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Just returned from a 3 week roadtrip in all types of conditions
- Thread starter RachH
- Start date
I hear ya but no. I did a mapquest screenshot so you can see. I drove a bit around the various towns and took a few scenic turnouts but it was appx 4k miles. According to them, I saved almost $350 in gas but I am guessing a lot more than that since the average gas prices were $3.75 to $4.50. Made me very grateful for my EV.
Driving Directions from Playa del Rey, CA to Playa del Rey, CA - MapQuest
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WOW, that’s cool
We’re planning our first Tesla road trip in June, with 2 of our granddaughters. 2500 miles in 10 days! We’re excited
It would only let me add 24 photos and I didn't realize until I already added some. There are a lot more- and some even better- but I guess this is a good start. Hope you enjoy!!!
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/media/albums/3-wk-roadtrip.1208/
And yes....a Model 3 can fit through a Redwood Tree if you flip the mirrors back ;-)
https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/media/albums/3-wk-roadtrip.1208/
And yes....a Model 3 can fit through a Redwood Tree if you flip the mirrors back ;-)
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Exscite
Member
Hey Rachel- some of your best pictures belong in this discussion page: Gorgeous Tesla Pictures- users' album I like the tree (but not the ugly cutout), I admire the Tesla, and what a smile!
Sounds like a great adventure.
Teslas have always made good road trip cars, and they keep making it easier every year.
As another poster noted, slowing down can get you a lot more distance if you find yourself in a bind - and the navigation estimate at destination will show you when you're in trouble, and whether you've slowed enough.
If you find yourself in a place where the EV chargers aren't or aren't working, one often overlooked solution is RV parks. The "50 amp service" that most of them offer for modern RVs is the same 14-50 plug that your mobile connector came with, and will charge the car fully overnight if necessary.
Teslas have always made good road trip cars, and they keep making it easier every year.
As another poster noted, slowing down can get you a lot more distance if you find yourself in a bind - and the navigation estimate at destination will show you when you're in trouble, and whether you've slowed enough.
If you find yourself in a place where the EV chargers aren't or aren't working, one often overlooked solution is RV parks. The "50 amp service" that most of them offer for modern RVs is the same 14-50 plug that your mobile connector came with, and will charge the car fully overnight if necessary.
I suggested an RV park to the guy (and have looked for one myself when I was in a bind) but apparently they were in a major time crunch to get somewhere. And yes I have definitely experienced it telling me to go slower to reach my destination which is not fun but very helpful
I posted more photos in the 'Gorgeous Tesla Photos' Album but I am guessing they meant photos of actual Tesla's in beautiful locations. Since I got most of mine while driving my car, it was a bit hard to include it lol. Anyway, they are there if anyone wants to see them.
Gorgeous Tesla Pictures- users' album
Gorgeous Tesla Pictures- users' album
So I posted over in the 'Gorgeous Tesla Pictures' and got some flack from some guy named Randy that they didn't include Teslas. Ugh.
Btw, I see you are in LA. So I am. Hello neighbor!
SammichLover
Banned
I've got a letter for Randy, please let me know where to send it:
Dear Randy,
All these pictures include in the foreground Tesla Model 3 glass for your pleasure of admiring the beauty of its clarity.
Also, kindly get bent.
Hugs & Kisses, SammichLover
All these pictures include in the foreground Tesla Model 3 glass for your pleasure of admiring the beauty of its clarity.
Also, kindly get bent.
Hugs & Kisses, SammichLover
Thanks for the giggle!! You can find him over in the Gorgeous Tesla picture album ;-)
Still waiting for mine....... this is one of the best threads I've found here. @RachH did a great job and even though there have been many posts of trips hers gave great perspective; especially that from her Mom with the comparison ICE v EV Thanks for taking the time and writing this.
You're welcome! Thanks for being so nice and supportive.
I hope you love it as much as I love mine!!!
Wow, awesome and long road trip! I still remember the 2 weeks-long road trip I had with my mom after my graduation from Texas to California. I hope I can take my family out for extended road trips soon. My twin is only 3-years-old now. Thanks for sharing.Hello fellow Tesla enthusiasts!
I know there have been a LOT of posts about road trips here and there however I literally just experienced every type of road condition and weather in one long 3 week road trip so figured I would share. If you want 'technical specifics' I am happy to share them with you in a PM but this post is strictly about the overall experience and the 'fun' of it.
