Need trip planning advice (Atlanta -> Carbondale, IL)

[kirkbauer]

I wanted to take this trip in my MS (P85D) but looking at EV Trip Planner it seems it will turn a ~6 hour trip into a ~12 hour trip which will just be too long with two young children. The supercharger options seem rather limited and the big issue is there isn't any close to my destination. So I'd need a way to recharge for the return trip.

I wanted to check with distance travel veterans to see if I'm missing any obvious solutions here. One idea I had is: could I do Chatanooga -> Nashville and then drive (a bit slowly) directly from the Nashville Supercharger to Carbondale IL and then find a destination charging option? I don't see any official Tesla destination chargers in Carbondale, IL, but is there another option that could get me fully charged overnight?

My apologies if this is a dumb question; so far I have only charged at home and at superchargers.

 

[brkaus]

There is a ford dealer listed on PlugShare. Not much else.

Would the place your visiting have an accessible dryer outlet?

 

[grichard]

If you're only staying overnight, yeah, I think you'd need to find something with 240V at your destination and make sure you have / make the correct adaptor for it.

On an overnight 110V charge with the 5/20 adaptor, you could probably get enough range to get to the Miner supercharger. From there you could drive conservatively back to Nashville. (Or not conservatively if you have a Chademo adaptor and use the Nissan dealership in Clarksville.) Either way, though, this adds some time.

 

[kirkbauer]

I'll be staying at a hotel but I haven't found my lodging yet, so if there was a hotel that offered EV charging I could stay there...

 

[Rocky_H]

Oh, I really like figuring out route charging challenges.

Definitely use EVtripplanner.com to check out a few of the individual segments to see what is workable and do some brainstorming.

First off, I don’t see how this possibly turns into a 12 hour trip instead of 6 hours. EVtripplanner shows 7:20, but one of the segments is too long for one shot, so you'll need a slow charging stop once. It looks like this will take a little planning, but isn’t too hard. The route is not really roundabout out of the way at all. It’s Atlanta to Chattanooga to Nashville, through Paducah to Carbondale, about as straight as it gets. However, it’s that last leg from Nashville to Carbondale that is a little too far for one shot, so you should find a charging point along the way (probably Paducah or Clarksville). I might be tempted to just go slowly and make it in one shot, but most are not up for that kind of “adventure”.

There are a few charging options along the way. There is a really well reviewed Tesla owner with a high power wall connector in Paducah who has let people charge at his house several times. You could contact him and see if that would be available when you go. I’ve had a few other Tesla owners charge at my house before the Superchargers got here, and it was really fun getting to meet them, and I have also charged at someone else’s house on Plugshare when I was on a trip. That’s what it’s for! There’s another owner just South of Hopkinsville.

Alternatively, do you have a CHAdeMO adapter? There are two CHAdeMO stations in Clarksville that are on the way. One is on the Chargepoint network, so set up your account for that before you go. And the other is at a Nissan dealership. Both of those have successful checkins as recently as September/October, so they should be fairly reliable, although if you’re planning on the Nissan place, call ahead to make sure they are OK with a Tesla using their station.

Or, here is another plan: Make your lunch stop in Clarksville. The Old Glory Distilling Company is a Tesla Destination charging site. This is a little odd that the place is still in construction, with their grand opening due on 10/29, but there are a lot of checkins on Plugshare that their two wall connectors are both live and working. There are several restaurants within a few blocks, like Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, Panera, and Cracker Barrel. So plug in, go get something to eat for an hour, and then away you go.

I think you will find that will not feel too unusual. On a long trip of 4-6 hours anyway, you do usually want one longer break for a meal stop somewhere in there to stretch your legs and break up the stir-crazy a little.

 

[brkaus]

Btw - OP - what charger option do you have in your car?

 

[PtG62901]

Best charger in Carbondale is likely in my garage. When are you coming to town?

The best supercharger would be in Minor, MO. You would be able to bounce in and out easily, but out of the way a little.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

There is an RV park with 40amp charging for $5 in Paducah (Duck Creek RV Park). Could prove useful, then I'd hit up PtG62901 once in town!

 

[Btrflyl8e]

Oh, there's another one, Fern Lake Campground, also EV friendly and in Paducah

 

[kirkbauer]

Oh, I really like figuring out route charging challenges.
...
Alternatively, do you have a CHAdeMO adapter?

Thank you for the great tips! I don't have CHAdeMO currently...

Btw - OP - what charger option do you have in your car?

Pre-refresh MS, single charger, so just 40A I believe?

Best charger in Carbondale is likely in my garage. When are you coming to town?

The best supercharger would be in Minor, MO. You would be able to bounce in and out easily, but out of the way a little.

Wow, that's crazy. I'm not exactly sure yet, most likely in late January. If you might be around perhaps we take it to a PM?

I still have to convince my wife; she just wants to take the minivan

 

[PtG62901]

Thank you for the great tips! I don't have CHAdeMO currently...



Pre-refresh MS, single charger, so just 40A I believe?



Wow, that's crazy. I'm not exactly sure yet, most likely in late January. If you might be around perhaps we take it to a PM?

I still have to convince my wife; she just wants to take the minivan

You bet, shoot me a PM. Carbondale in January? Interesting time to visit. Must be a story there.

If you need hotel, restaurant or other advice, let me know. It is a pretty small city.

 

[Rocky_H]

Heh, I love these local connections, @kirkbauer and @PtG62901 . There was a guy from Reno who was coming to Boise to visit his son. He saw that I was listed on Plugshare less than a mile from where his son lives, so he charged at my house a couple of times when he was in town.

 

[PtG62901]

I saw your story about listing on Plugshare. I'm going to give this a try and see how it feels before I go crazy and list. It does seem like fun.