How to plan a road trip - how long will it take?

[ChadS]

In 2010 there were indeed closer electric outlets, but the closest charging station (EVSE) was 700 miles away. And it was indeed no better than a household outlet, as it was a 120V Chargepoint unit at a brewing company in Chico, CA. When I arrived, they told me I was the first one to use it. I got about 4 miles while I ate dinner with a friend.

So as Jerry said, I had to use RV parks to get there; at 240V 40A they were considerably more help than a 120V EVSE. But still too slow - so several Roadster owners called businesses and got them to install 240V 70A Roadster chargers.We had that network covering I-5 from Canada to Mexico in 2011. I drove my Roadster to various points in California about twice a year, so those chargers were really handy.

I didn't get to use a Supercharger until January 2013.

 

[IanMcL]

Today I was up early and on the road, in the fog. 160 miles later, I charged up a chunk at Keele services northbound and used the facilities. I them hopped to Charnock Richard and boosted for another 20 mins, whilst eating sandwiches and having a drink. Did some messages too.

Drove to Burnley for the match, parked up in good time. Good win and then escaped the traffic and drove back to Keele for one big charge, whilst I used the facilities and devoured a KFC. Now been home some time and all is well. Electric all free, so journey cost nothing. My Autopilot drove the motorway and dual carriageway, which was needed, as I was tired on the way home. The occasional nod did not matter.

So pleased I upgraded in December. I have a built in driver, enforced rests and am kept safe and sound. All at no ongoing cost! A great Tesla day.

 

[jerry33]

Anyone used app EV Trip Planner and if so is that the best one to use in car? I am picking up my Model S in October and need to plan out my trip. This will be my first EV funny how people think I would look at Nissan or Volt nothing compares to Tesla, not even close.

The best thing to use in your car is the display. EVTripplanner is for before you start the trip to plan the route.

 

[IanMcL]

The best thing to use in your car is the display. EVTripplanner is for before you start the trip to plan the route.

A better route planner.....is better.

 

[Hotrodder]

When planning a vacation or overnight road trip.... YOU MUST stay at a destination hotel/inn or be very close by a local charger. Otherwise, you may be 30 minutes away from charger at 11 pm and planning to go on a long road sightseeing trip next day and have to delay 2-4 hours to charge!!! Overnight charging is a must.

 

[Bighorn]

When planning a vacation or overnight road trip.... YOU MUST stay at a destination hotel/inn or be very close by a local charger. Otherwise, you may be 30 minutes away from charger at 11 pm and planning to go on a long road sightseeing trip next day and have to delay 2-4 hours to charge!!! Overnight charging is a must.

Haven’t done that once in over 5 years and many miles.

 

[jerry33]

Haven’t done that once in over 5 years and many miles.

Agreed. Staying where there are charging facilities is a nice to have, but not a requirement.

 

[jerry33]

A better route planner.....is better.

Any particular reason? Mostly I use EVtripPlanner just to get an idea of the driving time to someplace i"ve never been (e.g. 20 hours, 50 hours, etc.). On the road, I just use the Nav system. If I've been there (or anywhere near there) before, I just get in the car and drive using the Nav system. Years ago when there were few or no Superchargers, you did need to plan a bit. Now, it's more get in and drive.

 

[IanMcL]

Any particular reason? Mostly I use EVtripPlanner just to get an idea of the driving time to someplace i"ve never been (e.g. 20 hours, 50 hours, etc.). On the road, I just use the Nav system. If I've been there (or anywhere near there) before, I just get in the car and drive using the Nav system. Years ago when there were few or no Superchargers, you did need to plan a bit. Now, it's more get in and drive.

I check the alternatives, via ABRP, in advance, so I have a good idea what happens, when I start with more or less E. In the car, I use the sat nav and just make sure it is planning the best option. Sometimes it doesn't!

 

[HankLloydRight]

Haven’t done that once in over 5 years and many miles.

Agreed. Staying where there are charging facilities is a nice to have, but not a requirement.

Same here. I do one or two long road trips per year (for the last 5 years) and I don't think I've done intentional 'overnight charging' other than a few times when it just ended up that way (like stopping in Santee, SC). I usually pick a convenient hotel between superchargers, then the next morning, get in the car, drive 30-60 minutes to the next SC, plug in, and get breakfast. The car is usually full long before I'm done breakfast. Overnight charging is definitely not a requirement, and even less so as more and more SCs are added.

 

[Russell]

When planning a vacation or overnight road trip.... YOU MUST stay at a destination hotel/inn or be very close by a local charger. Otherwise, you may be 30 minutes away from charger at 11 pm and planning to go on a long road sightseeing trip next day and have to delay 2-4 hours to charge!!! Overnight charging is a must.

I agree, Superchargers are not always close by or convenient.
If you need to be somewhere the next morning and you don't want to make the family wait while the car charges then overnight charging is a must.

 

[EdA]

I drive from Boston to Philadelphia (300 miles) roughly monthly...
To break up the trip I'll leave after dinner on Thursday or Friday (to avoid
traffic) and stay at a hotel in Tarrytown, NY which has a supercharger in the parking lot.
When I wake up in the morning I supercharge while getting ready and then I'm on my way...
And from there it is an easy two hours...

