COrental
Member
That would be my choice too, but the CEO of the house thinks camping is a Super 8 motel.Or this... it's folds up, takes little space, has no effect on range and no problems charging the car:
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Initial trailer pulling report - 90D and Airstream 22ft Bambi Sport
- Thread starter JimVandegriff
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- Model X
I'm sitting at the Butte, Montana supercharger right at the moment after driving 40 miles from Deer Lodge with a 1000 ft elevation gain (to 5530+ft). Energy use at 55 mph was 706 wh/m which was significantly higher than the flatter land 575 wh/m the previous day. Brilliant conclusion of the day: elevation gain affects energy use. We are onward to Bozeman (81miles) in a few minutes.
How have you felt about your pace? Obviously it was well planned in advance, but I'm curious about the reality of it. I could see it feeling slow with an itch to speed up, or also freeing you from thinking about speed since you've got hard limits anyway. So maybe it's more relaxing.
I must admit that those 80 mph speed limit signs here in Montana want to make me speed up! However, we are moving along at a brisk 55 mph these days.
Today's 148.1 miles was instructive. We did the first 39.9 miles of Deer Lodge to Butte with a thousand foot elevation gain at 706 wh/m. We skipped the Bozeman supercharger on the way to Livingston, MT and did the next 108.1 miles at 500 wh/m over two mountain passes but with a 300 foot total elevation drop. Total trip today was 148.1 miles at 555 wh/m and total energy use of 82.2 KWh (right about a single full charges capacity.) We also got to explain the car to people who approached us while charging and to meet Gary, the first Tesla model S owner in Montana, which was fun.
We may unhitch and do a drive toward Yellowstone tomorrow but we need to check the weather.
We pressed our personal driving limit time today.
Today's numbers: 36.7 miles from Livingston, MT to Big Timber supercharger at 60 mph used 618 wh/m. (400 ft elevation loss)
Big Timber to Billings 82.2 miles at 55 mph used 549 wh/m. Total distance was 119.8 miles. My experiment with speed and similar terrain showed that 60 mph used roughly 69 wh/m more than going 55 mph. Thus a 9% speed increase yielded a 12.5% increase in energy use per mile.
Total energy use today was 68.3 kWh for the 119.8 miles. If you assume a total of 81 kWh available then possible mileage on a charge was 142 miles.
Big Timber to Billings 82.2 miles at 55 mph used 549 wh/m. Total distance was 119.8 miles. My experiment with speed and similar terrain showed that 60 mph used roughly 69 wh/m more than going 55 mph. Thus a 9% speed increase yielded a 12.5% increase in energy use per mile.
Total energy use today was 68.3 kWh for the 119.8 miles. If you assume a total of 81 kWh available then possible mileage on a charge was 142 miles.
These data are great!!! Thanks for the update
Couple of questions.
Have you noticed any obvious deterioration of the total battery capacity especially since you are charging to 100% frequently?
Do you think the total wh/m takes account for the HVAC, electronics, usb, 12v usage, etc. or just the drive motors?
Do you think there is a significant watt loss when the car is parked?
Thanks for your work
Hi, Jim,
I admire the journey you are making and the opportunities you are taking to educate everyone along the way and here in the forum about the practical reality of Model X for towing and the general abilities of Teslas and EVs. I feel strongly that the visible example you're setting at RV parks, Superchargers and along the trip are doing a world of good to get "ordinary" people thinking about the virtues of electrified transportation. I'm sure you're opening many eyes!
One question: I notice that you are making a lot of "extra" charging stops because of the energy required to move the trailer and to change elevation. Do you find these extra stops at all frustrating? Or is it a natural part of the way you would like to be doing your trip anyway?
Thanks,
Alan
I admire the journey you are making and the opportunities you are taking to educate everyone along the way and here in the forum about the practical reality of Model X for towing and the general abilities of Teslas and EVs. I feel strongly that the visible example you're setting at RV parks, Superchargers and along the trip are doing a world of good to get "ordinary" people thinking about the virtues of electrified transportation. I'm sure you're opening many eyes!
