OK, that was my fallback possibility. If you had an 85 or 90, that seemed about right, but the 100 packs do keep the charge rate higher for much longer, so I would agree that's low.
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Montana Road Trip
- Thread starter scottyd
- Start date
You're going through some of the most breathtaking natural beauty in the country. If you ever get a chance to post some trip pictures I'd love to see them.
I did this drive in reverse last summer and it is amazing. It is however, not yet open for the season. Here's a link where you can check on the status:
Beartooth Highway Information
It says that they are currently clearing the road and that they typically try to open it by the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (tomorrow).
I drove my S90D from the Billings supercharger to Red Lodge where I stopped for a couple hours and topped up at the Chamber of Commerce destination charger. From there I easily made it to the West Yellowstone supercharger. The supercharger was not working when I got there, but that is an entirely different story lol.
Going in the other direction with an S100D, I'm pretty sure you could drive that route without having to stop to charge in Red Lodge even assuming you make an S-shaped path through the national park. The drop in elevation is significant.
Sadly we’ll miss that - future trip!
We’re spending Friday night at the Old Faithful lodge, then headed south out f the park for two nights in Grand Teton, in Coulter Bay Village. Plan is to then work our way back to Seattle via southern Idaho.
There is! But destination charger seemed easier. As great as the X is, we were tired of hanging out in the car, and also didn’t want to be rushed at dinner. So we took our time and decompressed while the car charged at 72amps.
Also, probably a sign of too much worrying, but I’ve noticed how the cooling system works in overdrive during supercharges to keep the battery cool. Seems ok to skip a supercharge or two if possible.
Today we drove around the north loop of Yellowstone, and it exceeded all expectations. As we had hoped this time of May kept the crowds and traffic very low, so we could see almost everything we wanted without any craziness.
We saw fantastic natural scenery of mountains, chasams, rivers, waterfalls, geysers, hot springs, and fumaroles. Also spotted the Big 5 animals of the park: bison with calves, antelope, elk, grizzly bear with cubs, and most amazingly, a grey wolf. And the dog got to roll around in some snow as an extra bonus. Will attach some photos in a subsequent post.
The X worked really well today. Autopilot was a big benefit, as it handled winding park roads with aplomb at 45mph. Although hands were always on the wheel, it’s confidence let the driver glance out a bit more at the passing scenery than would have been possible otherwise.
Today’s stats: left West Yellowstone with 89% charge, behind the wheel for 6.5 hours, 133 Miles, 319wh/mi, and arrived back at 42% SoC. She’s now charging at 15kw over at the Holiday Inn.
We saw fantastic natural scenery of mountains, chasams, rivers, waterfalls, geysers, hot springs, and fumaroles. Also spotted the Big 5 animals of the park: bison with calves, antelope, elk, grizzly bear with cubs, and most amazingly, a grey wolf. And the dog got to roll around in some snow as an extra bonus. Will attach some photos in a subsequent post.
The X worked really well today. Autopilot was a big benefit, as it handled winding park roads with aplomb at 45mph. Although hands were always on the wheel, it’s confidence let the driver glance out a bit more at the passing scenery than would have been possible otherwise.
Today’s stats: left West Yellowstone with 89% charge, behind the wheel for 6.5 hours, 133 Miles, 319wh/mi, and arrived back at 42% SoC. She’s now charging at 15kw over at the Holiday Inn.
We had a string of days with poor internet connectivity, so a few things to catch up on:
Friday: Drove the southern loop of Yellowstone, through Lake Village, West Thumb, and then up to Old Faithful. The Norris Geyser Basin was so interesting the day before that we decided to hike it again. The drive also included a delightful lakeside lunch on the way, with the chairs we had stowed in the lower trunk area.
Stayed the night in a cabin at Old Faithful Lodge, and topped up the battery at a free 6kw charger there on the property (marked very accurately on Plug Share).
The Old Faithful area exceeded all expectations. The core attraction was cool, but the hikes to other geysers around it was even better. We got to see some very impressive eruptions from Beehive and Grand geysers.
