Hi, I hope you can shine some light on how a Model S 90D and 100D will each perform with respect to range on a common winter trip I take. I'm trying to decide between the two. I think I'd be happy with AP 1 for the time being and would like could save $20k or more buying a CPO AP1 90D vs 100D (even taking into account the Federal incentives and Tesla promo), but I am afraid that the 90D may not have the range I need for the trip.
The trip is in winter between Flagstaff, AZ to Telluride CO to 2-4 times/month. The fastest route for the trip is Telluride via Kayenta, AZ (near 4 corners) which takes about 6 hours in my Subaru. It appears that both 90D and 100D would require a longer route via Gallup, NM and that the 90D would also require an even longer route stopping in Farmington NM (between Gallup and Telluride). The range limiting leg of the trip is the Gallup-Telluride leg. I'd appreciate any input as I haven't actually made this trip in a Tesla and am relying on the EVTripping.com range calculator, which seems pretty accurate based on some long distance driving I did when I demoed a MS 100D this past August on Interstate 17 between Flagstaff and Phoenix, comparing actual results with the EVTripping estimates.
Tesla has a Supercharger planned for Kayenta, AZ by end of 2018, and once the SC is in, I think the the MS 100 and MS 90 should both be able to take the same, shorter and preferred Kayenta route that I do in my Subaru even in cold conditions and shave 45-60 minutes off the Gallup route.
Below are some range calculations and the constants I used:
Wheels: 19" wheels
Battery Degradation: 5%
Starting Charge: 100%
Safety Margin: 12%
Speed Adjustment: 0
Cabin Temp: 60 degrees temp. The 90D I was looking at unfortunately doesn't have a sub zero package so if I had rear seat passengers I wouldn't go any cooler than 60 with cabin temp. The 100D would likely have sub zero, so I might be able to save some power by using seat heat and less climate control.
Date: I used December 31 with a 10 pm departure (to simulate the coldest average winter conditions, although it can be colder and windier than the averages that I assume this EVTripping is using for the estimate). There is also can be snow and water on some or much of the route.
According to EVTripping the MS 100D does this Flagstaff-Gallup-Telluride trip with one charging stop in Gallup in 7h 42m. This is 30% longer than in an ICE car via the shorter Kayenta route.
The MS 90D does the Flagstaff-Gallup-Telluride with 2 charging stops (Holbrook, AZ and Gallup, NM) and arrives Telluride with 1 mile range remaining in 7h 45m. Obviously 1 mile remaining is too close... so the MS 90D needs another charging stop along the Gallup-Telluride leg which is the out of the way Farmington, NM SC. The MS 90D does Flagstaff-Gallup-Farmington-Telluride with 3 charging stops (Holbrook, Gallup, and Farmington) in 8h 59m. This is takes 50% longer than driving an ICE car via Kayenta. I don't want this trip taking 9 hours, so if this time and the stop in Farmington is realistic estimate then the 90D wont work for me. If I can do this trip, even in cold windy conditions in closer to the 7h 45m time with a safe reserves by slowing down a little in a 90D on the Gallup-Telluride leg then I'd prefer to buy a CPO 90D over the much more expensive 100D. FYI driving back to Gallup the other direction, i.e. Telluride-Gallup is not a range issue due to driving downhill.
It's common in winter to have snow, water and high winds on some or much of the routes so conditions could obviously
potentially be worse than calculated. I'd also prefer to drive about 5 over the posted speed limit if it makes sense for the route. I'll attach a map that shows both routes with non-stop drive time and the route maps courtesy of EVTripping.
When driving in on snowy highways, you are typically driving slower than posted speed limit. Does this typically result in similar kWh/mi?
Any feedback you've got on if these seem like accurate estimates and whether or not the 90D would make the Gallup-Telluride leg non-stop or other considerations would me much appreciated.
Cheers
SnowFlyer
The trip is in winter between Flagstaff, AZ to Telluride CO to 2-4 times/month. The fastest route for the trip is Telluride via Kayenta, AZ (near 4 corners) which takes about 6 hours in my Subaru. It appears that both 90D and 100D would require a longer route via Gallup, NM and that the 90D would also require an even longer route stopping in Farmington NM (between Gallup and Telluride). The range limiting leg of the trip is the Gallup-Telluride leg. I'd appreciate any input as I haven't actually made this trip in a Tesla and am relying on the EVTripping.com range calculator, which seems pretty accurate based on some long distance driving I did when I demoed a MS 100D this past August on Interstate 17 between Flagstaff and Phoenix, comparing actual results with the EVTripping estimates.
Tesla has a Supercharger planned for Kayenta, AZ by end of 2018, and once the SC is in, I think the the MS 100 and MS 90 should both be able to take the same, shorter and preferred Kayenta route that I do in my Subaru even in cold conditions and shave 45-60 minutes off the Gallup route.
Below are some range calculations and the constants I used:
Wheels: 19" wheels
Battery Degradation: 5%
Starting Charge: 100%
Safety Margin: 12%
Speed Adjustment: 0
Cabin Temp: 60 degrees temp. The 90D I was looking at unfortunately doesn't have a sub zero package so if I had rear seat passengers I wouldn't go any cooler than 60 with cabin temp. The 100D would likely have sub zero, so I might be able to save some power by using seat heat and less climate control.
Date: I used December 31 with a 10 pm departure (to simulate the coldest average winter conditions, although it can be colder and windier than the averages that I assume this EVTripping is using for the estimate). There is also can be snow and water on some or much of the route.
According to EVTripping the MS 100D does this Flagstaff-Gallup-Telluride trip with one charging stop in Gallup in 7h 42m. This is 30% longer than in an ICE car via the shorter Kayenta route.
The MS 90D does the Flagstaff-Gallup-Telluride with 2 charging stops (Holbrook, AZ and Gallup, NM) and arrives Telluride with 1 mile range remaining in 7h 45m. Obviously 1 mile remaining is too close... so the MS 90D needs another charging stop along the Gallup-Telluride leg which is the out of the way Farmington, NM SC. The MS 90D does Flagstaff-Gallup-Farmington-Telluride with 3 charging stops (Holbrook, Gallup, and Farmington) in 8h 59m. This is takes 50% longer than driving an ICE car via Kayenta. I don't want this trip taking 9 hours, so if this time and the stop in Farmington is realistic estimate then the 90D wont work for me. If I can do this trip, even in cold windy conditions in closer to the 7h 45m time with a safe reserves by slowing down a little in a 90D on the Gallup-Telluride leg then I'd prefer to buy a CPO 90D over the much more expensive 100D. FYI driving back to Gallup the other direction, i.e. Telluride-Gallup is not a range issue due to driving downhill.
It's common in winter to have snow, water and high winds on some or much of the routes so conditions could obviously
potentially be worse than calculated. I'd also prefer to drive about 5 over the posted speed limit if it makes sense for the route. I'll attach a map that shows both routes with non-stop drive time and the route maps courtesy of EVTripping.
When driving in on snowy highways, you are typically driving slower than posted speed limit. Does this typically result in similar kWh/mi?
Any feedback you've got on if these seem like accurate estimates and whether or not the 90D would make the Gallup-Telluride leg non-stop or other considerations would me much appreciated.
Cheers
SnowFlyer
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and have a good tail wind you could try and skip Farmington and might save time by driving slower between Gallup and TRide and relying on the L2 chargers in Towaoc, Cortez, and Rico if necessary. See the PlugShare app for more info. Also, A Better Route Planner is very useful for trip planning. 
