Navigation Deadend

[Beta V]

I asked my new Model X to "Navigate to Leavenworth, Washington" while fully charged in my garage in Redmond, WA (just north and east of Seattle). It dutifully drew the (only) route up State Route 2. Fine. However, it reminded me the return trip would leave me with -13% power. I can only assume this is bad. Why wouldn't the system let me choose a new starting point (Leavenworth) and plot a route back via a Supercharger? I see one along the way in Monroe (again on SH 2) and I expect I could reach it on the way back, but shouldn't the system help me find an alternative back route?

As I see it, there's a distinct danger of getting stranded out in the boonies because I (and the nav system) didn't plan better.

So, I also subscribed to ChargePoint which maps charging locations on my PC and phone, and while there are recharge sites in Leavenworth, they don't appear on the Tesla's maps. Other sources say there are 36 charging stations nearby.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[BerTX]

I asked my new Model X to "Navigate to Leavenworth, Washington" while fully charged in my garage in Redmond, WA (just north and east of Seattle). It dutifully drew the (only) route up State Route 2. Fine. However, it reminded me the return trip would leave me with -13% power. I can only assume this is bad. Why wouldn't the system let me choose a new starting point (Leavenworth) and plot a route back via a Supercharger? I see one along the way in Monroe (again on SH 2) and I expect I could reach it on the way back, but shouldn't the system help me find an alternative back route?

As I see it, there's a distinct danger of getting stranded out in the boonies because I (and the nav system) didn't plan better.

So, I also subscribed to ChargePoint which maps charging locations on my PC and phone, and while there are recharge sites in Leavenworth, they don't appear on the Tesla's maps. Other sources say there are 36 charging stations nearby.

What am I doing wrong?

Wrong? Maybe expecting too much?

The car Nav is responsible for trying to get you to your destination. It is warning you that you can't get back and you may need to adjust your plans accordingly, either by finding charging at your destination or by routing through superchargers differently on the way there.

The car can only plot using Superchargers and Tesla Destination chargers. If you need other charging, Plugshare will tell you what is available, but the car Nav can't incorporate that knowledge.

There are numerous external trip planning options for various platforms that can include other charging sources. Others will help you out with their favorite -- Mine is EV Trip Optimizer that includes automatic compensation for weather and can also do the complex routing/charging and round-trip planning you are talking about.

Sorry if you were lead to believe this was a jump-in-the-car-and-go situation. Not yet!

 

[Beta V]

Thanks. This is what I have surmised. Should I be able to use ChargePoint or one of the other third-party apps with the Model X browser? I'm having considerable difficulty perhaps due to a poor WiFi connection in my garage (on my list to address this week). How about on the road, or am I going to have to use my phone-based app for that?

Yes, I would have thought that the ability to find power regardless of the source would be a built-in feature. So yes, perhaps I expected too much.

The other question about being able to start the route at a specified location (like Google Maps) or with waypoints, I hope this is a feature we're soon to see in a future release.

 

[BerTX]

Plugshare is the most complete site, showing charging sites for all sources and companies. There was a version tuned for the Tesla browser, but I think it is shut down. I just use the app on the phone. The Tesla browser's utility is pretty limited. I don't know about the Chargepoint app on the car browser, but unlikely. Besides, the Chargepoint app is almost exclusively for Chargepoint EVSE's and chargers, although they are trying to expand. Chargepoint does have the advantage of showing availability of charging facilities.

 

[Krazaak]

In my opinion, this should be changed. If I've configured nav to include a round trip energy estimate, it should inform me of an additional charge stop required near my destination for a return trip or the additional charge level for the charge stop prior to my destination.

The nav has all the info required to plot the return trip and I personally think it's sloppy for the car to show a negative battery level when there's a Tesla charger located near the destination.

I'm of course perfectly capable of planning the trip out on one of the sites, but if the car has the required info, it might as well use it.

If I've ever planned a route with a return trip that requires non-Tesla charging infrastructure, it should inform me that local non-Tesla charging will be required.

It would also be nice if I could plot a trip on my vehicle page on the Tesla website and have it upload the route directly to the car. It already has my model, battery specs, wheel size and my efficiency. Seems like a perfect opportunity for a value-add enhancement.

 

[BerTX]

In my opinion, this should be changed. If I've configured nav to include a round trip energy estimate, it should inform me of an additional charge stop required near my destination for a return trip or the additional charge level for the charge stop prior to my destination.

