Road trip advice: Seattle to Phoenix and back again

[MikeBur]

Hi all,

Need to drive down to Phoenix, AZ and back a week or two later. Thinking of “loaning” my wife’s MYP vs my p85d due to range. It’s got it’s winter tires on already...
Using abetterrouteplanner, it seems there’s plenty of opportunity now to go through Utah rather than I5.

Anyone done this route at this time of year and can offer some tips and warnings?

thanks, Mike

 

[PLUS EV]

I could have sworn there was already a thread on this exact topic, but I can't seem to find it. Maybe it was in one of the fb groups. I'm pretty sure I contributed to the thread, but don't really want to have to repeat myself again. I've done the trip many times and there are many different routing options. Doing it in an EV provides an extra wrinkle.

@Alysashley79 do you remember where that thread was?

 

[MikeBur]

I could have sworn there was already a thread on this exact topic, but I can't seem to find it. Maybe it was in one of the fb groups. I'm pretty sure I contributed to the thread, but don't really want to have to repeat myself again. I've done the trip many times and there are many different routing options. Doing it in an EV provides an extra wrinkle.

@Alysashley79 do you remember where that thread was?

Thanks. I was surprised I couldn’t find one too before posting.

 

[PLUS EV]

After doing some digging, I found the thread on fb:



Here are some relevant responses:

-I do the trip every year. Either route works. I go down during winter so do California route to avoid snow. Come back through Utah as it’s a prettier drive. Only leg that direction that requires full charge is Beaver Utah to Page Az. If you want to not take any chances it only adds about an hour to head to St George and Las Vegas. Happy to talk you thru it.

-Yeah. I came home through Cali and the temps made for much easier legs between chargers. Not to mention there being many more!

That Beaver (ended up staying there overnight actually) to Page route is really cool. Glad I did it. I also caught the setting sun from Page to Flagstaff and that ridgeline just South of Bitter Springs was perfectly lit up. So amazing!


-If you want to travel on mostly freeways, then there is freeway routing over Salt Lake City or through California (see google map graphic).
Your car won’t charge above 150kW, therefore there’s no sense attempting to utilize the v3 Superchargers (that can pump out 250kW).
I’ve driven all these routes in my Model S-70D (even a coast-to-coast trip), so my planning would be to make a scenic route, with less emphasis on “driving straight through”.
Anyhoo, the real tricks to help you “drive straight through” are:
1) Take the shortest distance routing
2) Start fully charged
3) Try to avoid the 72kW “urban” Superchargers
4) Plan each Supercharger stop to arrive at about 10-15%. This will permit your battery to recharge at the fastest rate that is possible
5) Do not skip over Superchargers. Stopping every 100-150 miles is FASTER than trying to fully charge the battery and slowing down to stretch range to 200+ miles
6) Do not overcharge. When the Tesla navigation shows you have 15% to 20% remaining at your next planned Supercharger spot that is 100-150 miles away, it’s time to GO !!!
7) If you are driving fast, or encounter cold weather, or any other reason that your predicted remaining battery % falls below 5% -10%, then SLOW DOWN
8- If you are consistently showing less than 5%, you need to seriously consider an alternate charging spot, because driving less than 65mph on most western USA freeways could get you killed
9) NEVER just plug in and walk away. Monitor the charge rate with your phone app to be sure that you are getting the expected charge speed. If you arrive at every non-urban Supercharger at 10-15%, you should see 120-150kW within a few minutes.
10) Have equipment for “Plan B”. What if a Supercharger were suddenly broken, blocked, or otherwise not available? I recommend having the CHAdeMO adaptor with you, and already having the basic networks set up (ChargePoint, EVgo, Electrify America, etc).
Make sure you have your J1772 adaptor
Make sure you having your Mobil Connector with enough logical wall adaptors (at a minimum, have a NEMA 14-50 for RV parks with “50 amp service”
11) Drive relatively fast, since you can replenish that electrical energy much faster than you can burn it

 

[PLUS EV]

And here were my responses:

