The owner at Twin Mountain KOA, is more than willing to take in an annual Tesla rally. he mentioned it to me twice, if not three times. They have about a dozen 50-amps sites for fifth-wheel where Antony was staying and there were 3 more Tesla (including mine) in the pull-thru section of the kampground, also with 50 amps. This section is noisy though, as it is close to the road. But with advanced planning, I am sure we could book the whole remote area, which is more enjoyable, than setting up next to a big rig.
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Mt. Washington Auto Road in a Tesla?
- Thread starter mdelpin
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The owner at Twin Mountain KOA, is more than willing to take in an annual Tesla rally. he mentioned it to me twice, if not three times. They have about a dozen 50-amps sites for fifth-wheel where Antony was staying and there were 3 more Tesla (including mine) in the pull-thru section of the kampground, also with 50 amps. This section is noisy though, as it is close to the road. But with advanced planning, I am sure we could book the whole remote area, which is more enjoyable, than setting up next to a big rig.
santana338
Member
I was really glad Jim posted the results of his scouting. For me, the best camping in a MS is to have a cabin with access to a 50A site for charging. It worked (almost) perfectly for us. If the KOA has cabins that would be really appealing too.
Thanks. I've been sending around that pic- everyone was amazed!I just put up some of the better (i.e. not blurry) pictures that I managed to take during the climb at the meetup page. Bhuwan, I included the pictures of the bear for you. The link is http://www.meetup.com/New-England-Tesla-Motors-Club/photos/16502202/#267417132. The really foggy ones are my favorite!
- - - Updated - - -
All - please update your experiences with campgrounds on plugshare. To help future EV'ers! I did my best and added the ones I kownwe used with as much detail as I could (at 4am)
mitch672
Active Member
I think we will need to stay at multiple campgrounds, as it's not really the number of 50A 14-50 outlets they have, but what's the capacity of their electrical service? Over at Tarry Ho, when 3 of us where plugged in, the voltage started collapsing, it was down to 210V, so I lowered my current to avoid too much stress on their transformer. The question to ask the campground is, how many 40A simultaneous loads can they handle. Big Rigs and Campers do not present continuous 40A loads...
Like Ben though i had Sunday plans I decided I couldn't resist joining, so drove up in the early afternoon and hit some of the same traffic on 95. Charged for an hour or so at the lodge, and discovered their network of bike/x-country trails which was a nice break. Here are some photos of the event.
Pre-departure briefing: note the ominous skies at the top of the mountain
Looking at said skies with expressions of concern?
Just below the cloud line
Teslas ahead and behind me
Sunset view at the summit
I burned 43 rated miles on the way up, and gained back 19 on the way down. Left the lodge at almost 9:30 with 104 miles range for a 160 mile trip home. Stopped at a drive-thru window in North Conway (not a lot else open) then parked at Hill's RV to eat and charge. Based on our conversation earlier in the week they were ready for me, and had even left out a light-up 50A extension cord to make it easier to find (though I plugged into the box on the wall, figuring it would be a stronger charge). After a lengthy nap I left at 1am, with 155 rated miles for a 140 mile trip. Put $10 in my Auto Road envelope with a note and slid it under the showroom door.
Nice, open roads and then one of my more unique Tesla Time experiences:
2am at a sobriety checkpoint, the officer asks for license and registration then says "Is that whole thing a giant heads-up display?" I explained that it's not HID but is touch panel control for the car, then got questions about who makes it (Tesla Motors), where (California), how much (equivalent to a BMW 5 or 7 series, depending on power and options), and of course where do you charge it (had to stop after the Auto Road for a few hours, hence why I'm driving at 2am). Turned on the camera to get a photo of him telling his colleagues about the electric car. Was tempted to pop the frunk and go the whole nine yards since there weren't many cars coming through, but wanted to get home.
Had a scare when my buffer accelerated its decline on I-95 (I had set cruise too high), and then my remaining range dropped below the 27 miles I had to go - and kept dropping. Finally realized that Google Maps had hung somewhat, and after canceling and reselecting the destination it showed the real distance of 18 miles. Reached home at 3:35 am with 8 miles remaining. Averaged 303 wh/mi over the 344 miles - pretty good for me, I guess driven by necessity (no pun intended, but noticed after the fact).
Great time and good to meet in person so many people from the forum - Robert you were missed. Special thanks to Daniel for organizing. I'll post many more photos on Flickr and update with the link later.
