First road trip coming up

[JWhite65]

I'm taking my first EV road trip in a few weeks - a little over 1,000 miles each way. I tend to overplan and this trip is no exception.
Some of my thoughts:

• how far can I go between charges?
• if this SC is down, do I have enough battery to get to the next one?
• find a hotel with a destination charger (but also with a SC nearby in case the hotel's is broken / in use)

Consider the above rhetorical - I know there are no set answers. Just a little peek inside my brain.

I have a spare tire and tire repair kit which I will bring. Also, a CCS adapter and a mobile charger (friends I'm visiting have a 14-50 receptacle). And I'll have snacks... lots of snacks.
What am I not thinking of?
Are there things you bring on road trips that you consider essential?
Things you bring but never use, but will continue to bring?
Should I trust the Tesla navigation? Or is ABRP really a better route planner?
General advice?

 

[winfield100]

84% of about 36,000 miles using superchargers. believe the navigation. charge to 100% night before you leave. we have an electric cooler that plugs into 12v plug near drivers side back MYLR. take 3-4 bottles of seltzer, make a few sandwiches, for cooler. take a box of Trader Joes triple ginger cookies for snacks.
hit right button on steering wheel and say "are there fast food places near (first supercharger)" hit that and take to SC to nosh while charging.
150 SC in Lumberton NC has 20% discount for chargers, set to 100%, and eat
_ONLY_ time I had probs was on WVa Turnpike and didn't understand the X on the supercharger meant "it's down, don't go here" but I had 50 miles left so went to next one.
we "hopscotch" SC's as over 80% rate slows so get down to 20% before nervous.
Best Westerns _may_ have chargers but someone may be there first

we go up and down east coast, SW Fl to wash DC area and Buffalo and Asheville NC and Myrtle Beach
next, Austin for the Eclipse April 8

 

[Soul Surfer]

Never leave home without a mobile charger. Has saved my baconator more than once.

 

[LoudMusic]

I use ABRP days before I'm leaving on the trip to identify which superchargers I might use, how long I'll be at them, and if there is food in walking distance or if I should pick something up on my way to the charger. That's probably the biggest thing I've learned about driving an EV on road trips.

Expect all charge times to be 5 minutes longer than you think they'll be. In 1000 miles surely one of them will be slower than advertised. Padding the time is a good thing.

You've got the right idea planning overnight hotels with chargers, and having a supercharger nearby. That's how I do my trips and it's been helpful a couple times. But historically for me there's been an EV charger available at the hotel.

Mostly trust the in car navigation - it will serve you well. However! I've had plenty of experiences where it would navigate me to a V2 supercharger when there is a V3 within reach. I don't know why it does this, or if there was some other benefit, but I've had a few examples of choosing a different supercharger that was somehow better (usually faster or nearer to my route or maybe had a particular restaurant in walking distance) that I opted for instead. To handle that circumstance I often will put the final address into nav when I'm leaving the house, and then on the road I'll navigate to a particular supercharger site, whether it was the already selected one, or a different one that I choose. Then I might switch back to final destination once charging has started at that supercharge, or navigate to the next supercharger that I choose.

 

[JWhite65]

84% of about 36,000 miles using superchargers. believe the navigation. charge to 100% night before you leave. we have an electric cooler that plugs into 12v plug near drivers side back MYLR. take 3-4 bottles of seltzer, make a few sandwiches, for cooler. take a box of Trader Joes triple ginger cookies for snacks.
hit right button on steering wheel and say "are there fast food places near (first supercharger)" hit that and take to SC to nosh while charging.
150 SC in Lumberton NC has 20% discount for chargers, set to 100%, and eat
_ONLY_ time I had probs was on WVa Turnpike and didn't understand the X on the supercharger meant "it's down, don't go here" but I had 50 miles left so went to next one.
we "hopscotch" SC's as over 80% rate slows so get down to 20% before nervous.
Best Westerns _may_ have chargers but someone may be there first

we go up and down east coast, SW Fl to wash DC area and Buffalo and Asheville NC and Myrtle Beach
next, Austin for the Eclipse April 8

Thanks for the suggestions!
This road trip looks to be to your neck of the woods - I'm heading to the Cape Coral area.
I'll also be in TX for the April 8 eclipse, but further north than Austin.