"I've done this drive many times, quite a few in a Model S. There are FIVE major routes that you could choose that are all similar in length and time.
Two of them can be disregarded in a Tesla due to limited charging options. just in case you are curious, one of them goes through McDermitt, NV and the other goes through Ely, NV. I would not recommend either in a Tesla unless you are not in a hurry and are up for an adventure (doesn't sound like it based on the OP).
The route through CA along I-5 and I-10 is the most hassle free as it has ubiquitous supercharging options, but to me, it's more boring than the other 2 options. It's also a lot easier to explore OR and CA from Seattle than it is to explore NV, UT, and northern AZ, so personally, I would save OR and CA for another trip.
Another option is to take I-5 to Springfield, OR then cut over to Klamath Falls and onto Reno via Susanville, CA. If you take this route, you will need to charge to near full to make it from Springfield to Klamath Falls, and you will also need to top off at one of the HPWCs at the Red Lion in Susanville (I've used it a few times and it's always been available and there are many good lunch options within walking distance). You could even consider overnighting at the Susanville Red Lion. One other note on this stretch... according to google maps, the road between Adin and Susanville is currently closed for some reason, so check on that before you take this route. I would not recommend it if that road is closed as it would make the charging stop in Susanville quite a bit longer. One other downside of this route is that the Reno to PHX (via Vegas) part of this drive is horrifically boring, unless you are fascinated by deserts and desolation (I kind of am!).
The last route is the one I would recommend. You stay on the freeways all the way to Beaver, UT and then you cut over from there to Page, AZ before heading south to PHX. You'll need to charge to full and drive carefully to make the Beaver to Page leg, but it will be worth it as the scenery is stunning in this part of the country. The worst part of this drive is the drive through Idaho which is quite boring (mentioned by someone else above). I don't find the driving through Utah to be boring however, just desolate along the freeway south of SLC, but still decent scenery at least. This portion of interstate is also a good place to find out how fast your Model S can go

"

"Another tip for planning long road trips in general...
I would always recommend plugging your start point and destination into google maps and look at the (usually 3) options that it suggests. Then you can drag the route to other roads to see even more options. Sometimes this is necessary as there might be a charging stop that is slightly off the suggested route that you know you will need to make. I haven't found any other mapping software that is anywhere near as user friendly and efficient as google maps. Many of them don't even allow multiple waypoints (loooking at you, Tesla Nav)! The route-dragging feature has also proved invaluable for me.
I would also recommend turning your road trips into a "loop" when possible. I.e. in cases like this where you have many different options, take one route on the way there and then a different route on the way home. That way you see more places. Just driving A-B-A is boring imo."

 

[PLUS EV]

I can't easily link to the thread, but if you join this facebook group:

Facebook Groups

...and then search Phoenix, you will find Alyssa's post from July 31, 2020 if you scroll down a bit.

One other note: she made this trip in late summer and her car has a rated range of 243 miles, so some of the advice was tailored to that. If you have a longer range car, I would definitely try the route through Beaver, UT and Page, AZ, but assuming you are going in winter, you need to look at the weather forecast and/or have winter tires. Just be sure you are comfortable with the weather situation in general, because it's definitely possible to encounter blizzards or sub-zero temperatures along that route this time of year.

 

[Alysashley79]

Sorry everyone. Was w/o internet and power for a couple days. I posted it in the notthwest Tesla owners group on Facebook.

I think this time of year is go with more range over less range for sure if you have the choice. I found the MY to get better wh/mi than my p85D. This time of year no chance would I try to go down through Utah in my p85D. Would totally do it In a Y. Extra 70 miles or so. I could make it. But I’d be driving 35mph on the leg to page. That was the only part that was a little dicey and we had to go under the limit. (The rest of the iffy places was due to my hubby’s lead foot and going 90+...and before anyone says anything the speed limit was 80 already so it was only 10 over) it’s a fun drive. Enjoy!!

 

[theothertom]

11) Drive relatively fast, since you can replenish that electrical energy much faster than you can burn it

Especially this one

 

[MikeBur]

Great, thanks @PLUS EV and @Alysashley79 very helpful repost here. Don’t use FB and appreciated!

Definitely winter (heading out in a week) and have (albeit) studless Michelin x-ice tires on

 

[pb2000]

I use to do Calgary to Mesquite quite often, albeit in ICE vehicles and I wouldn't recommend taking a Tesla in the winter unless the weather is really good (sunny, light winds and >40F).

