40 kWh until I understood that I wouldn't be able to make the trip to Quebec City in any circumstances. I purchased the S to be my 1st car unless for long trip/rough winter conditions where my AWD truck is more practical exception made of a 5-10 trips to Qc City when weather permits.

My ALL-ELECTRIC weekend: A success with some apprehensions. The car kept its promises

To Quebec City: I made it with 60 km of charge remaining

- Left Montreal at 1pm with 330 km of charge (MAX I can get is 336-340km on MAX range) :
- NAV indicated 261km to make it to my destination in QC City
- Once out of the Island of Mtl I put the cruise ON at 100km/h, I know it's slow but it was my first long trip with somewhat no backup along the way
- Head wind at 10km/h from the East
- Put A/C ON as outside temp was 24 to 26C
- 45 min into my trip I was averaging 180 Wh/km and was well on my way to make the distance hands down so I put the cruise to 106 km/h
- Without any issues I made it to my destination with exactly 60 km of autonomy remaining; no stop
- I would have really felt better if there would have been a Fast charger in Trois-Rivières and if there would be a 240V plug easily accessible at my parents' place
- AVG 188 wh/km

In Qc City, I managed to plug the UMC on an home-made 40 feet extension cord and then into an oven plug (8/4 SOOW cable with male-female NEMA 14-50connectors). Dialed the amps to 30A and woke up with a full charge on Sunday. Drove to St-Raymond (50km) in the afternoon and arrived with 280km left. I plugged on 110V for 4 hours and left with 300km of charge to Mtl.

Back to Mtl: I made it again with 60 km of charge remaining

- NAV indicated 237 km to Mtl
- The first 20km was rural roads; I averaged 139 wh/km during that stretch
- Then hit highway 40 with cruise à 106 no AC and right after T-R, I was averaging 159wh/km
- I put the cruise to 115 km/h no AC => I arrived in Mtl with 60km of charge remaining. No stop
- Total trip AVG 186 wh/km

Around $6-$8 and no CO2…

Conclusion: Making long distance trips in an Electric car is doable however it is not all that practical when you don't control both ends of the destination (no for everybody at least until fast chargers are ubiquitous in homes and businesses). We need a public charging point in Trois-Rivières near the highway to remove range anxiety. You need at least a 240V charging point at destination if you stay less than 36 hours.

 

[mknox]

Conclusion: Making long distance trips in an Electric car is doable however it is not all that practical when you don't control both ends of the destination (no for everybody at least until fast chargers are ubiquitous in homes and businesses). You need at least a 240V charging point at destination if you stay less than 36 hours.

This is my quandary too. I would like to be able to drive to my friend's summer cottage for the weekend, but may not have access to 240 volt charging. I had a look at his electrical setup there, and he really doesn't have capacity on his panel for a 14-50 outlet. I have a 50' 14-50 "RV" extension cord that I am hoping he'll let me throw through the kitchen window (adjacent to the parking area) and plug in to his range outlet, but I haven't asked yet :smile:

The round trip is 400 km or about 250 miles which is right on the edge of my "real world" range as long as nothing else goes wrong. There is a CS-90 charger about 2/3 of the way there, so a stopover is always an option for me at least.

 

[Doug_G]

The round trip is 400 km or about 250 miles which is right on the edge of my "real world" range as long as nothing else goes wrong. There is a CS-90 charger about 2/3 of the way there, so a stopover is always an option for me at least.

Right, that wouldn't leave enough of a safety margin. You'll want to use the charger for at least half an hour. Stop for a bite to eat or something. And keep a close eye on your power consumption!

 

[zax123]

Conclusion: Making long distance trips in an Electric car is doable however it is not all that practical when you don't control both ends of the destination (no for everybody at least until fast chargers are ubiquitous in homes and businesses). We need a public charging point in Trois-Rivières near the highway to remove range anxiety. You need at least a 240V charging point at destination if you stay less than 36 hours.

Thanks for the story of your adventures, Pat. For now, EV travel definitely requires planning, but I think that's all it requires. Otherwise, it's pure enjoyment.

This is my quandary too. I would like to be able to drive to my friend's summer cottage for the weekend, but may not have access to 240 volt charging. I had a look at his electrical setup there, and he really doesn't have capacity on his panel for a 14-50 outlet. I have a 50' 14-50 "RV" extension cord that I am hoping he'll let me throw through the kitchen window (adjacent to the parking area) and plug in to his range outlet, but I haven't asked yet :smile:

The round trip is 400 km or about 250 miles which is right on the edge of my "real world" range as long as nothing else goes wrong. There is a CS-90 charger about 2/3 of the way there, so a stopover is always an option for me at least.