One question: I notice that you are making a lot of "extra" charging stops because of the energy required to move the trailer and to change elevation. Do you find these extra stops at all frustrating? Or is it a natural part of the way you would like to be doing your trip anyway?
Thanks,
Alan
We stopped in at an Ace hardware store in Billings today to get some screws and brackets to fix a few issues in the trailer. My wife opened a falcon winged door to get her camera (to take a photo of the biggest pile of sugar beets we had ever seen by the sugar factory) and out of the store came 5 employees eager to know about the car. We had a good 2 minute conversation including talking Billings supercharger and we could tell that this made an impression on them. We also talked X to a state park ranger as we toured the Pictograph Caves state park. For us this trip is in major part about being ev evangelists, as well as collecting and disseminating data about our X and towing.
We are still getting used to how far the X will actually go pulling the trailer between charges, and neither of us like cutting it too thin, so we have ended up stopping for charging more than absolutely necessary. Since we haven't been over this terrain previously we are being cautious. We are also aware of how much time we want to drive in a day to feel like the trip is fun, and not a grind.
Looks like a major downpour is scheduled for tomorrow so plans may be changing!
We have not noticed any battery deterioration at this point. When we get home in two months or so, we will back off to the standard 90% charge.
We have been using air conditioning or heating most of the time so the data I'm getting should be read with that in mind.
I do notice 1 to 3 miles of battery loss a night if not plugged in. I'll check this for certain tomorrow.
We will be heading down the road in the rain tomorrow so more interesting data is to come. We are staying in Garyowen (sp?) and hope to see the Little Big Horn battle national monument on Friday, before heading to Sheridan, Wyoming.
Today's ugly report: RAIN! We decided to attempt our planned trip today despite the heavy rain in order to get some rain data. The heavy rain in Montana and Wyoming led to a rather nerve wracking drive through the higher elevation passes in southern Montana and northern Wyoming. The trip from Garryowen Montana to charge at the Sheridan Wyoming supercharger was 68.5 miles. We used 47.6 Kwh at 695 Wh/m. The four stall supercharger had one end open to parking spaces so we could pull the trailer in front of three chargers and leave one open for any other Tesla drivers. The next leg from Sheridan to Buffalo, Wyoming was 36.1 miles at 743 Wh/m. Thus totals for the day were 104.6 miles primarily at 50 mph and averaging 711 Wh/m. This is far more than the 575 Wh/m on more level and dryer ground.
There were parts of the passes where vehicles (big trucks) had worked grooves into the pavement on the interstate and water was rushing down these grooves like a stream. I tried to stay out of the grooves but it was difficult. We had intended to travel further today, but decided to stop in Buffalo, Wyoming and call it a day. A side note for Longmire fans: some town shots of Buffalo are used in the town sequences of the show, but it is mostly filmed in New Mexico. Darn, and I was hoping to meet Robert Taylor and Kaytee Sackhoff while here.
We did get a big honk from a passing Tesla S just as we were entering Buffalo, which was fun. We are onward to Casper, Wyoming tomorrow, hopefully in the sun, after a steakhouse dinner tonight (extremely unusual for us.)
Rain on I-90
There were parts of the passes where vehicles (big trucks) had worked grooves into the pavement on the interstate and water was rushing down these grooves like a stream. I tried to stay out of the grooves but it was difficult. We had intended to travel further today, but decided to stop in Buffalo, Wyoming and call it a day. A side note for Longmire fans: some town shots of Buffalo are used in the town sequences of the show, but it is mostly filmed in New Mexico. Darn, and I was hoping to meet Robert Taylor and Kaytee Sackhoff while here.
We did get a big honk from a passing Tesla S just as we were entering Buffalo, which was fun. We are onward to Casper, Wyoming tomorrow, hopefully in the sun, after a steakhouse dinner tonight (extremely unusual for us.)