 

[goneskiian]

I did the route through Utah this time last year and was quoted by @PLUS EV above. I thought it was a post here too. Anywhooo.... yeah, it was great but I did end up charging a lot more than I hoped. It was cold and windy though. I won't do it again with our aging X90D. Hoping to upgrade this year. 100 miles more range would be a game changer for winter road trips.

 

[MikeBur]

Just FYI, back last week from AZ.

Route down was originally going to be through Dallas and Bend, though the morning of nice winter storm dropped 8” on Bend so just diverted to boring/safe I5 until north LA.

return I decided to have more variety and came back though Vegas and Salt Lake City. Speed limits were higher this way with less traffic and nice scenery. Much preferred this.

2 key learnings for me:
ABRT is good for route planning and great when you when you use via your Tesla for live info when road tripping. Using safety margins I managed to skip a few chargers and also maximize use of 250kW SpCs arriving at low SoC. Use it to familiarize yourself with “alternatives” before long road trips.
Autopilot is a great safety tool which has significantly less mental fatigue.

Thanks to those with help and tips. Made it a lot more fun.

down:


Back

 

[ReddyLeaf]

I’ve done all of the routes that @PLUS EV described in my 2015 S70D without much concern, even when there were very few SCs on I-5. I certainly didn’t rocket down and back, instead driving vacation-style. Really enjoyed the “new” US-95 route in western NV (ya, love that open space). Best time time was overnighting at Cliff Dwellers Lodge before Page SC was finished. amazing food. With the older, shorter range vehicle, I always overnight in Susanville on that route. My trips typically include 3 overnights to Phoenix since I rarely get more than 400-500mi/day. On boring I-90 trips to MN, I can do more, but even on those sometimes I’ve stopped in Custer, SD and cut across ID to see Crater’s of the Moon. To each his own.

 

[MikeBur]

I’ve done all of the routes that @PLUS EV described in my 2015 S70D without much concern, even when there were very few SCs on I-5. I certainly didn’t rocket down and back, instead driving vacation-style. Really enjoyed the “new” US-95 route in western NV (ya, love that open space). Best time time was overnighting at Cliff Dwellers Lodge before Page SC was finished. amazing food. With the older, shorter range vehicle, I always overnight in Susanville on that route. My trips typically include 3 overnights to Phoenix since I rarely get more than 400-500mi/day. On boring I-90 trips to MN, I can do more, but even on those sometimes I’ve stopped in Custer, SD and cut across ID to see Crater’s of the Moon. To each his own.

I long for a leisurely road trip, and this definitely inspired me. Last time doing this I was RV’ing and we took 3 months touring every state west of the Mississippi. This time was unfortunately due to helping out for an unexpected bereavement in AZ. I literally got there in 30 hours and back in 28 - air mattress in back and any stop > 30 mins was nap ;-)

 

[Kenypowa]

I use to do Calgary to Mesquite quite often, albeit in ICE vehicles and I wouldn't recommend taking a Tesla in the winter unless the weather is really good (sunny, light winds and >40F).

Why not? I drove from Calgary to Vegas in winter in 2018 and 2019. The only supercharger gap is between Fort McLeod and Great Falls. That was before the Milk River DC charger was completed. Now that it's online, it's really a piece of cake.

I also agree the drive thru Idaho is boring but that's why the car has autopilot.

 

[pb2000]

Why not? I drove from Calgary to Vegas in winter in 2018 and 2019. The only supercharger gap is between Fort McLeod and Great Falls. That was before the Milk River DC charger was completed. Now that it's online, it's really a piece of cake.

I also agree the drive thru Idaho is boring but that's why the car has autopilot.

If the weather is bad (extreme cold and/or headwind), range gets absolutely crushed. Last time I drove down in February of 2019 it was -26C when I left Calgary and I don't think it warmed up until I was half way through Idaho. I kept having to pull over every hour or so and scrape the inside of my windows, because my poor Yaris just couldn't pump out enough heat. Even after the Shelby SC is built, trying to do that in my SR+ would be a nightmare, and I'm not certain it would have enough range to make some of the other gaps in weather that cold.