Monthly Long Trip: Best to Supercharge midway, Charge to 100% night before or go below 30%

[Klymkev]

I’m in medical sales, have a long trip 1-2x a month that gets me outside of my preferred 30 - 80% window. To get through the day, what would be best:

- Charge to 100% the night before
- Top off at a Supercharger (there happens to be a couple on the route) to get me through the day and not go below 30%
- Start at my normal 80% charge and dip below 30%. The route is such that I’ll usually finish in the 20-25% range worst case.

 

[Rocky_H]

Ah, these are interesting questions. I would say some combination of options 1 or 2, depending on how you want, or the time of year (which can influence how much energy you're using for heating.

- Start at my normal 80% charge and dip below 30%. The route is such that I’ll usually finish in the 20-25% range worst case.

I would say probably not this. You don't need to highly avoid going over 80% for occasional use. The charge limit slider does have the 90% to 100% area marked for "Trips", and these are trips, so use it sometimes.

- Charge to 100% the night before

I go with a hybrid that's like this. I'll set the limit like in the mid 90's % for overnight, and then when I wake up in the morning, I grab my phone, push the limit up to the top, and let it finish charging up near 100% while I'm showering and getting ready. That way it really doesn't have to spend any time sitting at 100%.

- Top off at a Supercharger (there happens to be a couple on the route) to get me through the day and not go below 30%

Up to you if you don't mind fitting in a dinner break or something. In the winter, the energy usage will be a lot higher, so you might want to just plan for a little shot for 15-20 minutes at a Supercharger to make it comfortable. To get used to this and not be nervous, I might recommend this for your first time or two doing this trip, to make sure you're not cutting it close and stressing yourself. And if you find you have plenty from charging over 90%, then maybe you don't really need the charging stop.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Personally, I would do the charge to 100% since that's the one that keeps you from any chance of range anxiety and a Supercharger stop.

 

[Klymkev]

Thanks. Good options/hybrid that I will implement.

 

[Big Earl]

Nothing wrong with a quick supercharger stop to break up your trip.

 

[jcanoe]

I assume you can expense the SC charges. What about expensing the cost of your home charging?

You could set the charge limit to 95% instead of 100% and it would be almost the same range; You could charge to 100% and set home charging to delayed charging to complete charging just before you depart. When Tesla recommends not leaving the vehicle charged to 100% they mean for an extended period, charging to 100% overnight would not be a problem prior to leaving on a trip. Assuming your time is valuable the less time spent at a SC the better; Super charging will be quickest from 10% up to 50% so you will be on your way faster than if you start SC at 30%. Perhaps you can charge using an available Level 2 charging station for part of the day while calling on clients.

 

[artnalex]

I’m in sales, too. I would just charge to 100% and never worry about the need to stop and supercharge. It’s only 1-2 days a month, so the other 28-29 days will be regular charging.

As you know there are lots of things that can cause you to run late during the day. So, you can eliminate risks like (1) needing to stop for 25-30 minutes to supercharge, or (2) needing to wait in-line to charge...that can make you feel better about your travel day.

 

[Enadler]

This is an interesting set of choices.

I think it is best to look at ranking the options by how much "wear" each puts on the battery which contributes to range degradation.

The worst option is to charge to 100% on a regular basis. With that said, 1 - 2 x per month is not a major concern.
The second worst option is excessive supercharging. Once again 1 - 2X is not extreme.
Finally, the best option is dipping below 30%. Going to 20% or even 10% does not have a significant detrimental effect on the battery. the downside to this option is range anxiety. Personally going to 20% would not give me any range anxiety what so ever but that is a personal preference.

The other item you might want to consider is weather conditions. In the cold and wet weather you will most certainly use more range for the same trip. In these cases, you should plan accordingly, either charge to 90% or plan a supercharge stop. On longer trips stopping to supercharge can be convenient for a quick bathroom break or a cup of coffee. Based upon your stated range concerns 5 - 10 minutes would be more than enough.

 

[fparent]

Unfortunately Tesla hasn't implemented multiple stops in their navigation software which makes planning for multi-day trips harder than it should. For example, the Tesla navigation may get you to your destination with 30 miles left and the closest supercharger on the way to your next destination the following day may be 60 miles away.

