Fort Macleod to Missoula Montana

[Stinger1234]

Hi Everyone,
We are going to drive our Model S P85D from Calgary Alberta to Las Vegas at the end of June, we would like to go direct as possible and we are considering going from the Fort MacLeod supercharger to the Missoula Montana Supercharger which is outside of the range of the car. We have heard that you can recharge in Evergreen Montana enough to make it to the Missoula supercharger.
It would be great to hear from anyone that has done this. Any info would be appreciated.

TIA

 

[Rocky_H]

That's an interesting route. I haven't done that one, but I've done similar long gaps between Superchargers. This is the basic plan for these: check Plugshare.com for a place somewhere in the middle of the route that looks like a pretty good place to plug in for a couple of hours and has some place to eat within walking distance and make that your long lunch stop. Depending on how long you need to stay there, maybe bring a book or a show to watch on a tablet/laptop or something to keep yourself entertained.

I see several interesting listings on Plugshare along highway 2 near the Evergreen/Kalispell area. And there is someone's home 14-50 outlet in Hungry Horse, MT that they offer for free 24/7 that is near a couple of cafes where you could eat. I think you can't see the personal listings on Plugshare unless you have an account set up and are logged in.

And to figure out how long you would need to stop, I usually map the total route on www.evtripplanner.com without stops to see how many rated miles (or rated kilometers for the Canucks) that the overall drive will use up. Then you can figure out if you're starting from Fort MacLeod with XXX rated kilometers, how many extra you would need to refill in the middle to finish the rest of the distance.

 

[Stinger1234]

That's an interesting route. I haven't done that one, but I've done similar long gaps between Superchargers. This is the basic plan for these: check Plugshare.com for a place somewhere in the middle of the route that looks like a pretty good place to plug in for a couple of hours and has some place to eat within walking distance and make that your long lunch stop. Depending on how long you need to stay there, maybe bring a book or a show to watch on a tablet/laptop or something to keep yourself entertained.

I see several interesting listings on Plugshare along highway 2 near the Evergreen/Kalispell area. And there is someone's home 14-50 outlet in Hungry Horse, MT that they offer for free 24/7 that is near a couple of cafes where you could eat. I think you can't see the personal listings on Plugshare unless you have an account set up and are logged in.

And to figure out how long you would need to stop, I usually map the total route on www.evtripplanner.com without stops to see how many rated miles (or rated kilometers for the Canucks) that the overall drive will use up. Then you can figure out if you're starting from Fort MacLeod with XXX rated kilometers, how many extra you would need to refill in the middle to finish the rest of the distance.

Thanks for your helpful reply, we will subscribe to Plugshare and EV trip planner. We just have to get used to range anxiety!

 

[Rocky_H]

Thanks for your helpful reply, we will subscribe to Plugshare and EV trip planner. We just have to get used to range anxiety!

I've been 5 years with it and had a lot of interesting experiences, but I decided early on that I just never ever wanted to be "that guy" who let his electric car run out of energy and had to be towed, giving Tesla a figurative black eye. I just wasn't going to let that happen. And I've found that the car gives you plenty of informative timely data long in advance to let you make adjustments and driving decisions to adjust speeds in plenty of time to keep reasonable margins. So I shoot to start off any particular segment with at least 15% remaining, (more like 20-25% in winter), and then as I drive, I will make sure to keep it above 10% by slowing however I need to or turning down heat some. With those targets in mind, then it's not really like an anxiety. I just know the goals I have to stay ahead of.

 

[Rocky_H]

And don't feel weird about calling on that person's listing in Hungry Horse, MT. People list their outlets on Plugshare because they want to help other EV travelers in these kinds of hard to cross areas. I have been on both ends of offering and receiving personal charging outlet use, and it has been really good.

 

[Stinger1234]

Still trying to understand why Tesla routing doesn't choose to allow Fort MacLeod to Kalispell, it looks like it is within the range of the car unless elevation change uses more than I think.

