-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Supercharger - Tucson, AZ
- Thread starter MarkR
- Start date
tmoz
S85D, Y LR, ex Prius PiP
Tyl
Active Member
I always like to see everyone’s photos of new Superchargers and the opening celebrations. It’s just great having I-10 open {kinda sorta} .........‘ome now Fort Stockton TX and Willcox AZ.
A few more photos of Tucson AZ {Rita Rd}
A few more photos of Tucson AZ {Rita Rd}
Attachments
Tyl
Active Member
Winds...Winds...WINDS!!
It's very important to KNOW what the winds speeds are, and will be {plus from what direction}, when we are traveling between Rita Rd Tucson AZ and 5R Deming NM. I know many have stated this fact before. I just want to reiterate it!
On a recent easterly trip the winds were about 15-20 mph mostly smack dab on the nose. That means going 75mph {the posted speed limit} you'll use energy as though your are going 90-95mph. yikes! DOUBLE YIKES!!
Sooooo, I left Rita Rd going 55mph, utilizing my four way flashers intermittently as semi's approached from behind to alert them I was traveling slowly.
I was able to increase my speed modestly after traveling about 100 miles, {the total distance is 202} closely monitoring remaining energy available.
The trip is doable with speed discipline as long as the winds don't increase much beyond 20 mph. Just be very situationally aware.
Driving at 55mph, in a 75 mph is a little concerning, embarrassing and almost unsafe had traffic been heavier. It doesn't represent Tesla's in the best light {so to speak} having to go slowly on the I-10. The 'almost finished' Tesla Supercharger in Willcox AZ will alleviate these concerns. I glanced over my left shoulder at the Wilcox AZ supercharger as I past it. It was not lit up.
Soon.
It's very important to KNOW what the winds speeds are, and will be {plus from what direction}, when we are traveling between Rita Rd Tucson AZ and 5R Deming NM. I know many have stated this fact before. I just want to reiterate it!
On a recent easterly trip the winds were about 15-20 mph mostly smack dab on the nose. That means going 75mph {the posted speed limit} you'll use energy as though your are going 90-95mph. yikes! DOUBLE YIKES!!
Sooooo, I left Rita Rd going 55mph, utilizing my four way flashers intermittently as semi's approached from behind to alert them I was traveling slowly.
I was able to increase my speed modestly after traveling about 100 miles, {the total distance is 202} closely monitoring remaining energy available.
The trip is doable with speed discipline as long as the winds don't increase much beyond 20 mph. Just be very situationally aware.
Driving at 55mph, in a 75 mph is a little concerning, embarrassing and almost unsafe had traffic been heavier. It doesn't represent Tesla's in the best light {so to speak} having to go slowly on the I-10. The 'almost finished' Tesla Supercharger in Willcox AZ will alleviate these concerns. I glanced over my left shoulder at the Wilcox AZ supercharger as I past it. It was not lit up.
Soon.
Tyl
Active Member
3 miles remained...... but I use up energy as I got closer and was sure I would make Deming. Heat. Warmed the cab a lil more. Traveled at freeway speeds. Close eye on range remaining as I drew closer to Deming NM. THE 3 miles remaining means a very quick charge plus 30% cushion, then on to my destination in El Paso TX. BTW, I use my ‘cushion’ as I travel along provided winds, temperature and elevation changes don’t require me to use my cushion to ensure that I make my next destination. The quick charge stops are what I’m after..... a shorter trip. {time wise}
Willcox AZ will reduce the time necessary to travel between my destinations in El Paso TX metro and Phoenix metro by approximately 2 hours from 9:45 to 7:45. Three short charges, one in Tucson AZ, Willcox AZ and Deming NM. Perfect! I charge my empty MS while at my origin/destination while I sleep!
Willcox AZ will reduce the time necessary to travel between my destinations in El Paso TX metro and Phoenix metro by approximately 2 hours from 9:45 to 7:45. Three short charges, one in Tucson AZ, Willcox AZ and Deming NM. Perfect! I charge my empty MS while at my origin/destination while I sleep!