The nav has all the info required to plot the return trip and I personally think it's sloppy for the car to show a negative battery level when there's a Tesla charger located near the destination.

I'm of course perfectly capable of planning the trip out on one of the sites, but if the car has the required info, it might as well use it.

If I've ever planned a route with a return trip that requires non-Tesla charging infrastructure, it should inform me that local non-Tesla charging will be required.

It would also be nice if I could plot a trip on my vehicle page on the Tesla website and have it upload the route directly to the car. It already has my model, battery specs, wheel size and my efficiency. Seems like a perfect opportunity for a value-add enhancement.

Just signal us when the preaching is finished so that the choir can start singing.

Of course this should be the best Nav system on Earth. Unfortunately, Tesla wants things done a little differently, and likes to do things themselves, their own way. Great in theory, but the resources just are not there to do all the things they would like.

The Nav is due for an update early next year (which means maybe by June 30th). Hopefully the system will be worth the wait. For now, we have to find other resources to do the navigation ourselves. Fortunately, there are a few dedicated and enterprising 3rd party folks that have some darn good systems.

 

[Krazaak]

Just signal us when the preaching is finished so that the choir can start singing.

Of course this should be the best Nav system on Earth. Unfortunately, Tesla wants things done a little differently, and likes to do things themselves, their own way. Great in theory, but the resources just are not there to do all the things they would like.

The Nav is due for an update early next year (which means maybe by June 30th). Hopefully the system will be worth the wait. For now, we have to find other resources to do the navigation ourselves. Fortunately, there are a few dedicated and enterprising 3rd party folks that have some darn good systems.

Yeah, I'm hoping the new nav update will bring some positive changes. The current Navigon implementation is actually better than most of the in-car nav systems I've used, but it's clearly fallen behind compared to phone apps.

My post was really just a wish list. In my BMWs, it was easy to just ignore the nav screen and use my phone. That 17" screen is just crying out to be used for everything, so I'd love to see Tesla move closer to best in breed for nav and entertainment. Of course a secure API for 3rd party apps would fit the bill as well.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Your nav has no way of knowing if you will be charging at your destination or along the way. It does not even know if you will be planning a round trip or if the initial waypoint is just your first stop on the way to some place else.

It does, however, give you valuable information, in case you are planning to return to your starting point without grabbing some juice.

 

[Krazaak]

Well, looks like not all of my like-to-haves were unreasonable.

Go Anywhere | Tesla
https://www.tesla.com/trips

 

[Pdkj]

Hay I noticed this in my MX sometime around the .40 update but saw no mention of it ont the forums I read. This thread seems as good a place as any to mention it.

In the nav app when I press the supercharger icon I now see not only The list and pins of the Local (Indianapolis area) Superchargers (1) and Tesla destination charges (3) I now also see several non-Tesla public chargers (mostly J1772). It lists the ones in Broadripple at Developer Town and Miso in Carmel. If I click on the pin it even gives me limited info like power rating. Oddly it has more info on some of these charge locations than it does about the HPWCs located at the Indy Tesla Service Center. Has anyone seen this in other places and/or with earlier releases?

 

[MorrisonHiker]

Thanks. This is what I have surmised. Should I be able to use ChargePoint or one of the other third-party apps with the Model X browser?

A Better Route Planner will work in Tesla's browser.

 

[BerTX]

Hay I noticed this in my MX sometime around the .40 update but saw no mention of it ont the forums I read. This thread seems as good a place as any to mention it.

In the nav app when I press the supercharger icon I now see not only The list and pins of the Local (Indianapolis area) Superchargers (1) and Tesla destination charges (3) I now also see several non-Tesla public chargers (mostly J1772). It lists the ones in Broadripple at Developer Town and Miso in Carmel. If I click on the pin it even gives me limited info like power rating. Oddly it has more info on some of these charge locations than it does about the HPWCs located at the Indy Tesla Service Center. Has anyone seen this in other places and/or with earlier releases?

It remembers non-Tesla sites you have charged at before, but I never noticed other info on non-Tesla facilities. I'll have to check that out!

 

[dgatwood]

Your nav has no way of knowing if you will be charging at your destination or along the way. It does not even know if you will be planning a round trip or if the initial waypoint is just your first stop on the way to some place else.

It does, however, give you valuable information, in case you are planning to return to your starting point without grabbing some juice.

What would be nice would be a button that says, "Add a charging stop". If you press that, it could look for the charging stop closest to your route, with preference towards a stop near your destination, so that you can immediately know where you stand.