Is Tesla only good for local driving?

[Tman317]

If you run out of electricity in your Y, the same AAA can tow it to the nearest supercharger (or DC if you have the adapters)

But I totally get the message. Truth is, range anxiety and trip planning has very little to do with range and almost everything to do with how many and where the DC chargers are, and how fast they charge. We’re almost there with the second part, a very, very long way to go on the first.

Case in point: plenty of ICE vehicles have less than 200 mile range. Motorcycles especially. But I’ve never heard (or read) of those owners having any kind of range anxiety. They just use the remaining 7-10 miles and *look for a nearby gas station* which, are everywhere, sometimes two to even four on the same intersection.

The phrase *we’ll just pull over at the next station* is one I hope to be able to use one day while driving an EV.

I agree. On my Harley trips we stopped to fill up every 100 miles or so. Also needed a break from being on the bike. There was always a trip planner in the group that had laid everything out for the group. Yes, it was fun at the time, kind of a cult thing. I need to get my mind able to calculate remaining range in my Y like I can with my ICE vehicle. While mpg can vary a bit it is an easy calculation - how much gas if left at 1/4 tank and how far will that get you. I'm not there yet on the Y, seems like the miles per watt varies a fair amount. It will take some road trips to get there.

 

[srs5694]

If you run out of electricity in your Y, the same AAA can tow it to the nearest supercharger (or DC if you have the adapters)

I've never heard of AAA doing it, but it's possible to charge Teslas (and probably other EVs) simply by towing them. Here's a video that demonstrates it:

I'm sure there would be safety issues doing it the way it's shown in the video (which was done on a closed track), and even aside from that, it might be better for AAA (or Tesla service contractors, etc.) to eventually have trucks with DC fast chargers and, say, 10kWh batteries in them. That'd give stranded EV drivers enough charge in a few minutes to reach the next charger. I've heard of plans to begin deploying such service vehicles, but I suspect they're still rare to non-existent today.

 

[SwampNut]

but In 60 years of driving I have never given thought to where to get gas on a trip no matter where I went.

WOW! Where have you driven that you can do this?? Certainly not all over the Southwest, because you would have run out at some point (you can only be lucky so many times).

 

[Rocky_H]

I certainly agree that with some planning I could take my Y about anywhere; I just don't like the fact I need to do such planning. Perhaps with more experience with the vehicle I'll be more comfortable.

This does summarize it well in these sentences. You think it takes planning because you don't have the experience yet. I intentionally DIDN'T plan when I left on my 5,000+ mile road trip in February 2018, specifically to be able to counter these kinds of fears and FUD. And yes, that was in February, with 9 degrees Fahrenheit across Colorado and Kansas, so it was about the most harsh time for energy usage. As long as it's travel on interstates and not going off into smaller 2-lane side roads for long distances, it just doesn't need planning.

I need to get my mind able to calculate remaining range in my Y like I can with my ICE vehicle. While mpg can vary a bit it is an easy calculation - how much gas if left at 1/4 tank and how far will that get you. I'm not there yet on the Y, seems like the miles per watt varies a fair amount. It will take some road trips to get there.

And again, you don't need to plan and calculate or formulate like that. Let the car do that for you. This is the part that is new, so you may not be aware of it yet. You set the next Supercharger you are going to in the Navigation, and right there under your directions in the Nav, it will show your arrival %. That is constantly calculating and updating. Just sort of keep an eye on that every few minutes and make an adjustment to your cruise control speed if needed...and that's it. That is continually figuring in all of your actual energy usage--speed, heating, wind, elevation, etc.--and projecting that out for the rest of the drive. No calculating or formulas or planning needed--just keep an eye on one number, and if it's dropping a bit too fast, just slow down a little until it steadies out or starts coming back up.

I know that's not exactly the thing you used to do with your gas car, so it seems unknown or scary or uncomfortable, but it's really really simple. I'm always looking for excuses to do multi-thousand mile road trips, and this is with my old Model S 85, that has less range and slower charging than the newer cars, which make this not even a concern.

 

[srs5694]

And again, you don't need to plan and calculate or formulate like that. Let the car do that for you. This is the part that is new, so you may not be aware of it yet. You set the next Supercharger you are going to in the Navigation, and right there under your directions in the Nav, it will show your arrival %.

