Just finished a 3,044 mile road trip in my '16 MS 90D

[AMPd]

100 packs have a second cooling loop. So those batteries are much better off.

Oh, well at least Tesla did something about it. Because it’s really ridiculous how easily it can heat up to a point of reducing AC function.

 

[Bodyhauler]

I had mine set at 72 and it still had to cut out during the mountain climb. Not sure how hot it got inside but we were definitely sweating for a while. Although to be fair I was doing 90+ mph

I wonder if there was any improvement made from the 2015 to your 2018 model.

Mine is a 2016 MS 90D. I had the Autopilot set at 77 mph, a good cruising speed.

 

[AMPd]

Mine is a 2016 MS 90D. I had the Autopilot set at 77 mph, a good cruising speed.

Oops. Then I have no idea why mine was acting up like that

 

[croman]

Oh, well at least Tesla did something about it. Because it’s really ridiculous how easily it can heat up to a point of reducing AC function.

Yes that's also why they can supercharge faster and for longer.

3 and then Y are even better. They can handle laps.

 

[MyJoule]

We enjoy our road trips, We like that supercharger in El Paso, The Rudys BBQ that hosts it is pretty nice. We finished 2 big trips this summer so far- one to Indiana and one to Washington, Both were a lot different than in the past, we were rarely the only Tesla charging, but we never had to wait to charge- came close a couple of times though. Far different than traveling cross country the last couple of years.

I assume you had no problems with the 80MPH areas of West Texas now that you can charge in Ft Stockton and in the San Antonio area. We one time had to detour up to Midland to make it from Tucson to Houston in our S85, but that was a few years ago.

 

[schnootz]

Thanks for the post. This gives me some confidence to take my 2017 75D from Minneapolis to Palm Springs later this winter. It's about a 1900 mile one way trip and we have an 8 and 10 year old. Still debating on if we should take my wife's Pilot instead. I know the winter range will be a factor for at least 2/3rds of the trip. We would take our time and spend a night or two in Colorado. Anyone have experience traveling this far with kiddos? Was considering an upgrade to a 2017 or 2018 100D but don't want to go through the hassle. Also just upgraded to MCU2 so there's that.

 

[TigerNinety]

Thanks to OP for their post and to everyone else for the additional insights. I'm definitely hankering for our real first road trip. Unfortunately, family...um...politics demand the inclusion of bikes, and I'm just not ready to put a tow hitch on the car (and I'm not much of a roof rack person and we have an awesome Yakima rack on our Toyota Highlander). We'll find something good before long, though! Always great to hear the different successes and challenges, thanks!

 

[Xd85]

reportedly model S can fit 2 bikes without disassembly. that only leaves room for 2

 

[VaztheDad]

I wonder if there was any improvement made from the 2015 to your 2018 model.

His is a 2016.

I'm going more with yours is a performance and that rear motor likely generates more heat during general use.

 

[Tony8489]

That’s good speed I thought the 90s got throttled back

The max charge rate got throttled back, bu the taper became more gradual. The gray triangles in the chart below show that S90D charges at ~5miles/minute (300+ mph) from about 20m to 160 rated miles.

Those gray triangles were based upon a charge session at Beatty, Nevada in May 2019, which is after the software update to supercharging for the 90 batteries. This was my last road trip in the S90D.

A couple chargers weren't working well and only charged at 60-125 mph but had to change until I found one working correctly and would charge at 300 mph.

Yes, you need to be vigilant in hot weather about charge rate crashing after 10 minutes or so at some chargers. Switching chargers would fix the problem on my recent drive from SoCal to Florida. Max temp was 111F in Baker on May 29. Kansas on June 4 was in upper 90's all day though and I needed to switch chargers on both Kansas stops that day.

Details and more comparative charging info for that trip: Supercharge Stats from CA to FL Drive, + Compare Other EV's

How long were your charge stops typically? I'd guess 30-35 minutes vs. 15-20 with the Raven Model S.

 

[RIB-JIG]

My 1976 manual Ford Pinto SW handled any hill in 1st or 2nd gear as needed
& reached 300K miles on original engine before it got towed & I abandoned.

But...
as a near future Tesla owner, am asking
did you notice any hotel-motel chains that always-often offered free supercharging to guests...?

 

[hgmichna]

did you notice any hotel-motel chains that always-often offered free supercharging to guests...?

