Strong Winds on Roadtrip

[mrath85]

Hi All - doing my first roadtrip from Illinois to Florida tomorrow. I see the forecast is showing "windy" and predicting winds in the 30-35 mph range for the beginning of my trip. Should I expect this to have a significant impact to my range? Will the range the computer is predicting I will be at when I arrive at the next supercharger be way off? Thanks for the help.

 

[RickCRNA]

Head and side winds can certainly impact range and efficiency. Under these conditions, it’s wise to add some extra charge when supercharging probably in the ballpark of 10-20%. May also find yourself making a few extra charging stops depending on the extent of the windy conditions. You’ll be able to sensibly adjust as you go.

 

[Terpslax]

Wind, rain, snow and temps all make a huge difference in range. I learned that driving from NY to Boston in a snow storm. Range loss was 30%.

 

[GregW]

A direct headwind is brutal. A 20mph headwind is similar in energy consumption to driving 90 when you are actually doing 70! Slow down a bit and watch the energy consumption graph as you drive.

 

[Dennisis]

Use the Nav and as you drive the projections for charging will change based on all inputs - wind, elevation, etc... If using extra juice it may tell you to stop earlier and charge longer than originally projected. It may also tell you to slow to a certain speed to make it to the next charger. All of this happens on the fly, just follow the instructions and you'll be fine.

 

[Pianewman]

...and if the wind is BEHIND you, the opposite is true. Your consumption will decrease.

 

[bruce4000]

In the “A Better Route Planner” app, you can enter a headwind and it will adjust the range estimates.