On a personal note, I used to love to drive then somewhere along the way (probably due to the soul sucking traffic in LA) I started hating it. That is until I got my Tesla- Model 3, AWD, LR. Now I love driving again so that makes the purchase all the more worth it. Even traffic is better due to the auto pilot and great sound system. And after this road trip, I love the car even more. I would go through the ordering process all over again (I was a day 1 reservation holder and lets just say it didn't go that great)- it's that good. Best car I have ever owned hands down.
I got laid off from my job and was in a bit of a funk so I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and go on a road trip. I have free supercharging so even better. And I gave myself a challenge- to shake some stuff up- and do something I have never done before at least once a day- which was kind of easy since i was driving to some places I have never been. Fun experiment to clear the head and reset.
I started in LA, where I live, then went to see the poppies near Lancaster. Beautiful. And then drove on to Joshua Tree for 2 days. I stayed at a friends house who lives 'off the grid' so I had to drive on 'roads' of sand and some 'roads' that didn't really seem like roads. No issues at all- I just drove slow and steady. Never felt I was going to get stuck. Check! He said I was the first Tesla to come down their road
Then I drove through the Mojave Natural Preserve to Vegas. Stunning. Because I have the long range (and filled up in Twentynine Palms- just in case- before I left), I never had to worry about making it through the desert. Check!
Powered up in Primm then went on to Vegas and stayed a couple of days. Funny enough, I had a lot of people in Vegas freaking out about my car- wanting to know all about it, see it up close, etc. I get used to LA where you throw a rock and can hit one on every corner. But Vegas? Who knew people would be so enthusiastic. I opened my frunk in front of the hotel and drew a crowd. And the valet guys kept asking me- are you sure you don't want to valet- so they could drive it. I even took one on a test drive and showed him all of the bells and whistles. It was fun.
Then I drove up through St George through Utah then across to Grand Junction CO. Plenty of chargers along the way. Gorgeous country.
Then on to Silverthorne (near Vail) where I encountered snow. No issues there either. To be fair it was not heavy snow but snow none the less. Drove like a dream. Obviously colder weather than the desert so I used my friends 110v in the garage to keep her plugged in during my stay so I didn't lose any power. And bonus- there was a supercharger down the street from my friends house so I topped off before I left. And I of course took my friend for a test drive and now he is buying one. Check!
Then from Silverthorne to Denver for a few days. Hit some snow and then some really heavy rain coming down into Denver. And you guessed it- all good. No issues. Felt solid on the road. Used more energy (as you all probably know) in the cold and up and down mountains but I charged more than what it said to get to my next destination and I was all good.
Found out when driving in the Assisted Cruise Control option (can't remember technical name) that the car will automatically slow down around curves if the cruise is going too fast to make the turn which is a really nice feature. I was ready to take control at all times (and would usually drive without cruise on winding roads) but I wanted to experiment. Car slowed down every time to take the curves safely. Excellent feature.
In Denver, met a few other friends who I also gave test drives and they are buying one too. Check!
My Mom decided to fly into Denver from Texas to join me on this next leg of my road trip- kind of an early Mother's Day, mother/daughter adventure. We left Denver and went to Jackson Hole WY. Gorgeous country. My mom kept calling it 'Gods Country'. I drove all the way there because she was enjoying the sites so much.
On a side note, I decided to do an experiment. I kept saving the footage on my USB so I could save the beautiful scenery along the way- and have some video. It's not the best video in the world but it is still really good to share the journey w/family and friends. I would put the car on auto pilot and try and take photos along the way. Made my mom a little nervous but I got some good shots. We even facetimed my Dad so he could see the scenery as well. You can't do that in an ICE vehicle. I'm sure I freaked some fellow drivers out who had no idea I was on auto pilot. I'm going to put together a video with snippets from the video footage and still photos and I'm giving it to my Mom for Mother's Day as a memento.
Jackson Hole is a really great little town. I'm definitely going to go back and spend some time. We were on a time schedule so only stayed the night and walked around a little during the day. And awesome enough- a supercharger there too.
Then on to West Yellowstone where we charged again. We were going to go into Yellowstone but the weather was really stormy. Going through the mountains on the way to Jackson Hole- the Tetons- were stunning and all of the area around Yellowstone was stunning. Weather was cold and rainy and roads were really up/down and curvy. We saw deer and Elk right by the road and narrowly missed a fox running across the road as well as a jack rabbit. Car handled all of it perfectly.
Realized by accident that when I engage assisted cruise control, sometimes it will automatically set to the speed limit and other times it will set to whatever speed I set it at- depending on how I press the toggle. Not sure how to explain how to do it so I encourage you to experiment on your own. Pretty cool.
