Los Angeles -> Dallas P3D SC roadtrip

[Yankees]

Hey guys, I'm about to take a roadtrip from Los Angeles to Dallas in my P3D(+), I will use this to keep a log/report my experience, add photos of the various locations, and so forth. This will be my first-ever Supercharger trip, as we've never needed to charge anywhere but at home on two Model 3 LRs thus far. I actually went to the closest SC to test that it actually works before embarking on the 1,500 mile drive (here's a video I shot of that). I realize that even though I know a ton about these cars, there will be stuff I will learn that simply comes with direct, first-hand experience with taking a Tesla on a long-distance supercharger trip. I'm excited about it!

My route will be on I-10 heading out of Los Angeles, all the way to I-20 -- the last SC on I-10 will be Van Horn, then the next one will be Pecos on I-20. I plan on doing it in 2 big stints, taking a long overnight nap either at the Willcox, AZ or Deming, NM superchargers -- any intel/preference on those for extended napping? I got the Better Habitat twin 3" mattress, so I'll be able to report on that as well (I needed it anyway but came in handy for this trip -- hoping it's relatively comfy). I put together a decent tire repair kit which I hope I don't have to ever use.

I planned the stops with EVTripPlanner.com, and set the buffer to a relatively high 20% because a) I don't know what to expect from the P3D's 20" tires, and b) am a little uneasy about the desert parts of West Texas (I've done the drive a half dozen times in ICE vehicles, and I don't even like the gas stations out there), what with the elevation changes and all. Projected Drive Time is 19h 40m and total charging time is 4h 55m -- I will probably charge an extra 5 minutes at each stop after target RM is reached for extra piece of mind.

 

[nh-srt8]

Having just driven Oregon to New Orleans in a 3LR I experienced that the Wilcox supercharger is prone to ice’ng and only 3 stalls were available. The Deming location was great at a large gas station. I was also fortunate enough to get a charge here to get to Van Horn and found I-10 shutdown on the weekend for construction in El Paso and had to take loop 375 around. Not sure if the closure was a regular thing but worth checking beforehand.

 

[P85_DA]

Safe travels !! .. r u taking any other charging adapters ? 14-30 , 14-50 , extensions as backup ?

 

[TexasEV]

These trip reports were interesting and useful in 2013.

 

[Yankees]

Having just driven Oregon to New Orleans in a 3LR I experienced that the Wilcox supercharger is prone to ice’ng and only 3 stalls were available. The Deming location was great at a large gas station. I was also fortunate enough to get a charge here to get to Van Horn and found I-10 shutdown on the weekend for construction in El Paso and had to take loop 375 around. Not sure if the closure was a regular thing but worth checking beforehand.

Do you feel like the Deming location would be a better choice for a prolonged nap? Thanks for the tips will def check the I-10 situation, thankfully I'm driving during the week so hope it'll be relatively smooth.

Safe travels !! .. r u taking any other charging adapters ? 14-30 , 14-50 , extensions as backup ?

Thanks! I'm only taking the entire Mobile Connector kit that came with the car. We do have a 14-50 extension, now that I think of it I think I will take it. Thanks for the tip!

 

[mswlogo]

These trip reports were interesting and useful in 2013.

They had a Model 3 Performance with 20” wheels and the same number of SC back in 2013?

 

[ewoodrick]

I know that there should be no issues on that route. I use ATL to LAX as a demo a lot.

Forget any pre-planned specific stops. Look for any gaps that you have to be careful with and then look for charging stops that correspond with meals and breaks.
Whatever you have planned with intricate detail will change dramatically, so just roll with the punches and enjoy the trip. Let the car nav be a guide, but watch for other options that may be more advantageous. For any stop where you "plan on staying longer" stop planning and enjoy the stop, don't plan on sitting in the car.

