First road trip in your MX

[Mark Z]

After careful consideration, I am leaning heavily towards using the Escalade for the CA to PA dash across country. My previous post gives the major reasons. Read: First road trip in your MX

Looks like the first long road trip in the MX will take place later in the summer, after the older vehicle gets heavy usage.

When Model 3 becomes the cheaper vehicle, then the entire equation changes. The California insurance industry needs to change the way they do business so safer expensive vehicles are given the cost break they deserve at insurance premium time.

 

[steve56]

Man I was really hoping to use the x as our family road trip car but I think we will be waiting to buy one until the range is at least comparable to my model s p85. I have a hard enough time with that where I almost don't want to take it if it's longer than a 300 mile road trip. Those stops add up real quick especially with young kids. We want a model x so badly, I drove one for a half a day, it feels like my model s did 2 years.... Driving in the future! Fingers crossed for a 110kwh in 6 months,

Hope you guys love your cards. They're awesome.

Seems like the people here must be experienced road warriors. The ONLY way i'd ever want to do any trip over 300 miles is to stop for a 20 minute leg stretch every 2 to 3 hours, so the Tesla is perfect for me! I've done lots of trips up and down the west coast in my Tesla between Anaheim and Portland. I'll be embarking on my second round-trip from Anaheim to Missouri this Saturday. Last time I did it in my MS P85D, this time it will be in my new MX P90D. I can't imagine driving that far, about 1800 miles each way, without a stretch every 2 to 3 hours plus about 3 or 4 overnight stays along the way. I have no complaints that I'll be stopping every 125 to 175 miles along the way for a few minutes.

 

[David_Cary]

Model S driver here.

But I'm surprised no one has mentioned it - that trip planner is crazy conservative. I've blasted along at 70 mph when it says slow down to 55 mph. I doubt the X one is any different.

The P90X with 22 inch wheels is possibly the worst range car that Tesla sells (hyperbole I know). I haven't followed X data as much but EPA rating may not punish the 22 inch wheels enough. Given the small difference between 90X and P90X, I am guessing the tires were 20s.

Has anyone done the range testing with different speeds? EPA rating is not great here as the average speed is low. The NJ poster complaining about time would have been best served by never exceeding 65 mph, more air in the tires (especially since it was cold and they were probably low), and not charging all the way to top. His 9 hour trip probably would have been 12 instead of 14 with some tips.

70D here and never have I gone less than 200 miles on a charge and 250 is perfectly doable.

 

[EcoHeliGuy]

Ya leaving home fully charged can negatively effect your whole trip. Hitting that first supercharger closer to zero can have a trickle down effect for every other stop. Assuming you route is entirely supercharger supported.

 

[ohmman]

Ya leaving home fully charged can negatively effect your whole trip. Hitting that first supercharger closer to zero can have a trickle down effect for every other stop. Assuming you route is entirely supercharger supported.

I generally agree, except in the case that it allows you to skip the first Supercharger. That is how I am typically able to plan it. Then, you can do that first longish jaunt when you're fresh, and the more regular stops after you've been on the road a while.

 

[Coolcarx]

Model S driver here.

But I'm surprised no one has mentioned it - that trip planner is crazy conservative. I've blasted along at 70 mph when it says slow down to 55 mph. I doubt the X one is any different.

The P90X with 22 inch wheels is possibly the worst range car that Tesla sells (hyperbole I know). I haven't followed X data as much but EPA rating may not punish the 22 inch wheels enough. Given the small difference between 90X and P90X, I am guessing the tires were 20s.

Has anyone done the range testing with different speeds? EPA rating is not great here as the average speed is low. The NJ poster complaining about time would have been best served by never exceeding 65 mph, more air in the tires (especially since it was cold and they were probably low), and not charging all the way to top. His 9 hour trip probably would have been 12 instead of 14 with some tips.

70D here and never have I gone less than 200 miles on a charge and 250 is perfectly doable.