UPDATE: link to photo set on Flickr: Mt Washington 3Aug13 - a set on Flickr
Pre-departure briefing: note the ominous skies at the top of the mountain
Looking at said skies with expressions of concern?
Just below the cloud line
Teslas ahead and behind me
Sunset view at the summit
I burned 43 rated miles on the way up, and gained back 19 on the way down. Left the lodge at almost 9:30 with 104 miles range for a 160 mile trip home. Stopped at a drive-thru window in North Conway (not a lot else open) then parked at Hill's RV to eat and charge. Based on our conversation earlier in the week they were ready for me, and had even left out a light-up 50A extension cord to make it easier to find (though I plugged into the box on the wall, figuring it would be a stronger charge). After a lengthy nap I left at 1am, with 155 rated miles for a 140 mile trip. Put $10 in my Auto Road envelope with a note and slid it under the showroom door.
Nice, open roads and then one of my more unique Tesla Time experiences:
2am at a sobriety checkpoint, the officer asks for license and registration then says "Is that whole thing a giant heads-up display?" I explained that it's not HID but is touch panel control for the car, then got questions about who makes it (Tesla Motors), where (California), how much (equivalent to a BMW 5 or 7 series, depending on power and options), and of course where do you charge it (had to stop after the Auto Road for a few hours, hence why I'm driving at 2am). Turned on the camera to get a photo of him telling his colleagues about the electric car. Was tempted to pop the frunk and go the whole nine yards since there weren't many cars coming through, but wanted to get home.
Had a scare when my buffer accelerated its decline on I-95 (I had set cruise too high), and then my remaining range dropped below the 27 miles I had to go - and kept dropping. Finally realized that Google Maps had hung somewhat, and after canceling and reselecting the destination it showed the real distance of 18 miles. Reached home at 3:35 am with 8 miles remaining. Averaged 303 wh/mi over the 344 miles - pretty good for me, I guess driven by necessity (no pun intended, but noticed after the fact).
Great time and good to meet in person so many people from the forum - Robert you were missed. Special thanks to Daniel for organizing. I'll post many more photos on Flickr and update with the link later.
UPDATE: link to photo set on Flickr: Mt Washington 3Aug13 - a set on Flickr
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Impressive Robert!
Wish I was able to be there with you guys - but I was hosting Cliff Johnson in my home while he was doing audio installs in the area and drove him up to Watertown yesterday for 3 installs.... Including yours!
Aaron
Wish I was able to be there with you guys - but I was hosting Cliff Johnson in my home while he was doing audio installs in the area and drove him up to Watertown yesterday for 3 installs.... Including yours!
Aaron
I love this pic; tells us something about the cars regen efficiency:
ModelS1079
Member
For the Historical Record, I also did not (need to or) touch the brakes all the way down, but still Regen-ed a somewhat lackluster 15 miles. I actually tried reducing Regen halfway down to gain a little speed, but decided I was not sure if my insurance covers diving off the side of mountain roads. Without touching the brake I toggled over again to full Regen, the car immediately slowed, embankments stopped approaching me, headlights returned to my rear view mirror.
I have a theory that if I went down slower than I had, I'd have gotten more Regen. Same distance, but I rarely even lifted my foot all the way off the right pedal (what DO we best call that pedal?), so I was rarely getting Regen above 20-40W Regen. Bet going more slowly, with deeper Regen (despite same distance) would have given me more Regen. Okay, this may be obvious to you mechanicall engineers out there.
Regarding the right pedal, I do not like accelerator pedal, gas pedal obviously will not suffice, and I formally propose the following:
The Driving Pedal.
It accelerates, coasts, and brakes. It reduces and builds range. It drives the car. We press the brake pedal only when we need to. But most of the time, we drive.
I have a theory that if I went down slower than I had, I'd have gotten more Regen. Same distance, but I rarely even lifted my foot all the way off the right pedal (what DO we best call that pedal?), so I was rarely getting Regen above 20-40W Regen. Bet going more slowly, with deeper Regen (despite same distance) would have given me more Regen. Okay, this may be obvious to you mechanicall engineers out there.
Regarding the right pedal, I do not like accelerator pedal, gas pedal obviously will not suffice, and I formally propose the following:
The Driving Pedal.
It accelerates, coasts, and brakes. It reduces and builds range. It drives the car. We press the brake pedal only when we need to. But most of the time, we drive.
