Long Road trip with Y or ICE????

[kirbo20]

Tesla for sure. Just plan your long charging times around meal times and the shorter charges will just be pee/stretch breaks. I took my model 3 to Florida from Indiana (785 miles) straight through last July with a 5 and 2 year old. The best part about the Tesla for these long trips is you don’t get tired because of autopilot. I cannot imagine driving an ice car ever again on a road trip.

 

[animorph]

You definitely need Autopilot for the trip. Use the larger number of shorter charge stops, it's slightly faster and getting out of the car every 1.5-2 hours feels much better when you reach your destination. The car's nav will plan fewer but longer stops, which we don't like, so we take a list of ABRP stops and enter them in the nav as we go.

 

[im4uttx]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is for the planned arrival SoC at 20% in the provided table. You could cut charge times down by setting SoC to 10-15% allowing faster charging and not charging at higher charge levels. Make sure you have the additional weight and speed settings adjusted for your driving habits if you reduce to 10% to make sure the planner has that info correct. You should have plenty of range by reducing speed on longer segments (Santee to Greenville already limits you to 81mph in your table).

 

[Watts_Up]

For your trip I advise checking if each passenger will have a correct smartphone extension cable, in particular
the Model Y has USB Type C plugs but your passengers might still have USB2 type of adapter cables,
for their phone or tablet, or use Lightning plug.

There is a dual wireless charger at the front of the car but I like to also have a smartphone holder when using
the key board. I also recently purchased some smartphone holders for my passengers, so here is my review:

Driver smartphone holder:

$12 - IPOW Upgraded No Glue Car Phone Mount Windshield with Strong Suction,
Long Arm Cell Phone Holder for Car with X-Shaped Clamp Fits Thick/Irregular Phone Case​

The base is very small and fit perfectly between the two drink holes and behind the central trap cover door.
You can still open this little door, and this is the opposite of the location used to put the Tesla card.

I tested different models before but this one has the correct height for keeping your elbow
on the central arm rest when using the phone.

I also use my phone to run the Scan My Tesla App to review various measurements, and I found more handy
to have the phone closer to me when interacting with the App than if the phone was away on the dashboard.


​

Passenger smartphone holder:

$13 - WJM Wireless Charging Cell Phone Stand for Tesla Model 3 Wireless Charger Car Mount
Gravity Mobile Holder with Stable Clip Base Compatible with All Smart Phones up to 6.5"

Easy to install using the air vent in front of the passenger. And it can be remove quickly if not used,
as I prefer the look of the dashboard without it.

When not used, it can then fit in the front compartment where the USB pugs are located under the wireless charger.

Note: I don't think that the wireless charger of this smartphone holder was really needed because there is a
Qi Wireless charger for the passenger on the central console. Also I find having a cable hanging a little bit cumbersome.

So I exchanged the part holding the smartphone with the one use for the rear passengers (see rear passenger holder).


​

Rear Passengers smartphone holder:

$20 - Phone Holder for Car MANORDS Universal Long Neck Suction Car Phone Mount

This phone holder can fit perfectly above the rear passengers air vent
and don't interfere when opening the front central arm rest.

Note: I used the Qi wireless charging pad from the passenger smartphone holder.

I found very practical to have a phone holder for the rear passenger,
especially when charging the phone so you don't have to deal with a dangling cable.

I also like to use the rear seat when not driving because seating there is more roomy that the front.
So I found very practical not having to hold my phone all the time when seating there.


​

About Tablet Holders

I tried different models of tablet holders. To be able to hold a larger device like a tablet, you
need to have a very stable base. Those holders in general use the bottle containers location
and are very bulky. When not in used, you have to put then in the trunk if you have passengers.
So finally I decided not getting one, but I would be interested if anyone has any particular recommendation.

Another item that I was considering is to have a permanent hotspot installed inside the car.
Using some rental cars, such as Silvercar.com who provides a hotspot, I found this very practical,
especially if you use a tablet, or to access remotely a dashcam.
I wonder if anyone my also has any experience and recommendation for a hotspot device and carrier.


