I-44 OKC to I-70 East Charging Plan?

[reach]

I-44 Between OKC and I-70 East Charging Plan?

Need advice as to how to travel in my P85D in stretch on I-44 from OKC supercharger and I-70 East with nearest next Supercharger on route Effington. I am going on a longer trip, but this stretch of I-44 that connects I-40 with I-70 is a gap in the Supercharger network.
Anyone driven this route? What do you recommend?​

 

[FlasherZ]

There is a new supercharger going in at Catoosa, OK (Tulsa), which is in the permit stages and should be installed very soon. You're then about 260 miles from the Independence, MO location.

Tesla has a destination charger at the Candlewood Suites in Joplin, MO, but it's only 40A, so 30 rated miles per hour. Perhaps this might be a place to stay overnight, or you'd have to call them to see if you could spend 2 hours or so here to gain the ~60 miles additional range necessary to make it to Independence. It adds a bit to the drive to go up to I-70 and then a bit southeast from there, but it is what it is.

Eventually, they'll install a SpC at Springfield, MO or so, and that would get you to the St. Charles, MO SpC directly up I-44.

 

[reach]

Sadly, Tulsa Supercharger is just in permitting, not even in construction yet.
The OKC to Candlewood Suites in Joplin, MO is pushing my range limit. The P85D only has a maximum rated range of 250 miles or so, so it may not make the trip. Has anyone out there actually taken this trip?
You are recommending going straight north on I-49 from Joplin MO to Independence MO Supercharger and picking up I-70 east there.
The other choice is to continue on I-44 northeast from the Joplin MO Candlewood Suites 40 amp HPWC and drive the next 70 miles or so to the Hotel Vandivort 80 amp HPWC in Springfield and max fill there, and then risk risk going 230 miles on I-44 to the St. Charles SC. Has anyone done this?
Would like to read a response from someone who has actually driven these routes. Have you done it, Flasher Z?

There is a new supercharger going in at Catoosa, OK (Tulsa), which is in the permit stages and should be installed very soon. You're then about 260 miles from the Independence, MO location.

Tesla has a destination charger at the Candlewood Suites in Joplin, MO, but it's only 40A, so 30 rated miles per hour. Perhaps this might be a place to stay overnight, or you'd have to call them to see if you could spend 2 hours or so here to gain the ~60 miles additional range necessary to make it to Independence. It adds a bit to the drive to go up to I-70 and then a bit southeast from there, but it is what it is.

Eventually, they'll install a SpC at Springfield, MO or so, and that would get you to the St. Charles, MO SpC directly up I-44.

 

[jerry33]

There is a friendly Tesla owner in Bristow, OK with an HPWC find them on PlugShare.

 

[Jdcleary]

There is a friendly Tesla owner in Bristow, OK with an HPWC find them on PlugShare.

Good advice! I have stopped in Bristow a couple of times and they have an 80 amp.

 

[FlasherZ]

Would like to read a response from someone who has actually driven these routes. Have you done it, Flasher Z?

No I haven't. I've done enough long distance driving to know how to find charging options, but have not driven that route. Good luck in your quest.

 

[efusco]

Sadly, Tulsa Supercharger is just in permitting, not even in construction yet.
The OKC to Candlewood Suites in Joplin, MO is pushing my range limit. The P85D only has a maximum rated range of 250 miles or so, so it may not make the trip. Has anyone out there actually taken this trip?
You are recommending going straight north on I-49 from Joplin MO to Independence MO Supercharger and picking up I-70 east there.
The other choice is to continue on I-44 northeast from the Joplin MO Candlewood Suites 40 amp HPWC and drive the next 70 miles or so to the Hotel Vandivort 80 amp HPWC in Springfield and max fill there, and then risk risk going 230 miles on I-44 to the St. Charles SC. Has anyone done this?
Would like to read a response from someone who has actually driven these routes. Have you done it, Flasher Z?

Beware that I only got about 18 amps on the HPWC at the Vandivort in Springfield. There is also a new HPWC at the Houllihan's in Springfield, but the leg from SGF to St. Charles Supercharger is not for the faint of heart. I've done it many times (or similar), but in winter it can be daunting...be prepared to be cold, drive slow and draft behind trucks to be sure to make it. It is hilly interstate. It is easier to make the drive from SGF to STL than the other way around due to the altitude change and usually having a tail wind.


If you need to top up along the STL/SGF leg on I-44 there is a HPWC that will give you about 32amps at a hotel in St. James, but you are supposed to be a guest. They were kind enough to let me use it once in the past without being a guest (we bought some St. James Winery wine from the gift shop), but they give priority to guests (not that they have many with Teslas).