To plan for multi-day trips I use an excellent website called abetterrouteplanner.com. It is also available as an Android app, not sure about IOS. It's free unless you want to use their more advanced features. Try it out, I'm sure you'll love it. This website can even connect to your car to get its current charge level if you authorize it. I trust them so I do. If you don't, you simply enter the starting charge manually, add all your stops and let the app figure out the charging stops. You can also account for rain, wind, temperature and other factors that may affect your mileage. The app isn't limited to Tesla superchargers and will list other compatible chargers. A benefit of the paid version is that it will show which stations are currently free or busy. Give it a try.

 

[NickFie]

First trip, aim to recharge at 20%. Safe for the battery, low anxiety. As you learn your car’s burn rate and Supercharger locations, you can drop the battery charge level at arrival.

Time is money. You may decide that faster cruise speed, with higher burn rate, gives you more earn time at the destination. As mentioned, plugging into Supercharger during fluid exchange-rest room and coffee-will add meaningful range with minimal time loss.

We live outside Philadelphia. In February I had a full-day meeting in far North Jersey. Figured I would stop at a Supercharger on the way home. Instead, discovered I needed a rest stop before I reached the meeting site. Found a Supercharger in a plaza with a coffee shop that was right off the highway. Plugged in, executed fluid exchange, unplugged. Added enough range to eliminate anxiety on the trip home.

FWIW - Chill Mode with Autopilot enabled gives me best efficiency. Tires at 48 psi cold helps range, gives absolutely even treadwear, even with episodes of spirited driving.

Try AbetterRoutePlanner site. It handles multiple stops and suggests charging strategy . Once you’ve entered your car’s characteristics, it is very accurate.

Depending on sales call duration, there may be an L2 charger at the site that can add some power while you earn work. PlugShare site can show you what’s available nearby.

Our local hospital, with medical office building, has a CHADeMO charger in the garage. You may be able to justify the $450 CHAdeMO adapter depending on number of those chargers, your schedule and the charging pattern that balances range anxiety and time efficiency.

FWIW - over 45K miles in 3 years on our Model S. I schedule charging to hit 100% as I’m ready to pull out of the driveway on a road trip. I have arrived home with 6% charge. Then I plug it in to recharge after a short cool-down period. 3% range loss after almost 3 years.

Our approach balances, “The car works for us, we don’t work for the car!” and, “Treat your tools well, and they will give long, reliable and effective service!” Don’t be afraid to push the car near its limits, do care for it.

 

[mrbloons]

I wouldn’t worry about occasionally charging the car to 100%, but when you do use the scheduler to set your departure time so the car finishes charging right before you leave. This minimizes battery degradation and also leaves your battery in a more optimal state for driving. In cold weather this makes a big difference and will extend your range. You can also preheat the cabin while still plugged in.

If your departure time isn’t firm, charge to 90% the night before and do the final charging as you get ready to go. The charging speed slows down as it gets closer to 100 so sometimes I just stop it at 97-99 if I’m ready to go.

As others point out, giving yourself 100% to start will reduce your range anxiety. Also I wouldn’t worry about dropping to single digit battery levels once in a while during long trips, as long as you know you can make it to a decent charger (the cars estimator in navigation is usually pretty spot on for arrival %. and adjusts on the fly during the trip).

I wouldn’t worry about occasional supercharging either. Don’t sweat it, it’s fast, easy and convenient, and inexpensive too compared to gas. As long as you’re not doing this every time you charge battery degradation will be very minimal.

I’ve taken numerous long trips (200+ miles between charging) and always good to have some headroom as your range will vary with conditions. A strong headwind, heavy rain, and/or low temperatures will reduce your range, just as they would in an ICE car. Same for driving faster.

 

[Kamban]

I also do long trips once or twice a month. I charge to 95% set to depart at 6.30AM. And half hour before I depart I increase it to 100%. I start out within 15 mins of full charge but also have the option to start out at 95% charge should I forget to top up.

I use superchargers on the way to charge to 70-80%. I would not rely on medical offices to provide you with charging points but hospitals might have charging slots.

 

[Electric700]

I recommend you charge to 90% for the days you will be going on the trip. The rest of the days, you can set your car to 80%. Tesla told me to try to avoid charging to 100%. May be once or twice a year, if needed, that should be ok. The car will balance the batteries automatically when charging (a subject that has come up from time to time) so there's no need to charge to 100% unless it is really needed for a trip.