 

[JWhite65]

Never leave home without a mobile charger. Has saved my baconator more than once.

Noted. And I agree.

 

[Black306]

I'm taking my first EV road trip in a few weeks - a little over 1,000 miles each way. .... General advice?

Fly.

 

[JWhite65]

I use ABRP days before I'm leaving on the trip to identify which superchargers I might use, how long I'll be at them, and if there is food in walking distance or if I should pick something up on my way to the charger. That's probably the biggest thing I've learned about driving an EV on road trips.

Expect all charge times to be 5 minutes longer than you think they'll be. In 1000 miles surely one of them will be slower than advertised. Padding the time is a good thing.

You've got the right idea planning overnight hotels with chargers, and having a supercharger nearby. That's how I do my trips and it's been helpful a couple times. But historically for me there's been an EV charger available at the hotel.

Mostly trust the in car navigation - it will serve you well. However! I've had plenty of experiences where it would navigate me to a V2 supercharger when there is a V3 within reach. I don't know why it does this, or if there was some other benefit, but I've had a few examples of choosing a different supercharger that was somehow better (usually faster or nearer to my route or maybe had a particular restaurant in walking distance) that I opted for instead. To handle that circumstance I often will put the final address into nav when I'm leaving the house, and then on the road I'll navigate to a particular supercharger site, whether it was the already selected one, or a different one that I choose. Then I might switch back to final destination once charging has started at that supercharge, or navigate to the next supercharger that I choose.

Thank you. Is there a way in the navigation system to tell which superchargers are V2 and which are V3? Or do you just know based on researching ahead of time?

 

[JWhite65]

Fly.

Too late! I've already committed.
Realistically, I am a new EV owner and want to see what a road trip is like. I've driven over much of the country in gas vehicles and looking forward to this new experience.

 

[DocHolliday]

Unless you're driving 60-65, expect your range to suffer and you'll be charging more often than you thought. This is also affected by temperature and terrain also of course. I did a multi-day trip up and down the west coast and planned to charge every 200-220 miles (rated range 300). Also I would shorten any leg that the Tesla nav had me arriving at a SC with <10% charge. Cutting it too close for me - YMMV (literally).

 

[JWhite65]

Unless you're driving 60-65, expect your range to suffer and you'll be charging more often than you thought. This is also affected by temperature and terrain also of course. I did a multi-day trip up and down the west coast and planned to charge every 200-220 miles (rated range 300). Also I would shorten any leg that the Tesla nav had me arriving at a SC with <10% charge. Cutting it too close for me - YMMV (literally).

I won't have any major hills / mountains - north Louisiana / Mississippi / South Alabama / Florida. But yeah, I'd estimate 75 mph avg for interstate driving. I'll make sure all my legs are in the 200 mile or less range and adjust accordingly.

 

[Black306]

Too late! I've already committed.
Realistically, I am a new EV owner and want to see what a road trip is like. I've driven over much of the country in gas vehicles and looking forward to this new experience.

Figured as much. Just thought I'd kid around a bit.

Haven't driven cross country (yet), but did a recent ~1300 mile trip and several 500+ mile (round trip) drives in a RWD. My thoughts...you do you on the regular long-drive prep work. As for the EV related recommendations, don't rush it; enjoy the drive. Try to time the stops with stops you would normally take; ie bio break, lunch/dinner, etc. Most of the time you'll probably find the car is ready to go (with enough charge to make it to the next stop) before you actually hit the road.

 

[JWhite65]

Figured as much. Just thought I'd kid around a bit.

Haven't driven cross country (yet), but did a recent ~1300 mile trip and several 500+ mile (round trip) drives in a RWD. My thoughts...you do you on the regular long-drive prep work. As for the EV related recommendations, don't rush it; enjoy the drive. Try to time the stops with stops you would normally take; ie bio break, lunch/dinner, etc. Most of the time you'll probably find the car is ready to go (with enough charge to make it to the next stop) before you actually hit the road.

Thanks for your insight. Your don't rush it advice is hitting me hard - I'm going to have to make a choice between 3 six-ish hr days of driving or one 12+ hr day followed by a relatively short drive to final destination. Decisions, decisions...

