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

[bb95570]

Wow, the first part of this thread reads like a time capsule from the days when the SCs weren't as common. Fun! I agree the best advice is to break up the drive with charging stops. It's also healthiest-- you shouldn't be sitting for more than 2-3 hrs at a time anyhow... We also travel a lot with dogs, and doing a dog walk every 2-3 hrs suits the pups very well.

While I've done many trips to and from far northern CA to the Bay Area and back (only about 300 mi each way with lots of SCs on Hwy 101), in a couple weeks I'm about to do my first epic trip: Eureka CA to Rapid City SD to Denver back to Eureka. I've been looking at routes using EV Trip Planner and other tools (some of the SCs I will use are not in Tesla's Go Anywhere yet). We do have a destination charger at our first & last hotel in Winnemucca NV, but otherwise we'll be on SCs the whole way. I've done these drives previously in 2 days in an ICE car, which is nuts-- 12 hrs/day. We are spending 2 nights on the road this time-- I look forward to the slower pace of having to spend about 90 mins/day stopping to charge, stretching legs, walking dogs etc.

The route I've taken several times previously in ICE cars goes through Susanville, CA, which fortunately got a SC recently. The leg of the trip that gives me a little trepidation is from Weaverville CA to Susanville, due to the elevation changes-- Redding is like 600 ft and you have to climb near Mt Lassen at ~5600 ft to get over to Susanville, so we're talking a 155 mi leg with 5000 ft of climbing in the middle. Everything I'm seeing says it should be easily doable, but I'm going to charge above 90% in Weaverville to be sure (my car is at 284 rated mi with 100% SOC last time I checked). Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[EdA]

Best advice which is the hardest to live by: drive slowly that trip! Make sure tires are filled properly.

 

[lightningltd]

Wow, the first part of this thread reads like a time capsule from the days when the SCs weren't as common. Fun! I agree the best advice is to break up the drive with charging stops. It's also healthiest-- you shouldn't be sitting for more than 2-3 hrs at a time anyhow... We also travel a lot with dogs, and doing a dog walk every 2-3 hrs suits the pups very well.

While I've done many trips to and from far northern CA to the Bay Area and back (only about 300 mi each way with lots of SCs on Hwy 101), in a couple weeks I'm about to do my first epic trip: Eureka CA to Rapid City SD to Denver back to Eureka. I've been looking at routes using EV Trip Planner and other tools (some of the SCs I will use are not in Tesla's Go Anywhere yet). We do have a destination charger at our first & last hotel in Winnemucca NV, but otherwise we'll be on SCs the whole way. I've done these drives previously in 2 days in an ICE car, which is nuts-- 12 hrs/day. We are spending 2 nights on the road this time-- I look forward to the slower pace of having to spend about 90 mins/day stopping to charge, stretching legs, walking dogs etc.

The route I've taken several times previously in ICE cars goes through Susanville, CA, which fortunately got a SC recently. The leg of the trip that gives me a little trepidation is from Weaverville CA to Susanville, due to the elevation changes-- Redding is like 600 ft and you have to climb near Mt Lassen at ~5600 ft to get over to Susanville, so we're talking a 155 mi leg with 5000 ft of climbing in the middle. Everything I'm seeing says it should be easily doable, but I'm going to charge above 90% in Weaverville to be sure (my car is at 284 rated mi with 100% SOC last time I checked). Any advice would be appreciated!

I have made 2 trips around most of the USA in my 2013 S85 with no issues charging (Used only superchargers, except in Casper, WY which didn't have any yet)...
Both were 3 and 4 years ago:
Trinidad, CA to Kennewick Washington (101-199-5-84-82), took hwy 90 to detroit (with a stop in Casper WY), down to Knoxville Tennessee (hwy 75), then highway 40 to Los Angeles (with a stop in little rock), then back up to Trinidad. Was quite relaxing and enjoyable Did each one in 10-12 days with multi-day stops to see family. Hwy 40 (AKA route 66) was real cool.
Was kind of exciting going through Montana and South Dakota during thunder storm season. Even had to sit under a bridge to let a twister pass by on the second trip. First was in the middle of August.. Hotter than heck, but Tessie handled it just fine.