Rain on I-90
cmc5dc
Member
I'm curious, was that a bit of an incline given the elevation (4725 feet) and 1735 wh/m usage? What would you estimate the hill grade to be?
Today's easier travel and weather report - 110.7 miles from Buffalo, WY to Bar Nunn, WY (near Casper) with clear skies and at 50mph to make sure we made it cause it had no chargers in between. We used 62.9 Kwh at 569 Wh/m, despite some high passes, which is pretty close to our average for this speed. We saw lots of pronghorn (antelope) amidst the sheep and cattle country, learned some about the open range cattle vs sheep rancher battles of the 1880's as well as the aftermath of the Little Big Horn battle and Cheyenne Indian removal from this area. Tomorrow we are headed for Wheatland, WY to camp cause we can't make Cheyenne from this distance.
Bar Nunn, WY to Wheatland, WY : 114.5 miles, 54.5 Kwh used, at 476 Wh/mile! I need more testing of my hypothesis that using the A/C greatly increases wh/m but today with temps in the high 60's, we did not use the A/C but only the fans, and the energy use stats were remarkably lower than I was expecting. We did not lose altitude today, so more experimentation is needed. Tomorrow we enter Colorado after a stop at the Cheyenne, WY supercharger where I see that my trailer should feel right at home (charger is in a parking lot with an RV dealer.)
Rural Wyoming today
Rural Wyoming today
Phil Seastrand
Member
I think this is true regardless of towing. Now that we're starting to see cooler weather here in Northern California, my wh/m is going down significantly.
We had a great time with the RV salespeople in Cheyenne. They were far more interested in the Airstream than in the Tesla, and one of them had just been on a tour of the Airstream factory. They were more than happy to watch our rig while we went to have lunch in the mall.
Today's stats: St. Vrain state park, CO to Limon, CO for a total of 116.8 miles using 64.4 Kwh at 551 Kwh/mile. We had the AC on about 1/2 the time and the energy use climbed by at least 10% (probably more) while it was on, but it is hard to separate that out from terrain. We had about 60 miles left on battery charge, or about 30 on the trip estimation screen.
We started out closing up the camper to travel at about 8:45 am (putting everything away internally and disconnecting water, power, sewer hose, car charging cable, and raising the jacks), and we finished our travels with a grocery shopping expedition here in Limon before we unhooked. We finished unpacking the trailer, putting on the hoses, jacks, charging, etc at about 1:45pm, so all in all the day's travels took us 5 hours which is about the max we like to do.
There is a supercharger in Limon, but we simply went to the RV park and are charging there instead. Tomorrow we head for Goodland, KS and the High Prairie museum (and maybe a movie night at the theater to watch Sully). Our X and the trailer are doing fine, but I'm having difficulty not washing the dirt off daily (frowned upon by RV parks).
We started out closing up the camper to travel at about 8:45 am (putting everything away internally and disconnecting water, power, sewer hose, car charging cable, and raising the jacks), and we finished our travels with a grocery shopping expedition here in Limon before we unhooked. We finished unpacking the trailer, putting on the hoses, jacks, charging, etc at about 1:45pm, so all in all the day's travels took us 5 hours which is about the max we like to do.
There is a supercharger in Limon, but we simply went to the RV park and are charging there instead. Tomorrow we head for Goodland, KS and the High Prairie museum (and maybe a movie night at the theater to watch Sully). Our X and the trailer are doing fine, but I'm having difficulty not washing the dirt off daily (frowned upon by RV parks).
Well, it has been quite the week of travel and exploration. We are staying at the Gunsmoke RV park in Dodge City, Kansas at the moment, after spending the day at the Boot Hill Museum and Cemetery yesterday. Generally, I have found the museums on this trip fascinating, each telling the story of their region, and each attempting to present a view from both the settlers viewpoint, and the native viewpoint as well.
We received our 8.0 update yesterday morning in Garden City, Kansas, and I'm impressed with it. The trailer (Airstream Bambi 22 ft) has been doing admirably with only a glitchy grey water tank readout.