As you drive it, stop and get off the road and enjoy the trip

 

[Yankees]

Thanks. Unfortunately, this is a timed run, I need to be at the destination by a certain time. Now, fortunately, I have done this before many times, just not in an EV, so I won't feel like I'm totally missing out. But, for the most part, it will be a straight run. I'm totally good with food as I can fast at will (typically fast for a day or two, once or twice a month), so food stops are a nice to have when I'm good on time. I'm also quite prepared for roadtrips and I have various energy bars, quality snacks, etc. -- the only real problem is doing #1, as I have the liquid/caffeine intake well planned -- just not the out part Sleep is a bigger concern than food, while I can last a pretty long time, I prefer being "fresh" so am banking on getting decent shuteye in the back on the mattress. I am very curious to see how EAP will change things, as in the city (Los Angeles) I never use it, it was $5k paperweight option (until now) -- want to see if it helps with being less tired at the end of a long stint.

 

[Yankees]

I made a spreadsheet with all the SC stops last week and I added weather (high/low/conditions). I just went thru all the stops and updated them (I saved direct links to weather in each spot), and there's good news -- whereas as of last week (with a prediction of about 7 days ahead of time) rain was predicted for most of Texas when I will be passing thru, pretty much from Van Horn to Dallas, the prediction as of tonight (2-3 days ahead) has it clear all the way to Cisco, TX, which is my second to last stop. I'm glad to not have to worry about extra energy consumption on the P3D due to water for most of the drive!

Now, separately, and I just realized this and it's a little crazy (don't misread -- I'm not worried, just having a thorough discussion): the overnight temps in some of the places I will be passing thru, stopping to charge, and sleeping at, drop to as low as 46F. The tires on the P3D+ are technically not supposed to be driven at below 45F as they are summer-only tires. So that's a little interesting. Thankfully highway driving with (hopefully) little traffic during the times when the temps are low should be relatively easy on the tires, and I plan on sleeping during the night.

 

[Yankees]

Set up my Twin "bed" last night! Used some sheets from my kids. This is the Better Habitat 3" mattress that I've seen recommended in many places, including here, and I can see why -- fits like a glove and looks comfy. Also seems to pack up easily.

View from the trunk

View from side door

 

[mociaf9]

If you want to lay flatter, you can remove the rear bench and put it down in the footwell so the seat backs will lie almost totally flat. But if you choose to do so you'll want to have something to protect the seat back material from getting damaged by the metal framing under the bench. Some towels would work.

 

[mswlogo]

Now, separately, and I just realized this and it's a little crazy (don't misread -- I'm not worried, just having a thorough discussion): the overnight temps in some of the places I will be passing thru, stopping to charge, and sleeping at, drop to as low as 46F. The tires on the P3D+ are technically not supposed to be driven at below 45F as they are summer-only tires. So that's a little interesting. Thankfully highway driving with (hopefully) little traffic during the times when the temps are low should be relatively easy on the tires, and I plan on sleeping during the night.

I think you'll be fine on the tires with lows of 46F.
You can probably inversely calculate the tire temp from the pressure

Just looked it up for fun. 2 PSI rise at around 40PSI at around 50F is around 8F warmer.

 

[Yankees]

Silly question, when I sleep should I be concerned about Superchager idle fees? I will of course be doing this at night when I expect to be the only Tesla there. My understanding is that SCIFs only accrue if the station is 50% or more full -- is this correct? I will of course not do this if the station is anywhere near being in demand.

 

[Yankees]

Tesla gods are smiling upon me, we are wifi-less (we have two Model 3s, my wife's AWD LR non-P, and my P3D which will be taken on the roadtrip today) and we have never been able to get wifi from our apartment to our assigned under-building tandem parking spots in the apartment complex we rent in Los Angeles, always had to tether to try to get updates (with a 66% hit/miss ratio). So you can imagine my surprise to seeing the magical "Software update is ready to install" message on my phone this morning, the day of my first roadtrip in this car, of all days! I am happy to report that I am the proud new owner of 12.1.2 (downloaded over LTE!) and the entire trip will be done on it.

