-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
How slow would I have to drive...
- Thread starter daniel
- Start date
To maximize the range of any car drive it on flat ground, not too fast, windows closed, a/c off. In addition, an electric car uses battery power for heat, so using heat will eat some range.
It's a very real consideration for an electric car that charging opportunities are not as common as gas stations. With a Tesla, you can drive pretty much anywhere on the main highways thanks to the supercharger network. But if, like me, you want to go into the boonies, it's a good idea to find the charging spots beforehand, and know the distances you'll be driving and the range of the car. If this will crimp your style, or if you cannot plug in at home (e.g. street parking) than, sadly, an EV probably won't meet your needs. The more people buy EVs (and there are long waiting lists, so the manufacturers are going to sell every car they can build for some years into the future) the more businesses will install chargers, and the easier it will be to get around in an EV, making them more appealing to folks who could not deal with the inconveniences at present.
The potential of this car is enormous. The charging network away from the main highways is just starting to be built.
And start out going down hill as fast as possible while in neutral (yeah I know that's illegal some places) to minimize hotel load and maximize kinetic energy once you reach the bottom.
Hey, pardon me but I want to get back to your trip!
On the way to Revelstoke you have two feasible options:
However, getting home is a very different issue. The Model 3 should be able to drive home from Burton, all you need is a full charge on the day you leave Burton. If you can leave your car plugged into a 120v15A outlet whenever it's parked in the Burton area you might be fine, otherwise I'd look to stay the night in Nakusp and charge at the L2 there while spending the night in a Hotel nearby (there's a few with in a 3 block radius. Alternatively stay in the Nakusp Municipal Campground if you have a tent. They have 10 sites with electrical hookups, just be sure to get the correct adapter ahead of time! Driving Nakusp to Spokane is 236 mi and 5h. Driving Burton to Spokane via Kelowna is 363 mi and 8h21m driving, SuperCharging time not included! I'd rather a 5hr day than a 9hr day. That would for sure make me look into spending the night in Nakusp!
On the way to Revelstoke you have two feasible options:
- drive 243 mi to Kelowna, about 5h20m. Charge at the Supercharger, say 20m. Then drive 123 mi to Revelstoke, another 2h35m. Total time: 8h15m; 7h55m spent driving, 20m charging.
- drive 305 mi straight to Revelstoke in 7h05m. Stop in Trail and grab a charge at their 80A Tesla charger, should be able to add 44 mph of charging. One hour of charging while eating should be sufficient, but more can be done if your usage has been high to this point, let's say 90m charging (66 miles of range added). Backup plan if Trail charger is unavailable is the L2 chargers in Castlegar and Nakusp. Total time: 8h35m; 7h05m driving, 1h30m charging.
However, getting home is a very different issue. The Model 3 should be able to drive home from Burton, all you need is a full charge on the day you leave Burton. If you can leave your car plugged into a 120v15A outlet whenever it's parked in the Burton area you might be fine, otherwise I'd look to stay the night in Nakusp and charge at the L2 there while spending the night in a Hotel nearby (there's a few with in a 3 block radius. Alternatively stay in the Nakusp Municipal Campground if you have a tent. They have 10 sites with electrical hookups, just be sure to get the correct adapter ahead of time! Driving Nakusp to Spokane is 236 mi and 5h. Driving Burton to Spokane via Kelowna is 363 mi and 8h21m driving, SuperCharging time not included! I'd rather a 5hr day than a 9hr day. That would for sure make me look into spending the night in Nakusp!
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
Joking aside, driving slowly will maximize range and driving at high altitude in mild weather also helps a lot — fewer air molecules to push out of the way reduces the energy lost to drag.
Tesla gives a lot of help for road trips by calculating the estimated remaining charge at the destination in real time (and plotting it on the energy use graph). This estimate fluctuates with driving conditions. If the estimate is falling, slowing down will stabilize it (and the car will warn you to stay below a certain speed). Charging to a buffer of 20% or more (the beginning estimate of charge remaining at the destination) will usually be enough. With my small battery car I often can't do that, so I try to keep the car with an estimated charge level at the destination of 5% or more. When that number is falling, the easiest way to fix the problem — save for finding a closer charging station — is to just slow down. That makes a HUGE difference in energy consumption per mile.
Once you try it, this stuff becomes quite easy. I've had cases where I hit a big unexpected headwind and had to slow down a lot to make my next Supercharging Station. I discovered that when I see the estimated charge at destination drop, it helps to slow down a little right away, rather than wait until later and end up having to slow down a lot. One experience of driving at 50 mph in an 80 mph zone, thanks to a headwind, taught me that lesson. Better to drive at 75 most of the way than blast along at 80 only to have to do 50 near the end to make the destination.
FWIW — most of my Tesla miles are on long road trips.
And start out going down hill as fast as possible while in neutral (yeah I know that's illegal some places) to minimize hotel load and maximize kinetic energy once you reach the bottom.
Reminds me of hippies in old VW Bugs, putting the car in neutral and zooming down hills at breakneck speed to save on gas, then using the kinetic energy going back up the other side until they had to put the car in gear. No, I never did this. I never owned a VW. But I had friends who did this.
Thanks for that analysis. Basically you are arguing that the shorter distance, longer trip time is the better choice because the drive is more scenic and avoids the traffic around Kelowna. While acknowledging that Kelowna offers a more secure route because of the supercharger. I have never been to Kelowna. The direct route is the one I've always taken, and while it is scenic, it can also sometimes be frustrating because of traffic on the two-lane roads. And the uncertainty at the ferry, though it's a really beautiful spot to wait.
The trip home from Burton is a bit more complicated. Leaving home I can start as early as I'm willing to get up, typically first light. At Burton I will not be parked in town. (I'm not sure there's even actually a town.) I will be parked out in the middle of nowhere, where we get picked up for the trip up a horrid logging road to the trailhead. I will leave there after getting out from the lodge, and with a couple of hours to charge, I would not get home before dark. I don't drive after dark if I can possibly avoid it.
Since I'll have to spend the night somewhere, I need to research what's available. Those little towns typically have one J1772 plug. Since it can take several hours for a car to charge from empty, if someone is there before me there might as well not be a plug at all.