 

[bb95570]

I have made 2 trips around most of the USA in my 2013 S85 with no issues charging (Used only superchargers, except in Casper, WY which didn't have any yet)...
Both were 3 and 4 years ago:
Trinidad, CA to Kennewick Washington (101-199-5-84-82), took hwy 90 to detroit (with a stop in Casper WY), down to Knoxville Tennessee (hwy 75), then highway 40 to Los Angeles (with a stop in little rock), then back up to Trinidad. Was quite relaxing and enjoyable Did each one in 10-12 days with multi-day stops to see family. Hwy 40 (AKA route 66) was real cool.
Was kind of exciting going through Montana and South Dakota during thunder storm season. Even had to sit under a bridge to let a twister pass by on the second trip. First was in the middle of August.. Hotter than heck, but Tessie handled it just fine.

Wow, impressive tripping!! Similarly, my confidence is very high now after doing the trip I describe above (I had forgotten about posting this while researching long road trips...). The leg I was concerned about-- Weaverville to Susanville-- was absolutely no problem, except for the fact we decided to charge enough to skip Reno and make it to Lovelock NV. That meant hanging around the Susanville SC, which is at a smokey casino and is otherwise hot and dry outside so the dogs weren't very comfortable... I will probably avoid Susanville in the future or make sure I don't charge any more than I have to.

Aside from some scary cooling fan battery drain on I25 from Rapid City to Denver, the trip was otherwise uneventful as far as the car went. I even left the car plugged in on 110v/15 amp house current most of the time we were staying with family, and we were able to leave a week later with a full battery (and yes with plenty of driving in between...). The real wow moment was our desire to avoid Susanville on the way back and go through Hwy 36 and Red Bluff SC... it was so hot in Red Bluff, we wanted to get going, and all the apps said it was OK to leave with 80% battery and make it to Eureka... well, I was puckering most of the way, but sure enough, not only did I get to Eureka no problem, I made it home to Trinidad with like 12% battery remaining. Amazing!

 

[LonelyMS]

Guys, I found info that optimal highway speed suppose to be 70-75mph to get into the sweetspot zone with supercharging. And also try to hit the lowest possible battery % for faster initial charging.

But this was an old article where the new charging curve was not yet implemented. I wonder if because of this the optimal speed should be decreased? As my 2015 MS only chargers 100+ with % lower than 10%. Then it drops like a boss...

Your experience?

 

[Bighorn]

Optimal speed 10 years ago was ~78-82. It’s significantly higher now with quicker replenishment at superchargers and more aggressive BMS. Also better to avoid going too far into the SC power taper. I try to leave by 60% and hit more frequent stops. 80% and above is when you’re really wasting time and mainly appropriate for taxing legs or if you’re stopped for another reason like a meal or at your daily destination. I’d avoid going too low into the battery pack, something I did for years, for two main reasons. It unnecessarily taxes the battery and removes any buffer for a wrong turn or unknown detours. Basically, with all the improvements in battery preconditioning and energy projections, one can drive however they deem appropriate.

 

[GSP]

Optimal speed 10 years ago was ~78-82. It’s significantly higher now with quicker replenishment at superchargers and more aggressive BMS. Also better to avoid going too far into the SC power taper. I try to leave by 60% and hit more frequent stops. 80% and above is when you’re really wasting time and mainly appropriate for taxing legs or if you’re stopped for another reason like a meal or at your daily destination. I’d avoid going too low into the battery pack, something I did for years, for two main reasons. It unnecessarily taxes the battery and removes any buffer for a wrong turn or unknown detours. Basically, with all the improvements in battery preconditioning and energy projections, one can drive however they deem appropriate.

Optimal speed may be higher for *newer* cars, but @LonelyMS has a 2015 Model S. Last year, my 2015 S charged slower than when new, with 90 kW peak and quickly dropping to 70 kW and lower. It still charged faster than I stopped to eat and take restroom breaks, but optimal speed was probably lower, perhaps 70 mph.

GSP

 

[Bighorn]

Optimal speed may be higher for *newer* cars, but @LonelyMS has a 2015 Model S. Last year, my 2015 S charged slower than when new, with 90 kW peak and quickly dropping to 70 kW and lower. It still charged faster than I stopped to eat and take restroom breaks, but optimal speed was probably lower, perhaps 70 mph.

GSP

Oh, ok. True. My 2013 was severely hobbled by 300k miles.

 

[lwrider]

Mine lasted 6 hours driving straight

 

[lightningltd]

I leave when Tessie tells me, go the speed limit, and charge when and where she tells me. She's the boss