Model 3 Mid Range on 1,300 Mile Trip - Some Questions

[BruceInFlorida]

Hi All

I've had my Model 3 Mid Range for a little over a month now and love it. Charge at home with Level II at 16 amps.

My wife and I are planning on making a trip from Tampa Florida area to the Muskegon Michigan area in about 3 weeks - about 1,300 miles over 3 days. Supposedly the car will get up to 262 mpge. When I use the Navigation on the screen I see the trip laid out nicely for me with Superchargers every 150 miles or so - that looks great. We plan on overnighting in the Atlanta and Louisville areas.

My questions are: What speed should I use with the AC on the Interstate? I'm thinking about 70 mph with the AC set to 75. I know speed and AC reduces range but how much? Florida and Georgia are hot so we will want AC. Would other settings be better? Also, does playing music draw much off the battery? Any tips?

I went to one Supercharger two weeks ago in Ocala Florida and it was much easier than I thought. We just plugged in for about 30 minutes; I got about 200 miles range for $11.75. While browsing around in a bookstore we kept tabs on the charging. No sweat. Are all Superchargers this easy?

Anyway. I would really appreciate any comments some experienced trippers might have before starting the trip.

Thanks!

 

[ralph142]

another midrange owner here. I've not made such a long trip, but the one 600 mile rt I did, over the cascades and back, I ran at about 70 mph, slower over the very steepest parts, music loud the whole way, but no ac. stopped every 150 miles and charged from ~20-80% in 45 minutes or so while eating, then rolled. It was my first long trip so I left the trip energy screen up a lot just to see, but no problems at all. the 2 sc's I used had one or two occupants out of 8-12 spots. If you can find a spot with destination charging or level 2 to overnight it will help. Enjoy the trip.

 

[ewoodrick]

Stop worry about it. Just ask the car to take you to your destination and see what it tells you. If it gets you there, you are in great shape.

Basically, you'll make stops that range from 10-50 minutes.
While the car will tell you the exact details, you may have other options. If you know where the Superchargers on your route are, there are times that you may want to skip one and charge a little longer at another one.

Why would you want to change the options? Don't plan your trip around Superchargers, plan your Superchargers around your trip. Align your breaks and meals around the Superchargers. On a recent trip to Ft Lauderdale from ATL, Supercharging only took 30 minutes. We had to Supercharge about 4 times, but 3 of them were while we were taking breaks and meals.

I'm headed to Dayton OH from ATL this week, I've got a LR, so a little more flexibility, but I've checked it already, I just got in the car and asked it to navigate to Dayton and it showed me that it could be done.

BTW, before/after Supercharging in Tifton, head to the other side of the Interstate and drop by Adcock's. Some nuts and nut candies will definitely make for an enjoyable trip.

 

[BruceInFlorida]

Thanks, ralph142 for the info. I'm looked forward to the challenge of our 1,300 mile trip but a little worried about how much drain the AC will be.

 

[ralph142]

Until today I've never had the ac on, seems like it has very little impact

 

[animorph]

The AC drains very little when cooling. Use it to be comfortable. We always drive about the speed limit + 5 to 8 MPH. That seems close enough to the nav's "average" speed assumption to give us accurate range estimations.

The nav will tend to have you make long charging stops and long drives. The trip planners will have you stop more, which is generally slightly faster. Just set the nav for the next Supercharger you want to charge at if it isn't on the nav's own plan.

While charging (and while driving) the nav shows the charge remaining at destination estimate. It's generally accurate, though it can't predict sudden rain/snow/wind or a bunch of 0-60 runs. It does include elevation and the energy use of the car for the past 30 miles or so. We use this estimate when on the road instead of trip planner estimates. Normally you can stop charging when the nav says you're ready (10% to 20% remaining at destination) or you can wait for more margin if you want. But the more margin you insist on, the slower your trip will be. Charging is fastest at low SoC and significantly slower above 80% SoC.

And most importantly, monitor the charge remaining at destination during your drive to make sure it stays where you want it. If it gets too low (I use 10%), slow down enough to keep it from falling any further. Usually just 3 MPH slower has been enough for us in the X. The more efficient 3 might need a little more. The earlier you slow down, the less you'll have to slow down.

 

[ralph142]

^^ can confirm

 

[TiggerTime]

Bruce if you haven't looked at A Better Routeplanner check it out. You can set what your desired speed is , what your SOC to start off is as well as SOC before stopping to charge and other various settings. It gives you a pretty good route overview. You can also tell it to skip certain SC on the route as well as longer stop overs at a SC.

 

[Routybouty]

Completed a 2700 mile trip for a Falcon Heavy + sight seeing adventure in a 1 week old standard+. All I did was follow the nav and it was a great experience. I was nervous at first, but was completely relaxed with the process after a couple charges. I didn’t worry about speed or A/C, just go for it!

I would check out the supercharger reviews from the now you know website. I only had a couple that were not convenient, like in a paid airport parking lot.

 

[BruceInFlorida]

Thanks

The AC drains very little when cooling. Use it to be comfortable. We always drive about the speed limit + 5 to 8 MPH. That seems close enough to the nav's "average" speed assumption to give us accurate range estimations.

The nav will tend to have you make long charging stops and long drives. The trip planners will have you stop more, which is generally slightly faster. Just set the nav for the next Supercharger you want to charge at if it isn't on the nav's own plan.

While charging (and while driving) the nav shows the charge remaining at destination estimate. It's generally accurate, though it can't predict sudden rain/snow/wind or a bunch of 0-60 runs. It does include elevation and the energy use of the car for the past 30 miles or so. We use this estimate when on the road instead of trip planner estimates. Normally you can stop charging when the nav says you're ready (10% to 20% remaining at destination) or you can wait for more margin if you want. But the more margin you insist on, the slower your trip will be. Charging is fastest at low SoC and significantly slower above 80% SoC.

And most importantly, monitor the charge remaining at destination during your drive to make sure it stays where you want it. If it gets too low (I use 10%), slow down enough to keep it from falling any further. Usually just 3 MPH slower has been enough for us in the X. The more efficient 3 might need a little more. The earlier you slow down, the less you'll have to slow down.

Thanks, Animorph. That's all very useful information for me.

 

[TexasEV]

Thanks, ralph142 for the info. I'm looked forward to the challenge of our 1,300 mile trip but a little worried about how much drain the AC will be.

It’s just not an issue. Perhaps you’re thinking of the heater. That really reduces range in the winter up north but not a concern for you in Florida. .

 

[SpiceWare]

Use navigation in the car to route the trip, it will warn you if you need to drive slower to make it to the next stop.