Is a 270 mile interstate leg feasible from a 100% charge?

[ratsbew]

I'm planning out a road trip between Columbus, MS and Oklahoma City. There is a 370 mile supercharger gap along I-40 between Little Rock and OKC.

Luckily there is a destination charger in Russellville, AR and we were planning on spending the night along the way anyhow.

My question is this: is it reasonable to do the 270 interstate miles on a 100% charge? I highly doubt I can do the 75mph speed limit along I-40 through Oklahoma. What speed should I trip plan at? 65mph steady?

We'll be departing around 6AM so Air Conditioner won't be running too hard.

 

[Unpilot]

In my Model S 100D with 335 range absolutely. Big caveat is temp and elevation change. Here in the Midwest where it is flat in the summer at 75 MPH with air on I get better than rated range. In the winter less than rated range.

Try this site to get a good idea.
A Better Routeplanner

 

[Shock-On-T]

Risky. Headwind will reduce range.

 

[ratsbew]

Yeah, I'm worried about the Oklahoma wind more than anything else. I think that 270 miles out of a 310 mile car should be doable as long as I'm not pushing the speed.

There is another destination charger in Shawnee just outside OKC that I could use as an emergency stop if it isn't looking good.

 

[Unpilot]

If the wind is not terrible you can look at the actually usage to get a good idea. I have found when I travel in the summer I always get better than rated range ...unless the wind is crazy. I always drive speed limit +5

If things look to tight slow down. I am not sure about M3 can you change the reserve percentage to less than 20%?

 

[gavine]

Yeah, I'm worried about the Oklahoma wind more than anything else. I think that 270 miles out of a 310 mile car should be doable as long as I'm not pushing the speed.

There is another destination charger in Shawnee just outside OKC that I could use as an emergency stop if it isn't looking good.

If you can make it by slowing down, that would save time vs stopping at a destination charger. Supercharger would be better to stop vs slowing down. You can go 600 miles at 25mph. Obviously not on an interstate but the point being that slowing down increase range in a big way.

 

[kelly]

I'm planning out a road trip between Columbus, MS and Oklahoma City. There is a 370 mile supercharger gap along I-40 between Little Rock and OKC.

Luckily there is a destination charger in Russellville, AR and we were planning on spending the night along the way anyhow.

My question is this: is it reasonable to do the 270 interstate miles on a 100% charge? I highly doubt I can do the 75mph speed limit along I-40 through Oklahoma. What speed should I trip plan at? 65mph steady?

We'll be departing around 6AM so Air Conditioner won't be running too hard.

I think I would attempt the 270 miles on a full charge. I just returned from a 4,100 mile road trip and my confidence in the car is sky high. I would think that if you slow down bit you won't have any problems. On our trip I drove 78 when the limit was 75, and sometimes went up to 80 or so to pass slower vehicles.

Here are some numbers for you. All of these are east to west legs of my trip driving into a headwind. AC was generally on setting 5 or 6:

Grand Island, Nebraska to Gothenburg, Nebraska - Began with 213 miles on the battery, as shown on the screen. Drove 102.5 miles and arrived at Gothenburg with 88 miles showing on the battery. If my math is correct, I drove 102.5 actual miles but used 125 "battery miles." So my actual miles X 1.22 = battery miles.

Gothenburg, NE to Colby, KS = Began with 226 miles on the battery. Drove 161 actual miles arrived in Colby with 53 miles on the battery. I drove 161 actual miles but used 173 battery miles. Actual miles X 1.08 = battery miles.

Colby, KS to Limon, CO - Began with 258 miles on the battery. Drove 145 actual miles and arrived in Limon with 89 miles on the battery. I drove 145 actual miles but used 169 battery miles. Actual miles X 1.17 = battery miles.

Albuquerque, NM to Gallup, NM - Began with 233 miles on the battery. Drove 147 actual miles and arrived in Gallup with 57 miles on the battery. I drove 147 actual miles but used 176 battery miles. Actual miles X 1.2 = battery miles.

Gallup to Holbrook, AZ - Began with 226 miles on the battery. Drove 88 actual miles and arrived in Holbrook with 132 miles on the battery. I drove 88 actual miles but used 94 battery miles. Actual miles X 1.07 = battery miles.

So if I'm doing this correctly, your trip would look like this:
Leave Russellville, AR with 310 miles on the battery. Drive 270 miles. If you use my worst leg from Albuquerque to Gallup as the multiplier, you would need 270 X 1.2 = 324 battery miles. If you use 1.12 as the multiplier, you would need 302.4 miles on your battery at the start. But, if you slow down to 65 I think you could make it. I'm not super familiar with Oklahoma winds, but I would think they would be worse west of Oklahoma City rather than east of there.

