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Need advice on feasibility of the trip from SC in NJ to Austin TX

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Need advice on feasibility of trip from NJ to Austin TX Model S 2013 60kWh 60k miles

I finally made a deposit on CPO Model S 60Kw 2013 that is currently locate at New Jersey service center.
Tesla is quoting "up to $1500" to transport the car to Austin TX service center.
To save money I'm considering driving from the Service Center in NJ to Austin TX.

I need an advice if you think this trip is feasible considering superchargers and destination chargers. How painful it is going to be and if it is possible to be accomplished in 3 days.
If you travelled using destination chargers what are usual hotel policies regarding those if multiple cars compete for the same slot? Is it possibly to leave the cars at the desk and they re-park them or something else is done?

I've looked at the route via EV Trip Planner through New Orleans and the trip looks theoretically possible, however considering cold temperatures, there are some close calls in terms of range along the way.

One of the concerns that it looks like I will have to charge to 90% at superchargers and I'm not sure how long it usually takes. Is it 1 hour or 1.5 hours?

Any tips and opinions would be appreciated because it would allow to decide which delivery option to take.
 
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This summer we will be making largely the same trip on our 70D. Of course, it's winter now and yours is a 60. But don't let that discourage you. Remember there are plenty of other places to stop other than super chargers. Sure they take a bit longer but aren't that bad especially if you have a CHAdeMO adapter. Every Nissan dealer I have stopped at has been very hospitable.

This should certainly be doable in three days, even if they are long ones. I recommend making the investment in CHAdeMO and going for it.
 
First, traveling using Superchargers is not painful at all. It's one of the most relaxing ways to travel. Because you are getting a 60, you'll be taking the longer route due to the shorter distances between Superchargers. At 2350 miles, I doubt it's possible in three days. I would allow five (maybe even six if the weather is bad) but it might be possible to do it in four.

The first thing you have to know is what is the current range of that particular 60. Because it's used it won't be the full range when new.

Note that if it was an 85 the distance would be only 1850 miles cutting 500 miles off of the trip, which could be done in three days, though personally, I would split it up into four.

A range charge in an 85 takes about an hour. I suspect the 60 is the same as it charges slower. Because it's cold and cold plus bad weather reduces range, you'll likely want to do a range charge at every stop.

However, I don't believe you'll save any money as there will be hotels and meals. Also you'll need winter tires for the trip--the all seasons that are likely on the car won't cut it for the route you're going to be taking (in my opinion), and it's best to have an extra set of wheels (I do for DFW).

If it was me, I'd pay the $1500.
 
so it looks like overall advice is not to do it.
However if I decide to do it what are the tips - leave 30% buffer just in case, heater on minimum, have back up charging options?

Also what is the safety buffer for the Model S when miles hit 0. I heard it is 15 miles or so. Is that correct?
 
Also what is the safety buffer for the Model S when miles hit 0. I heard it is 15 miles or so. Is that correct?

When miles hit zero then you have zero miles..although some owners have shown to drive MS for few more miles but I would not count on it.

Make sure you have at least 30 miles of buffer. The winter weather and winds can make one feel that even 30 miles of buffer is not enough.

My advice would be to bite the bullet and take delivery at Houston and accept that $1500 delivery charges
 
I did this exact trip from Boston to Austin two years ago. Yes, this is way before there were superchargers between Georgia and Texas. Our Model S 60 performed great. We managed to supercharge through Macon, GA. After that was a bit more painful because only 30 Amp chargers at Nissan dealerships existed. Nevertheless, we still made the entire trip in less than 4 days. With superchargers the whole way I could see you easily completing the trip in 2-3 days with two drivers. Best of luck :)

Edit: I forgot to mention we had a cargo rack on the trailer hitch with a bike on it too. There were some spots where we had to drive ~50 mph to reduce our charging times at the extremely slow 240 V chargers. At times we were seeing estimated ranges of 250 miles. We actually saw 315 miles rated range for a bit... Check out some of the pics.

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Last supercharger on the route in Macon, GA. It hadn't been opened yet, we lucked out and found a working stall. We're parked like that because the cargo rack on the back prevented us from backing in.

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Model S is surprisingly comfy and spacious enough for two people to sleep in the back with a couple camping mattresses.
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Some would call us crazy for doing almost 200 mile legs in a MS60, but it was necessary to make it to Austin on time. Plus, my dad and I aren't scared of a little adventure. :p

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Surround sound actually works in the car over bluetooth. Pleasant surprise for the occasional tablet movie.

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The only problem we had with the car was low windshield washer fluid. haha.

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You can see the route and places we charged from the grey dots. I'm not sure where the new superchargers are located.
 
