Yep, am aware of these tips. I'd use all of them if it meant I would only need to charge in Payson and Gallup like the in-car nav says. Since I can't predict weather or headwinds on the day of my actual trip, I think I'll just make a day-of decision on whether I charge to 100% in Gallup and send it all the way to Telluride, or hit up Farmington on the way.
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Supercharger - Kayenta, AZ
- Thread starter MarkR
- Start date
Yep, am aware of these tips. I'd use all of them if it meant I would only need to charge in Payson and Gallup like the in-car nav says. Since I can't predict weather or headwinds on the day of my actual trip, I think I'll just make a day-of decision on whether I charge to 100% in Gallup and send it all the way to Telluride, or hit up Farmington on the way.
SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
I'm not sure, but it might be shorter from FMN to go Durango - Mancos - Dolores - Telluride
It is a beautiful drive
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Plugshare shows L2 charging in Cortez, Delores and Rico. That gives you a lot of flexibility to 'bail out' from the ABRP planner if your kWh are coming up short in the attempt to drive Gallup->Telluride.
Anyway, I'll say it once more and then leave you to your planning: the important questions to ask yourself are these:
- where you want to eat lunch. Cortez has *really* good Thai food (strange, I know) although you may not wish to or be able to dine in. If it was me I'd try for take-out and then head to a park
- Whether you want to start your trip *early* or choose between driving at night in the mountains or spending a night at a hotel with L2 charging
- Do you have a scooter so that the location of the charging and your preferred place to spend some time are accessible to each other.
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SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
Or a bit shorter,
FMN - (via La plata) - Mancos - Dolores - Telluride
If you go this way, take the northern route across FMN to reach La Plata highway
There's a lot to disagree with here. The route through Farmington is ~50 minutes slower than just using the optimal route according to Google Maps, not 2.5 hours. If you are complaining about the added charging time, well, you knew about that when you chose to buy an EV.
Also, Telluride to Phoenix is a much different scenario than Phoenix to Telluride. When going from Telluride to Gallup, you can easily bypass Farmington. The elevation change is a big deal and this time you will be going downhill. Also, assuming you have destination charging of some sort in Telluride, it will be relatively easy to start the drive at or near 100%. This is unlike the trip up when charging to 100% in Gallup would be time consuming.
The route home through Gallup is 16 minutes slower than the optimal route through Kayenta. So altogether driving a Tesla adds about an hour of drive time to your round trip. I think we've collectively spent more than that trying to come up with a proper route for you here
How are you getting 90 minutes though? I get 64 minutes now and I'm using the exact locations of the superchargers. I admit that my estimations were a little too optimistic before because I had forgotten how far east the Farmington supercharger was.
I'm guessing "your experience" was not in mid-winter though. Generally, I wouldn't rely on <10% in cold temps, and I probably wouldn't rely on <20% in cold temps if I had passengers with me (not just because of the added weight, but the added concern).
Your conclusion in the previous paragraph is the correct one, which I've been trying to lead you to for a while lol. The only argument for going via Blanding on the way there is that it's a much more scenic drive, but given that you seem annoyed about adding an hour to your drive, I can't imagine you'd be up for adding even more time by taking this route (especially with L2 charging as others are suggesting!). I don't really view it as a "bummer," but I guess we can just agree to disagree on that aspect. If you think this is a bad re-route, consider that in 2016, I drove from PHX to New Orleans via Oklahoma City. This is a relatively minor issue with the current supercharger network not covering every single hole in rural America.
Great suggestions! After giving it some more thought, your #1 suggestion is solid. I think we’ll time it so we have dinner in Cortez while charging at one of the several L2 chargers in town. I’ll do Payson>Gallup, then get an hour of charge on an L2 in Cortez while we eat dinner then finish off the remainder of the drive with a bit more peace of mind.
Ok seriously now, enough discussion about my route! Thanks to everyone who provided tips...really excited for the trip!
DeepBlueMN
2019 AWD Model 3
Totally agree regarding the Tesla nav estimate. Normally, it is pretty good, though I consistently lose about 5% percent SOC almost every longer SC to SC segment (destination estimate at start of stint compared to actual SOC at destination).
