Roadtrip needed on first week of ownership - feedback please! (cold weather)

[llavalle]

Hey guys,

I'll probably get my hands on my Model S by the end of the month. The thing is I need to drive to and back from my cottage house which is located 103miles from home in early march.

Here's the deal :
-206miles roundtrip
-temp will be around 0-10 °F for the drive. Will drop to -5 °F during the night
-not many hills. I'll have to climb a ~2000' hill but I'm driving down of it couple of miles after that
-240V outlet not installed yet at my cottage - only 120V available

You think this is possible on a single charge? Am I pushing it? I do have a 30' extension for a NEMA 14-50 that I could plug in my oven's outlet but that means passing the extension cord though a window and somehow closing it off.

I'll get a 85D on winter tires(factory Pirelli) and I plan to drive at 55-60mph.

There are a couple of J1772 chargers along my route and a Nema 14-50 on plugshare 15miles from my cottage.

Thanks

 

[Akash]

There is a great site called EVTrip Planner EV Trip Planner ... Enter the address and specifically the settings for your trip and it has a pretty accurate estimate of the rated miles used. I use this site regularly to take out the guess work of how many miles i need to get from point A to B.

 

[tga]

Check EV Trip Planner, as Akash suggested.

Range charge right before leaving, pre-heat on shore power, and keep the car plugged in the whole time you are there (to keep some warmth in the battery).

Assuming start and end elevations are the same, compare range used on the trip up to range available after arrival. If you used less than 50%, you should be fine. Plan out emergency J1772 stops for the trip home. Even if you don't need them, having a backup plan will ease the anxiety.

Definitely bring the 14-50 extension, if only for your own comfort. Passing it through the window isn't a big deal. Move the cord to one side and put a towel, shirt, or other piece of clothing on the windowsill to block the airflow when you close the window. It won't seal 100%, but it'll be good enough for a few hours.

 

[CHGolferJim]

You could also get that 2"-3" weather stripping put under doors (which you probably already have) for the window sill and cover any gaps with duct tape.

BTW, my design-in-process is very similar, hope you'll post lots of photos upon delivery, especially the interior. Congrats!!

 

[ecarfan]

Congratulations on your new 85D! As you know that is the longest range Model S. Your post says you will be driving 55 to 60mph for your 206 mile roundtrip. If you can plug in during your stay at your cottage, even on 120V I think you will be fine but for peace of mind I recommend you plug into your 240V oven outlet overnight and then you will have no worries at all. When not plugged in to your 240V outlet keep the car plugged into 120V when temps are cold. During the summer that should not be necessary.

Once you have a dedicated 240V outlet for your car at your cottage then you have no problems at all.

Having some J1772 chargers available along your route is good in case of unexpected emergency situations in the winter months.

 

[tiblot]

Hey guys,

I'll probably get my hands on my Model S by the end of the month. The thing is I need to drive to and back from my cottage house which is located 103miles from home in early march.

Here's the deal :
-206miles roundtrip
-temp will be around 0-10 °F for the drive. Will drop to -5 °F during the night
-not many hills. I'll have to climb a ~2000' hill but I'm driving down of it couple of miles after that
-240V outlet not installed yet at my cottage - only 120V available

You think this is possible on a single charge? Am I pushing it? I do have a 30' extension for a NEMA 14-50 that I could plug in my oven's outlet but that means passing the extension cord though a window and somehow closing it off.

I'll get a 85D on winter tires(factory Pirelli) and I plan to drive at 55-60mph.

There are a couple of J1772 chargers along my route and a Nema 14-50 on plugshare 15miles from my cottage.

Thanks

You'll probably use 120-130 miles per way. Since you need to use heat. Plus, you'll lose at least 5-6 miles during that -5 degree night. In total I think you'll use least: 120+120+5 miles, so around 245 miles. You should make it on a full charge ...

But, how many hours will you be parked? 120V will get you ~3miles/hour and can add plenty of buffer for you.

 

[llavalle]

BTW, my design-in-process is very similar, hope you'll post lots of photos upon delivery, especially the interior. Congrats!!

Sure, I'll post plenty of pics!

You'll probably use 120-130 miles per way. Since you need to use heat. Plus, you'll lose at least 5-6 miles during that -5 degree night. In total I think you'll use least: 120+120+5 miles, so around 245 miles. You should make it on a full charge ...

But, how many hours will you be parked? 120V will get you ~3miles/hour and can add plenty of buffer for you.

EVTripPlanner is telling me I'll use 146miles of rated range (1-way). Return trip is 131miles (elevation is higher at my destination). Total is 277miles (dang!)

I'll stay there for close to 48h but I'm concerned that the cold will prevent me from charging on 110V.