The next day we headed south out of Yellowstone and into Grand Teton, which was also awesome, with plenty of snow left in the mountains to make the views really pop. We drove the full loop of the park, down to Jenny Lake and then back up to Coulter Bay. The X had plenty of juice, and we made it to our lodging in Coulter Bay with 44% battery remaining. There were no charging options there, but it would only take 10-15kwh to get down to the Supercharger in Jackson, so no anxiety there.
After an extra day next to the lake and a few very good meals at the restaurant in Coulter Bay, on Monday we continued south. We spent a few hours walking around Jackson, which has several free ChargePoint chargers spread around town. We used the one at the visitor center, and added ~15kwh while we checked out town and had lunch. Next we drove west to spend one night at Teton Mountain Lodge. Although there was no charger in the hotel, there was a free 6kw ChargePoint in the main parking area of the Teton Village. A slow charge got us back to 90% overnight.
Next up: Following the Snake River to Boise, with some sightseeing along the way
Friday: Drove the southern loop of Yellowstone, through Lake Village, West Thumb, and then up to Old Faithful. The Norris Geyser Basin was so interesting the day before that we decided to hike it again. The drive also included a delightful lakeside lunch on the way, with the chairs we had stowed in the lower trunk area.
Stayed the night in a cabin at Old Faithful Lodge, and topped up the battery at a free 6kw charger there on the property (marked very accurately on Plug Share).
The Old Faithful area exceeded all expectations. The core attraction was cool, but the hikes to other geysers around it was even better. We got to see some very impressive eruptions from Beehive and Grand geysers.
The next day we headed south out of Yellowstone and into Grand Teton, which was also awesome, with plenty of snow left in the mountains to make the views really pop. We drove the full loop of the park, down to Jenny Lake and then back up to Coulter Bay. The X had plenty of juice, and we made it to our lodging in Coulter Bay with 44% battery remaining. There were no charging options there, but it would only take 10-15kwh to get down to the Supercharger in Jackson, so no anxiety there.
After an extra day next to the lake and a few very good meals at the restaurant in Coulter Bay, on Monday we continued south. We spent a few hours walking around Jackson, which has several free ChargePoint chargers spread around town. We used the one at the visitor center, and added ~15kwh while we checked out town and had lunch. Next we drove west to spend one night at Teton Mountain Lodge. Although there was no charger in the hotel, there was a free 6kw ChargePoint in the main parking area of the Teton Village. A slow charge got us back to 90% overnight.
Next up: Following the Snake River to Boise, with some sightseeing along the way
Sounds amazing! Have spent a lot of time around there, did a similar trip last summer in the S with the family.... enjoy the next leg, next time you will have to exit through Lamar valley and go up and over the bear tooth... had a vrbo at the base of highway, and drove the beartooth every morning on freshly poured asphalt... what a treat! Yellowstone/Teton is a special place....
Had a long but scenic drive yesterday on the first leg back to Seattle. We took a slightly longer route at the beginning, following the Snake River down to Alpine WY and then along Palisades Reservoir. Totally worth it to see the river raging through the valley, and somewhere around two-dozen osprey nests perched along the reservoir.
The first supercharging was at Pocatello, which had a few lunch options. But we were in a hurry so settled for Burger King.
The next supercharger spot was the most scenic we've visited ever. The Twin Falls chargers are in the parking lot of their visitor center, right next to the Perrine Bridge that crosses 450 feet above the Snake River gorge. That gave us plenty of time to charge while we walked out on the bridge and along the side of the gorge to see the scenery. It also convinced us to take an hour detour east on that side of the river to see Shoshone Falls, which was super impressive.
After seven total hours of driving, we arrived at our intermediate stop in Boise at the Modern Hotel, with 28% charge remaining. No destination charger here or nearby, so we'll have to start with the Boise supercharger on the way out of town tomorrow. But the hotel, restaurant, and city are proving worth a stop so far.
Driving stats for Tuesday are: 432 miles, 345 wh/mi, 149kWh consumed, 96 kWh supercharged.
The first supercharging was at Pocatello, which had a few lunch options. But we were in a hurry so settled for Burger King.