Really had a tough stint across Kansas on Sunday. Started heading West from Hays KS with 43% estimated SOC at destination (seemed like PLENTY of headroom for only 106 miles). But, only a third of the way to Colby KS, the estimate was already down below 20% and still dropping; it wasn’t looking good at that point. Had to slow to 5 under and turn off the heat and seat warmers for over an hour in order to somewhat comfortably make it the rest of the way.
For anyone doing the trip, disregard my previous advice to drive from Phoenix to Telluride via Blanding. While this routing does makes sense when starting in Flagstaff (as I usually do), if starting in Phoenix, the Payson - Gallup route is probably better.
If doing the Gallup-Telluride and you want to skip the Farmington SC, but might want a L2 along the way just incase, the fastest L2 charging between Gallup and Telluride that operates year round is a little RV park in Dolores called Cozy Comfort. They have NEMA 14-50’s providing 10kw (vs 6 or 7 kw in Cortez) for a flat fee of $5. If needing it at night, call ahead of time during normal business hours to arrange. When we did this, the manager just asked us drop the $5 through the mail slot in her door. There are good food and coffee options in Dolores as well: Dolores Brewery for great pizza and beer and the Dolores Market for nice pre-made sandwiches, baked goods,and coffee. Scenic riverside park right across the street from the charger.
Cozy Comfort R. V. Park
1501 Central Ave, Dolores, CO 81323
(970) 882-2483
Google Maps
If doing the Gallup-Telluride and you want to skip the Farmington SC, but might want a L2 along the way just incase, the fastest L2 charging between Gallup and Telluride that operates year round is a little RV park in Dolores called Cozy Comfort. They have NEMA 14-50’s providing 10kw (vs 6 or 7 kw in Cortez) for a flat fee of $5. If needing it at night, call ahead of time during normal business hours to arrange. When we did this, the manager just asked us drop the $5 through the mail slot in her door. There are good food and coffee options in Dolores as well: Dolores Brewery for great pizza and beer and the Dolores Market for nice pre-made sandwiches, baked goods,and coffee. Scenic riverside park right across the street from the charger.
Cozy Comfort R. V. Park
1501 Central Ave, Dolores, CO 81323
(970) 882-2483
Google Maps
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SageBrush
REJECT Fascism
Yep, this is also a good alternative to Cortez for a few more kWh on the way to Telluride. I would choose based on my passenger preferences. More food choices in Cortez, but Dolores is a nicer place to walk about. Oh, and in case anybody cares, Cortez has a dog park adjacent to the KOA, near the intersection of Main St and Dolores Rd
And as @dgpcolorado mentioned, Rico is further up the road and provides a safety outlet for more L2 charging if the Nav lady is way wrong.
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
Ok, now you've done it! I just had to do some elevation profiles...
And, for the thread subject:
You can also see elevation changes right on ABRP if you click on the route:
Gallup to Telluride
Kayenta to Telluride
Oh nooooo! After SIX years of “coming soon”, the updated 2021 Supercharger map drops Kayenta entirely.
Owner
Active Member
I have a bit of business that I regularly do on the Navajo and Hopi Rez's. Even in my old 2013 Model S, I had no issues traveling the area. In my wife's Model 3 it is even easier. A Supercharger in Kayenta would be great but it can be worked around.I just saw that.
Guess my next trip will be in an ICE.
In Tuba City you have some choices as well as Monument Valley area. Bluff has a 1772. Check your plugshare app for choices. In any event, the Navajo and Hopi lands are under covid siege. My contacts there do not want tourists. They are in crisis.
Owner
Active Member
I have no plans of going any time soon or even any year. I'm being a good citizen during the pandemic.
I just love this part of the country and I'm a bit burned out of playing the charging game...
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
Disappointed at this news. Kayenta is, by far, the most needed Supercharger site left in the entire Southwest. I really hate having to go via Gallup NM to get to AZ but no way I can make it to Flagstaff in my S-60, via US 160, without a long charge at level 2.
So, California gets 200 Supercharger Stations and Tesla can't be bothered with making US 160 usable?
So, California gets 200 Supercharger Stations and Tesla can't be bothered with making US 160 usable?
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