I Learned About EVs From That ...

[bonnie]

As more new Model S drivers hit the scene, I thought I’d start collecting the “What an adventure!!”, “I’ll never do THAT again”, and “lessons learned” stories so that we all can learn. (With a nod to FLYING Magazine’s long-standing column, “I Learned About Flying From That.”)

Let’s start it off with one of ChadS’ awesome posts about how to plan a roadtrip:

How to Plan A Road Trip / How Long Will It Take?​

Sometimes, with or without great planning, things still go wrong. And sometimes things go right.

• Worst Case Scenario
• Winter Ice Adventure
• A "Scary" Trip from Davis, CA to Los Angeles
• What I Learned on My Second Road Trip

Feel free to add a link to your story. It helps everyone.

 

[EchoDelta]

Sounds like a great idea (I'm a fan of that column) - would the list be well suited for a wiki page maybe?

 

[bonnie]

Sounds like a great idea (I'm a fan of that column) - would the list be well suited for a wiki page maybe?

We'll see how it goes. This is a good first step towards either that or a subforum.

 

[arremgee]

Great posts. We are learning a lot here. I think it's fair to say that it does take a little practice and research to be a successful EV owner Which is what some of the fuss regarding the recent NYT article has been (although, Elon's response article was pretty fantastic). You can't just drive 75 mph for hours at a time, with your warm and toasty cabin, and expect nothing to change. At least not yet. We didn't notice the effect on range as much with our ICE vehicles, because there is a gas station at every corner. We wait until our little gas light comes on and then pull over and fill 'er up. This would be the same scenario if there were level III charge stations at every corner. The Model S is the first car that has really demanded these type of chargers, particularly outside of a city. The Model S only really hit the streets in August -- six months ago! I know it's difficult at times and there are a lot of criticisms and critiques, but I think we're making great progress.

A helpful bit of information -- the 'rated range' at 265 means that your averageWh/mi is about 319. 'Ideal range' (which you can see if you change your settings) would be achieved at 283 Wh/mi. You can keep an eye on your energy chart and trip meters to see where your energy consumption lies compared to these. Personally, when the climate control is on (winter in Chicago) I have difficulty getting it below 380 Wh/mi, which is where all these difficult 200 mi road trips come in to play. Looking forward to spring.