I think I'll plan a stop as a PlanB and see how that goes.

 

[efusco]

I would make the drive and would not be too worried. You may have enough range to do the trip just using the 120v at your cottage. I, personally, would plan to run the extension from the NEMA 14-50 on the stove just for piece of mind. Just bring some towels/blankets and such to block the open window. And, finally, you mentioned several potential 'bail out' options along your route.

This will be a great first trip and I think you'll find that your confidence in the car will improve dramatically.

Be sure you set the car up for Range mode and set the temp to the lowest tolerable temperature (wear a nice heavy coat).

 

[HankLloydRight]

And be sure to report back how it went!

 

[Brass Guy]

If you plug in as soon a you get there when the battery is still warm, it'll charge no problem on 120. Don't let the battery cool first and you'll be fine.

Since I've never done it, I suggest keeping an eye on it with the app the first night to make sure you're at least breaking even keeping the battery warm.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

Plug in on the 120V when you get there and I'll bet you'll average 2 miles per hour of charging, even in that cold weather. 48 hours then will net you 100 miles back, more than enough buffer for the return.

Plus, with the recently enabled torque sleep and dual efficient motors on the 85D, you might even see better range than EVPlanner is showing.

Post the numbers when you return. We'll all be interested to see them!

And congrats on the new car!

 

[skboston]

206 miles will be pushing it even on a range charge. You'd have to give up heat for a good part of the trip and drive slowly, usually below or near the speed limit. In those temperatures, it's definitely nice if you can plug the car overnight at least to maintain the battery.

Before you get in the car and leave for the trip, make sure you've pre-heated it for an hour or two, it will help you preserve charge along the trip. I've noticed that my car spends quite a bit more when there are power and regenerative breaking limitations and pre-heating the car helps with that.
In these north pole temperatures you'll be experiencing you'll loose anywhere between 6 and 10 miles a night. I had my car unplugged for the last 3 days and from 229 Rated miles, today I only had 191 in current weather in Boston between 10 and 15F, so I've lost close to 40 miles over 3 days without charging it.

Let us know how the trip goes, I'm quite interested to see the end results.

 

[BerTX]

I would like to present d dissenting view. If I am taking my first trip in my new Tesla that I got a week before, I don't want to be constrained to driving responsibly to preserve range. I'd do whatever necessary to get the ability to charge from the oven outlet and enjoy myself.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I would like to present d dissenting view. If I am taking my first trip in my new Tesla that I got a week before, I don't want to be constrained to driving responsibly to preserve range. I'd do whatever necessary to get the ability to charge from the oven outlet and enjoy myself.

That's what I used to think, too..until I took delivery. Driving electric changes you!

 

[breser]

I think it's hard to say if this is going to be a good idea or not. Given that nobody has received an 85D yet we can't really be giving any sort of advice about range. The 85D should end up with better range than a RWD 85. But as we saw with the P58D things may not be that way immediately upon delivery.

I'm sure as 85Ds start being delivered we'll see people start reporting on the range/efficiency and we should have a better idea. More than likely you'll be fine. But none of us can say yet.

 

[ArtInCT]

I suggest that you read Tesla Living's most recent blog on winter driving range. He is located in Eastern Mass and his winter conditions may be milder than yours are.

Tesla Living

 

[meloccom]

I have a single motor 85 that I picked up on December 29. After giving a few test rides we hit the local Supercharger and topped up to nearly 100% then drove 160km to our house in the highlands an elevation of about 750 metres which is a similar distance to your trip. We stayed there for 3 days, gave one short test ride and returned home with 92km in the battery. It's summer here in Australia so the winter temperatures are the biggest difference in our situations. I think it is doable in your case, but as others have said plug the car in when you arrive at your destination plus try and precondition the cabin before you leave and don't forget Range mode. Good luck.

 

[BerTX]

That's what I used to think, too..until I took delivery. Driving electric changes you!

This confuses me. I said he should plan to be able to charge so that he can have fun driving his new car and drive as spiritedly as a new car owner should. I don't understand your reply. Can you elaborate on why a new owner of an electric car will not want to have fun driving his car?

 

[llavalle]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

I was planning to precondition the car inside my heated garage before leaving.

Assuming I do get the car for the trip, I post the results here.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

This confuses me. I said he should plan to be able to charge so that he can have fun driving his new car and drive as spiritedly as a new car owner should. I don't understand your reply. Can you elaborate on why a new owner of an electric car will not want to have fun driving his car?

Driving electric changes your perception of "fun", at least for me. Don't get me wrong, of course you still want to be a little spirited, but after a bit I think you'll find you put your wh/mi first. Sort of like a game to top your best " score".