Driving round Australia

[Techno-phile]

We are driving clockwise Round Oz on a 15,624 kms adventure and will be ruining 7 weekends.

As always we are mindful of our ABCs.

First ABC is ALWAYS BRING CABLES, so our froot is full:
T1 to T2 adaptor 7kW- there are still many T1 stations over East.
T2 to T2 cable 22kW.
CHAdeMO adaptor for those times when other EVs are queuing for the CCS2 DC lead.
Gen 1 UMC 11kW with 20 and 32amp pigtails.
Gen 2 UMC 7kW with 32amp pigtail.
Khons 32amp 22kW ( thanks @Ant Day AEVA).
22kW extension lead for those times when the 3p socket is ICED ( thanks TOCA).
15 amp extension lead with 10/15 amp cutout for those times we will be charging from the kettle socket in our Motel.
22kW to 7kW X 3 splitter for when we meet another EV at a 32amp socket and share the phases (thanks TOCA).

Second ABC is ALWAYS BE CHARGING.

We charged to full at Karrinyup yesterday which was sufficient to get us to Geraldton 406 kms with 20% spare (we did have the usual tailwind - driving south is not as easy).

Then a full charge last night in Geraldton and we plugged into the Tesla Destination charger at Northampton ( 50 kms north) for breakfast and IGA shop. There is no point in plugging into DC when over 90% full since AC is probably quicker.

 

[Techno-phile]

3rd ABC is ALWAYS BROWSE COMMENTS, so we checked the recent experience at Billabong on Plugshare and found EVs had been queuing yesterday.
So we decided to avoid our lunch stop here, and apply the 4th ABC ADJUST BATTERY CONSUMPTION to ensure we had enough charge to drive the 426 kms straight through to Carnarvon from Northampton.
The queues for those who needed fossil fuels were large as we

passed Billabong.

 

[Techno-phile]

On the first two days we had avoided stopping to day charge at Lancelin and Billabong on trips over 400 kms, so our third day with only 365 kms looked easy.
But we had a strong side wind instead of the following wind of the first two days, and our drafting vehicles were less bulky and travelling faster than 100kph, so our consumption rose from 160Wh/km to over 200Wh/km and we only just made Exmouth.
Fortunately the one charging point here (an AEVA 3p socket) was unoccupied so we were able to plug straight in with the Khons 22W we had borrowed from AEVA and fill to 90% in time to drive to dinner.

 

[Techno-phile]

Day 4 of our clockwise Round Oz adventure in our MS100D

Only 399 kms from Exmouth to Onslow today. However this is our first overnight with no known charging, so we must arrive with sufficient charge to get to our next charge point tomorrow which is 303 kms away at Karratha.
So our day charge at Nanutarra is essential today and since it is 121 kms from here to Onslow, we will need 425 kms in the tank when we leave Nanutarra which will take 3.5 hours at 17kW.

Model 3s have much more detailed energy graphs then Model Ss, but MSs do have Tank range (available battery divided standard EPA efficiency), Projected range ( range based on efficiency over the last 50kms) and Distance to go.
We use these numbers to ADJUST BATTERY CONSUMPTION
We know that we can achieve Tank range at 90 kph in still air with no elevation changes and no rain.
We manage our speed to ensure Projected range has a buffer over the Distance to go. We use a buffer of 25kms but reduce this to 10% when the distance to go is less than 100kph.

First photo at the AEVA 3p socket at Nanutarra.
Second photo on 10 amps at Onslow Beach Resort which will fill the car by check-out.

 

[Techno-phile]

Day 5 our clockwise adventure Round Oz from Perth in our MS100D

Today was very easy from Onslow to Karratha since we had managed to charge overnight on 10amps in Onslow , so left there with a full tank for a trip of only 303kms.
No need to draft, watch projected range, control our speed, and no charging spots en route anyway. So very uneventful.

However our previous trip on this road in 2020 was exciting. We had planned to charge at Nanutarra 3p for one hour to bring our projected range up to distance to go plus our standard 25 kms buffer, but there was a delay.
Whilst waiting on 15amps we did the calculations.
The time lost in driving at 70kph instead of 90kph was 52 minutes for this 271kms.
Time charging to give us the 25kms buffer to enable driving at 90kph was 60 minutes.
(The saving in overall time between 110kph and 90 kph is much more dramatic since the efficiency at 110kph is so much worse.)

So we set off at 70 kph, turned AC off, and watched the deficit between projected range to distance to go reduce. Gradually this moved from negative to a positive buffer, so we increased speed cautiously. Then a road train overtook and we locked on at 100kph which can be as efficient as 70 kph. We had the AC on by the time we got to our Tesla desto charger in Karratha, with a safe 5kms in the tank.

Tomorrow is our longest day, so an early start.

