Planning 1st Trip - Questions

[BnBinAlpine]

I just started driving my Aug 2018 X 100D and am planning my first trip with my wife. Hoping some of the old-timers with Tesla X's can give their view on which trip planner to put your trust in as I'm a tad nervous.

I've tried Tesla's version, and found it bases its planning with current SOC, and time of day for current traffic. It also doesnt appear to allow user-specific routes, so what I did was select a supercharger on the way that forces it to use my desired route. But I then can't specify to plan a route from that SC to my final destination. So I have to estimate that last leg.

I then tried A Better Route Planner but again don't see a way to specify the route I want. But using the same method as above also gives different SC stops.

I tried EV Trip Planner and it allows you to specify your route, but it doesn't have the X 100D to select, only the P90D, so again the SC's it uses are different from either of the above.

Am I missing understanding features in these or what recommendations do you suggest?

My trip starts from my home at 100% charge in Alpine, CA and I then go hwy 8 to 67 to 52 to 805 to 5 to 73 toll rd to 405 to 101 to San Luis Obispo then 1 all the way to Monterey, CA to enjoy that scenic coast drive. My driving style is smooth and at or slightly above posted speeds, 20" rims.

 

[Bogobec]

I have the same question as you. I have heard that next firmware version 9.0 should introduce waypoints to route planning. Otherwise, some people recommended EVTO-Tesla for iOs. Haven't tried it yet since I will receive my X only in a couple of month

 

[eml2]

I then tried A Better Route Planner but again don't see a way to specify the route I want. But using the same method as above also gives different SC stops.

You can specify your route in ABetterRoutePlanner by adding Waypoints between your start and destination.

 

[TexasEV]

If you know the route you want, just drive it. You don't need a route planner.

 

[DCGOO]

I just started driving my Aug 2018 X 100D and am planning my first trip with my wife. Hoping some of the old-timers with Tesla X's can give their view on which trip planner to put your trust in as I'm a tad nervous.

I've tried Tesla's version, and found it bases its planning with current SOC, and time of day for current traffic. It also doesnt appear to allow user-specific routes, so what I did was select a supercharger on the way that forces it to use my desired route. But I then can't specify to plan a route from that SC to my final destination. So I have to estimate that last leg.

I then tried A Better Route Planner but again don't see a way to specify the route I want. But using the same method as above also gives different SC stops.

I tried EV Trip Planner and it allows you to specify your route, but it doesn't have the X 100D to select, only the P90D, so again the SC's it uses are different from either of the above.

Am I missing understanding features in these or what recommendations do you suggest?

My trip starts from my home at 100% charge in Alpine, CA and I then go hwy 8 to 67 to 52 to 805 to 5 to 73 toll rd to 405 to 101 to San Luis Obispo then 1 all the way to Monterey, CA to enjoy that scenic coast drive. My driving style is smooth and at or slightly above posted speeds, 20" rims.

The premise of all the tools you mention is, that you do not know the route you are going to take. After all they are called route PLANNERS. If you already know, then you do not need to use the tool. Abetterrouteplanner allows for many waypoints to be added, but again, if you already know how you are going to get there, it is really pointless. Use the tool on board with the next stop as the destination, just to make sure you have enough charge to make it there.

I've found the built-in tool attempts to minimize the number of stops, which may lead to extended charge times along the way. Abetterrouteplanner instead attempts to minimize total elapsed time of the trip. It calls for more stops, because it tends to run you on the lower half of the battery, while reducing overall charge time. If you feed it your Tesla log in information, it can use real time stats from your car during the trip. It also can run on the browser in the car, an iPad, or your smartphone. So it is pretty versatile and handy.

 

[BnBinAlpine]

Appreciate everyone’s input. I hadn’t seen that ABRP had waypoints nor understood that it attempts to reduce overall elapsed time, so thanks for that.

The reason I used a trip planner is simply to understand where I would be charging and what % I’d be at each stop, length of time charging, % on arrival at next stop. As this is my very first trip I don’t want to be merrily enjoying the view and then find I won’t have battery to reach my next stop/destination and the last SC is now also out of range even if I turn back.

I’ll try ABRP again and look fwd to Tesla’s V9 release to see how it works.

 

[Bogobec]

As this is my very first trip I don’t want to be merrily enjoying the view and then find I won’t have battery to reach my next stop/destination and the last SC is now also out of range even if I turn back.

If I'm not wrong, the car will alert you if it detects that you will soon be too far from the next supercharger considering the battery left you have. But again, still waiting for my X to test this first hand

 

[BnBinAlpine]

If I'm not wrong, the car will alert you if it detects that you will soon be too far from the next supercharger considering the battery left you have. But again, still waiting for my X to test this first hand

That’s what I’ve heard as well, just need more seat/travel experience I’m sure. T’wil be nice when SC stations are nearly as ubiquitous as gas stations.

 

[ewoodrick]

I just started driving my Aug 2018 X 100D and am planning my first trip with my wife. Hoping some of the old-timers with Tesla X's can give their view on which trip planner to put your trust in as I'm a tad nervous.