I tried everything possible to get 212mi (Somerset to Allentown,PA) on a full charge. It warned I would not make it. So I drove to Hagerstown and then to Allentown, 153mi. I only charged it to about 210range which took over an hour. I arrived in Allentown SC with -12miles. I may be taking the trip again soon. The conditions will be much better with warm temps and a new charging station in Harrisburg. I'll let you know how it works out.
Here is an example of what happens when you need to fully charge to get to the next station. I plug in around 11:18 with 40mi left. I unplug without being fully charged at 1:10. That is almost 2 hours! Now, if I had less than 40 miles left which happen on my trip and needed a full charge it’s over 2hrs of wait time. I fully understand now the key is to charge about 80% and go. Unfortunately I learned the hard way. With more superchargers this problem is gone.

 

[xkwizit]

Ya leaving home fully charged can negatively effect your whole trip. Hitting that first supercharger closer to zero can have a trickle down effect for every other stop. Assuming you route is entirely supercharger supported.

@EcoHeliGuy - please educate me/us on why leaving home fully charged is detrimental to the entire trip?

 

[loganintx]

@EcoHeliGuy - please educate me/us on why leaving home fully charged is detrimental to the entire trip?

He explains it in his 2nd sentence. Car chargers faster when battery SOC is closer to 0%.

 

[xkwizit]

After careful consideration, I am leaning heavily towards using the Escalade for the CA to PA dash across country. My previous post gives the major reasons. Read: First road trip in your MX

Looks like the first long road trip in the MX will take place later in the summer, after the older vehicle gets heavy usage.

When Model 3 becomes the cheaper vehicle, then the entire equation changes. The California insurance industry needs to change the way they do business so safer expensive vehicles are given the cost break they deserve at insurance premium time.

@Mark Z - the insurance premium increase based on at fault accident is an interesting factor. And I am not trying to impose my thoughts on you, for me the safety of a Tesla would be the overriding factor when planning a long trip like you are. There will be other concerns such as availability of charging facilities en route and additional time added to travel but personally for me the insurance on the car will be much lower factor to consider when planning a road trip.

 

[xkwizit]

He explains it in his 2nd sentence. Car chargers faster when battery SOC is closer to 0%.

@loganintx - I get that the car charges faster when it is closer to zero and then slows to a trickle above a certain percentage. And there are other threads where experienced Tesla owners explain how to make the best use of supercharging network, but I still don't understand how charging full when at home or at an overnight stop with destination charging would be detrimental to the trip.

 

[ohmman]

@loganintx - I get that the car charges faster when it is closer to zero and then slows to a trickle above a certain percentage. And there are other threads where experienced Tesla owners explain how to make the best use of supercharging network, but I still don't understand how charging full when at home or at an overnight stop with destination charging would be detrimental to the trip.

I think the idea is that if you charge fully, you'll arrive at the first supercharger with a higher SOC than is optimal. And in some cases, you may not be able to skip that charger, so you're charging at high SOC, then arriving to the next one with a high SOC, etc. Daisy chain effect. I feel like you pretty much mitigate that by only charging as needed at the first Supercharger, and you'll be right back on track. So I agree with you, it's not a concern.

 

[xkwizit]

See these threads that really help understand how best to use the supercharger network:
How to plan a road trip - how long will it take?
How to save a lot of time on long trips

 

[gfb107]

The trick to minimizing time waiting to charge on a road trip is NOT arriving at a each SuperCharger with a low SOC.
The trick is to not spend time waiting for charge that you don't need to reach the next SuperCharger (+ a small buffer)

Let's say your 1st SuperCharger is 150 miles away, and the 2nd SuperCharger is 120 miles past the first, and you like a 10 mile buffer.

If you leave home with 220 miles of charge, you arrive at the 1st SuperCharger with 70 miles of charge remaining, so you have to spend time charging from 70 to 130 for the 2nd leg.

If you leave home with 160 miles of charge, you arrive at the 1st SuperCharger with 10 miles of range, so you need to charge from 10 to 130 for the 2nd leg. Think of it as the time to charge from 10 to 70 followed by the time to charge from 70 to 130.

The time to charge from 10 to 70 is shorter than the time to charge from 70 to 130 because of the lower starting SOC, even though in both cases you're adding 60 miles of charge.
You arrived at the supercharger with less charge, so you have to spend more time charging because you need more charge to reach your target SOC (130)

Now consider the charging before you left home. If you did it while you were having dinner, packing, and sleeping the time to charge from 160 to 220 was not wasted because you weren't just waiting.

