Road trip from Denver to Lone Rock, WI and back.

[runelind]

We're looking at driving from Denver to Lone Rock, WI starting on August 16th in our Stealth Model 3. We're probably going to drive up through Mount Rushmore and across South Dakota on the way out. We are aware that Sturgis is just finishing up and there will be people heading back home - how much of an impact is this likely to have? We'll likely stay in Custer, SD, and Sioux Falls on the way out.

I'm not sure if there will be any charging available at the house we're staying at in WI. It looks like getting to Madison will require about 15% and getting to Dubuque, which is where we'll be going on the way back, will take about 25% of range. I was planning on charging enough in LaCrosse on the way in to arrive at the house with about 50% SOC. We'll have an ICE vehicle available to us, so unless we're driving into Madison we'd probably use that. We're staying at the house for 3 days so I was planning on turning off sentry mode and cabin overheating protection, unless there is charging available at the house in which case I'll leave cabin overheat protection turned on.

On the way back we'll probably stay in either Omaha or Lincoln.

Any gotchas to be aware of? This will be the longest trip we've made in our Tesla (previous one was down to Santa Fe and back). I plan on using the Windy app to see if we are going to be facing strong head winds. Any particular superchargers to avoid due to lack of amenities, etc? I've been plotting out the trip using ABRP - any other tools you like?

Thanks, all!

 

[runelind]

Since I don't see an option to edit, another possibility is we can do the trip in reverse, going through nebraska on the way out and south dakota on the way back. Hopefully that would avoid some of the sturgis crowd.

 

[sdoorex]

planning on turning off sentry mode and cabin overheating protection, unless there is charging available at the house in which case I'll leave cabin overheat protection turned on.

Definitely turn those off because then even level 1 charging over three days can give you a lot of range, maybe even a full charge, so it's worth seeing if there's a 120V outlet available.

I've taken a trip to the upper peninsula of Michigan in our P85 which has a bit less range and didn't have any issues with just following the onboard navigation with an additional 5% buffer. Try to plan for staying at hotels with destination or J1772 level 2 chargers as those will really save you some time charging if you can get a full charge while sleeping. There are plenty in Custer so check around for availability and pricing but your options in Sioux Falls and Omaha/Lincoln are more limited. PlugShare is great for finding a lot of alternative charging spots that aren't built into the Tesla nav.

Many of the Superchargers across Iowa are at Hy-Vee which, at least pre-COVID, had some good options for food and clean bathrooms. Wheatland and Lusk, WY and the northern Albert Lea, MN superchargers have limited amenities because they are at hotels but hopefully the restrooms would still be available even with COVID.

Use something link the Windy app to help plot with how much energy you will use. I've not taken my Tesla across I-90 between Wall, SD and Albert Lea, but I have driven that before and the wind can be a bear which can massively impact energy use.

 

[PLUS EV]

Agree with what sdoorex said. Definitely ask if there is a regular outlet available to plug into if possible. And if there is, ask them to verify that it's actually active and works. I've run into outdoor outlets that are turned off or not functioning before and it isn't fun! Just being able to plug in for a trickle charge can make a huge difference when you are staying at a place for days. Not having any charging whatsoever is very limiting.

 

[runelind]

Thanks for your replies. Decided not to go through SD considering what a clownshow Sturgis is ending up. We'll go through Nebraska on the way out and Kansas on the way back.