@mknox, you mention staying there for the weekend... doesn't that mean you could charge at 110V even though it'll take 30+ hours for a full charge? Or if you CAN get even 20-25A from his panel, you could do that and just dial-back your charging...

 

[pbrulott]

And forgot to say my highway trip was way more enjoyable and comfortable in my S than my usual Mtl-Qc in my Subaru Tribeca and costed 10% of the costs

As a bonus, I happened to be at a friends gathering after the Levis Oasis half marathon on Sunday and my car draw much more attention that my friend's CLS550. He needs to get used to it. I like his car by I love mine...

 

[mknox]

@mknox, you mention staying there for the weekend... doesn't that mean you could charge at 110V even though it'll take 30+ hours for a full charge? Or if you CAN get even 20-25A from his panel, you could do that and just dial-back your charging...

Yes, getting 120 volts from an outside outlet is no problem. He has a 30 amp, 240 volt service to a detached garage, but it's fed with about 200' of #10 from the main house, and it is already running lights and receptacles. I *may* be able to wire something up and get 15 or 20 amps @ 240 volts from that. The main house is a different issue. There's really no spare positions on his main panel. He has electric heat, and I suppose I could commandeer some of that, but it starts getting ugly, and it would be very hard to get a wire to the back of the house where the cars are parked.

I'll figure something out, and do have charging options en route.

 

[zax123]

And forgot to say my highway trip was way more enjoyable and comfortable in my S than my usual Mtl-Qc in my Subaru Tribeca and costed 10% of the costs

As a bonus, I happened to be at a friends gathering after the Levis Oasis half marathon on Sunday and my car draw much more attention that my friend's CLS550. He needs to get used to it. I like his car by I love mine...

Doesn't all this go without saying? hehe.

I'm glad to hear the S garnered more attention than a gas-guzzling German premium sedan, but totally not surprised!

I had a Ferrari pull up next to me the other day and the driver asked a ton of questions and was super impressed with the car... Go TM go!

 

[Jeeps17]

We need a public charging point in Trois-Rivières near the highway to remove range anxiety. You need at least a 240V charging point at destination if you stay less than 36 hours.

Hi PB,

I just came back from a 2-day trip to Quebec city with my wife and 4 kids. We went primarily to visit the aquarium, and after doing some research stayed at the Hotel Sepia, which offers nice renovated rooms, and a SCH 90 charger in the parking lot (free to use by anyone), and happens to be in easy walking distance to the aquarium.

The trip was completely uneventful (and fun!), but I wanted to point out that there are high amperage free SCH chargers available in Trois-Rivières. Closest to the highway, one SCH90 and one 30A charger at the very nice Café Morgane, and (I have not tried this one, but it has good comments on Plugshare) two SCH90 at the Restaurant Grec Baie-Jolie.

Until Tesla installs a supercharger between MTL and QC, those should considerably reduce any anxiety about the trip. I certainly do not regret getting the twin chargers!

 

[pbrulott]

Thanks Jeeps17, Doug had mentioned Cafe Morgane, It seems to be close to highway 55 exit Jean 23. I've never been there but certainly would consider if ever I notice I would not make the distance. Having chargers at the newly renovated St-Hubert in Cap de la Madeleine or the buidling right beside would make so much sense to me.

I've done Mtl - Qc City back and forth twice already and plan to do it 9 months a year. For the Jan to March timeframe, I will use another vehicle, not because of range but more because of security on the highway. I prefer AWD in those conditions.

I enfoy my life with a 60 kWh

 

[Doug_G]

Thanks Jeeps17, Doug had mentioned Cafe Morgane, It seems to be close to highway 55 exit Jean 23. I've never been there but certainly would consider if ever I notice I would not make the distance. Having chargers at the newly renovated St-Hubert in Cap de la Madeleine or the buidling right beside would make so much sense to me.

Big thumbs up for Cafe Morgane. They have a CS-90 to the right of the store, with lots of EV-only markings. Also two more chargers (lower power) on the far side of the parking lot. Plus the Cafe itself is probably the nicest coffee shop I've been to.

Address is 5680 Jean-XXIII, Trois-Rivieres-Ouest, QC G8Z 4B5