Then we went on through more of WY, then Idaho, then WY then Montana. We lost track on what state we were in most of the time. We stopped in Laramie WY to charge and the electricity was completely off in that side of town. No electricity anywhere. I tried two different plug ins thinking something was wrong with my car or the charger itself but no- no electricity at all. That was a first. There was a guy and his sons at the supercharger and they were in a hurry so they backtracked and went back to the previous supercharger 44 miles away- so 88 miles total out of the way- after I told him he didn't have enough energy to make it to the next supercharger. We decided to just enjoy a nice lunch and when we came back, electricity was back on.
On a side note, the guy who owned the other Tesla was under the impression that he could just drive slower to get to the next supercharger. It was over 100 miles to the next charger and he only had 89 miles of charge. As far as I know there is no way to get 100 miles out of 89 driving up and down hills even if you go 50 miles an hour. Please correct me if I am wrong but I would not gamble on that one.
Then we drove on to Butte and stayed the night. Charger there too. Score!
Mom decided to drive and had a lot of fun with the car. She said it made her nervous because the car is my 'baby'. I told her to just relax and have fun. She said that she has a hard time 'feeling the road' with the car and she can't feel when the car is not steady on the road- comparing to my old SUV. I told her it's not that she can't feel the road it's that the car is always steady on the road and solid- never feels out of control. After thinking about it, she agreed.
My mom used to race cars so she is not a 'normal' mom and/or driver. She knows cars and she loves my Tesla. She said it's a dream to drive.
Then we drove to Moses Lake to stay the night then on to Seattle the next day. I stayed a couple of days outside of Seattle with a friend and her family and my mom flew home. Great Mother/daughter trip with awesome memories.
I stayed north of Seattle and there were chargers EVERYWHERE. The hotels also had chargers. That was a nice change compared to other parts of the country who haven't caught on yet.
Realized that if I press the break just a bit harder then it holds like the brake does. I had seen on the screen where it says 'hold' but didn't realize what it was and that I could take my foot off the break. This is EXTREMELY helpful on hills so you don't roll back. Something most of you probably know but throwing it out there in case you don't.
I introduced my friend Donna and her daughters to the car and they loved it. The girls asked if they could just stay in the car and hang out in the driveway. I took them for a test drive per their request and they just wanted to keep on driving. I stopped at a half hour. They had fun with the seat heaters, the games and the internet. They asked if they could just key up a movie on the internet and stay there for a few hours. And this is an 11 and 17 yr old. Future Tesla owners right there
At this point, my neck and shoulders were pretty sore from driving so much. I remembered seeing somewhere that I could change the steering so I went into the controls and changed the steering from 'standard' to 'comfort'. That helped a lot.
Then I drove down from Seattle, charged in Aberdeen then on to Corvalis for the night. Then down to Grants Pass and over to the coast again. Stayed in Trinidad CA in a beautiful cabin on the ocean and in the Redwoods for the night. Then on to Ukiah to charge and go to Orr Hot Springs for the night to soak and relax. Then north of San Francisco to see my cousin for the night in Petaluma (where there is also a supercharger) then on to the Central Coast to Paso Robles for the night. Hit some hot springs there and then back home to LA.
In the past, road trips for me were all about the A to the B and how fast I could get there. Since I have gotten my Tesla, it has been more about enjoying the ride- though I do drive fast (though safe) to get there cause it's fun. I actually stop and getting a meal as I charge instead of stopping at a gas station and eating a bunch of junk as I drive. It's been different for me. Made me learn some patience and my body is thanking me for it. Instead of being exhausted everyday and having my body vibrate and feel I am still on the road (when I try to sleep), I am now more relaxed. The car is just so comfortable. The music selections are amazing and I went the whole trip with only a couple of songs repeating themselves. Chargers are everywhere now. Hotels are adding them for free.
I decided to just make the trip leisurely and not get stressed about having enough charge, driving slower, not using air, etc so I always just charged more than what it said to charge to get to my next destination- at least 10 to 20 percent more- and I never had an issue. After driving TX to CA and southern to northern CA a couple of times- and now this trip- that is always my rule of thumb. Better safe than sorry.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I know it was long but it was a long roadtrip. The overall takeaway? I love my car even more than I did when I got it. Best car I have ever owned and well worth the stretch to buy it. Car handles well in all driving conditions and weather. And even after driving for 3 weeks, I would still jump in and drive some more. Best road trip ever!! I encourage you to go out and smell the roses. See some of the country you haven't seen before. It's beautiful! Do something you have never done before just because. Happy traveling!!!
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