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How to save a lot of time on long trips

Discussion in 'Model S: Battery & Charging' started by David99, Nov 19, 2015.

  1. ShockOnT

    ShockOnT ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

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    We used to have an ad campaign in Australia with the slogan "Safe speeding .. there's no such thing".
    Used to drive me crazy, because the truth is that there's no such thing as "safe driving".
    There is a slight risk in operating a motor vehicle at any speed.

    The majority of road fatalities (at least here in Aus) are not speeding related. They are predominantly fatigue and intoxication, or just being a sh*t driver.
     
  2. NickFie

    NickFie Member

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    Tastes may vary, but this engineer/grandparent is still thrilled with the Model S after 2+ years and 36,000 miles. It is our first-choice road trip vehicle. Silent, smooth, powerful, capacious, inexpensive to run and ever-improving.

    A lot of good, innovative thinking went into these vehicles.
     
  3. Babaron

    Babaron Member

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    I have done a very similar road trip several times now with my 100D. I go between dayton Ohio and sarasota. It's a 1030 mile trip for me. I have found that driving for about 3 hrs and around 200 miles, I can do it with a total of 4 charging stops. I just get on the supercharger map and map out the stops along I 75. Let us know your experience.
     
  4. petechatelain

    petechatelain Member

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  5. petechatelain

    petechatelain Member

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    Hello, I am a new model s owner and appreciate this information. Thank you. I assume that sometimes, you arrive at a supercharger, only to find it crowded, ie A / B connectors, or many people waiting in line for a charger. Does this happen often? Cheers,
    Pete
     
  6. KArnold

    KArnold Member

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    Pete - depends where you live. I'm in Ohio and after 35k miles I have never had to wait for a SC slot.
     
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  7. Fredneck

    Fredneck Member

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    It happens. How often depends entirely on where you stop to charge. In California it is not an infrequent thing, but again, depending on which station you use. I ran into crowding problems in Maryland at one particular charger (the only one with problems for miles and miles) until they installed a new one about 25 miles away, now that one sometimes has crowding issues as well. Others in the area just don't see the same problem. Go figure.

    I would not find charging to be an issue other than the fact that I can't go quite long enough to make it a meal break. I would drive for four or five hours in my ICE before stopping for gas and a quick meal. In my X I have to stop after 3 hours because the car can't make it to the next charger which would be another 80 or 100 miles. Then I'm not really ready for a meal and the time is essentially wasted.

    I guess I could do a quick 15 minute charge and get enough range to make it to the next charger, but that just seems "wrong". lol So you need to not think like you are driving an ICE where you fill the tank every time you stop. If you let the car guide you it will have you stop more often for shorter times which keeps your charging rate in the highest range for shorter charging times... even if that's not the same as shortest stopping times. Oh well.
     
  8. Fredneck

    Fredneck Member

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    Not sure why it would tell you to charge for 40 minutes to cover the last 140 miles. BTW, your destination in Siesta Key is practically the same as Sarasota. Siesta Key has no Supercharger, so I assume it is your destination and not a charging spot. Will your hotel have a charger of any sort? A 1772 will do the job fine charging overnight. In fact the problem gets to be finding one available, so plug in early. lol It seems like hotels have figured out that level 2 chargers are very inexpensive and are going to be essential to attracting the somewhat more affluent portion of the population having EVs.
     
  9. Rocky_H

    Rocky_H Well-Known Member

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    Very location dependent. I've used 60 different locations across the country and never had to wait for a spot, and I've only seen a full site once, ever, in Silverthorne Colorado, where I got into the last place. But also, I have never been to any Superchargers in California, where most of the capacity problems are.
     
  10. Manitoba Keith

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    #310 Manitoba Keith, Jan 10, 2020
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2020
    Waco SuC.jpg I had to wait at the Waco, TX charger where there were 9 (of 10) chargers working and 12 cars. The nice thing was, once we got plugged in, it was right beside a wonderful bakery (Collin Street Bakery) that had really good food, excellent service and free coffee if you showed your Tesla key. I would plan to stop there again just to have a meal break at the bakery. That is the only full SuC that I found in my 7500 mile trip in December.
     
  11. David99

    David99 Active Member

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    I have driven a lot all across the country. Visited Over 300 different supercharger stations. Waiting is very rare on road trips. Even in California it is not common. Only in major cities like LA or San Francisco. But that's all stations that support local traffic. Thousands upon thousands are charging at Superchargers every day. No problems and waiting. No one writes about it, no forum posts. A few days out of the year some routes get busy and that when people post here. That gives the impression it happens a lot. It's called 'availability bias'.

    Even the busiest stations in Orange county are fine. Worst case you wait for a few minutes. Not a problem.

