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EXPERIENCE: 2400 miles trip Model 3 SR Plus
- Thread starter youngmcdonald
- Start date
My 2 cents - I think the issue with the lower range is due to the OP driving 75 to 85 mph mostly. If you drive the speed limit or 5 mph above the speed limit then there is a large increase in range, in my experience with my LR RWD Model 3. I also noticed that I'm impatient to drive the speed limit in my other cars, but when cruising on autopilot then I don't mind driving a bit slower when I need the extra range. It's usually only a few minutes difference if you do the math.
Daddywolf
Member
This is what I like to hear! I did check out Abetterrouteplanner that’s a pretty cool site. Will definitely be using that in the future.
I agree. I personally did experience that when on just one occasion we kind of got a bit range anxious. Simply reducing the speed helped a lot.
Posted speed limits in most states we passed through were 75-80 mph so we kept just above it to make sure we cover as much ground as possible when the weather was cooperating. In most cases, we didn’t care about the range, given we would have had to stop anyway. Either drive slow and get there with 20% remaining or get there 15 minutes early with 10% remaining. Extrapolating that to 22 stops....
This is great stuff, @billionaiire thank you for sharing. I was thinking SR+ but after following your journey, I know myself and I know that even though I don't take many long trips in the car, the shorter range of the SR+ will (probably) annoy me. I just can't imagine having to make sure I drive slower, have to factor in weather (?!?!), possibly not run the A/C, etc... just to make it to the next supercharger. After just one trip like that I wouldn't have to worry about it again.. the wife would 100% sell the car herself!
Again, thanks for the great detail!
Again, thanks for the great detail!
You will always have to factor in weather unless you make a habit of wasting time overcharging enough at each stop to cover all possible scenarios.
Said another way, the fastest way to get from point to point is to charge just enough that you arrive with about 12% remaining. To do that requires knowing what the weather conditions are so that you can charge enough to hit that target. Bad weather will require more charging than good weather. Not planning is gambling.
willow_hiller
Well-Known Member
Also worth noting that the SR+ seems capped at around 102 kW supercharging for the moment. Battery capacity is one thing, but recharge rate can make a much bigger difference in total trip time. I honestly might have waited and saved up for an LR had I known there would be a supercharging rate discrepancy.
But all that being said, 99% of my daily driving is within 30 miles, so both capacity and charging rate don't matter there! It's funny how these minor things weigh on our minds so heavily...
Ain't that the truth. I'm in the same boat as you - 99% of my driving is within 30 miles as well. So, is it worth the extra 10k? Hmmm...
Ain't that the truth. I'm in the same boat as you - 99% of my driving is within 30 miles as well. So, is it worth the extra 10k? Hmmm...
If literally 99% of your driving is within 30 miles, then no, the extra $10k is not worth it. Even at 15,000 miles per year, the remaining 1% would only be 150 miles, which is within the full charge range of an SR+.
If literally 99% of your driving is within 30 miles, then no, the extra $10k is not worth it. Even at 15,000 miles per year, the remaining 1% would only be 150 miles, which is within the full charge range of an SR+.
Ugh I thought I had my mind made up and then you went and made a bunch of sense
Sure thing.
However, if you splurge another $10k, you not only get another hour of driving but you also get an all wheel drive dual motor vehicle - probably my next Tesla if I convince wife to sell her Prius and take my SR+.
Unfortunately the absence of rear cross traffic alert in Tesla is a deal breaker for her. And I simply cannot defend it. Tesla dropped the ball on that one.
I have a solution to the rear cross-traffic alert system. Back into parking spaces.
I learned to appreciate backing in when I drove a huge F-350 pickup truck. Backing in was the only way to do it and it's stuck ever since.
PittCaleb
Member
This was a GREAT trip report and I know a lot of us learned a lot from it.