Kelly

 

[cpa]

If you are in an S or X, you can use the trip graph to gauge your progress and the estimated reserve. I drove the 165-mile leg from Salina KS to Goodland KS three years ago(S85) (Colby was not around then.) There was a stiff headwind to compound the elevation gain driving west. I charged to 97%, and the estimator said I would have a 22% reserve upon arrival. Because of the wind, I started driving at 62MPH. Twenty miles into the leg, the graph indicated that I would have a 15% reserve, so I slowed down to 58MPH, then 52MPH, then finally settled in at 48MPH(!) after forty miles and an estimated 8% reserve. That speed slowly increased my reserve to 11-12% after another 90 miles or so. Once Goodland was in my sights, I ramped up to the speed limit and arrived with 5%.

You can always start off slower than usual and compare the lines on the graph. Once you feel comfortable, you can increase your speed gradually until you find the sweet spot to allow arrival with a comfortable reserve.

 

[gtmotor]

Another thing to do is map out a few RV parks that are along your route incase of emergency. They are everywhere, just look for ones that list 50 amp service. That means they will have the NEMA 14-50 outlets on site.

 

[SpiceWare]

Draft a truck

 

[israndy]

When I used to draft my Honda Insight behind trucks from SF to LA I took the car from a Lifetime Average of 55 MPG to 93.5 MPG. Got down and back on a single 10 gallon tank of gas. It's possibly more efficient than driving the Model 3 to LA and back. I know it's nice to have the AutoPilot watching the truck, but I felt secure when I was doing the driving myself in the Honda. There is so little you need to do, truck getting closer? Release the gas. Still coming? Hit the brakes. Pretty easy. Not much else you need to think about when you are following the driver of a big truck.

-Randy

 

[cookie99]

When I used to draft my Honda Insight behind trucks from SF to LA I took the car from a Lifetime Average of 55 MPG to 93 MPG. Got down and back on a single 10 gallon tank of gas. It's possibly more efficient than driving the Model 3 to LA and back. I know it's nice to have the AutoPilot watching the truck, but I felt secure when I was doing the driving myself in the Honda. There is so little you need to do, truck getting closer? Release the gas. Still coming? Hit the brakes. Pretty easy.

-Randy

i'd like to know how far back you have to be to be considered "drafting"

 

[TaoJones]

Slow down as needed, based upon the trip/consumption chart, presuming Model 3s have those.

Don’t draft trucks unless you are either leasing, don’t value your front end, or have that wrapped. Not to mention yer windshield.

As a rule of thumb into the unknown and/or headwinds and elevation, charging to +20% or even +25% is not unheard of.

Pay little attention to the “good to go” message that will appear between +7% to +13% when there are concerns about elevation, temperature or a higher speed limit. Less so now, but still.

With that said, as noted above if you just drop speed 5-10mph, all will probably be just fine. When it becomes evident that there will be room to spare, you can always speed up.

Looking forward to hearing how it turns out.

 

[gaswalla]

There isn't a consumption chart on the 3, but you can put in the destination in the Nav, and it will continuously calculate the battery capacity upon arrival. If the estimated percentage of battery drifts too low for your comfort (by driving fast, head winds, etc..), then just slow down and you'll see the estimate increase.
Compared to the S, the 3 really doesn't have much of an issue meeting the rated range... if you charge up to 310, you really should be ok with a 270 mile trip - just keep your eye on the calculated range at the destination as continuously calculated in the Nav

 

[SKRGO]

i'd like to know how far back you have to be to be considered "drafting"

I still have my 2002 Honda Insight CVT with a C.O.D. of .33 and just installed the 4th battery pack, the last 2 from Bumble-Bee Battery, who make superior replacement batteries. I have found over the years, like Randy, that drafting helps dramatically and the sweet spot is NOT up-close to the semitrailer, but back about 5 to 6 insight car lengths. You can feel the air turbulence pushing the car around. When you feel this spot, pull forward slowly until the turbulence stops. On the insight, the instant mileage will shoot up between 75 to 95 and some times 140 mpg. Randy correct me if I am wrong. When I do this with my MS 100D with a C.O.D. of .24, it is harder to find the sweet spot, but it is NOT up-close to the semitrailer. The Model 3 with I think a C.O.D. of .20 should do even better drafting. Watch for the kWh to drop in the sweet spot. If you start to see the truck driver swerving back and forth like he is falling asleep or looking to see what you are doing just back off for awhile. Another note, understand lots of rocks and debris are kicked up so expect some dings in the hood unless you have paint protection film and Modesta coating.

A Better Routeplanner has a setting for WIND and multiple way-points, along with correct charging station selection, that will help with the planning of your trip. If you log your car into ABRP while on the trip, it will self adjust to your driving and show a graph of remaining charge. You can also use a token instead of your Tesla email & password to log your car into ABRP.

 

[ArizonaP85]

I think I would attempt the 270 miles on a full charge. I just returned from a 4,100 mile road trip and my confidence in the car is sky high. I would think that if you slow down bit you won't have any problems. On our trip I drove 78 when the limit was 75, and sometimes went up to 80 or so to pass slower vehicles.