When making the reservation for this RV park, I ran into a problem related to pulling the trailer with a Tesla. The owner did not want us using two electric plugs at the RV park at one time. Usually I use the 50 amp circuit with the Tesla 14-50 adapter dialed down to 27 amps in the car, along with the 30 amp airstream power cord which only draws 15 amps unless AC is in use which is not the case at this time of year. I figure that I'm drawing far less power than the huge RV's that are so prevalent these days at rv places. I had to promise the owner that I would only use one plug at a time, so I'm juggling electric plugs (I need the trailer plugged in at night for my cpap to function, and in the morning for the breakfast coffee and toast). It works out easily enough, but it is so strange that people can't see the logic in the power draws.
Stats: Goodland, KS to Scott Lake state park, KS (losing 1000 feet in elevation) 98.4 miles, 455 Wh/m used. (PS Scott Lake is a great state park - it is the best site we have stayed at, has fascinating terrain, pueblo history, fishing, and hiking. If you are anywhere near southwestern Kansas it is a must see place to stay.)
Scott Lake to Garden City, KS, 55.0 miles at 592 Wh/m (why so much higher, I don't know). This is a beautiful drive through Kansas farmland, with corn and sorghum growing everywhere. We stopped in Garden City to visit my cousin Ray.
Garden City to Dodge City, KS, 44.0 miles at 599 Wh/m. The Boot Hill Museum, and reconstructed Dodge City main street are wonderful. We had a sasparilla at the Long Branch saloon of Gunsmoke fame.
We are heading to Pratt, Kansas tomorrow, then over to Wichita and a supercharger before heading into Oklahoma. By the way, it is hilarious to get these Tesla warnings in rural areas that you are almost too far from a supercharger to complete your trip, and that you had better plan a charge soon (when we are actually headed for an RV park to charge.)
We received our 8.0 update yesterday morning in Garden City, Kansas, and I'm impressed with it. The trailer (Airstream Bambi 22 ft) has been doing admirably with only a glitchy grey water tank readout.
When making the reservation for this RV park, I ran into a problem related to pulling the trailer with a Tesla. The owner did not want us using two electric plugs at the RV park at one time. Usually I use the 50 amp circuit with the Tesla 14-50 adapter dialed down to 27 amps in the car, along with the 30 amp airstream power cord which only draws 15 amps unless AC is in use which is not the case at this time of year. I figure that I'm drawing far less power than the huge RV's that are so prevalent these days at rv places. I had to promise the owner that I would only use one plug at a time, so I'm juggling electric plugs (I need the trailer plugged in at night for my cpap to function, and in the morning for the breakfast coffee and toast). It works out easily enough, but it is so strange that people can't see the logic in the power draws.
Stats: Goodland, KS to Scott Lake state park, KS (losing 1000 feet in elevation) 98.4 miles, 455 Wh/m used. (PS Scott Lake is a great state park - it is the best site we have stayed at, has fascinating terrain, pueblo history, fishing, and hiking. If you are anywhere near southwestern Kansas it is a must see place to stay.)
Scott Lake to Garden City, KS, 55.0 miles at 592 Wh/m (why so much higher, I don't know). This is a beautiful drive through Kansas farmland, with corn and sorghum growing everywhere. We stopped in Garden City to visit my cousin Ray.
Garden City to Dodge City, KS, 44.0 miles at 599 Wh/m. The Boot Hill Museum, and reconstructed Dodge City main street are wonderful. We had a sasparilla at the Long Branch saloon of Gunsmoke fame.
We are heading to Pratt, Kansas tomorrow, then over to Wichita and a supercharger before heading into Oklahoma. By the way, it is hilarious to get these Tesla warnings in rural areas that you are almost too far from a supercharger to complete your trip, and that you had better plan a charge soon (when we are actually headed for an RV park to charge.)
B8BB8B
Member
Airstream needs to partner up with Tesla to introduce a trailer with an intregrated 100+ battery in the trailer to double up power in the Tesla.
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