Driving through Minnesota in December

[lensovet]

Hi folks, I'm planning a trip from the west cost to Warroad, MN to do my Nexus interview there since literally nothing else is open. This would be at the tail end of December.

I'm looking at ABRP and this seems doable but would love to get some feedback from those who actually live in the area and climate. Here are the settings I'm using:
- LR RWD aero
- temp set to 30
- conditions set to rain/snow
- arrive at 5%
- charge to 100%
- start at 100%

I see PlugShare shows a nice 40A station at Roseau. Sadly since I have the second gen UMC, I'm limited to 32A. Seems like if I leave Fargo with 100%, limit myself to 43 mph on the way up, and spend 7.5 hours charging at Roseau, I could even go there and back in a single day.

Insane? Feasible? Should I try to find someone with UMC1 so that I can get the full 40A to cut down the charging time? Let me know.

 

[Billyk24]

Northern Minnesota in late December can be cold as in minus 30F. You can have day time highs of just over 0F. You can have lots of snow, drifting and blowing snow. You will suffer a 35% decrease in range in this environment. In that territory, you will not let your SOC drop to 5%. Good luck. .

 

[lensovet]

Oh also fun fact: if I get directions to Roseau directly instead of putting in my whole trip, ABRP recommends that I get off I-29 just before Hillsboro and take US-75 through Halstad, Shelly, and Climax, then through Crookston, Red Lake Falls, Thief River Falls, and joining the main road at Greenbush. This routing doesn't require any downrating of speed. If I plug in my entire trip, it says to stay on I-29 all the way up to Drayton before cutting over on MN-11. Thoughts on this?

 

[cypho]

Northern Minnesota in late December can be cold as in minus 30F. You can have day time highs of just over 0F. You can have lots of snow, drifting and blowing snow. You will suffer a 35% decrease in range in this environment. In that territory, you will not let your SOC drop to 5%. Good luck. .

My range in Sub-Zero temperatures is a lot worse than that. And this is with me parking in a somewhat warm garage (both at home and at work). If you are parked outside, it would be even worse.

 

[MarkoC]

You’ll be extremely lucky if it’s 30° that time of year. I’m not saying it’s impossible but it’s unlikely. I would put in no higher than 10° to be safe while also realizing that it could be even colder.

 

[lensovet]

Duly noted. Any advice on staying on I-29 vs. getting off earlier and taking non-interstate highways?

 

[Billyk24]

Duly noted. Any advice on staying on I-29 vs. getting off earlier and taking non-interstate highways?

Your travel off the interstate and into rural areas at the end of December should not be untaken without a a lot of battery charge left.

 

[SSedan]

I think people make a mistake when they try to compare day to day winter efficiency with road trip range.
Cabin warmup is an efficiency killer for the day to day drives, on a road trip you aren't reheating the cabin so much. So IMO on dry roads range hit even sub-zero will not be as bad as the 35% quoted above. Now if you have to drive in accumulated snow that will destroy range and that is something you should plan for and hope you don't have to actually deal with.
The point about don't let it drop to 5% in these conditions is good advise.
I have done across Wisconsin at low single digits in my S being conservative with heat i saw 15% drop from rated miles on 55mph roads so maybe we round that up to 20% since I gained some efficiency from the low speed.

All that said, plan for the worst, hope for the best. Planning for the worst means could be a blizzard. Make sure you have proper clothes for at least some time in sub-zero temps. Remember a lap blanket or wearing a coat/hat will let you lower cabin temp if stretching range.

 

[tharasix]

I drove from Minneapolis to Winnipeg in late February this year, and I expect you'll see similar conditions. The charging in Roseau is really convenient, but there is basically nothing nearby to do in the winter. Bring a book. If I were going from Fargo to Roseau, I'd spend as little time on the freeway as possible and charge to 100% in Fargo. Speed is a killer for range, as I'm sure you know. Taking US 75 will reduce the speed and distance you're traveling, for only a few minutes penalty in travel time. Minnesota is quite good at keeping the major highways clear and drivable in the winter, so I wouldn't worry too much about the US highways being in worse condition than the interstate. However, as mentioned above, make sure you bring food and blankets in case you do slide off the road. Cell service along the US highways should be good, but it might be a while for a tow truck to get to you. And pay attention to weather. I have the NWS radar for the area bookmarked in the browser in my 3.

