Sacramento to the Bay Area and back - 70D or 90D?

[Zeromus-X]

Hi all,

My job takes me from downtown Sacramento to either Oakland, South San Francisco, or downtown Santa Rosa fairly often. While I see that there are superchargers in Vacaville, Petaluma (for the Santa Rosa trips), and San Mateo (for the SFO trips), I'm wondering if the 70D would be sufficient enough to make the round trip without needing to stop, assuming I'm starting from a "full charge".

Google Maps gives me 185 miles round-trip to OAK, 203 miles round-trip to SFO, and 206 miles round-trip to Santa Rosa. All of these are below the 240 mile range of the 70D, but they're pretty close. I've also read that you want to charge the battery to about 85% to prolong it, which if it's linear would be 204 miles.

The 70D fits the budget better, but not if it won't do the task without having to hit the Supercharger every trip (at which point the carpool time savings are pretty well negated). Assuming I charge to 100% for those trips, am I within a "safe" range based on your real-world experience if you've made these trips?

 

[Nosken]

I am in Lincoln with a P85D and it would be a close call depending on a lot of variables. Remember, you my only need to Supercharge for 10-15 minutes. Here is a great tool to analyze your trip.
EV Trip Planner

 

[eye.surgeon]

You'll want to charge but you have lots of choices and it would be for just a few minutes.

 

[ecarfan]

The 70D will be fine, you'll just charge in Vacaville for maybe 15 minutes. If you can afford it, buy the 90D.

 

[omarsultan]

I do Sacto to San Jose a couple of times a week with a P85. Personally, I would get the 90D, but an 70D would work since you have lots of SC access. A couple of things to bear in mind: (1) the cold temps and wind during winter months will take a toll on range, and (2) rated range is based on fairly moderate speed (65mph IIRC), so if you are a more spirited driver, it will also take a toll on range.

 

[Zeromus-X]

I do Sacto to San Jose a couple of times a week with a P85. Personally, I would get the 90D, but an 70D would work since you have lots of SC access. A couple of things to bear in mind: (1) the cold temps and wind during winter months will take a toll on range, and (2) rated range is based on fairly moderate speed (65mph IIRC), so if you are a more spirited driver, it will also take a toll on range.

I'm not really too worried about the spirited driving part since I'm heading out there in the worst commute times possible; there are days where it's a three hour drive in traffic. For most of the trip I'm lucky to hit 30 MPH. Guessing I can shave off almost an hour to SFO using the carpool lane on 80 when it gets up to 3 passengers. To be honest even if I don't go for the Tesla I'll be swapping out for a plug-in hybrid just for this feature. I just sort of figure that if I ultimately want the Tesla... why buy an intermediary... etc.

I can "afford" the 90D but it would take a bigger chunk out of my disposable income for sure. It's worth it if the 70D isn't going to cut it -- the last thing I want to do is be disappointed with an $80,000 purchase instead of a $90,000 purchase! -- but I'm also as frugal as they come so if the 70D will work, I want a 70D. I don't need the performance of the 90, just the range.

 

[omarsultan]

I'm not really too worried about the spirited driving part since I'm heading out there in the worst commute times possible

Don't forget the drive home--letting my P85 stretch its legs a bit is one of my favorite ways to unwind.

Guessing I can shave off almost an hour to SFO using the carpool lane on 80 when it gets up to 3 passengers.

Yup, between the carpool lane down 80 and across the Bay Bridge, its good for about an hour off the commute.

 

[EVie'sDad]

I did it in my S85D a few months back, did the winery trip to Bogle and then spent the afternoon with friends over lunch, wine and dinner while supercharging @ the vacaville SC. you should be able to do it in the 70 set at 90% charge, especially with the addition of the Dublin SC.

 

[Nosken]

A couple ways to look at it. More than likely you will get about $5000 of your initial investment back when you resell. That being said, $5000 for an almost 28% larger battery, and the freedom that it brings might be worth it in the long run. When I purchased mine, I could get a 60 kW battery for an 85 kW battery, it was an easy choice knowing that I didn't want to have to be worrying about charging all the time. I actually worry less about charging than I ever thought I would.
Just like the rest of us, You will love your car, and want to drive it more than you ever expected. Long trips are a breeze especially with autopilot.

 

[Pale Hearse]

I regularly drive a 90D from Elk Grove, just south of Sacramento, to San Jose. The trip is 110 miles each way. I bump charge in Freemont because it's on my way back home, or charge at work with the recent addition of a couple chargepoint stations.
I could make it there and back, but I don't want to slow down to do it. I would rather keep up with the flow of traffic.
If you have a charger at home, you won't need any more than 5-10 minutes of charge for a comfortable round trip.. or just keep it at 65 and you will easily make the round trip. Your choice.

 

[fillerup]

I regularly drive a 90D from Elk Grove, just south of Sacramento, to San Jose. The trip is 110 miles each way. I bump charge in Freemont because it's on my way back home, or charge at work with the recent addition of a couple chargepoint stations.
I could make it there and back, but I don't want to slow down to do it. I would rather keep up with the flow of traffic.
If you have a charger at home, you won't need any more than 5-10 minutes of charge for a comfortable round trip.. or just keep it at 65 and you will easily make the round trip. Your choice.

Hey, would you say you average about 80mph on 5? Are you saying the 90D can not make that round trip without filling up or going 65mph? I used to do this drive but still frequent EG, but I would like to skip any charging if possible.