What's more, you can enter a final destination (say, Chicago if you're going from Boston to Chicago), and the car will suggest all the charging stops between the two points. It will also update them as you go, so if you're driving particularly frugally or anti-frugally, it will move, delete, or add stops as necessary. It's possible to get into trouble by taking detours into territory with poor Supercharger coverage, but the same is true in a gas-powered car.

The biggest issue, IMHO, is that the car's suggested charging stops might not be convenient for you. If you want to stop to eat mid-way between two charging stops, then you'll have to spend extra time to eat where you want, eat earlier or later than you want, or use the Tesla's navigation system to find a Supercharger where you want to eat. Personally, I've never found this to be a problem, but it is a complication that's not as much of an issue with a gas car. IMHO, it's such a minor issue that it's overwhelmed by other factors, like the quality of driver assistance features, seat comfort, etc.

 

[RTPEV]

While I appreciate and respect your example, problems can generally be formulated with selective criteria. I'm not trying to be argumentative, but In 60 years of driving I have never given thought to where to get gas on a trip no matter where I went.

You do have more years of driving under your belt than I do, and I respect that, but for many of those years I also bet you grabbed a paper map out of your glovebox or side pocket and actually planned your route using it. Yes, maybe you didn't have to worry about where to fill up (partially because you didn't run the tank down to the last 10 miles of range like you could do if you really needed to in an EV), but you likely did have to do some level of planning.

Nowadays it's different. You use the car's built-in nav and just put in your destination and it does the planning for you. Yes, I suppose it's not as spontaneous as what you remember in the past, but that doesn't mean it's worse. This sounds like a classic case of Rosy Retrospection to me.

 

[SwampNut]

You do have more years of driving under your belt than I do, and I respect that, but for many of those years I also bet you grabbed a paper map out of your glovebox or side pocket and actually planned your route using it. Yes, maybe you didn't have to worry about where to fill up (partially because you didn't run the tank down to the last 10 miles of range like you could do if you really needed to in an EV), but you likely did have to do some level of planning.

When I was a kid our family did lots of camping and road trips. We *did* use paper travel guides and planners to plan out fuel stops. AAA would in fact put one together for us for any unfamiliar trip. A 1974 motorhome pulling a boat gets shockingly bad fuel economy. The idea that you can willy-nilly road trip with no thought to fuel is something that must be possible somewhere, I guess? But not around CA/AZ/NM/CO/UT/NV/OR/ID.

 

[bay74]

Few people here have helpfully advised that the in-car navigation can be used to easily and conveniently plan routes, but that's only true when you aren't making diversions - such as for sightseeing which Elon apparently never does because how long have we been asking for waypoints now? ;-)

Also what do you do when the return SOC is negative? What then? If there are no fast chargers along the route?

Anyway, my experience is that the in-car nav' is fine for simple direct trips in areas where there are Superchargers available, but as soon as you're off the main highways you need to resort to e.g. Abetterrouteplanner which knows about 3rd-party fast chargers and can accept slow overnight charge stops as inputs.

SR+ troubles... ;-)

Cheers!

 

[bay74]

When I was a kid our family did lots of camping and road trips. We *did* use paper travel guides and planners to plan out fuel stops. AAA would in fact put one together for us for any unfamiliar trip. A 1974 motorhome

I still sometimes travel in a '74 VW Type 2 (where the EV can't practically do it). Some areas, like in South Australia, I still very much need to be aware of where the next fuel stop is - and I usually carry a 20L jerry can on longer trips.

 

[RTPEV]

Few people here have helpfully advised that the in-car navigation can be used to easily and conveniently plan routes, but that's only true when you aren't making diversions - such as for sightseeing which Elon apparently never does because how long have we been asking for waypoints now? ;-)

I agree with this to an extent. For small-ish diversions, I think once you get a feel for the car you will have a reasonable sense of how many percent of capacity a 25-50 mile diversion will consume and you can plan appropriately in your head (charge an additional 10-20% at your previous stop or add 10-20% to your desired arrival SOC to account for the diversion. For longer diversions it does usually pay off to model the trip in a tool like ABRP.

Also what do you do when the return SOC is negative? What then? If there are no fast chargers along the route?

In this case? You don't go! Well, unless you know what you are doing, such as you know that you will be able to plug into a domestic socket at your destination long enough to make the return. You may also need to look at plugshare to consult local charging options. Yes, actual planning. The horror!