 

[Big Earl]

In addition to EV Trip Planner, check out A Better Routeplanner

Calgary 100% 01:38 107 miles

Fort MacLeod, AB [Tesla] 47% 100% 01:19 $35 06:20
Max 44 mph 256 miles

Missoula, MT [Tesla] -3% 93% 01:07 $17.57 01:32 123 miles

Butte, MT [Tesla] 12% 72% 00:35 $9.19 01:40 114 miles

Lima, MT [Tesla] 12% 77% 00:40 $10.43 02:04 141 miles

Pocatello, ID [Tesla] 12% 63% 00:27 $10.76 01:19 93 miles

Tremonton, UT [Tesla] 12% 55% 00:21 $9.00 01:03 78 miles

Salt Lake City - S. State Street, UT [Tesla] 12% 62% 00:26 $10.43 01:07 83 miles

Nephi, UT [Tesla] 12% 85% 00:50 $15.44 01:23 115 miles

Beaver, UT [Tesla] 12% 66% 00:29 $11.44 01:19 104 miles

St. George, UT [Tesla] 12% 80% 00:43 $14.27 01:38 120 miles
Las Vegas 15%
394 Wh/mi 07:00 $144 21:07 1334 miles 28:07

That's the straight-through route without any charging between Fort MacLeod and Missoula. Charging in Kalispell for a couple of hours should get you there while being able to maintain a reasonable speed.

 

[Stinger1234]

In addition to EV Trip Planner, check out A Better Routeplanner

Calgary 100% 01:38 107 miles

Fort MacLeod, AB [Tesla] 47% 100% 01:19 $35 06:20
Max 44 mph 256 miles

Missoula, MT [Tesla] -3% 93% 01:07 $17.57 01:32 123 miles

Butte, MT [Tesla] 12% 72% 00:35 $9.19 01:40 114 miles

Lima, MT [Tesla] 12% 77% 00:40 $10.43 02:04 141 miles

Pocatello, ID [Tesla] 12% 63% 00:27 $10.76 01:19 93 miles

Tremonton, UT [Tesla] 12% 55% 00:21 $9.00 01:03 78 miles

Salt Lake City - S. State Street, UT [Tesla] 12% 62% 00:26 $10.43 01:07 83 miles

Nephi, UT [Tesla] 12% 85% 00:50 $15.44 01:23 115 miles

Beaver, UT [Tesla] 12% 66% 00:29 $11.44 01:19 104 miles

St. George, UT [Tesla] 12% 80% 00:43 $14.27 01:38 120 miles
Las Vegas 15%
394 Wh/mi 07:00 $144 21:07 1334 miles 28:07

That's the straight-through route without any charging between Fort MacLeod and Missoula. Charging in Kalispell for a couple of hours should get you there while being able to maintain a reasonable speed.

Thanks for your help Earl, we are going to recharge in Kalispell making it the first stop after Fort MacLeod. then the rest of the journey should be straight forward.
Stop for one night in Pocatello ID. Then on to Vegas the next day.

Thanks again.

 

[Rocky_H]

Still trying to understand why Tesla routing doesn't choose to allow Fort MacLeod to Kalispell, it looks like it is within the range of the car unless elevation change uses more than I think.

There is no Supercharger in Kalispell. Tesla routing won't ever send you through a place for a charging stop that doesn't have a Supercharger, because it doesn't know if there is charging available there. But sure, if you find a place you want to go in Kalispell, you can set that address in Nav, and it will go there just fine.

That is why if there is a gap too large between two Superchargers, you will need to manually find your midpoint for stopping to eat and charge in between. The car's routing (or Tesla's routing on their website) can't figure that out for you.

 

[Stinger1234]

There is no Supercharger in Kalispell. Tesla routing won't ever send you through a place for a charging stop that doesn't have a Supercharger, because it doesn't know if there is charging available there. But sure, if you find a place you want to go in Kalispell, you can set that address in Nav, and it will go there just fine.

That is why if there is a gap too large between two Superchargers, you will need to manually find your midpoint for stopping to eat and charge in between. The car's routing (or Tesla's routing on their website) can't figure that out for you.

Sorry meant to say we will recharge in Missoula.

 

[Rocky_H]

I think I'm getting lost somewhere...

we are considering going from the Fort MacLeod supercharger to the Missoula Montana Supercharger which is outside of the range of the car.

Out of range...

Still trying to understand why Tesla routing doesn't choose to allow Fort MacLeod to Kalispell, it looks like it is within the range of the car

Yes, Kalispell is in range...

Sorry meant to say we will recharge in Missoula.

But you meant Missoula, which is out of range...

I'm missing this train of thought somewhere.