Regarding winter driving, I'm assuming you won't be running winter tires, so be particularly cautious if it gets icy. The 3 has really good traction control and the 50/50 weight distribution goes a long way, but nothing is better than taking it slowly. My RWD 3 is a beast in the winter with winter tires, but I'd be much less confident in all-seasons.

Sorry if you know a bunch of this already, but I figured I'd try to cover all the bases.

 

[SSedan]

HVAC will soak up some power if AC charging and sitting in the car, so it will extend charging time.

 

[lensovet]

FWIW I do have chains in the car and in terms of HVAC, I’m content to drive with just the seat heater on and only turn on the heat to melt snow on the windshield. The charging in Roseau, I think, will have to be overnight, so as long as the hotel is within walking distance, I’ll be fine.

 

[SSedan]

Once well below freezing you need to run some heat to stop frost on the inside of the glass.
Heck it can be good to let the windshield stay cold so snow blows off rather than melt and stick.

What is the coldest you have experience with?

 

[lensovet]

Once well below freezing you need to run some heat to stop frost on the inside of the glass.
Heck it can be good to let the windshield stay cold so snow blows off rather than melt and stick.

What is the coldest you have experience with?

Well, immediately after taking delivery I took the car west from NJ and headed straight into a blizzard without realizing it. Ultimately driving through Nebraska (no precipitation at that point), the temperature dipped to the low teens. That’s probably the lowest – don’t think I’ve seen single digits.

But like I said I was completely unprepared for that trip. I had to buy the last shovel at a Hy-Vee in Iowa to dig myself out of the super charger. This time I think I’ll be a bit better prepared

 

[Big Earl]

Plan for a 50% loss of range due to weather. Charge to 100% in Grand Forks and again in Roseau. I would stick to I-29 and MN-11 as lesser routes can be unpredictable. If the weather looks good when you leave Fargo, you might be able to get by with less charging.

 

[Evbwcaer]

I live in Minneapolis, have a 2014 Model S 85 RWD. I've owned it since new and driven -20f weather multiple times. I simply don't see anything like a 50% reduction in range in long distance cold weather driving. The 35% seems overstated as well. I know data is presented but don't know if that is day-to-day type driving or distance driving.

I see that there is a Chademo coming in Hillsboro, ND and there is a Chademo in Bemidji, MN....leads me to think a Chademo adapter might be the best tool have. There used to be guys on here that would rent them out, maybe that would be a viable option. You might consider a 5-20 adapter, as many places use those for engine block heaters.

My experienced "gut" tells me that you will be fine if you are thoughtful and plan ahead.

You could even try to coordinate the installation of a Tesla Destination Charger that would be ready by then. Find some hotels that look good to you and reach out to them. It can be free for them, dig around for a PDF from Tesla.

 

[emiliorescigno]

The Chademo station in Bemidji is very reliable, and seems to be a staple of EV travel in northern MN. This seems like the best way to make your journey easier - only 140 miles from Bemidji to Warroad.

 

[BobC]

I live in Grand Rapids, MN and would second Evbwcaer's comments. I can keep my efficiency T 70% or above in temperature down to 0 deg F if I use heat sparingly (at 0 deg F, it's necessary to run defrost to keep the windows from frosting up) and keep speed modest (around 60 mph, which matches the speed limit on most 2-way state highways). If you're coming from the west, the only way to go is via Fargo, really, so charge up there. I've spent some time at Crookston, MN-- you'll get 32A there with that charger.

Sometimes the park locations and campgrounds are shut down during the winter, so I would be careful about relying on Roseau. Maybe call ahead if possible.

 

[DanL3]

Stay in the Best Western in Grand Forks.

In Roseau, I do not know if the lodging close to the plug is still open. Other motels are a mile away.

 

[tharasix]

I live in Grand Rapids, MN and would second Evbwcaer's comments. I can keep my efficiency T 70% or above in temperature down to 0 deg F if I use heat sparingly (at 0 deg F, it's necessary to run defrost to keep the windows from frosting up) and keep speed modest (around 60 mph, which matches the speed limit on most 2-way state highways). If you're coming from the west, the only way to go is via Fargo, really, so charge up there. I've spent some time at Crookston, MN-- you'll get 32A there with that charger.

Sometimes the park locations and campgrounds are shut down during the winter, so I would be careful about relying on Roseau. Maybe call ahead if possible.

The Roseau location is the parking lot of a community center, and was easily accessed last February.