However, if you did it at a SuperCharger and waiting, the time to charge from 160 to 220 would be significantly longer than the time spent charging the next day at the 1st SuperCharger charging from 10 to 70. At least double, maybe quite a bit more. It's still the same 60 miles of range, but it is much more expensive in terms of time.

Moral of the story: If you're waiting while charging, only charge as much as you need to get to your next stop (+ a small buffer). If you aren't waiting, keep on charging!

Of course we should be considerate of other travelling Tesla owners, so don't hog the SuperCharger if it is crowded and you have enough charge for your next leg. Don't make someone else wait for a charge you don't really need.

 

[Mark Z]

@Mark Z - the insurance premium increase based on at fault accident is an interesting factor. And I am not trying to impose my thoughts on you, for me the safety of a Tesla would be the overriding factor when planning a long trip like you are. There will be other concerns such as availability of charging facilities en route and additional time added to travel but personally for me the insurance on the car will be much lower factor to consider when planning a road trip.

I agree. The Tesla would offer a better crumple zone than the Escalade. I also find it disturbing that there are no cost benefits with the insurance when driving the safest vehicle. However, the truck like qualities of the Escalade offer unique crash benefits in its design. I have used it for long road trips many times and appreciate the high profile seat position. Once the older vehicle has more 2016 usage, then I can enjoy using Model X for a long road trip without the insurance concern.

When comparing the length of time it takes to charge the Model S and the Model X, the extra time and stops required with Model X is another reason to leave it at home for this coast to coast trip. I posted the difference in the first half of the navigation calculations at this site:

Five Promised 200-Mile Range EVs That Won't Break The Bank - GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

I look forward to Model 3 that will offer great safety and better navigation calculations than Model S. The lower vehicle cost will help the insurance issue as well.

 

[xkwizit]

I agree. The Tesla would offer a better crumple zone than the Escalade. I also find it disturbing that there are no cost benefits with the insurance when driving the safest vehicle. However, the truck like qualities of the Escalade offer unique crash benefits in its design. I have used it for long road trips many times and appreciate the high profile seat position. Once the older vehicle has more 2016 usage, then I can enjoy using Model X for a long road trip without the insurance concern.

When comparing the length of time it takes to charge the Model S and the Model X, the extra time and stops required with Model X is another reason to leave it at home for this coast to coast trip. I posted the difference in the first half of the navigation calculations at this site:

Five Promised 200-Mile Range EVs That Won't Break The Bank - GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

I look forward to Model 3 that will offer great safety and better navigation calculations than Model S. The lower vehicle cost will help the insurance issue as well.

@Mark Z - well besides the crumple zone safety are other things too - rollover for example. With MX having a really heavy base, the chances of rollover decrease quite dramatically.

And yes, the concerns on charging time or finding a charging location are valid - just like they were when there weren't enough gas stations as compared to horse stables. It was literally easier for our forefathers to "park" the horse at the inn and feed it hay than to find a gas station.

However, I am very encouraged with the availability of charging stations - superchargers, destination chargers and ChaDeMo. We are planning a west coast trip from NorCal all the way to Victoria BC/Vancouver and based on information I have come across there are plenty of charging spots on the West Coast along I5. I think the biggest limitation was downtown Seattle but there also ChadeMo is available in plenty. The feedback I have received on this forum from people up north is pretty encouraging.

 

[Mark Z]

...besides the crumple zone safety are other things too - rollover for example. With MX having a really heavy base, the chances of rollover decrease quite dramatically...

Excellent point. I drive near the speed limit so rollover without the Tesla could be an issue if a quick turn was required to avoid an accident.

For three years I used Model S almost exclusively. Road trips from the LA area to OKC, Park City, Coeur d'Alene, and multiple trips to Vegas and Fremont with over 57,000 miles total have given me great pleasure enjoying the Tesla experience. I never want to return to a local ICE drive world. My decision to not use Model X for this trip is a disappointment due to the California insurance industry. The benefit will be saving about 6,000 miles of warranty, decreasing depreciation, and something I did experience by using the Escalade on the last Vegas drive: no waits to charge. I am thankful to have more than one vehicle that makes this possible. The old 2009 SUV only has about 48,000 on the odometer and it does have AM radio! A touch of retro for the Route 66 Mother Road.