Hotels rarely offer fast chargers, because their guests stay overnight. So any slow charger, like 11 kW, suffices to have the car fully charged in the morning.

 

[rkarlberg]

Great to hear, also just did a 3000 mile road trip in a Model 3. Everything went great, Autopilot drove most of the way which made it seem like an easy drive. Charging is so easy now - no waiting at all, just charge while you eat or sleep.

 

[carlosnunezdfw]

That's awesome! DId you use autopilot at all? If so, how often did you use it?

 

[carlosnunezdfw]

Great to hear, also just did a 3000 mile road trip in a Model 3. Everything went great, Autopilot drove most of the way which made it seem like an easy drive. Charging is so easy now - no waiting at all, just charge while you eat or sleep.

I am very very excited for our first road trip with our M3. It looks like we'll be going to FL from TX with it. Can't wait to use AP/AS almost the entire way!

 

[Chatterbox]

Nice! Sounds like fun.

How can any car drive like "new" after 4 years/87k miles? Unless you've had a suspension refresh?

Great post, and I learned a bit from the comments on driving in the heat. I've never had a problem with the AC, but I haven't nearly pushed it as hard. Driving in over 120F is crazy!

So, my 2014 S85 (six years old) with over 110,000 miles has made several recent road trips: Vancouver (Canada) to the Bay Area, Vancouver to Denver (3,200mil rt). With no changes to the suspension and on only the third set of tires, this thing cruises like a champ and handles still better than any car I have ever owned. The low centre of gravity and high weight keep it firmly on the road, even at 90 mph+.

The car, with a few body scratches and relatively little TLC, still looks mint. People sometimes ask me if it's new. I think Tesla makes cars to last, and it shows. The car has not even been garaged its whole life.

Regarding the recent (last year or so) throttling of the charging speed, which for me peaks now around 80 kW, I take it in stride. If it keeps my battery happy, that makes me happy. My battery after 6 years is down about 8%, from a range of 265 miles at birth to now 244 miles on average. This is about normal for Tesla battery capacity loss, as I understand it. So now on road trips, I eat my meals with more pleasure and take my time. Charging can often exceed an hour, but when you've planned for it, with a walk, a meal, or whatever is nearby, then it doesn't much matter.

And in hotels overnight, I love arriving and plugging into at least a 30 Amp charger. By breakfast it's always near 100% for a good start to the day. I am also surprised how many hotels have Tesla destination chargers. I don't always need the higher L2 charging speed, but it's nice to have a charger dedicated to my marque...and at least for now, more likely to be available.

 

[badgirl]

In one year I drove my 2015 MS70D (40,000 miles) from all starting for Long Island,NY and round trip to Austin,TX (had to blow the doors off a Mustang GTO 108mph) to Minneapolis, MN (Nov with snow) x2 Seattle,WA ( Dec snow on 3 mountain passes just missed huge accident that closed I-90 both directions) yes I have chains, Leesburg,VA(5 times) Titusville, FL 2x) Key West,FL and Albany, Syracuse,NY. I love autopilot!
She drives like a dream and the kids say I love my car first.

 

[BrokerDon]

Mine has the sunroof and rear roof glass. But it helps to have the roof glass sunshades while driving in that heat. Also have a windshield shade that worked great while parked and charging.

+1 on Tesla roof glass sunshades reducing the heat, especially if you have a sunroof like our 2015 P85D's:
Model S Panoramic Roof Sunshades and
Model S Rear Liftgate Sunshade

Also...

+1 on a windshield sun shade... especially Intro-Tech Automotive's Windshield Snow Shade which goes on the OUTSIDE of your windshield, reflecting 99% of the sun's radiation BEFORE it gets inside your Tesla's glass:
Tesla S Custom Snow Cover

 

[BrokerDon]

reportedly model S can fit 2 bikes without disassembly. that only leaves room for 2

2 Santa Cruz MTBs fully assembled inside our 2015 P85D: XXL Hightower 27.5+ fattie and M Tallboy c 29er

We put inexpensive Mavic CrossMax square wheel bags over the front wheels so they don't scratch the seatbacks:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mavic-Cross-Max-Mtb-Bicycle-Wheel-Bag-5715-5/

 

[David W Virtue]

did you notice any hotel-motel chains that always-often offered free supercharging to guests...?

Try the app for “EV Hotels”. It lists all sorts of charging options near an area you choose, either at or just near a hotel. And the hotels listed are available with a few clicks.