The next supercharger spot was the most scenic we've visited ever. The Twin Falls chargers are in the parking lot of their visitor center, right next to the Perrine Bridge that crosses 450 feet above the Snake River gorge. That gave us plenty of time to charge while we walked out on the bridge and along the side of the gorge to see the scenery. It also convinced us to take an hour detour east on that side of the river to see Shoshone Falls, which was super impressive.
After seven total hours of driving, we arrived at our intermediate stop in Boise at the Modern Hotel, with 28% charge remaining. No destination charger here or nearby, so we'll have to start with the Boise supercharger on the way out of town tomorrow. But the hotel, restaurant, and city are proving worth a stop so far.
Driving stats for Tuesday are: 432 miles, 345 wh/mi, 149kWh consumed, 96 kWh supercharged.
And you may not have gotten a chance to see it, but on days when the weather is pretty good and it's not windy, there are people parachute jumping off of that bridge down into the canyon. It's amazing to watch.
Sorry we missed that! It was pretty windy over the bridge, which may have been the cause
After 2,149 miles, 798 kWh of energy, 11 supercharges, and 6 destination charges, our Big Montana Road Trip came to completion when we arrived back in Seattle last night.
We supercharged on the way out of Boise, with some weirdness there. Starting with a 17% SoC, I watched the charge rate hit 114kw and then we walked off to the somewhat distant Starbucks. 15 minutes later I checked i on the app and the charge rate was down to 44kw and only 28% SoC. When we got back, I switched to a different charger and it went at full speed for the rest of the charge cycle. Net/net, it cost us about 30 extra minutes, and a lesson-learned to not get too optimistic by the very beginning charge rate.
Next stop was Baker City, which had good amenities and an interesting set of historical displays about the area. We skipped the Pendleton charger since it didn't seem to have good lunch options, and went for Kennewick instead. Soup, cheese, and crackers from the Fred Meyers there hit the spot.
Final charge of the trip was of course at Ellensburg, where we chatted with a new Model 3 owner who was out ridding himself of range anxiety, and another Model X owner on his way to Coeur D'Alene.
We were super pleased overall with how the X performed on the trip. We were never anxious about a charge or limited in our ability to explore. The planned supercharger stops were timed well for when the human and canine crew would want a break anyway. Autopilot was far from perfect, but overall made driving less tiring. And the visibility of the panoramic windshield helped us take in more of the views along the way.
And our main destinations of Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks exceeded all expectations. Highly recommend them to anyone who hasn't visited.
Now the question is: what's next?
We supercharged on the way out of Boise, with some weirdness there. Starting with a 17% SoC, I watched the charge rate hit 114kw and then we walked off to the somewhat distant Starbucks. 15 minutes later I checked i on the app and the charge rate was down to 44kw and only 28% SoC. When we got back, I switched to a different charger and it went at full speed for the rest of the charge cycle. Net/net, it cost us about 30 extra minutes, and a lesson-learned to not get too optimistic by the very beginning charge rate.
Next stop was Baker City, which had good amenities and an interesting set of historical displays about the area. We skipped the Pendleton charger since it didn't seem to have good lunch options, and went for Kennewick instead. Soup, cheese, and crackers from the Fred Meyers there hit the spot.
Final charge of the trip was of course at Ellensburg, where we chatted with a new Model 3 owner who was out ridding himself of range anxiety, and another Model X owner on his way to Coeur D'Alene.
We were super pleased overall with how the X performed on the trip. We were never anxious about a charge or limited in our ability to explore. The planned supercharger stops were timed well for when the human and canine crew would want a break anyway. Autopilot was far from perfect, but overall made driving less tiring. And the visibility of the panoramic windshield helped us take in more of the views along the way.
And our main destinations of Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks exceeded all expectations. Highly recommend them to anyone who hasn't visited.
Now the question is: what's next?
Cool little thing about Baker City is if you're doing a meal stop there. The Sumpter Junction restaurant is across the parking lot and has pretty large electric model train set with track running in a big loop around the inside of the restaurant. If you get a booth along one side of it, the train will make a pass right by your table every few minutes. They change up the decorations of what is on the train cars every once in a while too, depending on seasons or local events. We were there one time when there were two miniature Harley Davidson motorcycles on a flatbed car, and they said it was because of a motorcycle show there a couple weeks earlier.
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