I've tried to reconstruct from memory the payments I received. If you RSVPed through the Meetup site, please take a look to verify I marked your payment properly. I manually recorded payments from Sakomoto and cinergi as they RSVPed outside Meetup. You can see the balance sheet here: Error! - New England Tesla Motors Club (Boston, MA) - Meetup . I paid for 28 adults and 8 children which was the best number I had based on previous RSVPs and communication with members up to the time of payment. I believe we actually had 25 adults, so that plus the service charge will prevent the payments and expenses from balancing perfectly. That isn't a big deal.
There were a few USB sticks that I didn't manage to collect afterward. If you have one and you'd like to mail it back to me (no rush at all), my address is 136 N Main St Salem NH 03079.
This really was a delightful event, and I definitely think we should think about doing it again next year.
Thank you so much to everyone for coming. I look forward to seeing many more pictures and sharing the stories.
-Daniel
There were a few USB sticks that I didn't manage to collect afterward. If you have one and you'd like to mail it back to me (no rush at all), my address is 136 N Main St Salem NH 03079.
This really was a delightful event, and I definitely think we should think about doing it again next year.
Thank you so much to everyone for coming. I look forward to seeing many more pictures and sharing the stories.
-Daniel
My video of the ascent ... 16 Tesla Model S cars climb Mount Washington - YouTube
Unedited so it's long ... pretend like you're actually driving up there and it'll feel less lengthy
I thought the background music I added would add some funny darkness to it -- we'll see how that turns out LOL
Unedited so it's long ... pretend like you're actually driving up there and it'll feel less lengthy
I thought the background music I added would add some funny darkness to it -- we'll see how that turns out LOL
Last edited by a moderator:
My video of the ascent ... 16 Tesla Model S cars climb Mount Washington - YouTube
Unedited so it's long ... pretend like you're actually driving up there and it'll feel less lengthy
I thought the background music I added would add some funny darkness to it -- we'll see how that turns out LOL
I like it and the music. Amazed you hand-held it the whole way, and that you could be so steady.
So Daniel, have you alerted the media? A tweet to Elon, Tesla Motors or the world with a photo of cars at the top of the mountain? Let the world know that Teslas can do that mountain better than most ICE cars.
I tweeted the foggy line of cars picture at the summit on the @TeslaRoadTrip twitter page with a link to the Meetup page which Elon and Tesla Motors follow....
https://twitter.com/TeslaRoadTrip/status/364351795008503809/photo/1
Aaron
https://twitter.com/TeslaRoadTrip/status/364351795008503809/photo/1
Aaron
On the evening of Saturday, August 3rd, 2013, 14 Tesla Model S and one Tesla Roadster EVs gathered to make the first group ascent of the Mt. Washington Auto Road. Five of the vehicle owners were New Hampshire residents. The others came from surrounding New England states as well as one from Canada.
The trip up the auto road was exhilarating. These vehicles have very smooth and quiet acceleration, and plenty of torque which makes the steep ascent a very different experience from your typical ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle. Most of the cars went all the way up to the tree line with the windows down and sun roofs open, and all that could be heard was the wind whistling through the trees, the birds chirping, and the quiet noise of the tires rolling on the pavement. As we passed the tree line, we drove into the clouds that circled the mountain, and the temperature dropped as the wind picked up. When we closed the windows of the car, it was almost like entering a mysterious alien terrain. Visibility was reduced to almost zero, and your attention was focused on the road immediately in front of you, the ghostly lights of the car ahead, and occasional breaks in the clouds showing the vista far below.
The weather on top definitely showed off the "worst weather in the world" moniker. It was cold and wet with fog as thick as pea-soup. By no means did that ruin our enjoyment of the event though. We slogged up the stairs to the train station, then fought through fog and drizzle to climb the rocks to the summit. Sadly, we had to take it on faith that the sun set while we were there, but the summit was worth it even without a view.
After about 45 minutes chatting and browsing the gift shop, we began the trek back down. The cars could not have been built better for descending a mountain. Stable, low to the ground, and aerodynamic, the cars shrug off the buffeting winds and handle wonderfully on the road. The powerful regenerative breaking meant that we did not have to worry about a straining engine or overheating brakes as the cars gracefully glided down at a comfortable and safe speed requiring only occasional touches of the brakes at the hairpin turns.