    The reduein charge speed that all old Teslas are suffering from is much worse. That affects everyone every time you charge at a Supercharger.
     
    • Like x 1
  12. cpa

    cpa Active Member

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    And it also slows down the turnover rate. A 30-35 minute charge now takes an hour.
     
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  13. David99

    David99 Active Member

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    True that's a good point. Because everyone has to charge longer, the supercharger is getting more crowded
     
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  14. Peter Lucas

    Peter Lucas Member

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    Here in southern California, despite the numerous supercharging stations, all bays full is common. It only rarely matters to me because 99.9% of my driving is done with electricity from my own garage.
     
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  15. antdun

    antdun Member

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    I just completed a nearly 6,000 mile road trip from Utah to Florida over the Christmas break and charged at 39 different superchargers without having to wait with one exception. In Albuquerque, NM only 2 of the 6 stalls were working, but I ended up only having to wait 5 minutes.
     
  16. maximizese

    maximizese Member

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    Do you think you're ease was due to driving at off-peak hours and off-peak days, going a less popular route, or just dumb luck? My wife and I pretty much stay put on 3-day weekend holidays and avoid peak travel days with a few exceptions. Generally we leave and return on a weekday during our road-trips to best avoid highway traffic, SuC traffic, destination traffic, and lodging rates are more favorable when the demand is down.

    We know to stay away from Napa, Ca during a spring to fall weekend. The highways are crowded, lodging is expensive, vineyards and restaurants are booked up, and generally there are more drunk drivers on the road.
     
  17. antdun

    antdun Member

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    Me not having to wait for a supercharger is likely just that I'm not driving through areas that have a LOT of Teslas like California. I drove from Utah to Florida on this trip, and back in June 2019 I drove from Utah to Illinois and both trips combined was 62 different supercharger stations and 85 different supercharging sessions and I didn't have to wait at any of them due to too many Teslas. In Bethany, MO I had to wait a couple minutes because there was a large dump truck pile of dirt blocking 2 chargers, plus a pickup truck pulling a large trailer was parallel parked across those 2 and 2 more supercharger spots. Then a Model X was charging and a motorcycle was parked in the remaining spot. Luckily the motorcycle left after a couple minutes so I could charge and in the meantime I tracked down the truck and trailer owner and sent him packing (firmly but nicely.) At the Altamonte Springs supercharger in Florida we didn't have to wait, but after 15 minutes someone else was waiting so we left as soon as we could, so that was a busy supercharger.
     
  18. Rocky_H

    Rocky_H Well-Known Member

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    :D Saw that comin'. It's funny how many Cali coast people think all Superchargers in the entire country are jam packed like the California ones are.
     
  19. cpa

    cpa Active Member

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    Well, I am not a California coast person. We live among the vines and orchards of the San Joaquin Valley. On my road trip to Cincinnati last May, Weatherford, Oklahoma was full. Cheyenne, Wyoming was full with two waiting (yes, only four stalls). Salt Lake City downtown was full at 8:30 AM. Louisville, Kentucky was half full the entire 35 minutes I was plugged in. Most locations had at least one other Tesla plugged in, and quite a few experienced one going and one coming during my stay. So, California's congestion is starting to creep east.

    With another year's worth of Model 3 on the road, and three or four months of Model Y hitting the road soon, I suspect that many of the heretofore mostly vacant Superchargers will start experiencing minor congestion more frequently as summer travel season kicks into high gear in another 15 weeks. Tesla can't build them fast enough!
     
    • Like x 1
  20. UNC2K3

    UNC2K3 Member

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    Port Charlotte, FL
    I'd be interested in learning more about your experience with charging and hotel destinations for this trip. I'm about to fly into Cincinnati next Thursday to pick up my car and drive it back home (Port Charlotte, FL). I bought a 2019 Model S Standard Range 285 estimated miles which I believe to be a Raven as the manufacture date is late Sept 2019. It was an inventory vehicle with 835 miles on it. This is a trip that I will probably make once or twice a year to go visit family. This will also be my first EV and first Tesla so I've been scouring the forums trying to learn as much as I can, but I'm definitely getting a little anxious over my first EV road trip. Any thoughts or suggestions on how to plan for maximum efficiency on this trip? I've been playing with A Better Route Planner, PlugShare, & Tesla's trip planner online, though the results are kind of all over the place.

    As far as the variables are concerned: I'm planning on leaving with a 90% SoC, top max speed of 85mph (but likely average 75-80), planning on getting a hotel in Georgia along the way, and would prefer to split up the trip in about (2) 10 hour days give or take. I have also been putting in SoC times around 10% for arrivals and 80% max charge.

    Any advice or suggestions you can send my way would be greatly appreciated!
     

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