First Road Trip In 2023 Tesla Model Y

[zoidburg]

Hey everyone,

I was thinking of taking my 2023 Tesla Model Y on a road trip from NJ to Florida since flights are expensive for me now. This is my first time doing it, and I was wondering if there are any tips/tricks I need to keep in mind for charging and how to maximize my range for the whole trip.

Also, is there any app or website that can track the total cost of supercharging on the trip? Just want to see how much charging will cost me for the trip

 

[ewoodrick]

NJ to Florida is a very problematic route and requires a lot of thinking.


There are so many Superchargers along the route that you have to work hard to find the ones with the amenities that you want.

Seriously. That's the hard part.

Since this sounds like your first trip, there probably will be some range anxiety and unfamiliarity. That's expected, but as you pass through the Carolinas and definitely Georgia, a lot of anxiety will start to wear away. So I'm going to mention some things that come from experience, but until you learn to trust the car, don't assume that you have to do it this way. Be comfortable with your own decisions.

Before you start, load PlugShare on your phone. It is often invaluable in finding hard to fins Superchargers and giving up to date information on sites. Use it, post on it. It will have pictures of the sites, which make them a lot easier to find, and even see the amenities around the site. It becomes invaluable for finding L2 (J-1772) locations for charging at night. There are a number of hotels that have them and if you have the option of staying at one, life is better.

So, if charging at home, charge to 100% the night before. That probably lets you skip a charger or two at the very beginning.

You want to attempt to align, bio-breaks, meals, snacks, site-seeing and stretching with charging stops. In many situations, depending on how you drive) charging can become a non-event, not really extending the length of the trip. The hardest problem sometime is having to move your car off the Supercharger to avoid idle fees while eating.

In general, keep the car in the lower two-thirds of battery capacity. This is where the car charges fastest. There is nothing more fun (okay, I need to get a life) than pulling into a 250kW charger at 5% and watching the car charge at well over 1000mph for a few minutes. It will only charge this fast up to 20-30% and then slows down to about 500mph to 70% and then starts going down past 200mph. That's why you want to keep the car in the lower two thirds of capacity.

You will find that your range is actually pretty irrelevant. While going 60mph is much more efficient than 75mph, the time at the charger and the number of charger stops really don't matter.

Interstate roads are a good place to see the differences in range. Open the energy graph to the consumption screen at the longest period and go 60 mph for that time, look at the current average (I believe on the left) and then speed up a little. You can see what the consumption differences are. (and it can help break up a monotonous Interstate)

Before you leave, go to the car and ask it to route you to your destination. See how long and what the stop are that it uses. The turn on the Supercharger overlay and see actually how many Superchargers that there are and you will skip. Familiarize yourself with the list. This should help remove any range anxieties of "Can I make it"

At home got to abetterrangeplanner.com and fill it out and let it calculate your route. It uses different algorithms than the car and will probably choose different stops.

Both will tend to choose 250kW sites over 150kW site. That just means that if you are below about 30%, you will charge faster. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't stop at 150kW sites. They are often less crowded and if you are going to go into somewhere to eat, they are actually better.

Whatever you choose to charge at before you start, in my experience will not be where you end up. So be flexible.

Use apps such as Yelp to find good food around the Supercharger stops, maybe find that neighborhood gem.


In short, enjoy the drive, combine stops when possible and again, enjoy the drive.

Since you are driving, it's a great opportunity to stop and smell the roses along the way. A little side trip to Ft Sumter and the delicious foods of Charleston. Walk amongst the trees, parks and enjoy the waterfront of Savannah. Enjoy the beaches in Myrtle Beach. Interested in golf? excellent courses in Hilton Head and the home of it all at TPC Sawgrass.


And honestly, if you are going to Florida to enjoy the beaches and the water right now, think about stopping before getting too deep in Florida. Ft Lauderdale water temps are currently at 87F. One site that I looked at described it as "The water will feel unpleasantly warm (stifling). May be a little too warm for any kind of activity, particularly if sunny."

Have fun!

 

[Konicom04]

..... There is nothing more fun (okay, I need to get a life) than pulling into a 250kW charger at 5% and watching the car charge at well over 1000mph for a few minutes.

hahaha - that's totally me!
In fact, i will insist on arriving with low SOF even if the app tells me to stop sooner - just to have that experience .