 

[X Fan]

What a great long distance travel partner.....total trip time was almost 16 hours but with AP, seat comfort and great distributed AC arrived at our location with limited travel discomfort. Of course, charging breaks contribute to the wholesome feeling but I’d assign the travel comfort as the key factor. General thoughts:

• AP is your friend and does a wonderful job. Still a work in process as I found that it sometimes disconnected when traveling on I95 over short distance bridges in South Carolina ( the bumpiness of road probably was a contributing factor). Your fatigue is minimized and that’s important in long distance travel. A small vent: getting out of Florida is a nightmare from SW due to I-75, I-4 and I-95 near Jacksonville construction and South Carolina’s I-95 pavement is awful (and has been for years). Ga’s 3 well paved lanes make the trip on I95 very comfortable.
• Need K-Mtg.’s sunshade during direct sunlight in early/mid day heading East. Cabin is cool but would appreciate a little less sunlight.
• Seat comfort is wonderful. You won’t find another vehicle in the market today that provides such terrific long distance travel. I’ve said this in other Op’s but it gives you a train travel feel vs. a car.
• Road visibility is outstanding and allows you to anticipate travel in front of you.
• Road noise was tolerably low (my passenger seat window alignment fix helped tremendously) despite some imperfect road conditions.
• Average WH/miles was very good with no/low loss in early morning, lower temps highway segment (I-75 148 miles from Naples to Brandon, FL SC ran exactly at 100%, 104% of a 152 mile segment from I-95 to OIB, NC with the worst loss at 116% of actual miles at at 90+ temps in middle of day between Kingsland, Ga to Savannah, GA (see image file for exact trip averages)
• Overall, only 14% loss for 775 miles driven in mostly highway miles (in very high heat conditions). Comparatively, getting 460 mile average in my local driving over last couple of days.
• Was able to skip two SC’s (Orlando & St. Augustine) and found SC stops deserted as we were the only vehicle at each stop. Averaged 3.21 range miles added per minute. Favorite stops (in this order) were Savannah (covered parking and short, covered walk to terminal, great services) and Brandon (close to Starbucks with a Panera Bread in an adjacent mall for more food choices). Port Orange was a pretty area with lots of choices in mall area but it was a long walk to nearest restaurants (Olive Garden & Chucky Cheese) & rest rooms. There were plenty of other choices nearby but those would be inefficiently utilized since you would have to drive after charging to get to them. Also, Inclement weather would be a challenge though.
• X’s headlights allow for easy night driving in well-lighted interstates ( didn’t notice ghosting but perhaps roadway separation contributed to that) but is less desirable in darker/more rural areas. I’m assuming this was a design tradeoff to maximize battery/range miles but we found rural road traveling to be more difficult.

Stats:

 

[ohmman]

What a great long distance travel partner.....total trip time was almost 16 hours but with AP, seat comfort and great distributed AC arrived at our location with limited travel discomfort.

Thanks for the great report and data. I don't see Wh/mi listed there, but could potentially back it out from actual miles vs range miles. Did you collect that info as well?

 

[X Fan]

Thanks for the great report and data. I don't see Wh/mi listed there, but could potentially back it out from actual miles vs range miles. Did you collect that info as well?

Yes---I took pictures of screen at every stop....I’ll pull that together and post.....

btw: I purposely overstayed at the Santee SC since I knew that my OIB destination had only 120v charging at this time (could have left 30 minutes earlier). Fortunately, the local electric company (BEMC) just a installed J1772 30A unit on the beach (1/2 mile away) that got me back to 90% within 5 1/2 hrs. They also have installed fast DC charging about 10 miles away that I could access if needed. Once I got back to 90% my 4mph charging solution per night is sufficient for my local driving needs......amazing.

 

[xkwizit]

@X Fan - excellent report. That's the type of factual reports we would like others to also add to this thread. I requested the mods to make this a sticky so everyone can benefit from such data.