I've tried Tesla's version, and found it bases its planning with current SOC, and time of day for current traffic. It also doesnt appear to allow user-specific routes, so what I did was select a supercharger on the way that forces it to use my desired route. But I then can't specify to plan a route from that SC to my final destination. So I have to estimate that last leg.

I then tried A Better Route Planner but again don't see a way to specify the route I want. But using the same method as above also gives different SC stops.

I tried EV Trip Planner and it allows you to specify your route, but it doesn't have the X 100D to select, only the P90D, so again the SC's it uses are different from either of the above.

Am I missing understanding features in these or what recommendations do you suggest?

My trip starts from my home at 100% charge in Alpine, CA and I then go hwy 8 to 67 to 52 to 805 to 5 to 73 toll rd to 405 to 101 to San Luis Obispo then 1 all the way to Monterey, CA to enjoy that scenic coast drive. My driving style is smooth and at or slightly above posted speeds, 20" rims.

It looks like Tesla's site has a pretty good guess. Go Anywhere | Tesla

But I would generally recommend suggest looking at the Supercharger map Supercharger | Tesla to get an idea of where the Superchargers are, along your route. The next step that I recommend is to look where biology is going to take you. (lunch, bathroom, stretch) Then see how close the two are to each other and can you combine them into one. Might as well service the belly and the car at the same time.
Generally, the stops provided by the calculators give you the stops that they calculate that you need to stop at to get to your destination, but it can be much better travelling if you choose the stops that you want to stop at.

In general, the lower your state of charge, the fast that you charge. And most services charge you enough to get to your location, not drive around your location. So in these cases, I make sure that I try to make it to the last Supercharger and charge as much as realistic, unless I know that I will have charging at my destination.

I believe that you are taking is one that has probably been travelled nearly a thousand times, if not more, by Teslas. The abundance of supercharging, as well as the planned supercharges definitely indicate that it is a well travelled route.
San Luis Obispo to Monterey on 1 will be your longest segment without chargers (~150mi), so you will definitely want to make sure that you are charged as you enter it. There are a few destination chargers along the route if you get in trouble.

And also remember that a 75 can't make the trip, so that's a great indication that you want to be at 100% at San Luis Obispo. At 90%, you may have to enjoy the ocean view for a few hours while waiting for the tow. And that also tells you to enjoy the scenery and drive the speed limit.

 

[animorph]

ABetterRoutePlanner is my current favorite and was very accurate for our latest road trip. Add waypoints as needed to get it to route the way you want. The EVTO phone app is also a decent choice, though it's limited unless paid.

For a scenic drive taking a longer route than the planners normally select you should indeed check it with a planner to make sure your consumption it OK. I haven't had the Tesla nav warn me to head to a Supercharger out of the blue, but have read a few times here where it wanted the driver to head back to the last Supercharger. Not what you'd want to be doing. But if you enter the next Supercharger you want to go to as the destination then you can always check on the charge remaining when you get to it. If that gets too low, then you can take the nav's route to get there a little earlier.

 

[DCGOO]

If I'm not wrong, the car will alert you if it detects that you will soon be too far from the next supercharger considering the battery left you have. But again, still waiting for my X to test this first hand

It will do that if you are navigating somewhere and have a destination set. If you are just driving, you are on your own.

 

[BnBinAlpine]

And also remember that a 75 can't make the trip, so that's a great indication that you want to be at 100% at San Luis Obispo. At 90%, you may have to enjoy the ocean view for a few hours while waiting for the tow. And that also tells you to enjoy the scenery and drive the speed limit.

You're saying a 75 kW X can't make it from San Luis Obispo to Monterey on Hwy 1? I put SLO SC and Monterey into EV Trip Planner and it gave me 47 kW used (ABRP kept giving me No Route regardless of using a specific ending address). I'd guessed that charging to 70% at SLO would give me at least 10% remaining - no?

 

[DCGOO]

One suggestion I'll add is, if you are driving to a known end or stopping point, have that entered into your navigation, displayed on half the screen. On the other half of the screen, bring up the energy graph. Make sure the estimated range is always greater than the distance to the destination on the map. This is really good if you are particularly close and worried about making it. The energy graph estimated range is based on the last 5, 15 or 30 miles (you pick) of your driving, and quite accurate. The car will tell you to slow down if it thinks you are not going to make it. The complaining gets louder if you ignore it.

 

[Evoforce]

Generally, just relax and don't stress about it. If you are OCD then go ahead, stress about it. Your Tesla is great at getting you around on long trips and keeping you in range and even telling you to reduce to a specific speed if absolutely necessary by just putting your route in and routing through superchargers to your final destination. Get a chademo adapter for piece of mind too. Make sure you have a Plugshare app. I personally throw in some charging adapters for really going off the beaten path. Throw in some tire repair things, some roadside reflectors and flares. And, a battery operated emergency flashing light as well as a flashlight.