The 8 mile long and 4,600 feet high ascent consumes somewhere between 12 and 14 kWh of energy (about 40 to 45 miles of rated range), while the descent reclaims between 5 and 7 kWh of energy (about 15 to 23 miles of rated range) through regenerative breaking.
Feel free to browse through the collections of photos we've uploaded so far:
Photos - New England Tesla Motors Club (Boston, MA) - Meetup
Mt Washington 3Aug13 - a set on Flickr
Mt. Washington Auto Road in a Tesla? - Page 13
The trip up the auto road was exhilarating. These vehicles have very smooth and quiet acceleration, and plenty of torque which makes the steep ascent a very different experience from your typical ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle. Most of the cars went all the way up to the tree line with the windows down and sun roofs open, and all that could be heard was the wind whistling through the trees, the birds chirping, and the quiet noise of the tires rolling on the pavement. As we passed the tree line, we drove into the clouds that circled the mountain, and the temperature dropped as the wind picked up. When we closed the windows of the car, it was almost like entering a mysterious alien terrain. Visibility was reduced to almost zero, and your attention was focused on the road immediately in front of you, the ghostly lights of the car ahead, and occasional breaks in the clouds showing the vista far below.
The weather on top definitely showed off the "worst weather in the world" moniker. It was cold and wet with fog as thick as pea-soup. By no means did that ruin our enjoyment of the event though. We slogged up the stairs to the train station, then fought through fog and drizzle to climb the rocks to the summit. Sadly, we had to take it on faith that the sun set while we were there, but the summit was worth it even without a view.
After about 45 minutes chatting and browsing the gift shop, we began the trek back down. The cars could not have been built better for descending a mountain. Stable, low to the ground, and aerodynamic, the cars shrug off the buffeting winds and handle wonderfully on the road. The powerful regenerative breaking meant that we did not have to worry about a straining engine or overheating brakes as the cars gracefully glided down at a comfortable and safe speed requiring only occasional touches of the brakes at the hairpin turns.
The 8 mile long and 4,600 feet high ascent consumes somewhere between 12 and 14 kWh of energy (about 40 to 45 miles of rated range), while the descent reclaims between 5 and 7 kWh of energy (about 15 to 23 miles of rated range) through regenerative breaking.
Feel free to browse through the collections of photos we've uploaded so far:
Photos - New England Tesla Motors Club (Boston, MA) - Meetup
Mt Washington 3Aug13 - a set on Flickr
Mt. Washington Auto Road in a Tesla? - Page 13
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Thanks for this nice summary for the press, and especially for all the work you did to organize it. I've emailed it to a few interested friends. Not to be nitpicky or anything, but you might want to edit the units of measure in the last sentence.
For those who don't already know, a kilowatt (kW) is a rate of producing or consuming energy. A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is not a rate, but rather a total measure of energy. For example if you have a 1 kW solar panel, it will produce energy at a rate of 1 kW per hour, or 1 kWh of energy after an hour on a sunny day. So the Model S consumed between 12 and 14 kWh of energy, the Roadster about 9 kWh (35mi), etc.
For those who don't already know, a kilowatt (kW) is a rate of producing or consuming energy. A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is not a rate, but rather a total measure of energy. For example if you have a 1 kW solar panel, it will produce energy at a rate of 1 kW per hour, or 1 kWh of energy after an hour on a sunny day. So the Model S consumed between 12 and 14 kWh of energy, the Roadster about 9 kWh (35mi), etc.
Thanks for this nice summary for the press, and especially for all the work you did to organize it. I've emailed it to a few interested friends. Not to be nitpicky or anything, but you might want to edit the units of measure in the last sentence.
For those who don't already know, a kilowatt (kW) is a rate of producing or consuming energy. A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is not a rate, but rather a total measure of energy. For example if you have a 1 kW solar panel, it will produce energy at a rate of 1 kW per hour, or 1 kWh of energy after an hour on a sunny day. So the Model S consumed between 12 and 14 kWh of energy, the Roadster about 9 kWh (35mi), etc.
Thanks for the heads up on my misuse of units of measure. I also corrected a few other tiny nit-pic typos and sentence structure.
mitch672
Active Member
Daniel,
The Auto Road posted a little blurb about us on their site, you are quoted of course
New Electric Charging Station Installed! | Mt. Washington Auto Road
The Auto Road posted a little blurb about us on their site, you are quoted of course
New Electric Charging Station Installed! | Mt. Washington Auto Road
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