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I haven't done that trip, but I've done many other long distance trips, as long as you plot your route BEFORE the trip and know where you will be charging all should go well. you need to be aware that climatic conditions could severely affect your car's range so you will need to account for this in your calculations.
 
so it looks like overall advice is not to do it.
However if I decide to do it what are the tips - leave 30% buffer just in case, heater on minimum, have back up charging options?

Also what is the safety buffer for the Model S when miles hit 0. I heard it is 15 miles or so. Is that correct?

Use evtripplanner. Use speed factor of 1.1. From the "rated miles used" line for each leg, add a number of miles you feel comfortable having extra. I use 20-40 miles extra depending on the leg. Charge to the that number of miles range and you will be good, if it gets tight on a leg, slow down. Don't do what beginners in Evs do and look at distance to next charger and add to the number. You Will end up shelf at one point. Elevation, wind, temperature all affect the miles used.
 
Any chance did you get one of the $35k S60's that popped up this week? If you got the blue one I'll buy it off you for a fair premium and you won't have to worry about the transport!

JPUConn, indeed, that it the blue one that sold for $35,700 on CPO. I paid for alerts from ev-cpo.com and as soon as I saw that car pop up I hit the buy button. I was actually following Tesla since 2012 and I really wanted to get a car from them. $35K is the maximum I can afford and I thought what the heck for 35K it is basically Model 3 but today.
So I really wanted to experience the car now. And I really want to make that road trip because it will allow me to soak that experience of electrical travel that comes with it and see if the proliferation of electric vehicles is possible and once Model 3 comes out to compare how far Tesla as a company went forward. For example there are so many updates since 2013 when that car was produced.

The car by the way does not have tech package so I'll have to make the trip without.

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Kjennerautor, thank you very much for the info and the pictures.

May I ask you how long does it take for your car currently to get to 100% charge at a supercharger and what mile rating you get in range mode at 100% charge?
 
Ivengo, I'd love to read your trip report if you make the drive. Even you're CPO experience after driving it for some time. I have similar thoughts about not wanting to wait for the model 3 and since I've never purchased a brand new car, a used/CPO Tesla is something I'm trying to learn more about. Save some depreciation but also curious to get an end user perspective on battery health, mechanical upkeep, etc....
 
JPUConn, indeed, that it the blue one that sold for $35,700 on CPO. I paid for alerts from ev-cpo.com and as soon as I saw that car pop up I hit the buy button. I was actually following Tesla since 2012 and I really wanted to get a car from them. $35K is the maximum I can afford and I thought what the heck for 35K it is basically Model 3 but today.
So I really wanted to experience the car now. And I really want to make that road trip because it will allow me to soak that experience of electrical travel that comes with it and see if the proliferation of electric vehicles is possible and once Model 3 comes out to compare how far Tesla as a company went forward. For example there are so many updates since 2013 when that car was produced.

The car by the way does not have tech package so I'll have to make the trip without.

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Kjennerator, thank you very much for the info and the pictures.

May I ask you how long does it take for your car currently to get to 100% charge at a supercharger and what mile rating you get in range mode at 100% charge?

Range charge was about 198 miles. Depending on degradation and battery age it could be less. I don't remember how long it takes for it to get to 100% at a supercharger, more than an hour I suspect. The 60 kwh cars charge at a slower rate than the 85's. I would recommend driving on lower charges because it charges faster...do this if you are trying to optimize time, but beware of running out of charge (for experienced ev owners). I did the trip in the summer, so my car's energy use will be way lower than yours will be. I was seeing 250 Wh/mile at 50 mph. You will likely see 325-350 Wh/mile in the winter with heat on. Because of this be sure to preheat the cabin (maybe even overheat it) while you are charging at superchargers...this way you will use less energy while driving.

Just keep in mind, if you don't have enough range to make it, slow down. The energy use jump from 50-60-70 mph is exponential. On my trip we had to go 45 mph on a highway for 200 miles to make it to our next stop!
 
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Also what is the safety buffer for the Model S when miles hit 0. I heard it is 15 miles or so. Is that correct?
NO, NO, NO. Zero means zero. There is no safety buffer. The rated range is just an estimate and you should not count on any miles past 0 just because a few people got more sometimes. More commonly you will find yourself on a flatbed if you get to 0. Actually in cold weather the car has shut off at 1 or 2 miles for some people. It's not an exact science. Also running the battery down to 0 is bad for the battery.
 
I've hear that there are two displayed ranges on the car one is the estimated range and the other you see displayed at the dashboard after the charge.
Am I correct in my understanding? If not what is the actual case? Also if there are two separate ranges which one should I trust more?