 

[kg7jo-]

Last time when we did the trip, we stopped by Hampton Inn in Kalispell for a night. they have a Tesla wallcharger and a J1772 charger on site. We called ahead at Missoula supercharger to make sure the charging stations at the hotel are available. It was a smooth trip.

 

[Rocky_H]

Will this route work?

A Better Routeplanner

Not without extra stops. The second step in that route is directly in one shot from Fort MacLeod to Missoula, MT, and it says that is 256 miles of real distance. The only reason it's even suggesting that is because I see in your routeplanner link, that you have it set to use the Model 3 rear wheel drive long range as the reference vehicle. That has an amazingly low consumption rate, which is why it's daring to show you that. You said you have a P85D, so it's not nearly that efficient and won't be able to make that jump straight through to Missoula.

*Edit* Oh, and one other addendum--because of using Model 3 as your reference instead of P85D, it thinks you can finish up direct from Beaver, UT to Las Vegas, skipping St. George, UT. That's probably not going to happen either. You can't skip that one.

 

[mrElbe]

Since it routes you vie Butte, Montana Supercharger anyway, forget Missoula and do what I did 2 weeks ago.
Charge fully at Fort MacLeod SC
Drive to south Lethbridge and top up at the Peavey Mart Sun Country J1772 ( 76A available )
Stay overnight at the Spring Hills Suites in Great Falls, Montana - 4 Tesla HPWC available at 80A
Drive south to Helena and top up at Suds Hut and Casino - 2 Tesla HPWC available.
Drive to Butte, Montana Supercharger

 

[DigAdrenaline]

Hi Everyone,
We are going to drive our Model S P85D from Calgary Alberta to Las Vegas at the end of June, we would like to go direct as possible and we are considering going from the Fort MacLeod supercharger to the Missoula Montana Supercharger which is outside of the range of the car. We have heard that you can recharge in Evergreen Montana enough to make it to the Missoula supercharger.
It would be great to hear from anyone that has done this. Any info would be appreciated.

TIA

I've done it a few times. Mine is a 100d, but I've only done it in the winter (Texas was actually the very first drive on my car right after we picked it up, which was crazy and frustrating, but ended well). Here's my advice.

Take 15 down, and head for Butte rather than Missoula. As you head down I15, there are several options for you, so you're safer.
1)There's a Super8 in Conrad where you can charge with a UMC in a 14-50. It's a decent hotel, pretty cheap, clean and convenient.
2) If you can make it to Great Falls, Spring Hill Suites is a fantastic place for the night. It's a big step up over the Super8, but that also shows in price, which you exchange for a much better charger and hotel.
3) Suds Hut in Helena has OK food, and has had a charger for forever, so I go there just to support their company. REALLY friendly staff, and clients don't ICE the chargers, which is nice.
4) You should hit Butte from there easily and then it's Superchargers all the way.

If you go the other way, there are several options in Whitefish and Kalispell, but I'm not familiar with them yet.

You'll want to install Plugshare on your phone to help you find charging stations. Over time, if you travel, it will save your bacon. Set the filter to just show Tesla, J1772, and Superchargers. You can plan a trip either on the Plugshare or EVTripPlanner.

 

[Yeega]

Hi Everyone,
We are going to drive our Model S P85D from Calgary Alberta to Las Vegas at the end of June, we would like to go direct as possible and we are considering going from the Fort MacLeod supercharger to the Missoula Montana Supercharger which is outside of the range of the car. We have heard that you can recharge in Evergreen Montana enough to make it to the Missoula supercharger.
It would be great to hear from anyone that has done this. Any info would be appreciated.

TIA

We just drove up from Missoula to Fort McCleod via Kalispell/Glacier in a M3 LR RWD (w/ Aero hubcaps). We weren't sure we could make it through Glacier without a little extra so we drove to Kalispell, intending to top off there at the Electric Co-op; they were really friendly and while we were charging (about 10 minutes), a staff member suggested we drive to Whitefish instead and charge in the city parking garage while having lunch, so that's what we did. The extra 30 miles of charge in Whitefish gave us confidence to make it to Ft M. It was about 70 degrees, we were driving about 65 mph, and in retrospect could have made it without the stopover, with about 30 miles to spare, but it was worth the piece of mind.

