First Road Trip - Any Advice?

[hfwarner3]

I have had my Tesla Model 3 Midrange since Thanksgiving weekend last year. I am about to take my first road trip next weekend - take my daughter up to Niagara Falls and Toronto for the weekend. I've never driving the Tesla beyond the local area before.

I have the trip mapped out. I have the location of all the Superchargers on the route and near our destinations. I have also checked out food locations near the superchargers on the way.

What else should I do to prepare? Other than stopping for supercharging time, what else should I think about / plan for? Is it going to make a difference on the range/battery going through the mountains?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[NoMoGas]

You have honestly already over thunk it I have taken 8 la-ny and back trips, just charge slightly above what the nav tells you to be extra safe and if the car tells you to slow down to make it, slow down but seriously... just get in the car and go.

 

[Jashev]

EV Trip Planner can be helpful, but really, as NoMoGas said, get in the car and go. I've done multiple PA to Tx trips without any issues.

 

[Syd]

Personally, it's a road trip, I look for spots to visit along the way, and try to maximize fun, I've done many in the past 4 years, and have never had an issue.

 

[Saghost]

Just relax and enjoy it. The car will find charging stations and tell you how long to charge. You'll be fine.

 

[ewoodrick]

I have had my Tesla Model 3 Midrange since Thanksgiving weekend last year. I am about to take my first road trip next weekend - take my daughter up to Niagara Falls and Toronto for the weekend. I've never driving the Tesla beyond the local area before.

I have the trip mapped out. I have the location of all the Superchargers on the route and near our destinations. I have also checked out food locations near the superchargers on the way.

What else should I do to prepare? Other than stopping for supercharging time, what else should I think about / plan for? Is it going to make a difference on the range/battery going through the mountains?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

Look at route options and look at Supercharger locations along the route to familiarize you with their locations.
Go to car this evening and say Navigate to Toronto. See what it says.

Try to plan meals and breaks around the Supercharger stops. You can probably always charge faster than you can eat, even at McDonalds.
Have PlugShare on your phone. (You can also get to it from the web browser in the car).
When driving, the car will definitely tell you if you can't make it to your destination. It may also tell you to slow down if you are stretching it. The car is quite conservative in route planning. There may be a number of locations where you can skip a charger. To find out, just have the car to route to the one that you think that you can get it.

I'm on a 200 mile weekend trip from Atlanta to Huntsville right now, just got to the hotel, just plugged into the destination charger. Would be a normal trip, except that the route is one that "you just can't get there" even in an ICE, you end up going the long way to save time. But the car got me here.

abetterrouteplanner,com shows 3 stops and 55 minutes charging is all you need. So as long as you plan the stops well, there effectively should be no added time needed to charge.

Also, remember that if you want to know how much range you really have left, look at the energy charts, they are the closest to reality. You may also want to try varying your speed +-10mph for 20-30 minutes and see what the impact on range is.

Have fun! I suspect that you'll get to Toronto and wonder why you worried about it so much.

Also, your choice of charger returning will often be different than the choice leaving, as you leave with 100%, but only Supercharge to about 80%. That first and last leg can definitely be different.

 

[Bobbo8]

As you are charging at the Super Charger set the next super charger as your destination and you will be assured of having the correct amount of miles/charging to reach it.

 

[MGMDaware]

This is all accurate information above. Do what you need to do to be comfortable with this trip. However, afterwards.... You will realize how silly it is to have the range anxiety. I get it though. We've all been through it. Gotta experience it for yourself to truly get over it!

 

[WATTS-UP]

With only 170 miles range I find that I can travel just about anywhere. Four years ago we had to do a little planing, maybe if you going to go off the beaten path you'll have to think a little about your next charge, but then there are tons of destination chargers. Enjoy your trip

 

[purplewalt]

When going to Canada, remember to bring your passport.
At least if you intend to return to USA.

There is a Nikola Tesla Statue in Buffalo and separate Tesla Monument on Goat Island you could visit.
And Darwin Martin Complex (led to Frank Lloyd Wright's first major commission: Larkin Building).
Maybe after going into Canada near Buffalo to view and visit, swing thru Toronto around Lake Ontario and come back thru upstate New York.
Visit Ogdensburg, NY and Frederick Remington Home, Studio and Museum.

Road trips are a lot more interesting (and FUN!) when you have unique destinations along the way. Mountains are something you DO need to over-prepare for -- the amount of range that they can eat up might cause a bit of concern if you have not aded an extra bit of buffer. Good thing is you do get most of it back coming down (thanks to regen), but it might be a bit of a concern if you are watching all the time. Driving Strategy I use if to ease up on accelerator as you ascend, and give it a mild bit of push when descending. Big Rigs use similar driving strategy getting in right lane and easing the throttle all the way up a mountain.

You won't need to "fill up" at each Supercharger, there are too many of them for you to have any true Range Anxiety.
Take what you need to get to next Supercharger (plus a bit more for buffer), and keep going.

 

[mociaf9]

I have had my Tesla Model 3 Midrange since Thanksgiving weekend last year. I am about to take my first road trip next weekend - take my daughter up to Niagara Falls and Toronto for the weekend. I've never driving the Tesla beyond the local area before.

I have the trip mapped out. I have the location of all the Superchargers on the route and near our destinations. I have also checked out food locations near the superchargers on the way.

What else should I do to prepare? Other than stopping for supercharging time, what else should I think about / plan for? Is it going to make a difference on the range/battery going through the mountains?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

If your daughter is a minor and you are traveling without her other parent/guardian, you should have a Consent Letter from them explicitly affirming their approval of your trip. You should also have a letter from them authorizing you to make any necessary decisions for her medical care. If you are sole legal guardian, you should bring copies of any legal documents establishing that fact.

Letter to Take Child Across Border | ezbordercrossing

 

[Kalex]

Get this an apply to the front bumper, side mirrors, and 1/4 of the hood to protect the car from stone chips and bugs. Very clear instructions on how to use. Easy on easy off.
I used it when we drove to Georgia.
Road Warrior Plus Paint... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072B9KRGS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[T3slaOwner]

I have had my Tesla Model 3 Midrange since Thanksgiving weekend last year. I am about to take my first road trip next weekend - take my daughter up to Niagara Falls and Toronto for the weekend. I've never driving the Tesla beyond the local area before.

I have the trip mapped out. I have the location of all the Superchargers on the route and near our destinations. I have also checked out food locations near the superchargers on the way.

What else should I do to prepare? Other than stopping for supercharging time, what else should I think about / plan for? Is it going to make a difference on the range/battery going through the mountains?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

You have done a lot. It's good that you appreciate the eating issue. While range won't be your problem, I find that often food is.

The car is great for planning simple trips that are on the beaten path. If you are going someplace without charging facilities the car doesn't know enough to leave you with enough range to get somewhere to charge. Many times it will tell me to go to my destination with less than 10% left when that is not enough range to get to the next charger. So I have to look to see where a good charging point is along the way.... stupid car!

Others have said, don't stop at every charger. Many routes have chargers about 100 miles apart. I find often I can't skip a charger (100 kWh battery). The other issue is that the car will try to keep your charging rates in the higher end which means stopping more often and only charging to 60% or so. So the car may tell you to stop at nearly every charger. That's your choice. I find I can't drive like I do in my truck where I drive until I'm going to need gas and then find a good place to eat. In the Tesla you charge where you can and eat somewhere within walking distance.... if it isn't raining. lol