Range Estimate

[Tesla S1]

Looking at EVplanner and also Superchargers. I am, hopefully, planning trip to pick up Tesla P85D from Chicago and driving back to FL. There will be multiple Superchargers on the way but question is:

There are a couple SuperChargers that seem do not seem that far apart.
1. In Navigation, with Superchargers selected will Tesla "skip" Supercharger if it determines that I do NOT need to stop at a closer SuperCharger versus farther one?
2. Is there a way to select Energy to see how much battery power remaining from ONE supercharger to another? OR does it just show how much battery is remaining based on the ACTUAL supercharger Tesla wants me to stop at? For Example: London, KY supercharger I should be able to bypass and next one is Knoxville, TN. COULD I select each one during the drive to see how much battery power is left?

My goal is to TRY and minimize number of stops for SuperCharging.

I have never done a long trip like this and our trips have been confined to Florida in S60.

Thanks

 

[Max*]

You can just navigate to the supercharger you want to go to, instead of using the trip planner.

 

[scottf200]

Will be interested to hear answers and about your trip as I'd do a similar one in the future.

Played with supercharge.info turning on individual circles for estimates (radius / bird flys distances)

Image: http://i.imgur.com/Eti88b8.png

 

[hipringles]

Remember those circles are straight distance, not road

 

[travwill]

Remember those circles are straight distance, not road

Yeah, try trip planner a little but you'll have plenty of time to confirm as well its working like you want ti to, remember its "Beta". The plan above is a good one, but at each SC I'd just select your preferred next one into the Nav and let the Trip display show you how much battery % you'll have at arrival rated range. Give your self a good buffer though, say 20% to feel confident, and definitely use range mode I'd say since your in a P85D. The ambient temp and all should be favorable for good range hopefully as well if around 90ish.

Safe travels!

 

[mikeash]

The trip planner will definitely skip superchargers if it thinks it's a good idea. For example, if I'm going south, the Woodbridge supercharger is about 30 miles into any long trip in that direction, with the Glen Allen supercharger a reachable distance beyond that. The trip planner will have me go straight to Glen Allen.

That said, the trip planner can be pretty dumb. Use it and glean what you can from its wisdom, but do not trust it. Think for yourself! The Trip tab in Energy can be really useful when deciding how much to charge for the next leg.

Also keep in mind that minimizing the number of stops is not necessarily the same as minimizing the amount of time you spend charging. Because of the charge taper, if all the superchargers are close to your route then the fastest trip will be had by stopping at every supercharger, and charging just enough to reach the next one with 0% remaining, even if you could charge enough to skip the next one and visit the one after. Obviously this is not realistic, since you want a buffer, but that's the theoretical optimum.

If you're on the road and trying to decide whether to skip a charging stop, you can manually navigate to the more distant supercharger, delete the intermediate charging stop if it ads it, and then see what it estimates for your remaining charge when you get there. If the estimated remaining charge is high enough to make you comfortable (I'd personally say 10-20% remaining would be OK, but probably not less than 10%, and I'd have to think about it when under 20%) then you're good to skip.

Definitely spend some quality time with EVTripPlanner, and with the car's navigation system and the Trip tab in Energy. More work now will mean less work later.

And most of all, enjoy your trip!

 

[scottf200]

Remember those circles are straight distance, not road

Hence my comment:
"individual circles for estimates (radius / bird flys distances)"

 

[jerry33]

Also keep in mind that minimizing the number of stops is not necessarily the same as minimizing the amount of time you spend charging. Because of the charge taper, if all the superchargers are close to your route then the fastest trip will be had by stopping at every supercharger, and charging just enough to reach the next one with 0% remaining, even if you could charge enough to skip the next one and visit the one after. Obviously this is not realistic, since you want a buffer, but that's the theoretical optimum.

Right. The main reason to skip a charger is if it's in an annoying location (one that's not all that easily accessible). On our recent trip from DFW to Seattle, more often then not by the time we returned to the car, there was already more than enough to reach the next SC plus a 20% or higher buffer. If there is an overnight stop at a destination charger, do a full daily charge (or range charge if there is an SC gap--there was one of these on our trip). What i've found is that driving a Tesla is rather fun, so it's not like an ICE car where you want to make the experience as short as possible.

 

[Tesla S1]

Well, picked up P85D and made it to 1st charger. Lafayette, IN

 

[SmartElectric]

Well, picked up P85D and made it to 1st charger. Lafayette, IN

Good, keep us posted. l-)

I blogged on a thread here with our first road trip from Toronto to New York in our third day of ownership, it was a great trip, and we fell deeply in love with our Tesla on that ride!

 

[Tesla S1]

Supercharger 2, quick stop before next 188 miles. Indianapolis

 

[Tesla S1]

Supercharger 3 in blue ash, OH... I think. Tesla location. Gotta say, pretty cool... 24 hr lounge, access code is on touchscreen.

 

[Tesla S1]

Supercharger 4, Lexington, KY. No amenities, but good break

 

[ArtInCT]

So based on your times, are you driving thru the night?
How are you finding the Tesla headlamps to be?

It would be informative to post your arrival state of charge, your ending state of charge (when you leave the SuperCharger) and then the total minutes it took to charge.

TMC member MATTEO has created a wonderful spreadsheet calculator that estimates your time at a supercharger based on your Model S
and the state of charge when you arrive and the desired rated miles to the next supercharger.

Here is the link to that calculator...
Tesla Supercharge Time Calculator - Google Sheets

 

[Tesla S1]

Supercharger 5, London, KY. Dawn now. Did not even think about posting times. Fr last SUPERCHARGER, started with about 200miles rated, this was about 68 miles away and had about110 miles left. No AC, it's 59 degrees. Fog lamps are awesome and auto brights were great

 

[Tesla S1]

SC6, Knoxville, TN. Nice shopping complex. Started at 200 miles, traveled 110, showing 78 miles left

 

[MichFin]

- I found the connectT iphone app to be a must to get great information on the supercharger locations and add your feedback.
- Ignore the tesla instuctions as they have you stop at almost every supercharger along the way.
- Leave lots of cushion because nothing freaks you out more than being low on charge.
- I like to charge as long as I can while at a stop but realize that the last 20% can take a long time so it might not be worth waiting for the last 20%.
- Try to figure out in advance which chargers are to far off the expressway and avoid them. For example the South Bend charger is over 10+ minutes each way.
- Some superchargers have really crummy facilities and it can get real boring waiting around for 30 minutes with nothing to do so avoid those.

Lastly enjoy the ride because there's nothing like driving a Tesla... Welcome to the future

 

[LaTache]

So it sounds like your getting not quite 200 miles on a full charge using range mode?

Tomorrow, I need to get from Country Club Hills, IL Supercharger to Effingham, IL Supercharger and a bit nervous in my P85D, its about 190 miles and I think some construction on the route, could make for a lot of stop and go type traffic. Besides using range mode any other tips, like what speed should I shoot for (max and cruise) or use of fan, etc, to improve margin of safety? I have never pushed the car anywhere close to its max.

 

[ecarfan]

Besides using range mode any other tips, like what speed should I shoot for (max and cruise) or use of fan, etc, to improve margin of safety? I have never pushed the car anywhere close to its max.

After entering your route in the navigation, use the energy prediction graph display and check it occasionally during your drive. It is very accurate if you go the speed limit. If you go 5mph or more over the speed limit and the graph shows you are not going to make it to the next charged, SLOW DOWN by 10mph for awhile and watch the graph. You'll be fine. Don't over think it.

 

[LaTache]

Thanks, that makes a ton of sense!