I highly agree with how well my Model S works in the mountains! I live in Utah and regularly drive on various mountain roads and I can't get enough of it! I just did a drive last week to see fall colors and I made a video about how well it did which you can see here
and there's another video on my channel from a couple months ago where I outlined us driving through a different mountain route. The only limitation I've run in to just a little bit is when doing down extended steep stretches of road sometimes the regen will begin to be limited. It's still roughly half way there, but not strong enough to hold the speed of the car back so I have to use friction brakes a little bit. That's a minor issue I've only experienced 2-3 times though and it's usually short lived. Overall it's an amazing experience for sure!
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Model S: Best Car ever for the Mountains!
- Thread starter BrownOuttaSpec
- Start date
arcus
Active Member
Thanks OP for this thread. Brings back some great memories. Just a few weeks into ownership of our Model S we made the virgin road trip from Texas to North Carolina. Blue Ridge Parkway was a culmination of the trip and I completely agree that the car was just made for this!
Silvercloud
Member
We recently drove through Beartooth highway 212. We were using over 600wh/miles going up and while going down, it was mostly regen to slow down. Interestingly my wife and son were cheering at the power meter as it goes to 0 wh/miles... ( geeks) and it bottomed at -6wh/miles!
Attachments
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
View attachment 581492
^ -43 Wh/mile over 30 miles
View attachment 581491
View attachment 422867
It's not flat around here!
^ -43 Wh/mile over 30 miles
View attachment 581491
View attachment 422867
It's not flat around here!
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I live near the mouth of American Fork Canyon...such a fun drive in this car. The only time I’ve seen the regen limited is when the battery is very near full (like above 90 or 95%).
MikeHolliday
Member
tonybelding
Active Member
I’m just a few days back from a road trip through the mountains of Colorado, which I have wanted to drive for a long time.
Before I reached Colorado, I passed through the corner of New Mexico and drove up Caputan Volcano. This would actually be the scariest drive of the trip, but it's a cool stop.
I hit Skyline Drive in Cañon City, then visited Royal Gorge Bridge, then made a great loop following the Arkansas River up to I-70, went through the Eisenhower Tunnel, came to rest in Idaho Springs. That night in my hotel room I discovered that the road to the top of Mount Evans had just been closed for the season. I missed my chance by one day. However, the next morning I did drive around the area a bit, and it was simply beautiful.
Next I proceeded to Guanella Pass, which was perhaps the most perfect and blissful drive I have ever taken. There is a favorite video on YouTube where somebody drove a Model S through a twisty road in the Italian Alps, and that sort of became my benchmark for the perfect drive. I wanted to find something similar in the USA, and I think Guanella Pass might be as close as I will get. At the summit parking-and-hiking area, a couple of shiny new Corvettes pulled up—at the same time, by chance. Just as cool, a Nissan Leaf parked next to me, and I had a chat with those folks.
My next destination was the high point of the trip (in more ways than one) at Pikes Peak. At the entrance each driver was getting a stern lecture about now to not burn up their engine or brakes. When it was my turn the lady told me: I don't have much instruction for you. Teslas are magic cars that just go up and down the mountain with no problem.
I had one pucker moment on the way up, as some crazy person was pedaling a bicycle up the mountain, and he was struggling and wobbling just inches from the edge of the road, and the drop-off, and I had to pass him! Aside from that it was all fun, though. I saw a few other Teslas that I met on the road, or else passed while I was at a pull-off for the view, and we always waved.
I reached the summit with 18% charge, and I overheard somebody in the parking lot say, "Did anyone tell him there's no charging station up here?" Haha. I didn't say anything, because I was fully engaged in trying to find a parking spot (I barely managed to squeeze in), but I was thinking. . . Man, it's all downhill from here. Later when I returned to the car, it had revised its reading down to 16% charge. By the time I made it back to the Supercharger station in Colorado Springs, it would be showing 24%! No, we don't need a charging station at the top of Pikes Peak. The mountain is the charging station.
Incidentally, they've just completed the new visitor center. Actually, there's still a little exterior trim and landscaping they are working on, but it's functionally complete, and I had a couple of the famous donuts.
When I arrived the first thing I noticed was some kids having a snowball fight. But even though there was a fair bit of ice still laying around, there was no wind, and the temperature was in the mid-to-upper 40s, and it was really perfect. Actually, that could summarize the entire trip. The weather was picture-perfect from start to finish, and the fall colors blazing. I couldn't have had better timing or better luck with that.
Arrived home in Texas with 2,070 miles traveled and lots of bugs to scrub off the nose.
Before I reached Colorado, I passed through the corner of New Mexico and drove up Caputan Volcano. This would actually be the scariest drive of the trip, but it's a cool stop.
I hit Skyline Drive in Cañon City, then visited Royal Gorge Bridge, then made a great loop following the Arkansas River up to I-70, went through the Eisenhower Tunnel, came to rest in Idaho Springs. That night in my hotel room I discovered that the road to the top of Mount Evans had just been closed for the season. I missed my chance by one day. However, the next morning I did drive around the area a bit, and it was simply beautiful.
Next I proceeded to Guanella Pass, which was perhaps the most perfect and blissful drive I have ever taken. There is a favorite video on YouTube where somebody drove a Model S through a twisty road in the Italian Alps, and that sort of became my benchmark for the perfect drive. I wanted to find something similar in the USA, and I think Guanella Pass might be as close as I will get. At the summit parking-and-hiking area, a couple of shiny new Corvettes pulled up—at the same time, by chance. Just as cool, a Nissan Leaf parked next to me, and I had a chat with those folks.
My next destination was the high point of the trip (in more ways than one) at Pikes Peak. At the entrance each driver was getting a stern lecture about now to not burn up their engine or brakes. When it was my turn the lady told me: I don't have much instruction for you. Teslas are magic cars that just go up and down the mountain with no problem.
I had one pucker moment on the way up, as some crazy person was pedaling a bicycle up the mountain, and he was struggling and wobbling just inches from the edge of the road, and the drop-off, and I had to pass him! Aside from that it was all fun, though. I saw a few other Teslas that I met on the road, or else passed while I was at a pull-off for the view, and we always waved.
I reached the summit with 18% charge, and I overheard somebody in the parking lot say, "Did anyone tell him there's no charging station up here?" Haha. I didn't say anything, because I was fully engaged in trying to find a parking spot (I barely managed to squeeze in), but I was thinking. . . Man, it's all downhill from here. Later when I returned to the car, it had revised its reading down to 16% charge. By the time I made it back to the Supercharger station in Colorado Springs, it would be showing 24%! No, we don't need a charging station at the top of Pikes Peak. The mountain is the charging station.
Incidentally, they've just completed the new visitor center. Actually, there's still a little exterior trim and landscaping they are working on, but it's functionally complete, and I had a couple of the famous donuts.
When I arrived the first thing I noticed was some kids having a snowball fight. But even though there was a fair bit of ice still laying around, there was no wind, and the temperature was in the mid-to-upper 40s, and it was really perfect. Actually, that could summarize the entire trip. The weather was picture-perfect from start to finish, and the fall colors blazing. I couldn't have had better timing or better luck with that.
Arrived home in Texas with 2,070 miles traveled and lots of bugs to scrub off the nose.
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