 

[Yeega]

In addition to EV Trip Planner, check out A Better Routeplanner
Hi, Earl, thanks for your encouragement. As you may have seen, we drove from Winnemucca through Butte to Missoula, then to Fort McLeod, stopping in Whitefish for a top off of 30 miles just to make sure we could make it. We did, with about 50 miles to spare. M3 LR RWD. We are now heading west from Calgary to Vancouver, via TCH. Beautiful trip, although we have picked up one small spider on the windshield, and some tiny dents here and there from the road work.

Calgary 100% 01:38 107 miles

Fort MacLeod, AB [Tesla] 47% 100% 01:19 $35 06:20
Max 44 mph 256 miles

Missoula, MT [Tesla] -3% 93% 01:07 $17.57 01:32 123 miles

Butte, MT [Tesla] 12% 72% 00:35 $9.19 01:40 114 miles

Lima, MT [Tesla] 12% 77% 00:40 $10.43 02:04 141 miles

Pocatello, ID [Tesla] 12% 63% 00:27 $10.76 01:19 93 miles

Tremonton, UT [Tesla] 12% 55% 00:21 $9.00 01:03 78 miles

Salt Lake City - S. State Street, UT [Tesla] 12% 62% 00:26 $10.43 01:07 83 miles

Nephi, UT [Tesla] 12% 85% 00:50 $15.44 01:23 115 miles

Beaver, UT [Tesla] 12% 66% 00:29 $11.44 01:19 104 miles

St. George, UT [Tesla] 12% 80% 00:43 $14.27 01:38 120 miles
Las Vegas 15%
394 Wh/mi 07:00 $144 21:07 1334 miles 28:07

That's the straight-through route without any charging between Fort MacLeod and Missoula. Charging in Kalispell for a couple of hours should get you there while being able to maintain a reasonable speed.

 

[Fishy Fish]

I don't have a Tesla, but have been following the forum with interest for some time. It seems that a possibly better route from Calgary to Missoula would be to skip HWY#2/Fort MacLeod Supercharger and instead go via #22 to Sparwood or Jaffray BC where there are free BC Hydro DC fast chargers available, then cross at Roosville. Looks to be about 60km further than going through Fort MacLeod and Evergreen via google maps, but with a fastcharger stop (maybe not as fast as a Supercharger?). 22 is a much nicer drive than 2 is as well. Calgary to Jaffray is 347km and Jaffray to Missoula is 362km.

With each of those two BC hydro locations having only one spot though, there's a risk of having to wait (From Plugshare checkins neither appear to be getting much use however. Probably more on weekends with Calgary traffic and none of that would stop in Sparwood most likely). Alternatively one could lunch/top up in Fernie with the free level 2 charger at city hall downtown. Jaffray and Sparwood aren't the most interesting of stops, though neither is Fort MacLeod.

ps - I realize the OP is probably already in Vegas. For the drive back then perhaps.

 

[DigAdrenaline]

I don't have a Tesla, but have been following the forum with interest for some time. It seems that a possibly better route from Calgary to Missoula would be to skip HWY#2/Fort MacLeod Supercharger and instead go via #22 to Sparwood or Jaffray BC where there are free BC Hydro DC fast chargers available, then cross at Roosville. Looks to be about 60km further than going through Fort MacLeod and Evergreen via google maps, but with a fastcharger stop (maybe not as fast as a Supercharger?). 22 is a much nicer drive than 2 is as well. Calgary to Jaffray is 347km and Jaffray to Missoula is 362km.

With each of those two BC hydro locations having only one spot though, there's a risk of having to wait (From Plugshare checkins neither appear to be getting much use however. Probably more on weekends with Calgary traffic and none of that would stop in Sparwood most likely). Alternatively one could lunch/top up in Fernie with the free level 2 charger at city hall downtown. Jaffray and Sparwood aren't the most interesting of stops, though neither is Fort MacLeod.

ps - I realize the OP is probably already in Vegas. For the drive back then perhaps.

Welcome to the forums. Glad to have you here.

 

[Fishy Fish]

Welcome to the forums. Glad to have you here.

Thanks,

Still have lots to learn.

Realized this afternoon that DC fast chargers in Sparwood and Jaffray would only work for those with Model S and X that also have a ChaDemo adapter. For those that do though, or when adapters come available for the 3, it seems heading South from Calgary or Edmonton they would be able to avoid an overnight hotel and slow charge by skipping Fort MacLeod and stopping for an hour or so in Sparwood at ~250km/hr charge rate if I'm correct. Slightly slower roads though, but more mountain scenery.