Anyway, my experience is that the in-car nav' is fine for simple direct trips in areas where there are Superchargers available, but as soon as you're off the main highways you need to resort to e.g. Abetterrouteplanner which knows about 3rd-party fast chargers and can accept slow overnight charge stops as inputs.

Agreed. Although for off-main-route trips even in a gas car you're likely to be doing some amount of planning online to look up tourist attractions and amenities anyway. Hopping into ABRP or Plugshare to consult options doesn't seem like the huge burden that some are making it out to be, but maybe that's just me.

 

[SwampNut]

I still sometimes travel in a '74 VW Type 2 (where the EV can't practically do it). Some areas, like in South Australia, I still very much need to be aware of where the next fuel stop is - and I usually carry a 20L jerry can on longer trips.

Before the motorhome, our camping was done in a 1961 VW Bus, which is the Type 2 in your area. It was the multi-window version. Converted into a camper with a pull-out bed, fridge, etc. And then it became my first car. Yes, my parents gave a teenage boy a van converted into a stabbin' wagon for a first car. As I recall though, fuel economy was really good, no?

As to planning multi-stop trips, ABRP is such a pleasure to use, and I simply don't think it's a burden to look ahead. It's part of looking forward to the trip. Then I already know what to expect, and how much extra I may have (or not).

 

[hcdavis3]

Just as a side comment, I saw a news report this morning that there's a new Tesla firmware update that's begun rolling out that enables toggling that display between percentage and miles just by touching it on the screen. I don't yet have that update, but that sounds like a nice feature.

I’m waiting for that specific update. It hasn’t arrived yet.

 

[bay74]

In this case? You don't go!

Not taking a trip because one's vehicle is electric is exactly the kind of imposition which this thread seeks to discuss, no?

My view is that a Tesla can definitely do some, perhaps most, non-local driving but there are definitely still situations where a Tesla, or any EV, is impractical. Unfortunately. And hopefully just for now but I have no idea on timeframes when this'll change. Perhaps it's already no longer the case in Europe...

 

[RTPEV]

Not taking a trip because one's vehicle is electric is exactly the kind of imposition which this thread seeks to discuss, no?

Maybe, but it also matters whether this is a realistic scenario or not. I will make the claim that 99% (or at least high 90's) of the time it's not. I could easily make the similar statement of what would you do if you took your gas vehicle into the mountains for a camping trip and for some reason you left without filling up your tank, and lo and behold you didn't have enough gas to make it back to civilization. Can that happen? Sure. It probably won't, because most people have enough sense to make sure they fill up (or charge up) before taking an uncharacteristically long drive.

My interpretation of this thread is that the OP is making the claim that Teslas are NEVER good at long distance travel. This statement is, at best, saying that you could contrive a use case where it's not possible to take a Tesla. And I'm saying that I could just as easily contrive a case where a gas car would not be able to handle it. The crux of the debate is how often each of those scenarios actually occur in practice across the population.

 

[SwampNut]

Any place that I've "traveled light" for the past...many years, could be done in electric. Meaning I was not towing our camper into the middle of nowhere. All over the Southwest, which has large expanses of zero services. It's harder to come up with a scenario where it won't work. So as noted above, I think OP is like most people with unfounded EV fear based on assumptions. I run into that a lot, but thankfully, nearly everyone is simply not understanding, rather than trying to "prove" they don't work. In fact two people finally decided to buy based on my real world feedback (yay, free Supercharging). Fear of the unknown is perfectly normal; trying to prove those fears are founded is where it gets dumb.

 

[XHabjab]

In my limited usage, I have not seen a discussion about re-charging troubles experience during a long trip. So, I thought I would bring the subject up. It's been my experience that taking a long trip with a Tesla is a joke or dedicated pursuit . Don't get me wrong, I love my Tesla, believe in what it represents, and would not change my decision to purchase one.

As a Tesla owner I was shocked to realized that the Tesla, pracitically speaking, is only good for local driving. Just taking one long or two or more day trips. Outside of major metropolitan corridors and areas there are relatively few if any Tesla Superchargers. As a traveller, you therefore are dependent on a J1772 charging station. The J1772 charge time is unrealistic, so as they say, "you are up the creek without a paddle". Therefore, Tesla Superchargers are your only hope.

Unfortunately, if you are re-charging at a Supercharger, to continue a trip, you in many cases are only allowed a half hour charge (approximately 100 mi), so "everyone" has the opportunity to re-charge. Therefore, every 100 miles you have to find another Supercharger.