 

[PLUS EV]

Thanks. Unfortunately, this is a timed run, I need to be at the destination by a certain time. Now, fortunately, I have done this before many times, just not in an EV, so I won't feel like I'm totally missing out. But, for the most part, it will be a straight run. I'm totally good with food as I can fast at will (typically fast for a day or two, once or twice a month), so food stops are a nice to have when I'm good on time. I'm also quite prepared for roadtrips and I have various energy bars, quality snacks, etc. -- the only real problem is doing #1, as I have the liquid/caffeine intake well planned -- just not the out part Sleep is a bigger concern than food, while I can last a pretty long time, I prefer being "fresh" so am banking on getting decent shuteye in the back on the mattress. I am very curious to see how EAP will change things, as in the city (Los Angeles) I never use it, it was $5k paperweight option (until now) -- want to see if it helps with being less tired at the end of a long stint.

Assuming you are male, #1 is not a problem. Outside of the LA, PHX and Dallas metro areas, you can pretty much just pull off at any exit off/on ramp and let 'er rip. It is a desert after all.

 

[PLUS EV]

If it were me, I would just book a room at the Holiday Inn Express that hosts the supercharger in Willcox. But since you seem intent on sleeping in your Model 3, I would still recommend sleeping there over Deming. I guess it just depends whether or not you'd feel more comfortable sleeping in a hotel parking lot or a gas station parking lot. For me, I'd rather sleep in a hotel parking lot as it should be quieter and probably safer.

You can use the lobby restroom at the hotel to brush your teeth, fill a water bottle, take a hobo shower and whatever else you want to do before sleeping. Just ask politely (explain that you are using the supercharger) and clean up after yourself so as not to ruin it for others. If you want to grab some snacks, there is a truck stop about a half mile away, so stop in there first if you like as you won't want to walk there in the middle of the night.

The gas station in Deming is 24 hours and it has a diner which I believe is 24 hours, but I'm not totally sure so check on that if you're relying on it. Even if the diner is closed, there is of course other food available in the 24 hour convenience store. There's pretty much nothing else walking distance from either the Willcox or Deming superchargers, just the host businesses.

Idle fees will accrue if you are fully charged and the supercharger station is half full or more. Both of those superchargers are 8 stalls so if 3 other Teslas plug in while you are asleep and fully charged, you will start accruing idle fees. This is unlikely at the time you will be there. On the other hand, you may wish to simply plug in while you are using the restroom before bed and then plug in again while you are using the restroom after you wake up. With the faster supercharging speeds, doing 10-15 minutes before and after sleeping will likely be enough.

Lastly, don't count on coming close to the 4 hours 55 minutes of charging that is predicted. Supercharging speeds can vary for a number of reasons so you won't always be getting the max expected charge rate. Also, you will likely not be as efficient as a robot would be. You might be enjoying a nice meal or talking to a stranger (usually about your car) and end up charging longer than you planned. I would plan on 7 charging hours if the computer says it will be 5.

Oh and 46F isn't too cold, but be sure to bring a warm blanket just in case.

 

[patbaker82]

They had a Model 3 Performance with 20” wheels and the same number of SC back in 2013?

^This

 

[patbaker82]

I'd be curious for you to track your wh/mile

 

[PLUS EV]

^This

You guys keep saying this as if the supercharging experience is appreciably different for a Model 3 P(!) than it is for any other Tesla. It isn't.

 

[Yankees]

Quick update: slept in Deming, due to time zone diff and getting used to “bed” only got 4 hrs but feel decent. I am exactly halfway into the trip (which is why I picked Deming).

Energy use so far has been VERY high, the estimates from EVTripPlanner are useless even though I used speed modifiers. The last leg in particular, Willcox -> Deming, was very problematic, I overcharged quite a bit (EVTP told me to charge to 184 RM, I charged to 231) and still the estimated Deming battery arrival % started going down immediately from 21% indicated when leaving Willcox to 13% within ~20 miles. Started doing speed limit (75) and even below, drafted a semi at 75 for about 20 miles. By this time temps also dropped to around 58F. Once I crossed the Continental Divide, and there were ~20 miles left to Deming, I guess we started descending but I could let her rip 85-90 again. Got to Deming w/14%.

Energy use overall has been around 330Wh. While I was expecting high, this is above what I thought it would be. Outside the last leg, I didn’t have to worry about range anxiety even with the high use. I will report back on the second half (which should be much flatter), and can do a much more thorough write up if anyone’s interested.