Planning a trip from Toronto to Vancouver in Model 3 SR+

[LabiPissing]

Hey all,
Me and my wife are moving to Vancouver next month and we have decided to drive since we have two dogs and we have always wanted to do a cross country road trip.
(We actually thought about selling the Model 3 and buy a gas car for the trip, but we only got the Tesla in December last year so we will end up having to pay like $5000 just to sell it)
That being said, I’ve spend a lot of time recently studying the locations of superchargers along the way and just trying to make sure that we have enough battery to cover the distance between each of them.
So far my really two concerns are between Sault Ste.Marie to Wawa (220km with lots of elevation change) and between Banff and Golden (Highway 1 closed outside of Golden, have to take highway 95 for a 259km detour).
I wonder if anyone has any experience for such a trip, any advice/help/input is appreciated.
Also if anyone is looking to buy a new Tesla please let me share my referral with you, I need all the supercharging mileage I need for this trip.
Thanks everyone for reading and stay safe.

 

[BrianBigNFun]

While I don’t know the trip, you could have emergency options (or just plan to use) at chargers other than the superchargers
Check the PlugShare app or the plan a better route website

 

[bpjod]

I can’t speak for the Eastern end, but out West there are a number of L2 chargers in Radium and Invermere. You could spend a few hours in Radium or spend the night in either place to top up overnight. There’s also a 50 kW CHAdeMO charger in Radium if you have the adapter. If you plan on travelling a lot in BC there are many more places you can get to on the provincial (BC Hydro) charging network than you can with Superchargers so it might be a worthwhile purchase.

The caution I have is that everyone will have to take the same detour and there might be a lot of waiting for access to the chargers in Radium. If you’re planning to spend the night, call ahead and see if they can reserve a chargers for you. Worst case, hopefully you can plug into an outlet for block heaters and get some chargers that way.

Don’t sell the car! Take your time and enjoy the road trip. Be patient. Overnight in hotels with L2 charging. Plan for meals and dog walks at the Supercharger. Keep in mind that driving 95 km/h instead of 110 km/h gives you an incredible amount of range boost. Do that early in the drive and only pick up speed as you approach your next charging spot and have confidence in your ability to make it. The energy graph is your friend. Learn how to use it.

Pay attention to the COVID related travel restrictions right now (BC) and figure out what you need to do to be in compliance.

Once you’re there you’ll really be happy you kept the car. Lots of Teslas in the Vancouver area.

 

[Manitoba Keith]

You don't say if you have the LR or not. I have made the trip from London to Calgary in the summer without trouble. 90 KM gives great range in ON. The only trouble I had was at Parry Sound, I believe, where none of the chargers would work. I think it was heat related. So, I had enough charge to get to Sudbury. I leave a 20% margin and was glad I did. As the previous poster said re CHAdeMO adapter. Great Idea and then you can use the Petro Canada chargers in an emergency. They cost more to use as 50KW is max rate with the Tesla adapter. Avoid Winnipeg unless you want to go almost right downtown. Portage La Prairie is pretty close to Winnipeg. Driving an ICE would be silly as my cost to SC from London, ON to Brandon, MB was about $100. Isn't that what a tank of gas costs now?
Travel restrictions are in place so you could get stuck in MB, SK, AB & BC. You might want to check with local authorities re quarantines & fines. In BC I hear you may get your car keyed if you are out of province. Safe travels.
Tricky times to be traveling.

 

[bpjod]

You don't say if you have the LR or not.

They have an SR+.
It’s in the thread title but not in the text of the post.

 

[Manitoba Keith]

Sorry about that. Guess I need to learn how to read. I suspect that OP will still be able to make the trip.

 

[TGoos]

The full closure of that highway is to end on May 14th I believe. There will no longer be the long detour .... there will just be construction delays.

 

[UncleCreepy]

I can't tell for sure how it is with an SR+ (mine is a LR), but we made a similar trip from eastern Ontario to BC last summer.

It took us four days at about 900 km/day to get there. We stayed at hotels that had chargers, so we were able to start each day with a full battery.

The Trans Canada Highway has lots of V3 superchargers along the way. In fact, we skipped some of them. I would just enter the destination in the navigation and let the car figure it out. It worked well for us and I have no doubt that the SR+ can do the trip, too. If anything, you might have to obey some speed limits if the next SuC is far away

Not sure if it helps, but those are the hotels we stayed at:

Super 8 by Wyndham Sault Ste Marie On | Sault Ste Marie, ON Hotels

Free breakfast, free WiFi, and updated guest rooms will help you enjoy your Sault Ste Marie, ON stay at Super 8 by Wyndham Sault Ste Marie On.

www.wyndhamhotels.com

It doesn't have a charger, but there's a Ford dealership just 5 minutes away (walking distance) that allowed us to charge overnight (we asked and they said it's okay).