Now, with Tesla's recent decision to make Superchargers available to the general EV public, you have the added inconvenience of a potential queued line. I consider this decision a slap in the face.

However in my opinion, the introduction of a "North American CCS adapter" for the Tesla would be a game changer, since CCS availability is here.

What's your experience?

My experience: 70k+ miles on my Tesla, most of it outside my home state. Excellent travel car.

Your experience:

1. Difficulty driving yours outside of your home city
2. Too much dependence on J1772
3. The CCS stations will save the day

I haven't read past the first page of people disagreeing with you. I question whether you really own a Tesla. You are either a TSLAQ shill, a troll or both.

 

[ULEWZ]

I just came back from Idaho to Los Angeles last week in my Acura and never once plotted out a gas station stop (there is gas at least every 30 miles, so no problem). When you plan to stop every 200 miles with a reserve of 100-200 miles, there is always a station to stop at. I did the same going to Austin. I once had to go 230 miles to find gas, but well within my reserve. The point is, traveling with a Tesla is a minor annoyance, but not a reason not to take it.

 

[dgpcolorado]

The irony of the OP's post for me is that I bought my Tesla FOR road trips. It allowed me to go to one car, an EV powered by solar panels, and still make long road trips whenever I wanted. Go figure.

My car, an S-60, is so short range — now down to 162 rated miles capacity — that it wasn't even intended for road trips but I make do with care and experience. (I bought it used because it was all I could afford.) Most of the 108,000 miles I've put on the car are from long road trips. I like that I can sleep in the car, since it will fit a full length air mattress, and my favorite overnight stops are at campgrounds (I particularly like state parks) because I can just plug-in to the RV pedestal and charge overnight.

My charging stops are much longer than those who have newer, longer range cars but I don't mind because I'm in no hurry. I find that my Tesla road trips are a lot more restful than previous ICE car road trips — the charging stops give me time to get out and walk around and I find myself a lot less fatigued from fifteen hour driving days than before.

So, can't do road trips? I've done SEVEN 2300 mile trips to Portland OR to visit family. I've done two 2000+ mile trips to southern California to visit friends. I've done a 4600 mile trip to Vancouver Island BC (Victoria, Tofino), Vancouver, and Yellowstone National Park. I've done a 6100 mile road trip to the Midwest (MN, WI, IL, MI, IN). This year I did a 2400 mile camping trip in Arizona in March, a 3400 mile trip to Northern California to see the redwoods for the first time in many years, and a 2000 mile trip to Custer SD for the annual Tesla rally, both in May. Over the years I've visited 261 different Supercharger Stations in 23 states and provinces and visited fifteen national parks and monuments. In a relatively short range S-60.

I love doing Tesla road trips — it's what I bought the car for!

Some road trip pictures:


^ Camping in Zion National Park.


^ Dolores River Canyon, on the road to Gateway CO.


^ Supercharging in Boulder CO, 330 miles from home.


^ On the ferry from Port Angeles WA to Victoria BC.


^ Camping in Yellowstone National Park.


^ Lower Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park.


^ On the road in Michigan, a long way from home.


^ Badlands National Park SD.


^ Saguaro National Park, near Tucson AZ.


^ Avenue of the Giants, northern California.

 

[smartypnz]

This thread is wrong on so many levels. I can't believe the poster has actually driven anywhere of distance in a Tesla. Or maybe uneducated in the realm of Superchargers. Just did a 10,000 mile plus trip thru 45 states and only hiccup was in Pigeon Forge, TN (the SC's were about a week shy of completion). I opted to use the FREE destination chargers nearby.
I certainly recall gas fillups where I had to stand near the car..... typically 1 or 2 minutes to get the credit card authorized, 3-5 min to fill up (depending on level needed). All the while standing nearby (outside the car no matter the weather) in case a problem should occur or in some states having to keep hand on the nozzle holding the trigger.
Most of my charges were 15-20 minutes - but no involvement. Either while snacking/eating/snoozing/watching a video/checking road conditions ahead... all which may be done in gas vehicles BUT NOT WHILE YOU"RE PUMPING GAS.
Sigh... perhaps a short memory
Think of Tesla charging stops as a time to reflect on life, to consider the road ahead, to eat that Garlic Ice cream you've always were tempted to try. As opposed to "Dammit !!! I have to go inside cuz the printer on the pump is not working and I need a receipt"

 

[dduffey]

Don't feed the trolls.