 

[SalisburySam]

This is almost hypermiling. 70kph is only slightly above school zone speeds in the US and I would see no one ever at these speeds on any highway except during rush hour congestion. But this does sound like an enjoyable and interesting trip around the country certainly and I wish you a wonderful experience.

 

[Techno-phile]

This is almost hypermiling. 70kph is only slightly above school zone speeds in the US and I would see no one ever at these speeds on any highway except during rush hour congestion. But this does sound like an enjoyable and interesting trip around the country certainly and I wish you a wonderful experience.

Yes 70kph is hypermiling. We normally drive at 100kph drafting behind trucks if we need more range on long sectors with no DC charging. But our school zones are 40kph in Australia!

 

[Techno-phile]

Day 6 of our Big Lap clockwise from Perth in a MS100D.

Today we left Karratha and had a day charge in Port Hedland on the way to Sandfire 525 kms away, thanks to a local Tesla owner.
Tomorrow we only drive 212kms to Eco Beach resort, but it is not certain how much charge we will be able to get at Sandfire overnight. Ken has had bad experience with some EV owners charging from his 3p socket at times of his peak site demand (after sunset).
The 20amp 3p socket at 80mile beach which we used in 2016 is now available again under new ownership ( please nobody upset them - charging is a privilege not a right), but they are full tonight.

Hence we completely filled at Port Hedland whilst having a brilliant lunch at Provedore cafe near the charger, and a walk along the foreshore to Pretty pool ( aptly named). We needed every minute of the time the car took to fill.
Then we drafted a caravan at 96kph with efficiency as good as 131Wh/km (equivalent to full tank range of 680kms), so that we arrived in Sandfire not actually needing any charge to get to Eco Beach.

We drove past deserted cyclone damaged Pardoo which used to be my preferred charging stop overnight on the way to Broome (but Lindz is happy - she thought the dongas were too small).

The charge at Port Hedland illustrated an interesting point.
The source 3p socket was restricted to 20 amp 3p = 15 kW.
The HPWC is capable of 32 amp 3p = 22kW.
Our S100D can draw a maximum of 24amp 3p = 17kW

The actual charge rate is the minimum of these three ( source, connector, car) = 15kW with the source being the restriction.

However if a M3 plugged in ( capable of 16amp 3p =11kW), the charge rate would be 11kW with the car being the restriction.

 

[Techno-phile]

Day 7 of our Big Lap clockwise from Perth in a MS100D.

Easy 212 kms to Eco Beach Resort where the trusty Tesla HPWC we arranged to be installed for a trip here in 2020 is still working despite 3 years in full sun ( which has inscribed an interesting pattern on the faceplate - see photo)

We have NO range anxiety since we know how well the cars perform.
We have a bit of charger anxiety, but as long as we are only using 3p sockets or Tesla HPWCs that is no problem. DC chargers are more unreliable.
However we do have some usage anxiety, since there are so many more EVs around and one may be at the charger on which we were relying. This was no problem on our first trip to Broome in 2016, or even our drive round Kimberley Pilbara in 2020.
A white MY flashed at us yesterday in passing which was a relief since he was not going to our charging spot. He had been in Nanutarra earlier on the day we charged there

 

[Techno-phile]

Day 8 of our Big Lap clockwise from Perth in a MS100D.

Day of Rest at Eco Beach Resort.

Kimberley & Broome Beach Resort - Eco Beach Resort

Eco Beach Resort is a multi award-winning eco Broome beach resort set amongst a pristine and untouched Kimberley environment. Book Your Stay!

ecobeach.com.au

Day 9 of our Big Lap clockwise from Perth in a MS100D.

A quick trip of 134kms into Broome, and a brief visit to the new WA EV chargers but couldn't fit much of their juice in before the car started to taper.
Great location and good looking installation with sturdy shading.

This is the first DC charger we have used on our journey so far, but it is to far to walk to Matsos, or our accommodation, and back, in time for a DC charge. AC charging from the T2 lead (very sensibly provided by WA state at each charger) might work better.
Luckily it is an interesting area to walk around.

However the charging at our accommodation takes 10 seconds (the time necessary to plug in).

In general charging at the overnight destination is all that is required if driving about 400 kms per day, as we are.
We have driven 750 kms in one day once, with only AC charging, but this was too long for us.
Obviously if more than 400 kms per day are required, a top up at a DC charger will reduce travel time greatly and avoid the need to reduce speed or draft bulky vehicles.

 

[etigro]

Impressive number on consumption when drafting. I am curious about how close you need to be to the preceding vehicle/truck ? Are you picking any rocks ?

 

[Techno-phile]

Impressive number on consumption when drafting. I am curious about how close you need to be to the preceding vehicle/truck ? Are you picking any rocks ?

