When I travel to places for the first time, I always plot out the route with EVTripplanner and then print out the results to compare with the trip tab in the car. I also log actual versus expected data.
I carry a cooler that plugs into the 12V socket. Bottled water for driving and the occasional beer to pop open when I stop to Supercharge if I am in a remote location.
Perhaps a sandwich made at home before I leave.
I place the J1772 adapter in the tray between the seats in case I need it.
Paper maps too. I just do not like the limitations of the touchscreen or the tiny screen of my smartphone.
Second highly the .csv file from
EV Trip Planner, in particular for identification of unfamiliar legs with high net elevation. Charge to +20% to +30% for those. That means starting the trip with an estimated arrival percentage of 20% or more for those few but not infrequent legs, especially in the western US. Do not trust Nav blindly. Nobody wants to drive 45mph when the speed limit is 80mph.
And also agreed - a good national paper map along with regionals have proven surprisingly helpful.
Cuidado concerning use of the console 12V for a cooler - it will shut off after a half-hour of a person not being in the driver's seat.
I had cabling hardwired from the fusebox to just aft of the passenger seat with 2 x 12V ports. One powers an Engel 45-quart refrigerator or freezer (either but not both at the same time) - there are 2 variants, regular and marine - the latter has less metal and resembles a cooler. The 60-quart, if one has an X to handle the additional height, is both a refrigerator and a freezer at the same time (2 compartments).
Accept no substitutes - the Engel has exactly one moving part (swing compressor), comes in various sizes down to 17-quart, is a long-time favorite of long-haul truckers and expedition types worldwide, and uses less than 1kW/day of electricity while maintaining temperature under most circumstances within 1 degree 24/7.
An espresso maker is just a requirement of civilization, really. This will require a tray/basket to accommodate the associated accoutrements, including proper double-walled cups and your own coffee - none of those poseur pods.
Let's see... what else... (just finished a week in British Columbia/Alberta and a 72-hour run up to Idaho and back - about 6,500-7,000 miles altogether in less than 2 weeks). 2 months ago was another 7,000 miles or so from LA to South Dakota to Vermont and back, again in about 2 weeks. Average miles per day maybe 750, with the longest leg being 1,350 miles over 28-30 hours. I don't recommend the latter unless there are 2 of youse driving.
Shower shoes are helpful.
One of those blankets that stuffs into a small sack likewise,
along with eyeshades (the kind with the elastic string)
and a good massaging U-shaped travel neck pillow with lithium ion AA batteries and spares.
Oh - and a $9 windshield sunshade from Costco - fits well.
Coat hooks.
Gallons of windshield wiper fluid else a concentrate to add to distilled water, such as Rain-X concentrate.
Gallons of spring water since it's good to stay hydrated on the road.
Compact snacks for grazing throughout the day (e.g., Trader Ho's individual trail mix bags - else your own mix into baggies, depending upon how organized you are before trips).
Change for tolls west and south of Wisconsin, pretty much.
A go bag with a week's worth of clothes and such.
Laundry detergent (pods are compact).
A roll of quarters.
Canadian money - bonus points for it being so nice and colourful
Mexican money - not that we can take our chariots into Mexico yet without voiding our warranties, loan agreements, and insurance policies.
2 lawn chairs.
A good cap to block the glare through the pano at certain times
Sunscreen
Aloe for when you forget to put on the sunscreen
(some of the) Apps I use on the road:
Waze
Google Maps --> Reviews
Trip Advisor
Yelp
Tesla
Remote S
My Fitness Pal
Blackvue
HBO GO
Trucker Path
Decibel Meter (due to road noise and wind noise)
Wunderground
Plugshare
the hotel loyalty club app of your choice - I like Marriott and Wyndham
Kayak
The combination of good dashcams (pending whatever Tesla releases in this regard "soon"), a Bel(tronics) Pro 500 radar/laser detector, and Waze running whenever the car is have proven sufficient for both avoiding all tickets including the annoying revenue-generating kind, and for recording occasional intemperate behavior on the part of fellow citizens who tend to take their half of the road out of the middle and so forth.
Window tint is a must - Photosync being the best I've found so far - including on the windshield to reduce glare. Don't worry - it's essentially invisible at 75%.
Paint protection is likewise a must (unless you live in snow country - in which case the battle is already lost so no extra harm, no extra foul) - do yourself a favor and wrap the front end else accept that rock chips will come your way. I've used OptiCoat Pro Plus with good results but it's not a barrier wrap. To reduce the work necessary to remove chitinous carcasses endemic outside of SoCal, I'm going to try a coat of Nu Polish before the next road trip.
Anyway, it's a long list, but it all fits in the car with room for 2 people and their typical travel gear.
In the end, there's a sweet spot for the combination of efficiency (e.g., at minimum, 50mph gross time - so from the time you leave Los Angeles to the time you arrive in Portland, 1000 miles, 20 hours), comfort, nutrition, and financial sense.