 

[Pale Hearse]

Hey, would you say you average about 80mph on 5? Are you saying the 90D can not make that round trip without filling up or going 65mph? I used to do this drive but still frequent EG, but I would like to skip any charging if possible.

Not sure I'd go so far as say "averaged". Most of my hwy driving is 70-75. There are a couple traffic slowdowns on the I-5/120/680 rout that I usually take at the times I usually take them.
I have my cruise control set at 9+ so 79 is frequently the setting. That said, I am usually not in the fast lane and am usually noticing that i'm behind someone going 75 or so.

The funny thing about autopilot is that you don't seemed to be nearly as annoyed over a couple miles an hour as you do when you are manually controlling the car.
That is kind of a long answer to your question, but it's the most honest I can give. With slowdowns I'd say my overall average mathematically is 61mph. The commute is 108 miles and it takes 1hr and 15 minutes to do it given normal traffic. A little more if I roll through at peak commute times.

 

[Khatsalano]

I regularly drive from the Peninsula to Sacramento for work. I enjoy stopping in Vacaville as a rest break along with a quick charge up. Doing it without charging in a 85D is possible. In a 70D, you will be anxious almost every time. Keep in mind, rated range is not real world range.

To be very frank, my 270 miles of rated range in an 85D, is more like 215 miles of real-world range for a commute like that. Get the 90D and shave off another option you don't truly need. Don't shave off AP ... it's mandatory.

- K

 

[Erandhawa]

I agree with people who are saying go for the 90. You won't regret the bigger size if you have it but if you get the smaller and you commute as much as you do you will most likely regret not getting the 90. If you have an emergency or decide to run extra errands the extra range helps out.

 

[trils0n]

My weekly trip is Palo Alto to Sacramento. Trip is almost exactly 120 miles each way. Works fine in my P85. Before I started renting out the house I have up there, I would charge on the dryer outlet for the 6-8 hrs I spent up there and not have to charge on the way home. Now I hit Vacaville supecharger for a few mins on the way home. Had a 90D loaner and it could make the trip without charging easier than the P85. Your trip is shorter than mine by a few miles, so a 70D might work, but a 90D would be easy -- I'd recommend the big battery.

 

[suraj1194]

This thread seemed liked a good one to bring back up with some questions I had about commuting to south bay from sacramento:
* Does anyone think taking 99S, 120 and then 205 to 580 is a good option, with a stop at the Manteca supercharger ?
* Given a choice between 80->680 and 5->580->680, what do you prefer in the early morning ?
* Does anyone use Fastrak on 580 in the morning ? If so, do you have trouble with the tag reader mounted behind the rear view mirror on the windscreen ?

 

[aesculus]

It might be better. The problem with 80 in the AM is that people cannot seem to transition from US 50/I80 just before the causeway, and I really think they are afraid of that too. This means traffic backs up really bad and can take forever to get past all of that.

Going 99 you avoid all of that. Of course you will get your share of traffic doing the Manteca/Bay area too so it may be bad whatever direction you take.

I assume you have the white stickers? Not sure how 205/580 is for diamond lane throughput. I know on the eastbound I have sat from basically 680 until the Altamont pass poking along. In that case 680/80 is better until you get to Davis where once again, the causeway seems to bring people to their knees.

My advice would be to get up at 4 am and take whatever route you want.

 

[suraj1194]

Hah, the last person I asked suggested leaving at 5am. You've upped the stakes to 4am! I was hoping 530-6am . I'll have to test out multiple options, I guess, but my logic was that at least out of Sac I would be running counter to morning traffic so I can get out quickly through 99, and really would only face traffic as I approach Altamont pass. I might be wrong - I'm yet to try it out early morning.

I have white stickers, but doesn't the 580 corridor express lanes past Altamont into Trivalley require Fastrak tags, i.e. they're not the same thing as regular diamond lanes ? That was my impression, with the cameras/readers above them and all.

 

[omarsultan]

So, I do Sac to San Jose a couple of times a week on average...

* Does anyone think taking 99S, 120 and then 205 to 580 is a good option, with a stop at the Manteca supercharger ?

I usually go 5S > 205W > 580W > 84 (Isabel exit in Livermore) > 680S. If 205/580 is looking horrible, I will go 5S > 132W > 580W > South Coral Hollow/Tesla/S Livermore > 84/Isabel > 680S. Travel time is usually 2.0 to 2.5 hours, but I usually allow 3 hrs. I can actually do the round trip on single charge if I moderate speed (keep it at 70 or lower), but normally, I plan to SC in Fremont or charge at work.

* Given a choice between 80->680 and 5->580->680, what do you prefer in the early morning ?

It depends on where you want to hit congestion: I find the E/W part of 80 is pretty fast, but the N/S traffic on 680 can crawl. Going the other way, you with more distributed traffic (Stockton, Altamont/Livermore, Pleasanton, etc)

* Does anyone use Fastrak on 580 in the morning ? If so, do you have trouble with the tag reader mounted behind the rear view mirror on the windscreen ?

On our Model S, I mount the FasTrack on the right of the rearview mirror, on the Model X, we have it mounted under the mirror, but doing some testing on the Model X, pretty much any place I held the transceiver worked.

 

[suraj1194]

Thanks a lot! Those are some great options there. I agree that the 80W part is easier than 680S. I hoped to avoid taking CA50 across town entirely, and instead take 99 or 5S, both of which I'm closer to.

What time do you usually start off on these commutes ? And how about the return journey ? Do you find the same route just as efficient in reverse during a mid-afternoon/evening commute back ?