I should get a life, no?

 

[Konicom04]

Hey everyone,

I was thinking of taking my 2023 Tesla Model Y on a road trip from NJ to Florida since flights are expensive for me now. This is my first time doing it, and I was wondering if there are any tips/tricks I need to keep in mind for charging and how to maximize my range for the whole trip.

Also, is there any app or website that can track the total cost of supercharging on the trip? Just want to see how much charging will cost me for the trip

in reality, just drive it and enjoy it . The car will do all the thinking for you.
I've done several trips from chicago to the Keys and back and it was a breeze.

 

[jcanoe]

See thread, especially Posts #2 and #18 by @howardnj

3400 Mile Road Trip in 2022 MYP

I am sure if you reach out that @howardnj can answer any questions re driving from NJ to FL in a Tesla Model Y.

 

[howardnj]

Hey everyone,

I was thinking of taking my 2023 Tesla Model Y on a road trip from NJ to Florida since flights are expensive for me now. This is my first time doing it, and I was wondering if there are any tips/tricks I need to keep in mind for charging and how to maximize my range for the whole trip.

Also, is there any app or website that can track the total cost of supercharging on the trip? Just want to see how much charging will cost me for the trip

I'm on my fifth trip to Florida from Central NJ to Florida. I have a list of over 50 charge stations between NJ and the West Palm Beach Area.
Purchase a CC1 adapter as FPL Florida Evolution charge stations are cheaper than Tesla.
Here is my log of my last trip to Florida. Download PlugShare for charge locations and enter your next charge location into the navigation so your battery will be warmed and ready for faster charging when you arrive. Use Waze for police warnings and other road hazards.
If you are not in a rush and wish to avoid the Washington DC traffic, use the Garden State Parkway to Exit 0 in Cape May and take the ferry to Lewes, Delaware across Chesapeake Bay to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and tunnel. If you have kids they will enjoy the Ferry and perhaps see whales and Dolphins.

31-May-23	13323	1342 Miles 0	76%-90%	EB Leave for Florida	12:15 AM
31-May-23	13462	139 Miles	35%-80%	Tesla Churchville Rd Md.	02:22 AM 40 Min	$12.21
31-May-23	13565	243 Miles	43%	Rest Area I95	04:30-04:50
31-May-23	13597	274 Miles	29%-86%	Fredricksburg, Va. Tesla	05:20 AM Exit 126	$17.22	35 Min
31-May-23	13720	398 Miles	39%	Loves, Exit 4 Va. Skippers, VA	08:12 AM Bathroom
31-May-23	13739	416 Miles	31%-90%	Tesla Halifax, NC Exit 168	9:15 AM	$17.20	35 Min Dunkin Donuts
31-May-23	13807	485 Miles	63%	Rest Area Johnson County NC	10:30 AM Near Smithfield
31-May-23	13858	536 Miles	44%-90%	Fayetteville, NC Exit 49 Cracker Barrel Here	11:40AM	$12.87	30 Min
31-May-23	13911	589 Miles	71%	Rest Area SC
31-May-23	13948	625 Miles	58%-90%	Florence, SC Magnolia Mall	2:10 PM	$9.12	25 Min
1-Jun-23	14122	800 Miles	5%-81%	EnMarket Pooler, Ga	5:15 AM	$15.54	35 Min
1-Jun-23	14187	864 Miles	52%-90%	Brunswick, Ga Tesla	6:50 AM	$7.42
1-Jun-23	14282	959 Miles	51%	Rest Area, SC Johns County	8:50 AM
1-Jun-23	14290	968 Miles	47%-90%	St. Augustine, Fl Buccees	9:11 AM	$10.85	30 Min
1-Jun-23	14387	1056 Miles	45%	Rest Area N Brevard Co	11:15 AM MP227 I95
1-Jun-23	14421	1099 Miles	29%-90%	Rockledge, Viera Fl Parking Lot	11:40 AM	$16.56	35 Min
1-Jun-23	14447	1124 Miles	77%	Rest Area
1-Jun-23	14510	1187 Miles	47%	Rest Area Sleepy	2:10 PM
1-Jun-23	14552	1230 Miles	28%-90%	FPL Evolution WPB Fl Tpke	2:42 PM	$14:82	35 Min

 

[Jim R]

I agree with most of the above comments, but really some are not needed, IMO. My trip - Nova Scotia - Ottawa - Orlando and back was about 7000kms. Preplanning was zero. Got in the car and after a few minutes gave a voice command: "Take me to _____". It was that simple. Sometimes we changed superchargers but no kitchen table pre-planning was done. I use Plugshare, but only at home. While in the car, I let Tesla do the route planning and stops. To each his own I suppose.

