Las Vegas to Grand Canyon - ABRP vs Tesla Trip Planner

[AlexMtl]

I just got my 1st Tesla, a model YLR, and will be making my 1st long trip in mid-March. I hope some of you can give me some advice. The Tesla Trip Planner, see attached screenshot, seems to indicate there is no issue in finding Supercharger locations. However, ABRP, see attached screenshot, does seem to indicate a problem in that it shows a route out of the way to get to a Supercharger in Flagstaff, arriving with a charge of 10%! ABRP states that it takes into account elevation, but my understanding is the Tesla Planner does also.

Who do I believe? Has anyone made the same trip and what was your experience?

Also, Tesla reps told me I should keep the car between 20% and 80%, except just before long trips? What do you advise for this trip, charge to 100%, keeping in mind that the 1st Supercharger in White Hills is only 64 miles away, and the 2nd in Kingsman 147 miles? My inclination is to stay with 80% maximum charge for this trip.

Thanks for helping a new Tesla owner,
Alex

 

[mborkow]

My understanding is that charging to 100% can be done as an exception (ie a long trip like this) though it’s best to hit 100% and go immediately (rather than charging to 100% the night before and letting the car sit at that state of charge).

 

[Johnny Vector]

If your first charge is only 64 miles from the start, you are correct in supposing that there's no reason to start at more than your usual 80%.

I really don't understand why ABRP is routing you to Flagstaff, unless it knows what I know: Flagstaff has so much stuff you want to see that you should go there anyway!

Furthermore, if you did detour to Flagstaff, it makes no sense to go back to Kingman; you'd just take 180. Shorter, plus views of the peaks along the way. Anyway, it's only 170 miles from Kingman to the GC, and there's a supercharger there, so no need to charge in Flagstaff. (You might need to charge to 90% in Kingman if it's cold or particularly windy.)

Check your settings on ABRP, particularly the slider that goes from "few but long" to ''short but many", with "quickest arrival" in the middle. It will probably route you more reasonably on some other setting.

 

[mborkow]

If your first charge is only 64 miles from the start, you are correct in supposing that there's no reason to start at more than your usual 80%.

I really don't understand why ABRP is routing you to Flagstaff, unless it knows what I know: Flagstaff has so much stuff you want to see that you should go there anyway!

Furthermore, if you did detour to Flagstaff, it makes no sense to go back to Kingman; you'd just take 180. Shorter, plus views of the peaks along the way. Anyway, it's only 170 miles from Kingman to the GC, and there's a supercharger there, so no need to charge in Flagstaff. (You might need to charge to 90% in Kingman if it's cold or particularly windy.)

Check your settings on ABRP, particularly the slider that goes from "few but long" to ''short but many", with "quickest arrival" in the middle. It will probably route you more reasonably on some other setting.

I tried Vegas to GC with my car on ABRP (just for kicks) and it told me no available routes! Then I tried it from Tesla’s site and it gave me the same route as OP…usually I think ABRP is pretty good so I’m not sure what to make of that. Although in a rental car, I just did part of that drive. We flew into Phoenix and then drove to Sedona for two days and then GC for days. We only stopped in Flagstaff for gas but the drive was nice…and fast; speed limit was 75 MPH and I didn’t see a cop the entire time.

 

[Puma2020]

Having driven my LR Y across the country a few times now, some of the things I learned are:

You don't want to charge to 100%. You have the usual battery discussion dealing with 100% but more importantly, you minimize regen braking as regen has no place to put the energy. Charge to 95 or 98% max.

Arriving at the next SC with 10% is fine. I have arrived with 5% or less several times without any issues. However, be aware that you would rather have some cushion upon arrival, in case there is a power outage happening or some other issue. You might want to be able to drive some place else (having PlugShare app handy just in case is a good option). 10% is about 30 miles roughly (at non highway speeds).

Also, if you have your mobile charger with you (and you should), most RV parks can supply you with a 240V 14-50 or 120V outlet (takes much longer) for a reasonable price. Just another way to handle things in a pinch. Also realize that the actual max charging amps will be 80% of the rated power. 50A outlet will charge at 40A. 15A will be 12A charging max. Plus a TT-30 outlet at RV parks is only 120V, so it'll charge at half the speed of 240V.

If the navigation system says you are going to arrive with 5% or less, slow down! Even a 2 or 3 mph reduction in speed helps quite a bit and doesn't increase the travel time very much. I have found the navigation system to be fairly accurate as it knows how you are driving and the current conditions and the expected upcoming route.

 

[EVRider-FL]

I wouldn’t worry about it. You can play it by ear based on your actual SOC and charge in Flagstaff only if you need to. I stopped planning supercharger stops after my first or second road trip and just let the navigation system help me decide where to stop.

 

[AlexMtl]

Thank you to all who shared their experiences. I will post how I do upon my return. For now I will leave home at 95-98%, instead of my initial intention to leave at 80%. I intend to charge to at least 90% at Kingman, AZ, more if it doesn't take too long. At Williams I'll decide whether to head to Flagstaff or directly to the Grand Canyon, depending on my SOC there.

 

[Chewy13]

Don't forget you'll need some juice to back track to a supercharger or your final destination (hotel?) that has charging to continue your trip.

 

[bruce4000]

One thing to note is that going from Kingman to the GC, you gain like 3000 feet so takes more juice than you would think at first.

 

[mborkow]

Good luck with your trip!

 

[golferguy]

Your last SuperCharger stop enroute, when it shows your final destination, will tell you "charged enough to continue your trip". Careful with that. That means upon arrival you are left with about 20% SOC. Then what? Going to run errands? Turn around and have to drive back 100 miles? Have a plan to charge upon arrival with a mobile charger or, charge more than "enough to continue your trip". Plan ahead after arrival on how you charge next and how much.

 

[SilverSp33d3r]

Thank you to all who shared their experiences. I will post how I do upon my return. For now I will leave home at 95-98%, instead of my initial intention to leave at 80%. I intend to charge to at least 90% at Kingman, AZ, more if it doesn't take too long. At Williams I'll decide whether to head to Flagstaff or directly to the Grand Canyon, depending on my SOC there.

90% will get you to the GC supercharger from kingman. Made it with starting at 98% on a 2019 SR 3 (225 rated miles @100%.
Just watch your speed going into Williams.

 

[RSpanner]

I found that it is 107 miles to Kingman, and then 172 miles to the GC. Should not be a problem...