Range reduced dramatically in heavy rain

[tradosaurus]

My wife charged the Y at a supercharger to 70% yesterday on her way home from Dallas to our home in East Texas, which is a 120 mile drive.
She normally makes it home with 20% SOC.
About 20 miles into her drive she hit heavy rain which continued all the way home. She made it with 3% SOC.
So now we have to factor in rain on a trip and charge accordingly.

 

[Destiny1701]

What was the exterior temp during the rainfall? That is odd given most drive slower in rain as well. If you encountered heavy winds at the same time, wouod account for range loss.

 

[cmaster]

Rain increases the drag on tires, thereby reducing the vehicle's range. This phenomenon affects all vehicles, but it is more pronounced in electric vehicles. Driving slightly slower can help reduce this drag, although the effect is negligible.

 

[TomServo]

HELL YESSSSS. We take 3 or 4 long road trips from southern IL to southern MD yearly via I-64 and have encountered HEAVY RAIN transversing the Appalachian Mountains two of those trips occur between Nov and Feb so temps are COLD as well (any forecasted snow we stay home). So we get the DAILY DOUBLE. I've seen our wh/mi JUMP from the low 300s to OVER 400. Luckily there are plenty of SuperChargers along the way. And we always start off OVER CHARGED and ignore Tesla's You Can Depart now predictions. W

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

My wife charged the Y at a supercharger to 70% yesterday on her way home from Dallas to our home in East Texas, which is a 120 mile drive.
She normally makes it home with 20% SOC.
About 20 miles into her drive she hit heavy rain which continued all the way home. She made it with 3% SOC.
So now we have to factor in rain on a trip and charge accordingly.

Just rain? Any wind?

Heavy rain will definitely increase consumption.

Not sure what ABRP thinks happens, but you can set it to Heavy Rain and see.

 

[cmaster]

An analogy to consider is that of ships navigating the ocean. Their engines are massive in order to overcome the drag they encounter. If there were no drag in the ocean, ships could potentially move at incredible speeds given the torque they possess.

 

[tradosaurus]

Thanks for the replies.

What was alarming is Tesla app didn't know about the rain so was saying 50% SOC would have gotten my wife home. Thankfully she charged 70% or would have been left stranded on the side of the road.
In the future we will have to look at the forecast on trips.

 

[tradosaurus]

My wife and I are headed to Huntsville, AL and there is no way in hell I'm driving our Tesla based on the limited superchargers along the way.

Plenty of diesel pumps for my diesel truck.

 

[jkdman123]

My wife and I are headed to Huntsville, AL and there is no way in hell I'm driving our Tesla based on the limited superchargers along the way.

Plenty of diesel pumps for my diesel truck.

Limited? If you're using I-20 there are many superchargers between east TX and Huntsville, AL.

 

[tradosaurus]

Limited? If you're using I-20 there are many superchargers between east TX and Huntsville, AL.

I-30 to Little Rock
I-40 to Memphis
Hwy 72 to Huntsville

 

[DrDiesel1]

My wife and I are headed to Huntsville, AL and there is no way in hell I'm driving our Tesla based on the limited superchargers along the way.

Plenty of diesel pumps for my diesel truck.

Chargers are everywhere you wanna go!

https://www.tesla.com/findus?v=2&bounds=56.423604428152814%2C-35.70838965936675%2C3.443202452592961%2C-170.70838965936673&zoom=4&filters=supercharger

Go out to you car and map it. Let Tesla do the heavy lifting for you.

 

[ucmndd]

So now we have to factor in rain on a trip and charge accordingly.

Obviously, yes.

 

[Unclepaul]

Since the very beginning, there have been lots of posts showing how heavy rain, or water on the road will decrease range.

As you drive, your computer will let you know how your range is decreasing, and recommend earlier charging stops.

Headwinds, elevation changes, speed, towing, heavy loads, extreme heat or cold will also show up as decreasing range.

 

[jkdman123]

I-30 to Little Rock
I-40 to Memphis
Hwy 72 to Huntsville

Just at a quick glance the hard part looks to be Hwy 72 from Memphis to Huntsville. You could take I-22 from Memphis to Guin, AL and charge up there and make it to Huntsville in one go. Plenty of superchargers up to that point and it's only 110 miles from Guin to Huntsville. It's not as direct as Hwy 72, but it's not crazy out of the way either.

 

[Dennisis]

Headwinds, elevation changes, speed, towing, heavy loads, extreme heat or cold will also show up as decreasing range.

Planning and experience will help you overcome all these issues. Sign up for PlugShare and scope out alternative charging spots if you have long Supercharger gaps you're concerned with or if all the elements conspire against you. I've been taking long trips out west for 4 years now (just returned from a 3800 miles Yellowstone and Denver trip) and have never been stranded. Normal drives like your 120 stretch are easy to deal with, enjoy!
Edit: I should add, ensure you use the Nav so the car knows where you're going! It will then tell you to charge earlier or slow down to a certain speed so you make it to your destination if you're using more energy than planned. If you don't enter a destination it can't help ensure you get there!

 

[tradosaurus]

Just at a quick glance the hard part looks to be Hwy 72 from Memphis to Huntsville. You could take I-22 from Memphis to Guin, AL and charge up there and make it to Huntsville in one go. Plenty of superchargers up to that point and it's only 110 miles from Guin to Huntsville. It's not as direct as Hwy 72, but it's not crazy out of the way either.

Returned from our trip last Saturday. I did drive our Tesla Y. No issues with charging. No range anxiety. Weather was good the entire way.

~$50 to charge to our destination
~$60 to charge while running around destination for a week and then going from Huntsville to Birmingham.
~$50 to charge returning from Birmingham, Al to Texarkana, Tx.