Long Trip immediately after pickup - Go ahead or avoid?

[troyhouse]

I am picking up M3 on Thursday evening, and planning a long trip (300 miles one-way) on Friday morning?

Does it make sense to not do this big trip immediately in the new car? I am not even going to use AP and specifically Auto-Steer and will be very careful.

Would like to hear some feedback from the community here...!!

 

[Tony_YYZ]

What would be your reasons not to?

Many people pick up and drive to other states immediately. No problems.

 

[Dave Mac]

Why would you not use Autopilot? Once the calibration is complete there it's good to go. I will be likely driving a few hundred miles a day or two after pickup (to get home) and plan to use Autopilot the whole way!

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Better than doing it at a weekend.

My suggestion is to test Supercharging on the Thursday.

 

[Nilnoc]

OP: Do you have specific concerns? Because I can’t think of a compelling reason not to go.

 

[Fusion]

I'd say take it and enjoy the car.

 

[Ardie]

Are you already a Tesla owner? That is, have you gotten the adrenalin rush out of your system when you stomp on the accelerator?
You have? Then great. But ...
Do you know how to turn on the headlights? Windshield wipers? Open the glove compartment? Operate the cruise control? Roll the window down to order that #2 combo? Where the USB ports are so you can play your music? Show your better half how they can hook their phone up and make calls while you pretend to drive?
Can you do all this after sundown, or do you know how to turn up the cabin lights?
You did run through the checklist of accessories so you have a J1772-to-Tesla adapter for non-Tesla charging stations?

The learning curve is steeper than you think.
-- Ardie
"Shut up and drive."

 

[cpa]

Yes, by all means test Supercharging before you depart.

Also, be mindful of your charging stops en route, and have a back up plan in case something is amiss. For example, the Supercharger at Tejon Ranch here in California is temporarily out of service due to expansion. It went offline yesterday.

Try to understand how your driving style affects your actual usage. The green bar that reflects "rated miles" is merely an estimate. If your cars shows 125 rated miles remaining in the battery, and your next charging stop is 115 miles distant, you might not necessarily reach your destination without running out of juice. When in doubt on a longish leg, drive slower than usual for 15-20 minutes and then recheck the estimated battery reserve at your destination. You can always speed up during the leg, but could be problematic if you need to slow w-a-a-y down or make an unexpected stop at a public charger.

 

[troyhouse]

Thanks for all the replies. I dont have any particular concern in general, just wanted to get feedback.

I am current Leaf owner, so know how to plan and watch for the range and plan accordingly. I will test out the SuperCharger at the Service Center and get everything else tested out before the trip.

I have watched countless videos of interior operation and stuff, and pretty technical, so not really too worried about it. I can always call Tesla for help if needed.

Thanks again.

 

[CricTic]

It's unlikely the SC will have a supercharger onsite - most of them just have wall connectors for L2 charging. You'll need to go to a dedicated supercharger (or urban charger) to test that capability.

 

[troyhouse]

It's unlikely the SC will have a supercharger onsite - most of them just have wall connectors for L2 charging. You'll need to go to a dedicated supercharger (or urban charger) to test that capability.

Good point, there is one nearby and will sure to test it out there.

 

[troyhouse]

When can I order the EL license plate for the car?

 

[mhan00]

Do it. Just test SCing and regular charging from a level 2 before you leave just to make sure.

 

[Glamisduner]

It will never be in better shape

 

[HeloCaptain]

I purchased my first Tesla (S75D) from inventory (March 2017). I live in NH. Airline to West Palm Beach, FL for delivery. Departed delivery to Key West. From Key West, took a casual drive home, with a lot of little diversions. Never had any issues, never had any range anxiety, used AP after the first 30 miles of calibration.
22K miles in 8 months. Too fun to drive!

Second Tesla: X100D showroom vehicle purchased eight months later (Dec 2017). Car was delivered from MA to my home in NH (to avoid MA sales tax). I've had no issues, have not visited service center and love the car. It had ~ 50 miles on it and was calibrated upon delivery, so AP from first drive.

 

[SDKoala]

Really no reason not to! It's a car and meant for driving. Plus a long drive like that will get you to figure out pretty quick if there's anything wrong with it that needs to go back to the service center to fix.

 

[cella]

For a new car (any car, not just Tesla) I'd make sure to drive at least for a few hours before going on a long trip to see if there are any issues. In the worst case you may end up stranded in the middle of nowhere far from the next service center.

 

[Boourns]

Since you own a Leaf you have all the experience you need monitoring range. Tesla's range estimate is a bit better than the Leaf's guess-o-meter. Just watch closely if you are low on range and driving fast.

The Leaf is a good car. The Model 3 is a truly fantastic car. I suspect you will be very happy on this trip.

 

[slipnslider]

I wouldn't do it. I'd stay around your local service center for the first few days. Odds are you're going to need to get something fixed. If that something is mechanical or electrical, you could be screwed and far away from your local repair center.

 

[arcus]

Did ours 3 weeks into an ownership of Model S (2300 miles) - no issues. We were overly-cautious with SC and charged way more than was needed to reach to the next point, but it was part of the learning experience. No regrets.