But... OP charging just enough to go from one supercharger to another... Remember, he was driving from Pittsburgh to Nevada. I live in New Jersey. There are 3 superchargers within 10 miles of my house. If I took a trip in any direction, North, West or South (my Model 3 won't go East from my location easily) there are plenty of chargers between here and Boston or DC and down to NC (where I go often in my ICE).
Headed from NJ to NC, there are no less than 17 superchargers along the route. I would never be in a situation where I had to wonder if I could make it to the 'next one.' Even south of DC, there are 5 between there and Greensboro - and average of one every 60 miles.
So your concern of bunny hopping to the next station is wholly dependent on where you live and where you normally travel. Being in the NEC is helpful for many things.
PittCaleb
Member
I was wrong, the tool i was using wasn't showing all, only the ones it was suggesting. There are 22 stations between NJ and Greensboro with 9 south of DC (one every 30 miles on average)
Between NJ and Pittsburgh, there are 6 over 347 mi or one every 60 miles. I always stop once, often twice for a quick bathroom break. Now the trip will be ride 150 miles, stop for a meal, drive 100 miles, stop for a quick bathroom break, grab a coffee, then finish the trip to the Burgh.
I wouldn't call that a change from my existing ICE routine at all honestly. The change will come on trips longer than that. Once you get to > 2x range, it's going to start adding up. Pgh is 1.5x range. Reality, i could prob make it on one long fillup if I wanted to. But I've heard it's faster to make 2 short ones an arrive low and fill up at a hotel/house destination 240v charger.
PittCaleb
Member
I love the rear cross traffic warning on my Outback (turning in shortly) but don't you
a) think this is something he could add via software if they wanted to
b) between the rear camera and human intelligence, you're "good enough?"
I mean I back out of my driveway and over the sidewalk and onto the road in a very residential walking area. How often does it alert me to something I am unaware of already? Not that often at all.
It is sufficient for human intelligence to drive without a blind spot alert because you can turn your neck and glance. Same goes for automatic emergency braking, etc. Human intelligence, common sense, and eyes will be sufficient in most cases. If one chooses to use them.
But backing out a car in a parking lot/space when cars are parked on both sides means the driver literally cannot see a thing (complemented by the idiots who lack the basic intelligence to stop in that situation and let the driver back out fully) puts any driver into an agonizing and vulnerable situation. If there was any piece of technology I’d opt for in a car is the rear cross traffic alert.
I tend to drive on the fast side and it definitely kills range. My partner drives the speed limit plus 5. She saw much better range. We drove from Greenville, AL to Alpharetta, GA and arrived with 13%. It would have been more but she got tired and so I drove some. The car was her LR RWD. My AWD on 19" rims can't come close. The AWD would have needed a stop in Auburn, AL. Also, I keep her RWD tires inflated to 45 psi. That helps too. Go to Tesla Range Table - Teslike.com and check out the range estimates vs. speed. You will see that every 5 mph above 60 hurts a lot.
Fewer cells means a slower charging rate. Each cell has a certain rate it can be charged at. Multiply by the number of cells and that is what you see. Thus, I would expect and SR to charge slower than an LR.
Same for gasoline. It’s more physics than the source of energy used to drive the train.
11thIndian
Member
This has been a great thread. Like so many other people; the 95% use of this car will be 18mi round trip commute, but I can't help but think in terms of longer range is better if not for me directly then for long-term value of the car. We have a VW Tiguan that obviously makes more sense for very long trips. I've been waiting for the Model Y for years but I don't think it's going to be the Tiguan replacement I'd hoped for- plus my configured price is going to be about 70K with far fewer incentives down the road. So I'm taking advantage of the still high value of my A3 e-tron plus the current incentives to get into an SR+ for only about 15K in cash (with FSD) or 10K without.
I think I just need to reconcile the vehicle's purpose, and if we decide to take a short California trip to Tahoe in the summer or down to Monterey, this will definitely do the job. Horses for courses!
I think I just need to reconcile the vehicle's purpose, and if we decide to take a short California trip to Tahoe in the summer or down to Monterey, this will definitely do the job. Horses for courses!
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