​

 

[Larryfl1]

A few questions on ABRP ...
i had originally gone with 20% at charger arrival to play it safe..does everyone usually go lower? If i change it to 10% it saves a lot of time...is that too aggressive?

The reference wh/mile...its putting 287 in with real time car info...is that safe? I usually burn around 330 but that is up around 80 miles an hour.
I also put the speed at up to 120% of speed limit to allow us to go faster on the road..typically on a 70 mph limit we would be 80-85 speed...

Thoughts on the settings used? My concern is towards the end of the trip it is up and down elevations...

 

[Watts_Up]

A few questions on ABRP ...
My concern is towards the end of the trip it is up and down elevations...

Hi, I was looking at your trip,and in particular the 157 miles between Santee and Greenville, SC.

I noticed that about halfway there is a Tesla Supercharger in Columbia, SC.

There is a little detour but Santee to Columbia is 74 miles and Columbia to Greenville is 102 miles.

The total trip Santee - Columbia - Greenville would be 176 miles instead of 157 miles, so an extra 21 miles.

I checked the elevation using Google map, and I think I would prefer making an additional stop, especially if it would be windy that day.

 

[Watts_Up]

BTW, I noticed that you will be about 100 miles away from The Tail of the Dragon on US 129.

Have you been there before?

 

[mrbulk]

As my wife and I age we can no longer take lengthy road trips in vehicles without Autopilot. Just the ease of "driving" makes any modern Tesla better, even if they weren't electric vehicles...and we know better.

 

[Dennisis]

In the end, you may be way over thinking this. Put in your destination and the car will tell you what to do. If you start “overburning” it will tell you to slow to a certain speed or stop sooner to charge - it’s really that simple.

 

[Evoforce]

I admit, I like having 15-20% just in case of road detours etc.

 

[mazers]

I actually did this after we picked up our Y. Didn't need to just wanted to verify it would work.

I'm leaving from the Tampa area for Pennsylvania on Saturday with an overnight stay in NC so we're going to see how this trip goes. If it's trouble free the wife may be more inclined to convert our other car into another Tesla.

We have actually done that. I have had a 3 for a long time now, and just traded in the wife's Grand Cherokee on a Y. We have a NEMA 14-50 at home that we share and there has not been a problem keeping them both charged. Good luck!

 

[Pilot1226]

I'd go with the Tesla. While we're talking apples and oranges here, a real-life example is the car that my wife and I drive: She has a third-row SUV (Honda Pilot) that has *no* driver assist features, and I have a smaller CUV (Subaru Forester) that has good, solid driver assist features. While I don't have autosteer/lane centering, the lane keep assist and adaptive cruise (TACC) is really nice in terms of reducing my mental burden for 90% of situations. We usually try to take my car as much as we can unless we have extra people or cargo for weekend trips. I'm looking forward to a Model Y next year to replace the Forester once the lease is up.

Regarding ABRP -

See if you find any v3 Superchargers. I would rather spend ~10-15 minutes extra on a v3 SC and avoid a v2 stop down the road if you can. The fact that you can charge up to 250 kW is great, but the fact that you don't have to powershare with the other stall is huge.

 

[Larryfl1]

BTW, I noticed that you will be about 100 miles away from The Tail of the Dragon on US 129.

Have you been there before?

Haven’t yet , we own a house we use as a vacation rental outside Asheville .

 

[Larryfl1]

I'd go with the Tesla. While we're talking apples and oranges here, a real-life example is the car that my wife and I drive: She has a third-row SUV (Honda Pilot) that has *no* driver assist features, and I have a smaller CUV (Subaru Forester) that has good, solid driver assist features. While I don't have autosteer/lane centering, the lane keep assist and adaptive cruise (TACC) is really nice in terms of reducing my mental burden for 90% of situations. We usually try to take my car as much as we can unless we have extra people or cargo for weekend trips. I'm looking forward to a Model Y next year to replace the Forester once the lease is up.

Regarding ABRP -

See if you find any v3 Superchargers. I would rather spend ~10-15 minutes extra on a v3 SC and avoid a v2 stop down the road if you can. The fact that you can charge up to 250 kW is great, but the fact that you don't have to powershare with the other stall is huge.