Drafting works well on setting 7, but would be better closer.
No chipped windscreen so far , but that is a constant risk.
We were sandblasted once from sand falling off a newly loaded lorry.
Worst risk is road kill which the truck straddles, but one truck actually led us round a big kangaroo carcass to avoid us hitting it.

 

[Techno-phile]

Day 10 of our Big Lap clockwise from Perth in a MS100D.

The forecast suggested a strong headwind for our 397 kms trip from Broome to Fitzroy Crossing. So we decided to be cautious despite filling to 463 kms overnight at 7amps, perfectly timed for our ETD.
The car quickly sensed the higher than normal consumption and started panicking giving a projected range worse than distance to go.
So we had to build our buffer (between projected range and distance to go) and decided for 50kms not our usual 25kms since there were gravel road diversions round the washed out roads.
80kph quickly produced a 25kms buffer, so we sped up to 90kph and the buffer carried on increasing, so we put the aircon on and increased speed again. The buffer reached 50 kms and stabilised there at 95kph with AC on.
Unfortunately no bulky vehicles overtook us, so we couldn't draft anything, but we were still going to arrive at Fitzroy River Lodge before 14:00 check in time.
However the wind increased and our buffer fell back to 30kms so we reduced speed again, but the buffer kept declining. We arrived at the West bank of the Fitzroy with 20kms, but we had still to cross the Fitzroy on the old causeway diversion further upstream.
We confirmed the Horizon 3p socket at BP servo was still vandalised, and decided to go for it at our most efficient speed of 50kph with aircon off.
The car immediately panicked since it knew it had previously charged at the Lodge just 1kms across the river, but we were now heading away from it. The causeway was easy ( with raised suspension) but we missed the entrance to the Lodge, for which there was also a diversion.
We eventually pulled alongside the AEVA 3p socket at the lodge with 10kms in the tank and plugged in to find it was not powered.
No worries the Lodge had installed a new one 10m away, so we charged up to 30kms before driving down to our over river bungalow with a very different outlook from last time.
The bush has gone in the flood, the bungalow is now in a stockade (jemmy marks on the door) and we now have a view of the new bridge construction.
We offloaded the cases and then drove back to reception to plug in for 5 hours at 17kW to fill the car to 90%. Perfect timing since we will walk there for supper and drive the car back to our bungalow afterwards, and fill her to 100% overnight on 10 amps.
A brilliant day

 

[SalisburySam]

I’ve really enjoyed reading your experiences on this rather epic trip around the country. I appreciate the pictures, the narrative, and the introduction to geographies different than the US.

So far, however, I’ve come away with two conclusions anathema to me. (1) your travels are more travails addressed with long periods of what for me would be discomfort (no A/C) and speed limitations, and (2) what I would call less-than-safest driving techniques (drafting) to pinch electron usage further. That’s certainly not why I got an EV; if I had to drive that way, I’d rent an ICE vehicle for the trip.

Again, I very much appreciate what you’re accomplishing here, and that you’ve deigned to share the details. Continued good luck!

 

[Techno-phile]

I’ve really enjoyed reading your experiences on this rather epic trip around the country. I appreciate the pictures, the narrative, and the introduction to geographies different than the US.

So far, however, I’ve come away with two conclusions anathema to me. (1) your travels are more travails addressed with long periods of what for me would be discomfort (no A/C) and speed limitations, and (2) what I would call less-than-safest driving techniques (drafting) to pinch electron usage further. That’s certainly not why I got an EV; if I had to drive that way, I’d rent an ICE vehicle for the trip.

Again, I very much appreciate what you’re accomplishing here, and that you’ve deigned to share the details. Continued good luck!

This part of Australia (northern West Australia) is very remote with very few population centres and no purpose built charging stations. It will be the same through the Northern Territory (except for Darwin).
At least the commercial 3phase sockets, which we are using, are fairly easy to find, and can provide up to 22kW.
But going down the East Coast, there are charging stations everywhere, so it will be just like driving an ICE, and there will be nothing interesting to report .
Even the Nullarbor from South Australia to West Australia now has DC charging stations.
The WA State is building what they claimed to be the longest DC highway in the world from Eucla to Kununurra, which will make these adventures impossible. Then the Federal government is going one better and installing a DC charger every 150 kms on the route we are following all round Australia.
We will not be doing the trip then!

Drafting in a Tesla in AP is quite safe, since the car reacts to any change in speed of the truck.
The main risk is if the truck straddles an animal corpse which we do not see in time. One truck driver actually led us round a large dead kangaroo to avoid us hitting it.

 

[LoudMusic]

At least the commercial 3phase sockets, which we are using, are fairly easy to find, and can provide up to 22kW.

Wow I'm jealous! In USA it's sometimes difficult to find our standard wall outlets that only provide 1.5kW. The 'public' AC EV chargers are usually only 6 to 8 kW. And the best non-EV would be RV campgrounds at 240v/50a, which only nets 32a on the mobile connector for 7.7kW.