North Woods Motor Inn | Home outside of home

We would like to welcome you to the Notorious Noth Woods Motor Inn. We are located 150 miles west of Thunder Bay, ON and 150 miles east of Kenora. Hwy 17 runs by our front door. Hwy 599, Gateway to the North is within sight of the North Woods. We have 31 clean & comfortable hotel rooms.

northwoodsmotorinn.ca

http://www.wolseleymotel.ca/

Hotel Accommodation in Fernie British Columbia - Fernie Fox Hotel

Fernie Fox Hotel's pet-friendly accommodation near Fernie Alpine Resort in British Columbia is ideal for anyone seeking the best place to stay

ferniefoxhotel.com

There are of course more places with level 2 chargers. The reason I picked those was that they were just in the right spots for an overnight stay.

Btw, the hydro costs for the entire trip (9,000 km) were C$110, all from supercharging. I didn't have to pay a single cent for L2 charging, so the "fuel" costs were pretty much negligible.

God luck!

 

[LabiPissing]

I can’t speak for the Eastern end, but out West there are a number of L2 chargers in Radium and Invermere. You could spend a few hours in Radium or spend the night in either place to top up overnight. There’s also a 50 kW CHAdeMO charger in Radium if you have the adapter. If you plan on travelling a lot in BC there are many more places you can get to on the provincial (BC Hydro) charging network than you can with Superchargers so it might be a worthwhile purchase.

The caution I have is that everyone will have to take the same detour and there might be a lot of waiting for access to the chargers in Radium. If you’re planning to spend the night, call ahead and see if they can reserve a chargers for you. Worst case, hopefully you can plug into an outlet for block heaters and get some chargers that way.

Don’t sell the car! Take your time and enjoy the road trip. Be patient. Overnight in hotels with L2 charging. Plan for meals and dog walks at the Supercharger. Keep in mind that driving 95 km/h instead of 110 km/h gives you an incredible amount of range boost. Do that early in the drive and only pick up speed as you approach your next charging spot and have confidence in your ability to make it. The energy graph is your friend. Learn how to use it.

Pay attention to the COVID related travel restrictions right now (BC) and figure out what you need to do to be in compliance.

Once you’re there you’ll really be happy you kept the car. Lots of Teslas in the Vancouver area.

thanks for your reply and the tips on the driving speed. I never thought of that and I think that makes so much sense. I will look into the adapter thing as well, sounds like a good investment!

 

[LabiPissing]

I can't tell for sure how it is with an SR+ (mine is a LR), but we made a similar trip from eastern Ontario to BC last summer.

It took us four days at about 900 km/day to get there. We stayed at hotels that had chargers, so we were able to start each day with a full battery.

The Trans Canada Highway has lots of V3 superchargers along the way. In fact, we skipped some of them. I would just enter the destination in the navigation and let the car figure it out. It worked well for us and I have no doubt that the SR+ can do the trip, too. If anything, you might have to obey some speed limits if the next SuC is far away

Not sure if it helps, but those are the hotels we stayed at:

Super 8 by Wyndham Sault Ste Marie On | Sault Ste Marie, ON Hotels

Free breakfast, free WiFi, and updated guest rooms will help you enjoy your Sault Ste Marie, ON stay at Super 8 by Wyndham Sault Ste Marie On.

www.wyndhamhotels.com

It doesn't have a charger, but there's a Ford dealership just 5 minutes away (walking distance) that allowed us to charge overnight (we asked and they said it's okay).

North Woods Motor Inn | Home outside of home

We would like to welcome you to the Notorious Noth Woods Motor Inn. We are located 150 miles west of Thunder Bay, ON and 150 miles east of Kenora. Hwy 17 runs by our front door. Hwy 599, Gateway to the North is within sight of the North Woods. We have 31 clean & comfortable hotel rooms.

northwoodsmotorinn.ca

http://www.wolseleymotel.ca/

Hotel Accommodation in Fernie British Columbia - Fernie Fox Hotel

Fernie Fox Hotel's pet-friendly accommodation near Fernie Alpine Resort in British Columbia is ideal for anyone seeking the best place to stay

ferniefoxhotel.com

There are of course more places with level 2 chargers. The reason I picked those was that they were just in the right spots for an overnight stay.

Btw, the hydro costs for the entire trip (9,000 km) were C$110, all from supercharging. I didn't have to pay a single cent for L2 charging, so the "fuel" costs were pretty much negligible.

God luck!

Thanks for sharing these hotels! I’ve called a few already but I was mostly concerned about their pet policy. We were going to take our time and probably spend 7-8 days driving so we are not in a rush.

 

[LabiPissing]

The full closure of that highway is to end on May 14th I believe. There will no longer be the long detour .... there will just be construction delays.

Thanks! Our trip will be the end of June so hopefully the construction will be all done by that time.

