Sanity check: Missoula to Banff in a P3D-

[qbert]

My wife and I are planning a trip up to spend the weekend in Banff with our P3D-, and I think the numbers work out for charging, but I'd like to make sure I'm not setting us up for a headache.

The plan is to go up in one shot from Missoula to the Fort MacLeod supercharger, top up there, and continue on to Banff. I have a CHAdeMO adapter, so for the way back, we'd get some scenery variation and go down the other side of the mountains. The section from Kalispell to Missoula would pretty much be the same route up and back.

ABRP says it's tight but doable, mostly arriving with 5-10% charge remaining at the various charge stops. Backup coverage is good for much of the route - plenty of L3 options throughout most of the route in Canada, and lots of L2 charging in Kalispell as well.

The main question is, should I plan now for a dinner stop with L2 charging on any of the legs, or is all this feasible without needing L2?

 

[NovemberXray]

I’ve done the trip from Missoula to Banff in our 2016 Model X, which had rated range of 250 miles. We overnighted in Whitefish so left there with 100%, but still had to stop at an L2 charger in Inverness for close to 4 hours to make it. In my P3D I still think it would be quite a stretch though there. I would be particularly cautious of the Missoula to Fort McLeod leg, probably possible, but weather, crazy traffic through glacier park, and then very sparse habitation for a long distance. I generally find the car and ABRP to be pretty reliable, but for that trip I think I would want to see 20% SOC predicted at arrival to feel confident... it’s so beautiful in there you don’t want to rush it anyway, spend some time in Kalispell or Whitefish if you can.

We actually enjoyed the long layover in Inverness, walked around the town and had dinner before heading out. Was nice to see a place we otherwise wouldn’t have stopped in.

 

[WadeMT]

Looks reasonable given the ChaDeMo adapter. In the Kalispell area and Going to the Sun road portion, the chargers that might work for you depending on the trip flow are the HPWC at Lake McDonald Lodge (across from the market), the J1772 units inside City of Whitefish parking garage (P2, handy for dining and spending time), and North Valley Hospital (handy if you need a walk or run).

 

[Kenypowa]

I would caution the 10% reserve is not sufficient if it is windy. The gust really affects the range in N. Montana & Southern Alberta.

Definitely stop by Kalispell for a quick top up, as well as Lake McDonald Lodge for a meal.

 

[TLej]

Hit the Rocky View supercharger north of Calgary before heading out to Banff; there's often a strong headwind funneling through the mountains as you head West. The Rocky View charger is just barely off the ring road and won't cost you too much time, plus it's at Cross Iron mall which has lots of things to keep you entertained and fed. If you really need to you can stop in Canmore instead, but Rocky View has 8 stalls and Canmore only has 4 so you'll be less likely to find all stalls full at Rocky View, and you'll have plenty of buffer in case of wind, snow, rain, or whatever else might come up on the highway to Banff - possibly all three at once.