Range/Navigation

[6H057]

So I’m in a wedding in the middle of nowhere this Saturday. I double checked the navigation and it states I’ll be at -6% charge by the time I get home. Is this possible? I’ve searched the areas for charging stations and there is nothing popping up. Any suggestions?

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I double checked the navigation and it states I’ll be at -6% charge by the time I get home.

Did you check the result when you were charged to 100%? It will predict based on your current charge level...you will want to arrive back at your starting point with 10-15% minimum, since it sounds like this is your first road trip. You need to understand how the margins work before pushing things.

You can use ABRP A Better Routeplanner

Just be careful to configure it correctly. There are a lot of settings!

If you need a charging option and there are no Superchargers, check Plugshare.

If it is going to be tight, bring your UMC with a beefy extension cord and other appropriate adapters. You may want to bring them regardless.

Remember to account for vampire drain (especially if staying overnight!) and TURN OFF Smart Summon Standby Mode (really, really important). Do not use Sentry, do not use Cabin Overheat Protection.

 

[6H057]

Did you check the result when you were charged to 100%? It will predict based on your current charge level...you will want to arrive back at your starting point with 10-15% minimum, since it sounds like this is your first road trip. You need to understand how the margins work before pushing things.

You can use ABRP A Better Routeplanner

Just be careful to configure it correctly. There are a lot of settings!

If you need a charging option and there are no Superchargers, check Plugshare.

If it is going to be tight, bring your UMC with a beefy extension cord and other appropriate adapters. You may want to bring them regardless.

Remember to account for vampire drain (especially if staying overnight!) and TURN OFF Smart Summon Standby Mode (really, really important). Do not use Sentry, do not use Cabin Overheat Protection.

Alan. Your correct in saying this will be my 1st road trip. I’m headed to work that morning and will not be at 100%. I just downloaded plugshare. Thanks for the info!

 

[Darmie]

you may have a chance to connect to an outside receptacle. Pick up a thick extension cord This will surly help with any vampire drain.
Be honest, the navigation calculation takes about 7 to 10 miles to give you an accurate display of predicted range.

 

[Missile Toad]

Some tips.

1. Drive below the speed limit to work;
2. Drive below the speed limit to the wedding;
3. Pick a charger between you and the wedding -- that is truly where you need to return
4. Surprisingly, a lot of hotels (even a wedding reception site) will let you charge on a wall outlet, if you ask nicely (even was given permission to park in an extra handicapped spot once).
5. Don't forget, to follow way behind any semi-trucks, and get a 3-7% boost in efficiency.
6. Over-inflate your tires 3-4 PSI... don't go too crazy here, just a little goes a long way.
7. Bring big burly passengers, cause you might need a push later (just kidding).
8. Don't be too aggressive with the accelerator during the last few miles to your final return charger - imagine an egg is between your foot and the accelerator.
9. Consider adding an extra 20-35 miles to go tangentially from your trip path, to get to a Supercharger -- even pass the wedding site, if you have to.

My experiences:

• Drove from Houston to Yellowstone... some of it on dirt roads;
• Drove to Dodge City, Kansas - one of the last remaining 'supercharger deserts'
• Drove through Pocahontas Arkansas - a supercharger desert, with a destination charger sweet spot.
• Times car quit with low battery? Zero.
• Times I've run the car down below 5 miles: about 20

One more thing. If you have the NEMA 14-50 adapter, ask an RV park if they can let you charge for 25-30 minutes. Expect a small fee of $5-10. Just don't forget the adapter.

 

[6H057]

I wanted to give everyone an update. I was able to fully charge before leaving out. With all the options turned off, I was able to make it round trip with 23% to spare. Thanks for all the helpful tips!

 

[ajdelange]

So I’m in a wedding in the middle of nowhere this Saturday. I double checked the navigation and it states I’ll be at -6% charge by the time I get home. Is this possible?

No. What it means is that if you continued to drive under the same conditions and using the same technique as pertained over the last 30 miles (or 10 or 5) that it would take 6% more juice than is in the battery to get you to your destination, Thus you must get more coulombs into the battery and/or use them more judiciously than you have been. The usual list of ways to do this is in the other posts here so what I am going to add is that you should learn how your car responds to your driving. The easiest way to do this, IMO (and people disagree, vehemently,sometimes about this) is to get a sense of how far you can go on 1% of charge under different conditions. This will come naturally if you pay attention while driving. But some don't want to do that - they just want to drive. In this "method" you are essentially using the battery gauge as a gas gauge. Just as you would in an ICE car monitor this gauge as you drive. Unlike an ICE car, however, the Teslas have the energy graph. Learn how to read that and monitor like a hawk as you drive. Often you will find that the graph initially shows -6% at destination but that that number changes as you drive. If, for example, you slow down the destination number will decrease nut it will also decrease if you encounter a tail wind (and conversely).

One more comment - don't overlook CHAdeMO DC chargers. In some places they fill in nicely though they are expensive, relative to Telsa SC's, and not always reliable (check any you contemplate using on PlugShare).