How low have you gone?

[Pinot.Noir]

I looked for a thread on this, but didn't find one. Then again, my search was on my phone. Regardless, how low have you gone before recharging? I'm curious how daring some of you have been...have you gotten under 10 miles before charging? I ask because I actually had a nightmare about running to zero last night.....and I've never run below 90 miles!

 

[NikeWings]

I rolled off a fwy and into a SC at 6 miles, drafting behind a big wheeler for the last 10 miles or so, holding my breath and promosing I'd never do it again if I made it. Truckers are your BFFs in such situations.

 

[EVgeek]

I looked for a thread on this, but didn't find one. Then again, my search was on my phone. Regardless, how low have you gone before recharging? I'm curious how daring some of you have been...have you gotten under 10 miles before charging? I ask because I actually had a nightmare about running to zero last night.....and I've never run below 90 miles!

Commonly roll into SC with under 20 miles. I mostly do this is summer months where range is much more predictable. Watch the percentage estimate and try to hold that constant on long legs. I use app called inRoute to judge terrain on a particular leg. Elevation kills battery so add buffer in those cases.

 

[Pinot.Noir]

I rolled off a fwy and into a SC at 6 miles, drafting behind a big wheeler for the last 10 miles or so, holding my breath and promosing I'd never do it again if I made it. Truckers are your BFFs in such situations.

Dude, 6 miles? Holy crap! You must have been sweating bullets!

 

[NikeWings]

Dude, 6 miles? Holy crap! You must have been sweating bullets!

No kidding, and it was the desert SvC that told me I'd make it to the Cabazon SC with only 50 miles left, "no problem" .they said to me the newbie. LOL. The wind and grade chewed it up and I was definitely sweating bullet since I shut off the A/C too.

Quickly learned to always have a backup plan......and i can't say enough good things about those truckers!
I rarely drop below 50 now.

 

[johnnyS]

We were at 0 with a flashing "charge now" driving uphill when arrived at the Kingman supercharger in 2014. This was before the current software was released with more accurate trip predictions and greater distances between superchargers.

 

[Az_Rael]

4 miles on my first day of ownership. Rolled into a Level 2 charger at a mall and ate pizza while I got enough juice to get home. AAA was the backup plan

 

[Pinot.Noir]

We were at 0 with a flashing "charge now" driving uphill when arrived at the Kingman supercharger in 2014. This was before the current software was released with more accurate trip predictions and greater distances between superchargers.

Wow...speaking of nightmares! I can't imagine how stressed you were...you can't exactly walk to a Supercharger for a bucket full of electrons!

 

[ModelX]

7 miles today pulling into Beaver Utah; i was down to 45 miles/hr on the 80 miles/hr freeway!

 

[Pinot.Noir]

You guys are fricking crazy! Wow! Thanks for the real life data....very informative.

 

[xyeahtony]

i always pay attention between the actual miles to my destination and the rated miles remaining. If the gap is less than 10 miles i slow down, if the gap is larger i maintain speed and ignore the warnings to slow down.

7 miles is the lowest i've ever gone.

 

[hiroshiy]

0km left at Roppingi (Tokyo) supercharger in January 2016.

 

[ferdboyce]

I topped the Continental divide at Dulce NM with 143 miles "in the tank", and 132 miles to our Destination Charger in Santa Fe (and precious little in between) Made it with 9 miles in 'reserve'. That's what I love about our Teslas . . . when it tells you there's 30 miles 'in the tank', you can drive 30 miles, as long as you keep it around 295kWh. When my gas gauge used to hit the little red arc in the Lexus, I sweated . . . 'cause you knew that gauge was way too 'approximate' and your shoulder muscles would tighten up all the way to the next gas station.

I love my Model S.

 

[DB 2]

You guys are fricking crazy! Wow! Thanks for the real life data....very informative

You want crazy, check out this post. [I was kinda cheating (in more ways than one) but still...]

 

[kort677]

not by choice but I've rolled into a SpC after the warning charge now came on.

 

[jbcarioca]

Luckily I have never come lower than 15% SOC. However, in mountainous areas I have frequent seen my range disappear and have worried about exactly where I'd cross the diving line and begin to descend. A couple of times I have had a hard time finding my charging facility at the end of such trips, becoming nervous in the process. All that was during my first year of ownership. Since then the combination of much more plentiful charging and better understanding of my Tesla have diminished such issues. My last worrisome event was more than a year ago.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

Very first road trip, by myself...I rolled into Savannah with 6 miles left. I, too, was drafting semis the entire stretch from st Augustine. I had a 60 then, Ocala and Kingsland weren't yet in existence...and it was 171 miles. I had a couple of J1772s identified about midway as a backup, but as I was doing the math and passed the first, I calculated I'd arrive with 6 miles...so said to myself, "6 miles is pretty long...I'll be fine!"

That trip erased all range anxiety I might have had forever.

 

[Missile Toad]

First time I was under 10 RM at arrival, I had owned the car 3 days. Flat lands, occasional rain, 500 miles into my first leg of the trip. Piece of cake. Third time I was under 10 RM, I had owned the car 7 months, and was returning with wife and kid home. Got in with 1 miles -- and of course that was the trip which the Garmin navigation could give no guidance, on account I was driving on a road that was 18 months old... good times!

 

[Kickin]

Drove 10 miles at 0, I only got away with it because I have an unbalanced pack. THIS IS NOT RCOMMENDED, zero usually means zero. I could tell I had more range past zero because of the yellow dotted lines not limiting power all that much. I honestly expected to have to call a tow to the SC on a road trip. Poor planning on my part.

 

[Carl]

View attachment 230666 i always pay attention between the actual miles to my destination and the rated miles remaining. If the gap is less than 10 miles i slow down, if the gap is larger i maintain speed and ignore the warnings to slow down.

7 miles is the lowest i've ever gone.

+1. Pick a percentage, depending on weather, driving style etc: for me i't usually 120%, i.e. "typical miles" must be 120% of real miles and must remain 120% throughout the trip. Stick to that rule and you can usually ignore the energy graph and its warnings to slow down (it seems to change its mind every five minutes anyway). Of course if your destination is Alpe d'Huez than you will need to build in a buffer for the last climb, but otherwise the method works fine.