It was the weekend of 1/13/17. A record snowfall got dumped into the Portland, OR area, and simultaneously causing amazing skiing conditions at Mt Hood Meadows. It was time to put this baby (Model X 60, 6 seater, Titanium Silver) to the test!
Packing the car for my wife and 3 children was a real challenge. The sheer amount of STUFF one needs to bring for 3 children under 6 is just daunting. We are not super avid skiers (yet) so we rented all our ski equipment on the mountain, but warm clothes and a change of clothes for all and not to mention a stroller for the baby did fill up even the frunk area.
I did not bother to range charge leaving the house because I knew I would hit the Sandy Supercharger enroute only 35 miles from my house. By the time we got everybody unloaded to grab a snack at Starbucks and a bathroom break, the supercharging was done and I had 201 miles to spare.
Meadows was only 45 miles away from the Sandy Supercharger but it was at the base of the mountain. I burned through 100 rated miles before reaching the Meadows Lodge. I knew the incline was going to run through a lot of energy.
As we were finishing up the day, reports came in that they closed 26 Westbound due to an accident. This could have been bad, because there is no real easy way around. We had dinner at the lodge hoping the road would open again, which it did.
We stayed overnight in Government Camp, approximately a 15 mile decline from Meadows. I was most curious what the impact of the rated range would be. The car was very cold so regeneration was quite limited, but it was adequate enough to give me "free miles" all the way down to Government Camp. The rated range did not increase nor decrease. However, during the first part of the descent there was bumper to bumper stop and go traffic. This type of traffic does decrease the rated range even when descending. We ended in Government Camp at about 100 miles.
Early morning start back to Meadows was a 15 mile incline. The incline burned through about 30 miles of range. All the kiddos loved the snow and I was happy that their first experience was under ideal conditions. By 1pm we were ready to head back home with 70 miles of range left. We drove all the way back to the Sandy Supercharger---That 45 mile trip only cost me 25 miles of range. I started Supercharging with 45 miles of range. One Starbucks run later and we were back at 201 miles of range: more than enough to get home.
We had such a blast, that we intend to do it again this weekend! We want to stay 2 nights, but that cuts the range really short. There is a Level 2 charger close to Government Camp, but I don't really want to leave the Tesla there for an extended period of time. I was also not able to find charging at the accommodations. Not quite sure what I'm going to do yet. In theory, the math checks out and I should be able to roll into the Supercharger with more than 10 miles to spare, but that is cutting it close with 3 kids and my wife in the car
Philip
Packing the car for my wife and 3 children was a real challenge. The sheer amount of STUFF one needs to bring for 3 children under 6 is just daunting. We are not super avid skiers (yet) so we rented all our ski equipment on the mountain, but warm clothes and a change of clothes for all and not to mention a stroller for the baby did fill up even the frunk area.
I did not bother to range charge leaving the house because I knew I would hit the Sandy Supercharger enroute only 35 miles from my house. By the time we got everybody unloaded to grab a snack at Starbucks and a bathroom break, the supercharging was done and I had 201 miles to spare.
Meadows was only 45 miles away from the Sandy Supercharger but it was at the base of the mountain. I burned through 100 rated miles before reaching the Meadows Lodge. I knew the incline was going to run through a lot of energy.
As we were finishing up the day, reports came in that they closed 26 Westbound due to an accident. This could have been bad, because there is no real easy way around. We had dinner at the lodge hoping the road would open again, which it did.
We stayed overnight in Government Camp, approximately a 15 mile decline from Meadows. I was most curious what the impact of the rated range would be. The car was very cold so regeneration was quite limited, but it was adequate enough to give me "free miles" all the way down to Government Camp. The rated range did not increase nor decrease. However, during the first part of the descent there was bumper to bumper stop and go traffic. This type of traffic does decrease the rated range even when descending. We ended in Government Camp at about 100 miles.
Early morning start back to Meadows was a 15 mile incline. The incline burned through about 30 miles of range. All the kiddos loved the snow and I was happy that their first experience was under ideal conditions. By 1pm we were ready to head back home with 70 miles of range left. We drove all the way back to the Sandy Supercharger---That 45 mile trip only cost me 25 miles of range. I started Supercharging with 45 miles of range. One Starbucks run later and we were back at 201 miles of range: more than enough to get home.
We had such a blast, that we intend to do it again this weekend! We want to stay 2 nights, but that cuts the range really short. There is a Level 2 charger close to Government Camp, but I don't really want to leave the Tesla there for an extended period of time. I was also not able to find charging at the accommodations. Not quite sure what I'm going to do yet. In theory, the math checks out and I should be able to roll into the Supercharger with more than 10 miles to spare, but that is cutting it close with 3 kids and my wife in the car
Philip
