June Road Trip, NYC to Maine

[blee321]

Hi guys,
The wife and I are planning a road trip to Maine with our dog. We are planning on leaving from the NYC area and traveling as far north as Bar harbor (Planning to stop at the Augusta SC).

Has anyone made this drive? and if so any suggestions? on stops along the way?

Thanks in advance!
Brian

 

[shonline]

I drive each summer from Charleston, Sc to Saint John, NB (crossing at Calais, ME) and as this is my first with my Model S, Ive been researching this for a month. Given what I've learned, If I were you, I'd do a range charge at Augusta, ME and then check Plugshare for Bar Harbor. I know there are two hotels there with Tesla HPWC's and some other EV plugs as well. If you take the slower, more scenic and direct route from Augusta to Bar Harbour (ignoring the Bangor route) , it is only 102 miles.

 

[Bgarret]

This is a really nice place to stop and charge:

The Beachmere Inn, Ogunquit Maine | Ocean front rooms and suites along the Marginal Way

Good food, nice location. Excellent walk along the Atlantic. Haven't charged there, but we stopped there on a family vacation, I saw the Chargers and loved the spot.

 

[Krebnarb]

Hi guys,
The wife and I are planning a road trip to Maine with our dog. We are planning on leaving from the NYC area and traveling as far north as Bar harbor (Planning to stop at the Augusta SC).

Has anyone made this drive? and if so any suggestions? on stops along the way?

Thanks in advance!
Brian

Nice! My wife and I are planning the same trip in July (our first Tesla road tril) but from Boston. Look forward to reading your trip report.

 

[ArtInCT]

What routes are you planning on taking?
95 to 91 to 84 to 90 then what?

or 684 to 84 to 90 then what?

On 84 you probably want to stop at the Hartford SuperCharger to top up.
Milford CT on 95 has two SuperCharger stalls per side and usually empty.
There is also a Supercharger (8 Stalls) in Springfield MA off of 91 which is always empty
when I have been there (3 times).

Beyond those I hope others can help as I have not ventured to Maine yet in the S.

 

[greginfinity]

Check in the New England forum for more details/ideas but the only superchargers in/around Maine are Augusta as you mentioned, and Seabrook, NH (just before Maine/NH border). There are a few public chargers in the Portland area as well (one at the community center in South Portland, and one in the Fore St. Garage in downtown Portland). The Portland area is worth a stop depending on what you like to do. Lots of parks, beaches, and amazing food! If you want mountains, hiking and lakes, head inland. However your options for charging will be limited. I know Sugarloaf (maybe Sunday River too) has a charger at the hotel.

 

[blee321]

thank you all for the great advice. I think we have the charging aspect covered... I was looking primarily for sugestitions on which back roads to drive down along the way between NYC and Bar Harbor. ie. best scenic routes, or any local recommendations. etc.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Augusta SC to Bar Harbor is 106 miles if you take Route 3 to Belfast and then Route 1 from there. That'll all be 55mph or less (if you aren't speeding), so with a good charge at Augusta, getting to Bar Harbor and back in an 85 _should_ be fine if you aren't intending to drive around a lot in the area.

evtripplanner.com:
S85 19" wheels
ME-3-US-1 route
52* outside (well below average)
72* cabin
1.1 speed multiplier,
102 rated miles there, 106 back.

Plugshare suggests a couple of hotels in Bar Harbor have HPWCs.
@Gwgan might also be able to help out in a pinch. I think he's on Plugshare.

(This is why people want a Supercharger on US-1 somewhere around Belfast/Winterport. Not happening though).

 

[shonline]

Augusta SC to Bar Harbor is 106 miles if you take Route 3 to Belfast and then Route 1 from there. That'll all be 55mph or less (if you aren't speeding), so with a good charge at Augusta, getting to Bar Harbor and back in an 85 _should_ be fine if you aren't intending to drive around a lot in the area.

evtripplanner.com:
S85 19" wheels
ME-3-US-1 route
52* outside (well below average)
72* cabin
1.1 speed multiplier,
102 rated miles there, 106 back.

Plugshare suggests a couple of hotels in Bar Harbor have HPWCs.
@Gwgan might also be able to help out in a pinch. I think he's on Plugshare.

(This is why people want a Supercharger on US-1 somewhere around Belfast/Winterport. Not happening though).

I'm looking forward to the Bangor one on the 2016 map. That really opens up the rest of coastal Maine to the NE.

 

[ArtInCT]

thank you all for the great advice. I think we have the charging aspect covered... I was looking primarily for sugestitions on which back roads to drive down along the way between NYC and Bar Harbor. ie. best scenic routes, or any local recommendations. etc.

If you are taking the shore route in Connecticut, then perhaps a scenic route to consider is route 80 which runs parallel to 95, (and is just a bit north of 95) it is a two lane roadway, 50 MPH with occasional traffic circles. One of our favorite Cobra rides in the fall. 80 will bring you to Essex CT, via Ivorytown, and the ferry boat. Then you can jump onto 95 and to a SuperCharger in Rhode Island. If going that way, then Top up at the SuperCharger in Milford CT on 95. 80 has virtually no stops and in some areas the trees cover the roadway so you are in a tree lined tunnel.

 

[Gwgan]

If you are near downtown Belfast in the evening then Italian at Delvino’s is worth every drop of mushroom cream sauce you can get off your plate. Several excellent lunch/provision options in and around downtown. Heading north in the morning at the Searsport Cafe you can find real bagels, great breads (to go, too), and delicious breakfast. If you come in on Rt 3 to Belfast but head south for sightseeing then a drive to either or both the top of Mount Battie and Point Lookout offer stunning views. There are destination chargers in Rockland which will let you charge for a fee while you dine in town ($15 last I checked at the Berry Manor Inn). Best sushi at Susuki’s.
The biggest view by car of course is Cadillac Mountain in Acadia on MDI. Watching the (disputed) first rays of light to strike the East Coast is a thing—be early or there won’t be any parking left (Model X Beauty Shots )

 

[Gwgan]

If you have a mid-coast destination with charging then leaving 95 at Brunswick and driving on smaller roads between rt 1 and rt 3 are a lot of fun. Union/Appleton (235/131) is our favorite, Washington (220), and Whitefield (218) are also very nice. If the weather/visibility is good, we go on those roads. If the weather is not so great we take rt 1.

 

[Bimbels]

If you go via the East Greenwich supercharger in RI, a detour to Newport is a good side trip.

 

[Gwgan]

Seabrook,NH — Belfast,ME (Midcoast)
I've done this twice in the MX via 95 / Augusta SC / ME-3 with no range worries at all. Today we drove from 15 min north of Belfast to Seabrook by way of ME-3 / Liberty / Washington / Whitefield / Wiscasset / ME-1 / 95 at a leisurely pace (fog) and used from 100% to 26% battery. Nav predicted that if we continued on to Dedham, MA without charging we would be down to 1% but a bio/breakfast break was more than enough charging time to reach any of the regional superchargers. Wind was nil, traffic was light, temps were cool, and the trip started out a little wet. The 25% buffer might not be adequate in cold, rainy, or bad weather or under a lead foot but under those conditions we would stay on larger roads and pass through Augusta anyway.
When people at home ask how far it can go on a charge I tell them "Boston, if you are careful" and now I know it is true.
I also feel more confident recommending a ME-1 trip North to the Midcoast (Rockland to Belfast) as long as there is destination charging to prepare for the return trip. 95 / Augusta SC / ME-3 is not the only way to go.
Note: I do experience lousy ATT signal so make an offline travel note or carry a Gazetteer for when the screen maps disappear.