 

[Babaron]

I just finished a 1000 mile road trip from Sarasota Florida to Dayton Ohio. Some calculations may be of help.

When I Did a similar long road trip with my 2014 S85, I averaged about 50 mph when factoring in charging stops. This is what most Tesla people were getting at the time. When I did a long road trip to the same destination in Florida earlier this year, I averaged 70 mph in a gas powered car.

With my new 2019 S 100 D, I am happy to report that I averaged 60 mph. This is due to a combination of longer range, more careful planning, drafting, and faster supercharging stations. I planned the trip without the use of the computer to maximize my travel distance between charging stops. I also stopped charging when the navigation system said I would have 5% at the new destination, even though it wanted me to charge more. I invariably had between 10 and 17% left because I drove more efficiently than the computer anticipated. I made four charging stops over the 1000 mile trip.

Even though I drove about 80 mph most of the time, the drive was more efficient because I drafted behind vehicles for the majority of this distance.

Overall, very happy with the car and the more efficient driving. I anticipate in the next couple of years, we will see average speeds rise very close to those of gas powered cars.

 

[Bighorn]

I just finished a 1000 mile road trip from Sarasota Florida to Dayton Ohio. Some calculations may be of help.

When I Did a similar long road trip with my 2014 S85, I averaged about 50 mph when factoring in charging stops. This is what most Tesla people were getting at the time. When I did a long road trip to the same destination in Florida earlier this year, I averaged 70 mph in a gas powered car.

With my new 2019 S 100 D, I am happy to report that I averaged 60 mph. This is due to a combination of longer range, more careful planning, drafting, and faster supercharging stations. I planned the trip without the use of the computer to maximize my travel distance between charging stops. I also stopped charging when the navigation system said I would have 5% at the new destination, even though it wanted me to charge more. I invariably had between 10 and 17% left because I drove more efficiently than the computer anticipated. I made four charging stops over the 1000 mile trip.

Even though I drove about 80 mph most of the time, the drive was more efficient because I drafted behind vehicles for the majority of this distance.

Overall, very happy with the car and the more efficient driving. I anticipate in the next couple of years, we will see average speeds rise very close to those of gas powered cars.

The 100 kWh battery can take about 35 more kWs of power than the 85, so it charges much quicker. The Model 3 is better still, especially given the superior efficiency, so owners are seeing 65 MPH averages over long distances. The 250 kW chargers will widen the gap even more until the S gets 2170s.

 

[Zapped]

I just finished a 1000 mile road trip from Sarasota Florida to Dayton Ohio. Some calculations may be of help.

When I Did a similar long road trip with my 2014 S85, I averaged about 50 mph when factoring in charging stops. This is what most Tesla people were getting at the time. When I did a long road trip to the same destination in Florida earlier this year, I averaged 70 mph in a gas powered car.

With my new 2019 S 100 D, I am happy to report that I averaged 60 mph. This is due to a combination of longer range, more careful planning, drafting, and faster supercharging stations. I planned the trip without the use of the computer to maximize my travel distance between charging stops. I also stopped charging when the navigation system said I would have 5% at the new destination, even though it wanted me to charge more. I invariably had between 10 and 17% left because I drove more efficiently than the computer anticipated. I made four charging stops over the 1000 mile trip.

Even though I drove about 80 mph most of the time, the drive was more efficient because I drafted behind vehicles for the majority of this distance.

Overall, very happy with the car and the more efficient driving. I anticipate in the next couple of years, we will see average speeds rise very close to those of gas powered cars.

What distance did you typically travel behind a vehicle to get an effective drafting result. ?

 

[Babaron]

I drove the majority of the 1000 miles on autopilot with the distance setting at 1. Not sure exactly what distance that is but I would say about 2 or 3 car lengths.

 

[Bighorn]

That said, unless it’s an emergency range situation, drafting is dangerous and deleterious to your paint and windshield.

 

[jerry33]

I drove the majority of the 1000 miles on autopilot with the distance setting at 1. Not sure exactly what distance that is but I would say about 2 or 3 car lengths.

Using seconds is more informative than car lengths. How many seconds would you say there was between you and the vehicle in front of you. (should be three seconds minimum).

 

[Babaron]

I have full front PPF. As far as safety, I agree it was closer than I would normally drive behind another car, and it certainly takes a lot of focus to anticipate slow downs. I would say the distance was about 2 to 3 seconds, only a little closer than most others were driving. It was still within my comfort zone. It would be interesting to see, if anyone knows, exactly how far Tesla’s number 1 setting does follow at 75-80mph.

That said, I certainly would not recommend anyone to drive any closer than he/she is comfortable, as it is definitely more dangerous, as Bighorn said. I was simply sharing my experience as a point of interest as far as what to expect when driving long distances in a Tesla. More charging stops is a small price to pay to increase safety.

 

[juliusa]

Re-reading the first post was a nice reminder of how things used to be. Hard to believe we actually used L2 chargers on trips. Now even superchargers with the older cars seems slow!