 

[ewoodrick]

I'm on my fifth trip to Florida from Central NJ to Florida. I have a list of over 50 charge stations between NJ and the West Palm Beach Area.
Purchase a CC1 adapter as FPL Florida Evolution charge stations are cheaper than Tesla.
Here is my log of my last trip to Florida. Download PlugShare for charge locations and enter your next charge location into the navigation so your battery will be warmed and ready for faster charging when you arrive. Use Waze for police warnings and other road hazards.
If you are not in a rush and wish to avoid the Washington DC traffic, use the Garden State Parkway to Exit 0 in Cape May and take the ferry to Lewes, Delaware across Chesapeake Bay to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and tunnel. If you have kids they will enjoy the Ferry and perhaps see whales and Dolphins.

31-May-23	13323	1342 Miles 0	76%-90%	EB Leave for Florida	12:15 AM
31-May-23	13462	139 Miles	35%-80%	Tesla Churchville Rd Md.	02:22 AM 40 Min	$12.21
31-May-23	13565	243 Miles	43%	Rest Area I95	04:30-04:50
31-May-23	13597	274 Miles	29%-86%	Fredricksburg, Va. Tesla	05:20 AM Exit 126	$17.22	35 Min
31-May-23	13720	398 Miles	39%	Loves, Exit 4 Va. Skippers, VA	08:12 AM Bathroom
31-May-23	13739	416 Miles	31%-90%	Tesla Halifax, NC Exit 168	9:15 AM	$17.20	35 Min Dunkin Donuts
31-May-23	13807	485 Miles	63%	Rest Area Johnson County NC	10:30 AM Near Smithfield
31-May-23	13858	536 Miles	44%-90%	Fayetteville, NC Exit 49 Cracker Barrel Here	11:40AM	$12.87	30 Min
31-May-23	13911	589 Miles	71%	Rest Area SC
31-May-23	13948	625 Miles	58%-90%	Florence, SC Magnolia Mall	2:10 PM	$9.12	25 Min
1-Jun-23	14122	800 Miles	5%-81%	EnMarket Pooler, Ga	5:15 AM	$15.54	35 Min
1-Jun-23	14187	864 Miles	52%-90%	Brunswick, Ga Tesla	6:50 AM	$7.42
1-Jun-23	14282	959 Miles	51%	Rest Area, SC Johns County	8:50 AM
1-Jun-23	14290	968 Miles	47%-90%	St. Augustine, Fl Buccees	9:11 AM	$10.85	30 Min
1-Jun-23	14387	1056 Miles	45%	Rest Area N Brevard Co	11:15 AM MP227 I95
1-Jun-23	14421	1099 Miles	29%-90%	Rockledge, Viera Fl Parking Lot	11:40 AM	$16.56	35 Min
1-Jun-23	14447	1124 Miles	77%	Rest Area
1-Jun-23	14510	1187 Miles	47%	Rest Area Sleepy	2:10 PM
1-Jun-23	14552	1230 Miles	28%-90%	FPL Evolution WPB Fl Tpke	2:42 PM	$14:82	35 Min

I see that you are indeed successful at the trip but you seem to be doing it the long, hard way.

For a trip, under 99.9% of conditions, you should never charge above 80%.
And probably never start charging at over 20%.
A 1200 mile trip should only need about 6 stops, about 2/3 of what you are using.
And by charging from 5% to 70%, the stops should only take half as long. Optimizing should take 4 hours of charging to probably 1.5 hours.

It also looks as if you stopped at a number of rest stops and other areas for breaks. Combine these with your charging stops for even more savings. Although I do see that some of these are at off hours, but in that case, look for Superchargers near 24 hour gas stations.

 

[howardnj]

I see that you are indeed successful at the trip but you seem to be doing it the long, hard way.

For a trip, under 99.9% of conditions, you should never charge above 80%.
And probably never start charging at over 20%.
A 1200 mile trip should only need about 6 stops, about 2/3 of what you are using.
And by charging from 5% to 70%, the stops should only take half as long. Optimizing should take 4 hours of charging to probably 1.5 hours.