 

[LabiPissing]

You don't say if you have the LR or not. I have made the trip from London to Calgary in the summer without trouble. 90 KM gives great range in ON. The only trouble I had was at Parry Sound, I believe, where none of the chargers would work. I think it was heat related. So, I had enough charge to get to Sudbury. I leave a 20% margin and was glad I did. As the previous poster said re CHAdeMO adapter. Great Idea and then you can use the Petro Canada chargers in an emergency. They cost more to use as 50KW is max rate with the Tesla adapter. Avoid Winnipeg unless you want to go almost right downtown. Portage La Prairie is pretty close to Winnipeg. Driving an ICE would be silly as my cost to SC from London, ON to Brandon, MB was about $100. Isn't that what a tank of gas costs now?
Travel restrictions are in place so you could get stuck in MB, SK, AB & BC. You might want to check with local authorities re quarantines & fines. In BC I hear you may get your car keyed if you are out of province. Safe travels.
Tricky times to be traveling.

Thanks for the input, I have the SR+. My trip will be the end of June so hopefully things will get a little better by then. What’s the reason for staying out of Winnipeg? I was planning to stay in a hotel there for a night.

 

[UncleCreepy]

What’s the reason for staying out of Winnipeg? I was planning to stay in a hotel there for a night.

You can't currently stay in Winnipeg. You can only stop in Manitoba to obtain gasoline, food or other necessities.

See Province of Manitoba | State of Emergency and Public Health Orders for more details.

 

[Vawlkus]

If it helps to ease your mind, two guys did a cannonball run from Vancouver BC to Halifax NS during a cold snap in February before covid hit. They made the trip in about 74 hours and hopped from supercharger to supercharger the whole way. That was using a P3, but during winter, so I doubt you’ll have much trouble with range.
Between PlugShare and A Better Route Planner, you should be fine for this trip.

 

[LabiPissing]

You can't currently stay in Winnipeg. You can only stop in Manitoba to obtain gasoline, food or other necessities.

See Province of Manitoba | State of Emergency and Public Health Orders for more details.

thanks! Then I suppose I won’t be able to stay in Portage La Prairie either for a night.

 

[jabloomf1230]

Maybe by the end of June the border will be open for non-essential transit and you could consider crossing at Windsor as another option with ABRP.

 

[LabiPissing]

Maybe by the end of June the border will be open for non-essential transit and you could consider crossing at Windsor as another option with ABRP.

I hope so but I’m really doubtful

 

[ReddyLeaf]

Your trip should be easy Peasy. Take time and enjoy the trip. I certainly enjoyed the trip through BC/AB, more so off of the main CA-1. Much preferred highway 3 near the border. Hippies in Nelson, cool museum in Christina Lake. Bicycle the rail trail all along, stop at Midway and get a fill up from an old gas pump, stop in and see Pat at Rock Creek and give her a ride in your 3. She’ll probably tell you about her first ride in a Tesla a few years back by that nice fellow from the US.

I highly recommend the inexpensive Crescent Motel in Radium. Level 2 charger and solar panels. I don’t know about pets, but Willem is a great guy. CrescentMotelRadium (at) gmail (dot) com. Free tickets to the hot springs. Copper Canyon in Invermere is ok for a resort, but underground parking and multiple chargers. KickAss coffee is excellent and has a L2 as well.

 

[Manitoba Keith]

Thanks for the input, I have the SR+. My trip will be the end of June so hopefully things will get a little better by then. What’s the reason for staying out of Winnipeg? I was planning to stay in a hotel there for a night.

No problem staying or touring in Winnipeg, it is a nice city. Just if you are wanting a charge and to get on the road again, it is almost downtown. and Portage is only about 90 KM (or less) away. If you want a hotel with free L2 charging, Best Western Plus Winnipeg West, near or in Headingly has been recommended. Easy to get to, but not sure on their pet policy.
Here's hoping things are a LOT better by June.
It is about 220 Km from Winnipeg SC to Brandon SC

 

[Loqutisss]

Hey all,
Me and my wife are moving to Vancouver next month and we have decided to drive since we have two dogs and we have always wanted to do a cross country road trip.
(We actually thought about selling the Model 3 and buy a gas car for the trip, but we only got the Tesla in December last year so we will end up having to pay like $5000 just to sell it)
That being said, I’ve spend a lot of time recently studying the locations of superchargers along the way and just trying to make sure that we have enough battery to cover the distance between each of them.
So far my really two concerns are between Sault Ste.Marie to Wawa (220km with lots of elevation change) and between Banff and Golden (Highway 1 closed outside of Golden, have to take highway 95 for a 259km detour).
I wonder if anyone has any experience for such a trip, any advice/help/input is appreciated.
Also if anyone is looking to buy a new Tesla please let me share my referral with you, I need all the supercharging mileage I need for this trip.
Thanks everyone for reading and stay safe.

Easy solution for you, buy a small Honda gas generator that your Tesla can plug into (check and test first) then there is no place you can't go !