How do you search v3? I see abrp doesnt offer that and the Tesla map shows them all..any easy website/tool to use?

 

[Pilot1226]

You can click on the Tesla supercharger location icon. The v3 Superchargers are listed as 250 kW. The v2 ones can be either 120 kW or 150 kW. There also are some urban Superchargers or destination chargers that are lower like 72 kW. You should be able to filter these in settings.

here are some examples.



You can only get 250 kW charging on v3 chargers.

 

[jb401]

Just did Chi-NYC-Chi with wife and two kids in the Y. ABRP was dead wrong. Car required fewer stops and less time (~2.5 hours of charging per 13 hours of driving). Car was always done charging BEFORE we were done eating/using the rest room.

Have a PUP and ride comfort was fantastic. Kids loved the space in the back, glass roof and flat floor. Driver and passenger seat are way better than our BMW (and your Audi, I'd wager).

Car had zero issues. I on the other hand picked up a speeding ticket.

Only complaint is with temps in the 90s and sun, there was some heat coming through the roof. Also, my front and rear windows all have 3M for heat, which helped, but might add something to the roof for our next trip. AC was able to keep up, however, without issue.

Take the Y. You'll be glad you did.

 

[outdoors]

A few questions on ABRP ...
i had originally gone with 20% at charger arrival to play it safe..does everyone usually go lower? If i change it to 10% it saves a lot of time...is that too aggressive?

I pretty much always arrive with 9-13%. You are right it saves time. Done many a 1200 mile day. Learn the taper of your battery and off you go. Most often I am leaving at 70% or below. From the time I spend at chargers. Many people charge way too long if they are trying to pack on the miles in a giving day. Leisure drive. Well do whatever you want.

On ABRP I tend to let the car tell ABRB what my energy usage is as I go. Trying to guess unless you drive like I do is a real hit or miss proposition. 8000 miles on the S in this month.

ICE for the trip

 

[mmanner]

I’m new here so forgive me if I’m uninformed but on a 2020 Tesla? Supercharging doesn’t work? Is this for real?

My new Y supercharges fine. I'd confirm it to be sure but almost certainly it will, and if it doesn't they will fix it.
I just did a 3000 mile trip on a one week old Y to Denver, Los Alamos and back to Nashville. Autopilot made it a lot easier than it would have been with my ICE.

 

[Snerruc]

As a longtime owner with a Raven S, my 2 cents is that you don’t want your first road trip to be long with a full house. It probably would go just fine, but if it went sideways, everyone would blame the car. You as a driver need to change your thinking about trip driving. For example, it has been established for years that the most efficient speed is 70-75 mph. This will give you the best combination of driving/ charging times. Getting in a train of cars or shadowing a truck can drastically cut your watt hours. Just don’t overdo it. I drive south Palm Bay to Richmond, a similar trip on 95 with two stops to charge. Both are Well less than an hour. I have about 50 miles more range than your Y, so 3 stops would be about right. Try 1.1 multiplayer and 15% remaining in your settings in ABRP. Good luck either way!

 

[MorrisonHiker]

By default all Teslas should be able to use superchargers.

But it has been reported here by others that SC was not working for them. Something to do with the charge port. Do not know if bad wiring inside or a defective charge port itself. I still have not verified that mine works on a SC either, but I plan to do so soon, next time I am headed in that general vicinity. With CV-19 and working from home, not driving enough to worry about charging, I have all the time in the world to charge at home on 120V 15A

No. FUD. I drove 80,000km over the last two years. Supercharged a lot. Issues: 0. Sure it happens but extremely rare.

There was a problem back at the end of 2017 where the charge ports weren't quite the right size to allow the Supercharger plug to be plugged in all the way even though wall connector/mobile connector plugs worked fine. We confirmed that our December 2017 Model S had the issue at a local Supercharger before we attempted to take it on a road trip. Tesla fixed the issue for owners by 'shaving' down the charge port a bit or by installing a new charge port.