 

[Big Earl]

Thank you. Is there a way in the navigation system to tell which superchargers are V2 and which are V3? Or do you just know based on researching ahead of time?

Tap the Supercharger pin on the map for more details including power, number of stalls, price and typical usage/utilization.

 

[Petermcg]

Back in September we drove our M3LR to my son’s wedding in Spokane, WA from Raleigh, NC. It was 5,880 miles in three days out, five days back. We had ZERO issues with charging or stops.

We planned our overnights at hotels with destination chargers or superchargers in their parking lots. We did the same with as many meals and bio breaks as we could. This is SUPER helpful. We spent very little time waiting for the car to charge while we did nothing.

We plotted the whole route with ABRP, which was pretty accurate, but we navigated piecemeal via the car, and accepted or skipped the Tesla supercharger recommendations as we went along. We stopped at attractions along the way whenever they looked interesting. Autopilot drove 97% of the trip. We’d totally do it again.

Water & snacks inside the car. Jackets & rain gear at the ready. Destination luggage buried in the trunk, travel hotel luggage in the frunk or on top in the trunk. Spare tire & jack, mobile charger & adapters.

Enjoy your first long trip. Tesla’s supercharger network has you well-covered.

 

[winfield100]

Thanks for the suggestions!
This road trip looks to be to your neck of the woods - I'm heading to the Cape Coral area.
I'll also be in TX for the April 8 eclipse, but further north than Austin.

a word of caution we moved to Cape Coral 11 years ago retired.
Hurricanes Irma and Ian persuaded us time to move inland & higher ground, so we are doing so. friends on Sanibel didn't drown during Ian because house on stilts and only walls .siding not roof blown off while island underwater during storm surge (im serious)

 

[gottagofast]

Do you people usually stop at 80% charge on the super chargers when traveling long distance or do you go 90-100%

 

[Petermcg]

Do you people usually stop at 80% charge on the super chargers when traveling long distance or do you go 90-100%

We always go to 100% when our meal or overnight allows it. For overnight at superchargers we charge to 90% before bed, move the car, then first thing in the morning plug the car back in for that last 10% while packing, breakfasting, and getting ready to leave. We never want to hog up a stall by sitting idle in a charger.

 

[winfield100]

Do you people usually stop at 80% charge on the super chargers when traveling long distance or do you go 90-100%

we usually go by,
"how far is the next 250kw charger & how fast are we charging now,
is it under 100kw or under 75kw, and do we need to pee and are snacks available & seltzer full in cup holders"
can we get to the next 250kw charger with >15-20% or so
As you take trips, your confidence increases rapidly in the NAV screen, at least on the east coast where chargers are literally everywhere

Look at Nav screen tap upper right screen for lightning bolt/superchargers. i'm at about 225 superchargers uses so far
(12 v cooler in the back of the Y with seltzer water & sandwiches )

 

[gtg465x]

I use ABRP to plan stops before long trips. I like being able to tweak all of the parameters to minimize trip time, and I also like being able to set my desired % on arrival. The fastest trip is usually obtained by driving fast (I go 8-10 above the speed limit, so 78-80 mph on the east coast), running the battery down low (I aim for 8-10% arrival at chargers), and doing shorter, more frequent stops. If the family just needs a bathroom break, I will stop for 15 minutes and charge 10-60%, but if we need a meal, I’ll stop for 25+ minutes and charge 10-80+%, or until whenever we finish. I also try to never stop at places without a charger, especially to eat a meal or do something that takes a while, but even if we just need a quick emergency bathroom break or want to grab a coffee to go and don’t really need to charge yet, I will look for a place with a charger and charge for 5 minutes while someone runs in. Using these techniques, road trips in my Model 3 RWD (not even LR!) honestly take a very similar amount of time as they did in our gas car, only an inconsequential amount longer.

When I see people post that their EV road trip took like 40% or hours longer than it took them in a gas vehicle, I usually find out that they were doing things like charging to 90% or 100%, not going below 20%, making separate stops for charging and eating or charging and bathroom breaks instead of combining them, etc. The one case where an EV road trip may unavoidably take a lot longer is in extreme cold, but I don’t experience that living in the South.