 

[Darmie]

I’ve looked at your route. I’m not that familiar with the amenities on the West coast. It’s about a 470 mile trip. With charge stops and breaks, that will be an awesome ALL day trip. It appears you should have many chargers to choose from while in route. My advice is to pick your charge stops where you plan on having your breaks and meals. You can determine what chargers are convenient to the food and snacks by looking at Find Us | Tesla. I would also recommend taking a look at plugshare.com, reading the comments of the chargers you are looking at.

I’ll also leave you with this though when it comes to calculating range.

In our travels, I would compute a launch number, (the rated range displayed on dash) If there was a 100 mile leg, I would multiply 100x1.2 and this would calculate driving at higher speed, add buffer. I use 20 to 30, so a 100 mile leg with buffer would be 150. Once I see that rated mileage on the dash I would drive off (launch) The car nav does a great job at this as well but I would always back it up with some simple math. Best of luck on your trip and have fun.

 

[BnBinAlpine]

Thanks again to everyone for your recommendations. I also realized there are some settings changes I’ll make
before leaving:

1. Controls > Displays > Energy Saving and and set to “On”. This stops the system from staying awake, so startup may be slower.
2. Turn off Cabin Heat Protection Controls > Settings > Vehicle > Cabin Overheat Protection > OFF. Stops climate from turning on if internal temp exceeds 105.
3. Disable Keep Climate On. While in Park, on the Climate Controls, touch FRONT. The Climate Timer appears below the individual settings you use to adjust the climate settings in the front seating area. Touch Keep Climate On > OFF. Stops climate from running while in Park.
4. And If reaching the next charger/destination is a concern, Controls > Driving > Range Mode. Reduces cooling/heating.

 

[ShawnA]

Hi BnBinAlpine,

I recently completed our first road trip in our X-100D.
I was confused with the trip planners and the stops and could not configure them to my liking.
I started the trip from home fully charged to 295 miles...
The trip was Interstate highway most of the way.
Many Superchargers at various locations along the route.
The temperature was 72 F. and sunny.

I evolved a simplistic and simple plan:

I drive at 75 mph and recommend stops every 2 hours.
So 150 miles between stops.
This is roughly half of a battery charge
So, I stopped at roughly every 150 miles or 2 hours for a Supercharge.

This put the battery in the fast charge zone...
It usually took from 30 to 40 minutes to charge.
It charged very quickly except for the last 10 or 15 miles...
I did not wait for these last slow charging miles, I unplugged and went on my way...

The planning consisted of looking ahead the next 150 miles for the next Supercharger.

With stops enforced at nearly every two hours for bathroom, snacks-meals, and windshield cleaning
it was one of the most relaxed driving trips I have ever taken...

Good luck!

Shawn

 

[BnBinAlpine]

Hi BnBinAlpine,

I recently completed our first road trip in our X-100D.
I was confused with the trip planners and the stops and could not configure them to my liking.
I started the trip from home fully charged to 295 miles...
The trip was Interstate highway most of the way.
Many Superchargers at various locations along the route.
The temperature was 72 F. and sunny.

I evolved a simplistic and simple plan:

I drive at 75 mph and recommend stops every 2 hours.
So 150 miles between stops.
This is roughly half of a battery charge
So, I stopped at roughly every 150 miles or 2 hours for a Supercharge.

This put the battery in the fast charge zone...
It usually took from 30 to 40 minutes to charge.
It charged very quickly except for the last 10 or 15 miles...
I did not wait for these last slow charging miles, I unplugged and went on my way...

The planning consisted of looking ahead the next 150 miles for the next Supercharger.

With stops enforced at nearly every two hours for bathroom, snacks-meals, and windshield cleaning
it was one of the most relaxed driving trips I have ever taken...

Good luck!

Shawn

I like your methodology Shawn, thanks!

 

[ShawnA]

Hi BnBinAlpine,

I am glad you like it...

I glossed over one step that could use a bit of elaboration.

While planning and looking ahead for the next Supercharger -
I use the car navigation system to locate the next Supercharger
within the 150 mile area and when I identify it, I set it as the destination
in the navigation system.
That way I get the turn by turn directions, the distance, and the projected
charge percentage at arrival from the car.

The Supercharger locations are usually easy to get to...
However some of them have not too obvious turns along the way...
One way streets that go a different direction than you would like them to...

There have been some nice coffee shops, doughnuts (Tim Horton's), and
we found a Boston Pizza (new to us) near Detroit that had good pizza.

Enjoy!

Shawn

 

[Big John]

Coming up on my 1 year anniversary with Snowball (MX 100D). I started out investigating all the trip planners and read all the comparisons. The more I traveled, the more I realized that the planner in Snowball is all I need. ShawnA has the method down to a T. I really believe that most MX drivers gravitate to this method as the most trouble free and painless way to do road trips. Tesla is S L O W L Y filling out their SC plan so before too long one will need little thought before just taking off on a truly fun ride. Only cogitation needed is traveling by back roads. Then your route planning whiskers need to be activated--other than that just GO and use the built in Nav system--not perfect but still amazing to anything in any other vehicle.