Need help planning for a trip

[Dj B]

I have an upcoming trip from Las Vegas, Nv to Flagstaff, Az. I have an X 75D and normally get about 65% of the rated mileage with normal driving habits and no elevation changes in normals temps (between 65-90 degrees F). I know there are MANY variables when driving, however, I just went to EVtripplanner and saw there are no options for my vehicle, therefore I am posing this question to you guys, the pros.

My concern is the stretch from Kingman to Flagstaff. The distance is 150 miles with a 3600 foot climb during those miles. At 100% my rated miles is 227. So quick math tells me that 227x.65 = 148 miles. The temperature will be in the 110s during our trip and I fear we may not make it to Flagstaff. There are no destination chargers on this route either. Our total cargo load including ourselves will be roughly 450 lbs. I plan to keep the air at 76 and our MPH at 65. Im praying there wont be any head winds as I think that may seal our doom.

Do you guys think we will make it? Should I be renting an ICE car for the trip? We have 3 little ones that will be with us. Its insane to me I have to stress about this when I think about what I spent on this car. Hoping I am just being paranoid.

Any advice is welcomed and appreciated, trolls however are not

 

[Shock-On-T]

Whatever you do, make sure you take a lot of water.

It will be quite close. Luckily the high outside temperature will actually increase your range.
I notice there is a destination charger at Williams. Perhaps that could be a fallback if you notice you're falling behind on your trip.

EV Trip Planner shows you'll use about 65kWh for that trip, which is about as hard as I would push a 75D.

 

[Shock-On-T]

Also, while you're driving, navigate to the destination supercharger, then monitor how you're tracking by the consumption meter.

 

[Dj B]

EV Trip Planner shows you'll use about 65kWh for that trip, which is about as hard as I would push a 75D.

Can you explain what this means(why 65 and what the relationship is to 75D)? Sorry, I haven't done any long road trips yet so still learning the ropes. Also, thanks for both of your replies.

 

[Shock-On-T]

Sure, no problem. I've done a lot of risky trips here in Australia, where we have very sparse charging options.

EV Trip Planner is a site which does a very good job estimating how much energy you'll use for a given trip. It factors in elevation changes, temperate, cargo etc, what car you are driving. (it doesn't have X75D at the moment, but energy usage should be similar to X90D).

I searched that site for Kingman to Flagstaff and got a result of about 65kWh. Your battery has a usable amount of about 72kWh (I think).
That's pretty tight, especially with kids in the car.

Having said that, it's definitely doable, but you should monitor your progress on the consumption meter (pic above). Practice using that on other trips in the meantime.

If you can tee up a short charging break at the hotel in Williams it will be a dead easy trip. Maybe phone them and ask if you can use the charger while having lunch at the hotel? An hour's charging there is worth about 30 miles real range, which would make the trip easy.

 

[Dj B]

Sure, no problem. I've done a lot of risky trips here in Australia, where we have very sparse charging options.

EV Trip Planner is a site which does a very good job estimating how much energy you'll use for a given trip. It factors in elevation changes, temperate, cargo etc, what car you are driving. (it doesn't have X75D at the moment, but energy usage should be similar to X90D).

I searched that site for Kingman to Flagstaff and got a result of about 65kWh. Your battery has a usable amount of about 72kWh (I think).
That's pretty tight, especially with kids in the car.

Having said that, it's definitely doable, but you should monitor your progress on the consumption meter (pic above). Practice using that on other trips in the meantime.

If you can tee up a short charging break at the hotel in Williams it will be a dead easy trip. Maybe phone them and ask if you can use the charger while having lunch at the hotel? An hour's charging there is worth about 30 miles real range, which would make the trip easy.

Awesome, thanks so much for your help and information!! I never knew about the 72kWh, good to know for the future and I will definitely start using that planner for daily commutes.

Thanks again!

 

[Shock-On-T]

No problem, happy travels

 

[GoTslaGo]

Try this site for options for charging:

PlugShare

There seems to be a bunch of KOAs with 14-50 NEMA outlets at Seligman off of I40 (one for $40, 24 hour access, charge as much as you want). It's mid-way between Kingman and Flagstaff.

Also a bunch of places at Williams, closer to Flagstaff.

 

[carteriii]

I suggest you start out driving slowly (even below any 70mph speed limit) and draft (safely) behind a truck as soon as possible and for the first 1/2 (or more) of the distance. In the later part of the trip, if you're feeling comfortable, only then drive faster and stop drafting. This is better than driving "normally" for the first part of the trip and then finding you won't make it. Also double check that you have enabled the range mode setting.

 

[TJtv]

Assuming you are plugged in before you start the journey, make sure you set the air conditioning to LO and let it pre-soak the car with cool air for awhile.

 

[ecarfan]

Start your trip at 65mph and monitor the energy usage display that @ShockOnT posted about. If the estimated battery capacity at the end of the trip (the battery icon on the far right of that display) falls below 10%, SLOW DOWN. Try slowing down to 60 and watch the display. I think you will be surprised by how much you gain by slowing down even by 5mph.

Your biggest concern is unexpected headwinds. See if you can find a wind forecast for your route the night before.

 

[wycolo]

Be sure to check tire pressure before the heat of the day and before doing any driving.
--

 

[dprisoner]

Do you also have the sunshade? If so, put it up in the top half of the window. This helped me to not need as much AC on my trip across northern Nevada last month (luckily, we were only in the 80s).

 

[Dj B]

Thanks everyone for your responses, super helpful stuff. This board is awesome.

So keep range mode on? I remember reading a thread a while ago where someone said if you are doing a long distance steady climb to turn it off, is this accurate?

Thanks again for all your guy's help

 

[Rockster]

I have an app on my iPhone, "WindAlert," that shows live data for prevailing wind speeds and direction for the entire country. Watching that before you head out could show if you're going to encounter nasty headwinds.

 

[David99]

Thanks everyone for your responses, super helpful stuff. This board is awesome.

So keep range mode on? I remember reading a thread a while ago where someone said if you are doing a long distance steady climb to turn it off, is this accurate?

Thanks again for all your guy's help

Range mode makes only a small difference but it should be turned on when you have a trip that cuts it close. Range mode will do several things to reduce energy consumption. It will keep the battery warmer (makes it more efficient), it will reduce the AC (it might get warmer than inside) and it will enable 'torque sleep' which is disabling one motor while only using the other one which is slightly more efficient, especially on all Performance models that have the larger rear motor that has more power but is also a little less efficient.

 

[VikH]

Try this site for options for charging:

PlugShare

There seems to be a bunch of KOAs with 14-50 NEMA outlets at Seligman off of I40 (one for $40, 24 hour access, charge as much as you want). It's mid-way between Kingman and Flagstaff.

Also a bunch of places at Williams, closer to Flagstaff.

This is a good suggestion (assuming the area is safe). You could stop in Seligman for lunch and 14-50 charge at one of the RV parks while eating lunch/dinner. This would give you an extra 30-40 miles if you hang around for an hour or so.

 

[K-MTG]

Do you also have the sunshade? If so, put it up in the top half of the window. This helped me to not need as much AC on my trip across northern Nevada last month (luckily, we were only in the 80s).

Great Idea!!