It also looks as if you stopped at a number of rest stops and other areas for breaks. Combine these with your charging stops for even more savings. Although I do see that some of these are at off hours, but in that case, look for Superchargers near 24 hour gas stations.

I am retired and in no rush to get anywhere. At my age not only do I have to pee more frequently than most younger travelers, but I am smart enough to stop at a rest area just to close and rest my eyes for 15 or 20 minutes and have a fruit snack and pee.
I have my favorite charge stops and those at WaWa's are some of the best. Buccee's also! The Halifax, NC stop is nice for walking while charging. One of the things people reading this and traveling on I95 heading to Florida need to be aware of is accidents occasionally happen that can shut down the entire road for hours. Having a higher SOC and a near empty bladder is a positive. On two occasions on my last trip both the Tesla navigation and Waze suddenly instructed me to exit I95 in South Carolina and take back two lane roads for about 15 miles as I95 had shut down due to a serious accident. I only went down to a 5% SOC once and probably will avoid going so low in the future unless I am very close to home.

 

[ScubaDee]

hahaha - that's totally me!
In fact, i will insist on arriving with low SOF even if the app tells me to stop sooner - just to have that experience .

I should get a life, no?

I have severe range anxiety. I had it well before electric vehicles were a thought. Car at a smidge less than 1/2 tank? Fill up. Truck hovering at 1/3? Definitely fill that sucker up! I was totally freaking out when we picked up the Tesla as the "available" range at 100% was 244 miles, not 250 as advertised! A friend told me to change it to %. What a difference! I thought it would make me more anxious to see a small number like 50%. For some reason my brain was/is okay with it. Range anxiety virtually eliminated. EXCEPT when we road trip. My husband prefers hitting an SC between 5%-10%, the closer to absolute zero the car is, the happier he is, meanwhile, I'm hyperventilating! The car has never let us down in almost 4 years. My Nissan LEAF on the other hand, left me stranded 3 times due to infrastructure issues. Waiting on delivery of our Model Y long range this week. Looking forward to our 1st road trip. We live in North Florida and are intentionally picking it up in South Florida.

 

[ScubaDee]

Hey everyone,

I was thinking of taking my 2023 Tesla Model Y on a road trip from NJ to Florida since flights are expensive for me now. This is my first time doing it, and I was wondering if there are any tips/tricks I need to keep in mind for charging and how to maximize my range for the whole trip.

Also, is there any app or website that can track the total cost of supercharging on the trip? Just want to see how much charging will cost me for the trip

As previous posters have mentioned, ABRP (A Better Route Planner) is a good choice if trying to find amenities near chargers for longer stops. I used to be a huge planner. I had a route, a back up route and a back up to the back up plan. Severe range anxiety. Now, we just get in the car and go. If we get close to stopping for a charge, I use the food option and then set the supercharger to pre-condition the battery. I have had horrible range anxiety my entire life, actually worse with my ICE vehicles.

We just got done shopping around for a new EV. We looked at the Cadillac Lyriq, the Ionic 5, the Nissan Ariya, the Rivian, the BMW and the Lucid. We ordered a Model Y simply due to the navigation and routing to SC's. I want a more luxurious vehicle but Tesla has the best (not perfect), but the best navigation in my opinion. Your mileage may vary!

 

[AndyT3]

Lots of good information here! We're also new owners leaving for central Florida from Northern Connecticut on Thursday. We'll also be traveling with two dogs and a 6 year old, so those charging stops will also be walk/bathroom stops for the dogs - I think it'll work out well. Looking forward to our first long distance road trip with the Y!

 

[essaunders]

I have severe range anxiety. I had it well before electric vehicles were a thought. Car at a smidge less than 1/2 tank? Fill up. Truck hovering at 1/3? Definitely fill that sucker up! I was totally freaking out when we picked up the Tesla as the "available" range at 100% was 244 miles, not 250 as advertised! A friend told me to change it to %. What a difference! I thought it would make me more anxious to see a small number like 50%. For some reason my brain was/is okay with it. Range anxiety virtually eliminated. EXCEPT when we road trip. My husband prefers hitting an SC between 5%-10%, the closer to absolute zero the car is, the happier he is, meanwhile, I'm hyperventilating! The car has never let us down in almost 4 years. My Nissan LEAF on the other hand, left me stranded 3 times due to infrastructure issues. Waiting on delivery of our Model Y long range this week. Looking forward to our 1st road trip. We live in North Florida and are intentionally picking it up in South Florida.