Great writeup! And sounds like a trip I'd really enjoy

 

[Techno-phile]

Wow I'm jealous! In USA it's sometimes difficult to find our standard wall outlets that only provide 1.5kW. The 'public' AC EV chargers are usually only 6 to 8 kW. And the best non-EV would be RV campgrounds at 240v/50a, which only nets 32a on the mobile connector for 7.7kW.

Great writeup! And sounds like a trip I'd really enjoy

Yes our MS and MX were delivered with the Gen1 UMC which is 3 phase , so we were very disappointed to receive the Gen 2 UMC with the M3s which is only 1 phase 32 amps = 7kW.

 

[Techno-phile]

Day 11 of our Big Lap clockwise from Perth in a MS100D.

Another day of strong headwinds, but no worries at all since we only drove 297 kms from Fitzroy Crossing to Halls Creek today, well within range even at our terrible efficiency of 220Wh/km (220 X 297= 70kWh out of our 89kWh battery capacity).

The days are getting warmer so my wife requires AC on very soon after we leave in the morning.

This also affects our tyre pressures which were set at 46psi cold in Perth. These now shoot up to over 50psi in the afternoon. I am not sure whether to reduce the cold pressure to 46psi in Hall's Creek tomorrow, or just wait until we get a high pressure warning.

We checked the pressure on our loaner spare ( thanks McCarthy Prestige, Perth) and found it was 25psi so pumped it up in Broome.

We carry a low profile Scissor jack, Jacking pucks, Breaker bar, Tesla pump and goo kit and a Thread puncture repair kit, and hope we never have to use any of this gear.

.

 

[Techno-phile]

Day 12 of our Big Lap clockwise from Perth in a MS100D.

Another day with strong Easterlies, but our trip is North to Kununurra. Cross winds reduce efficiency and range, but a lot less than a headwind. We also have a 370m elevation reduction. Further Horizon installed one of their 3p sockets at Warmun which is our loo, coffee break.
The new WA EV highway DC charger is next to the 3p socket and is half installed already.

Hence no worries on this 365kms trip and we arrived with over 20% SOC and plugged into the trusty HPWC at Kimberleyland (who installed it for our 2020 trip).

Charging Overnight
One disadvantage of the batteries in our S100D is that they should not be filled to 100%, except just before a trip (unlike the newer LFP batteries).
This means we leave the car connected to the 3p socket or HWPC from arrival until departure.
On all our previous trips ( Kalbarri 2015, Adelaide across Nullarbor 2015, Broome 2016, Tesla big battery Horndale 2017, SKA Murchison 2018, Kununurra and Kimberley Pilbara 2020) we have never been concerned about this, since we never met any other Teslas.
However EVs are everywhere now and there is a real chance one will be staying at our charging accommodation too.
Hence we now leave a large notice under our windscreen giving our room number and mobile (and on Plugshare) in case anyone wants to charge.
We carry a splitter to each phase (thanks TOCA) so can actually charge 3 cars simultaneously at 7kW from a 22kW socket. Or we can schedule separate charging at different times.
In the old days we preferred to select the current required to fill the car exactly at our ETD. However we have now been filling as quickly as possible to 90%, in case another EV shows up, and scheduling a final charge 1.5 hours before ETD to add the final 50 kms.

This did not work last night when our maximum draw of 17kW tripped the motel supply after a few minutes. Since they were running the laundry we agreed to reduce the charge rate to half, but this too tripped the motel.
So we agreed to wait until the laundry had finished and try again at 6kW which completed to 100% by our ETD of 8:00.
Fortunately this worked and no other EV wanted a charge in the night.

 

[Techno-phile]

Day 13 is a day of rest.
Car cleaning and shopping in this border town of Kununurra.

Tomorrow we venture into the unknown out of West Australia to places and charging points we and the car have not seen before.

Day 14 of our Round Australia trip clockwise from Perth

Less than 300 kms today, which was good since we lost 1.5 hours crossing the border.
Last time we tried to drive round Oz in 2020 we were told not to go further than where the tarmac changed colour, it we wanted to be allowed back because of the Covid restrictions.

Up to now we have been using charging points mostly arranged by the AESY team.

I started sending out 3p sockets to Roahouses for my first Nullarbor trip in 2016 with Matt Kemner. AEVA heard we had done this and bought 10 more sockets. Synergy then heard about it and bought 50 more and we formed the AESY team to distribute these round WA and in particular on Route 1.
TOCA then heard about it and offered to complete Route 1 from Timber Creek to Penong.

Round Australia Electric Highway - Tesla Owners Club Australia

The Teslaowners Club of Australia Round Australia Electric Highway - electric car charging around Australia

www.teslaowners.org.au

We arrived in Timber Creek just in time to settle in and watch the crocodile feeding.