Here are some numbers for you. All of these are east to west legs of my trip driving into a headwind. AC was generally on setting 5 or 6:

Grand Island, Nebraska to Gothenburg, Nebraska - Began with 213 miles on the battery, as shown on the screen. Drove 102.5 miles and arrived at Gothenburg with 88 miles showing on the battery. If my math is correct, I drove 102.5 actual miles but used 125 "battery miles." So my actual miles X 1.22 = battery miles.

Gothenburg, NE to Colby, KS = Began with 226 miles on the battery. Drove 161 actual miles arrived in Colby with 53 miles on the battery. I drove 161 actual miles but used 173 battery miles. Actual miles X 1.08 = battery miles.

Colby, KS to Limon, CO - Began with 258 miles on the battery. Drove 145 actual miles and arrived in Limon with 89 miles on the battery. I drove 145 actual miles but used 169 battery miles. Actual miles X 1.17 = battery miles.

Albuquerque, NM to Gallup, NM - Began with 233 miles on the battery. Drove 147 actual miles and arrived in Gallup with 57 miles on the battery. I drove 147 actual miles but used 176 battery miles. Actual miles X 1.2 = battery miles.

Gallup to Holbrook, AZ - Began with 226 miles on the battery. Drove 88 actual miles and arrived in Holbrook with 132 miles on the battery. I drove 88 actual miles but used 94 battery miles. Actual miles X 1.07 = battery miles.

So if I'm doing this correctly, your trip would look like this:
Leave Russellville, AR with 310 miles on the battery. Drive 270 miles. If you use my worst leg from Albuquerque to Gallup as the multiplier, you would need 270 X 1.2 = 324 battery miles. If you use 1.12 as the multiplier, you would need 302.4 miles on your battery at the start. But, if you slow down to 65 I think you could make it. I'm not super familiar with Oklahoma winds, but I would think they would be worse west of Oklahoma City rather than east of there.

Kelly

Until we have more (and deeper into the battery) data points, I'd be wary of assuming the rated miles vs road miles ratios will hold in the bottom half of battery capacity. Lots of posts regarding S and X indicate optimistic data in the top half of battery capacity, followed by seemingly worse usage in the bottom half.

I liken it to gas gauges in many ICE cars which still show full 100 miles into a trip, so the top "half" of a tank (often two-thirds) indicates much better mpg than the bottom "half."

Good luck with your trip and please post here how you did, including speeds (yours and wind).

 

[ratsbew]

I'll write up a trip report after I drive this leg (not until August). I'm betting that it won't be an issue at all. I'm just going to set autopilot to 65mph and then speed up if it's looking like it won't be a problem.

 

[Shock-On-T]

Yeah, I'm worried about the Oklahoma wind more than anything else. I think that 270 miles out of a 310 mile car should be doable as long as I'm not pushing the speed.

There is another destination charger in Shawnee just outside OKC that I could use as an emergency stop if it isn't looking good.

The wind is hugely important.
A gentle breeze of 10mph headwind makes your 65mph like 75mph.
On the flip side, a tailwind makes the whole thing a piece of cake.
One thing to keep in mind. If you are in serious trouble, you can wait for a big truck to come past and then slipstream it. It’s unbelievable the difference this makes. Adds a good 50% to range.

 

[israndy]

I was driving back from LA in the M3 and caught a dramatic headwind, sand blowing across the highway, and my miles remaining at destination were dropping twice as fast as I was going. I had read somewhere that the AutoPilot feature takes a lot of battery, so I turned it off and drove myself and actually made it. Made quite a difference.

This was before I hit 3000 miles, perhaps the car just didn't know my rated miles yet. On the trip to Colorado there were lots of trips where the car would say "Stay below 65 MPH to reach your destination", and I was expecting that, but never got it on the LA trip. I am less fearful of making it to the next charger after watching Sean and DÆrik go 600+ on a single charge. I can always just turn on the flashers and slow down to make my destination, even with a headwind and a bike rack on the back.

-Randy

 

[gilscales]

I recently traveled 258 miles from Oroville, CA to Harris ranch Supercharger in Coalinga, CA and was a little concerned because the reverse trip on the way up I had to stop for a few minutes at Sacramento as I would have ended up 10 miles short but I was traveling with 3 people and trunk full of luggage at 80 to 90 mph, traffic was flying and my traveling partners were both wanting to stop anyway.

On my way from Oroville I was determined to make it to Harris Ranch as options this way are limited so I started out at 60 mph average for first 40 miles then once on major freeways I went to 70 to 72 mph average, as I got within 70 miles I still had 120 miles range left so I upped the speed to 80 to 85 mph average, I arrived with 22 miles range left.

Not knowing the terrain or possible headwinds it is still completely doable and all you would have to do is slow down to increase range along the way, I have 19" sport wheels and was running 40 psi at the time with about 700 to 800 lbs. payload if that helps.