Happy to offer specific advice on this route if you'd like, but I think the OKC->Joplin, Joplin->Independence would ultimately be faster (even if a little farther) and a lot safer.

 

[Rocky_H]

Or, you might possibly consider taking the all Supercharger route. Just mapping out the distances from OKC to St. Charles on Google Maps, the direct route on I-44 all the way is 504 miles, but is going to be extra hours of slow charging. Going to Joplin and then up to Independence and then East to St. Charles is 599 miles. Taking the all Supercharger route North to Wichita, Topeka, and then East is 576 miles. So that's actually shorter than going to Joplin, isn't a bad distance difference from the completely direct route, and the drive will be easy and worry-free.

 

[reach]

Beware that I only got about 18 amps on the HPWC at the Vandivort in Springfield. There is also a new HPWC at the Houllihan's in Springfield,...

If the HPWC in the Vandivort Hotel is listed in the Tesla directory as 80 amps, how is is possible you only got 18 amps? Will you please reconfirm this? Perhaps you meant 18 kW, which is normal (220 volts and 80 amps) gives about 18 kiloWatts. This yields approximately 50 miles of range per hour of charging. Someone needs to call the Vandivort and say its installation needs re-doing if its HPWC is only delivering 20 percent of what it should.

 

[efusco]

If the HPWC in the Vandivort Hotel is listed in the Tesla directory as 80 amps, how is is possible you only got 18 amps? Will you please reconfirm this? Perhaps you meant 18 kW, which is normal (220 volts and 80 amps) gives about 18 kiloWatts. This yields approximately 50 miles of range per hour of charging. Someone needs to call the Vandivort and say its installation needs re-doing if its HPWC is only delivering 20 percent of what it should.

Nope, 18 amps. I posted a picture on the Plugshare web site of my Tesla app while charging there. There are lots of the Destination chargers that say "up to 80 amps", but don't really have that. The one in St. James says up to 40 amps, but is only 32. I'm curious about the one at the Vandivort as well. One possiblity is that whomever set up the HPWC put it on a 100amp circuit, but then didn't properly set the dip switches inside the HPWC.

I can go back there one day, maybe, and check it out and see if I can help them trouble shoot, but I'm on Holiday next week and don't anticipate having time this week.

 

[FlasherZ]

Nope, 18 amps. I posted a picture on the Plugshare web site of my Tesla app while charging there. There are lots of the Destination chargers that say "up to 80 amps", but don't really have that. The one in St. James says up to 40 amps, but is only 32. I'm curious about the one at the Vandivort as well. One possiblity is that whomever set up the HPWC put it on a 100amp circuit, but then didn't properly set the dip switches inside the HPWC.

I can go back there one day, maybe, and check it out and see if I can help them trouble shoot, but I'm on Holiday next week and don't anticipate having time this week.

That's what I thought, too - but 18 wouldn't match any of the DIP switch settings. If you find out, let us know. If you use VisibleTesla (or other API access tools), you might let us know what pilot current is reported too.

 

[efusco]

That's what I thought, too - but 18 wouldn't match any of the DIP switch settings. If you find out, let us know. If you use VisibleTesla (or other API access tools), you might let us know what pilot current is reported too.

I have had too many issues and quit using VisibleTesla and am not smart enough for the other API programs! I'll try to report back in a new thread if/when I have a chance to go by there.

Of note, when I looked on Plugshare last night, there are a bunch of new HPWC Destination chargers in Springfield now...I can think of 9 off the top of my head now. Some are extremely strict about restricting to hotel guests/patrons, others don't appear to be quite as strict.

- - - Updated - - -

Just had a thought regarding the Vandivort.... It was a valet kid who plugged me in, I wasn't around when he did it and it was the first time he'd seen the Tesla. I wonder if the charging cable was not fully seated and the car limited the amperage. I've had that happen before when not completely plugged (that flashing yellow LED on the charge port). I was thinking that was usually limited to 13 amps, but maybe it's 18? Does that sound right to anyone?

 

[FlasherZ]

Just had a thought regarding the Vandivort.... It was a valet kid who plugged me in, I wasn't around when he did it and it was the first time he'd seen the Tesla. I wonder if the charging cable was not fully seated and the car limited the amperage. I've had that happen before when not completely plugged (that flashing yellow LED on the charge port). I was thinking that was usually limited to 13 amps, but maybe it's 18? Does that sound right to anyone?

Could be, but that's 16A. Maybe it was misread on the app given the font?

 

[efusco]

Could be, but that's 16A. Maybe it was misread on the app given the font?

Just rechecked, it was 16 amps...that must be it!

 

[FlasherZ]

Just rechecked, it was 16 amps...that must be it!

Indeed, that's it. And the "/80A" means 80A pilot current, so it should be good.