I had a LEAF for 12 years. the Tesla experience is a whole different animal. In my Y, I just got back from a 2500mile trip (NH to TENN and back) and we had two super charger issues. 1 - a July 4 gas promotion at Sheetz caused huge lines at two our our stops. really hated waiting in a gas line just to get into the parking lot where the super charger is. My second issue was a super charger stall not putting out enough current - this one happened in the heaviest of downpours. fix was easy - switch charging stalls, but I did get soaked.

 

[Konicom04]

I have severe range anxiety. I had it well before electric vehicles were a thought. Car at a smidge less than 1/2 tank? Fill up. Truck hovering at 1/3? Definitely fill that sucker up! I was totally freaking out when we picked up the Tesla as the "available" range at 100% was 244 miles, not 250 as advertised! A friend told me to change it to %. What a difference! I thought it would make me more anxious to see a small number like 50%. For some reason my brain was/is okay with it. Range anxiety virtually eliminated. EXCEPT when we road trip. My husband prefers hitting an SC between 5%-10%, the closer to absolute zero the car is, the happier he is, meanwhile, I'm hyperventilating! The car has never let us down in almost 4 years. My Nissan LEAF on the other hand, left me stranded 3 times due to infrastructure issues. Waiting on delivery of our Model Y long range this week. Looking forward to our 1st road trip. We live in North Florida and are intentionally picking it up in South Florida.

Interesting ... I too switched to % from miles, and am far more at ease. Not that I ever had the true range anxiety, but felt irritated seeing miles dissipating quicker than the actual miles traveled

 

[ScubaDee]

I had a LEAF for 12 years. the Tesla experience is a whole different animal. In my Y, I just got back from a 2500mile trip (NH to TENN and back) and we had two super charger issues. 1 - a July 4 gas promotion at Sheetz caused huge lines at two our our stops. really hated waiting in a gas line just to get into the parking lot where the super charger is. My second issue was a super charger stall not putting out enough current - this one happened in the heaviest of downpours. fix was easy - switch charging stalls, but I did get soaked.

I have never had to wait in a gas line for an SC but have filled 5 gallon fuel tanks for our golf carts and lawn equipment in the Tesla! Got a few really strange looks from people who knew it was an EV. The SC current issue is few and far between. They keep the stations serviced unlike Electrify America. We really liked the futuristic look of the Hyundai Ionic 5 but came back to Tesla for the charging infrastructure. I never got a good charge at an EA station. GreenLots if they even still exist were worse. Until it's easy to road trip in an EV other than a Tesla, I'm not going anywhere. Maybe I'll see you at an SC sometime. I routinely travel between Florida, GA, NC, and Massachusetts. We have 5 RV parks in the 3 southern states and family in Massachusetts. NH is a beautiful state.

 

[ScubaDee]

Interesting ... I too switched to % from miles, and am far more at ease. Not that I ever had the true range anxiety, but felt irritated seeing miles dissipating quicker than the actual miles traveled

It certainly calmed my nerves, except when DH lets it fall below 10%.

 

[FastEddieB]

I used to make a D.C. to S FL trip pretty regularly.

I found I-95 so tedious that I would often take I-81 so as to follow the Appalachians for much of the route. Less congestion, and far more scenic. Adds some miles and time, but worth it for me. Superchargers are plentiful along that route.

 

[GordJ]

Switched from miles to percentage. Any hint of range anxiety gone. We were able to install a TWC four months before the car arrived and got the tax credit. Keep the car at 50% SOC at home. Four long distance road trips this year. Never an issue with SC's. Met some really nice peeps - had interesting convos with ICE peeps asking about EV's (#1 question: "Ahh, how far can you go when ya charge?" - #2 question: "Ahh, how much does it cost to charge your car?") I'm sure that y'all have had the same questions while plugged in. As I said, met some nice people that made the trip a bit more enjoyable. Amazing how accurate the trip planner can be.
FastEddieB: Agree with your take on I-81. BTW- I-77 and 19 through WV "shore is a perty ride" if you're heading that way.