Thanks Tyl- we make the trip from Tucson to Deming tomorrow - and right now they are showing less wind tomorrow. I'll be driving very carefully in our 85S I think we top out at about 257 miles range predicted 100% cnarge now at this temps- I'm hoping we don't have a problem. Our destination, Houston- looks very doable from Deming ( with a dogleg to Midland, and another to San Marcos) We will drive slowly to Wilcox before we get "confident" that we'll make Deming and speed up a little - Texas canyon climb, I'll probably just match the speed of a truck just to save some KW...
Tyl
Active Member
Heads up to keep checking Willcox AZ. It MAY open tomorrow Wednesday Dec 13th.
You may get lucky. I hope it’s open for you. Get their phone number and call ahead and check. The front desk will know, and if not, have them walk outside and check——it never hurts to inquire!!
Also make note of NEMA 14-50 campsites should you need one in Lordsburg NM.
One more thing is car weight; if loaded down with the whole family, bags and things you may use a lil more energy. One way to stay warm without using the heater is to have a lap throw.
Traveling during the warmest time of the day uses the least battery pack warming too.
My MS85 top out was 251 this past trip.
Good traveling on your trip!
You may get lucky. I hope it’s open for you. Get their phone number and call ahead and check. The front desk will know, and if not, have them walk outside and check——it never hurts to inquire!!
Also make note of NEMA 14-50 campsites should you need one in Lordsburg NM.
One more thing is car weight; if loaded down with the whole family, bags and things you may use a lil more energy. One way to stay warm without using the heater is to have a lap throw.
Traveling during the warmest time of the day uses the least battery pack warming too.
My MS85 top out was 251 this past trip.
Good traveling on your trip!
tmoz
S85D, Y LR, ex Prius PiP
Wow - I don't think I would have used up so much of the cushion. 10-15 miles remaining is as far down as I am willing to go.
That was sure tight. An unexpected burst of wind or a dip and a hill that pops out of nowhere could do you in, but I'm guessing you had clear sight ahead. Still, 3 miles left would get me more nervous than I'm willing to get.
Iv'e been down to 4 miles remaining when I didn't know that I had a defective chademo adapter. I thought that I would just pull in to the first fast charger that I came across in order to make it home. Well after limping to the 3rd one and not able to charge, with only 4 miles left, the next nearest charger was 4 miles away. Luckily, a friend rescued me with his chademo adapter. That was the first clue that I had purchased a defective adapter. I was told by the Tesla Store that it was the charge stations not having correct software for the chademo adapter. That proved to not be the case as it was a defective adapter. I am glad that I was close enough to a friend for a rescue. Out of state could have been a bummer.
Last edited:
Thank Tyl and tccartier for the well wishes. I hope to leave the Willcox charger to tccartier to christen. I have scoped out the 14-50 in Lordsburg just in case. We'll make sure to set the climate control to match the outside temps- might even turn it off. If we get "cold" the seat heaters are pretty effective. We'll be loaded, but not too much. just a couple of bags and the two of us. We're not in a hurry so we can slow down on the steeper parts to save energy. Just will watch the mirrors for fast approaching cars/trucks. Luckily this is a pretty sparsely traveled route. We'll probably hit the Willcox charger on the way back though.
I've driven down to 0 rated miles twice and <10 countless times, but I'm using many of the same techniques as Tyl. Usually driving faster and using the heat more as I approach my destination. I also keep a calibrated altimeter in the car and am aware of the elevation of each supercharger (listed on supercharge.info), so I guess this is somewhat of an expert play and I don't really recommend it to the average Tesla driver. File under: do as I say, not as I do
tmoz
S85D, Y LR, ex Prius PiP
Still, empty batteries are not good for the batteries ( I think - but maybe an annual periodic near-total discharge is good for them?). But back to running down to single digit miles, yes, each of us has our own comfort level we are willing to live with.I've driven down to 0 rated miles twice and <10 countless times, but I'm using many of the same techniques as Tyl. Usually driving faster and using the heat more as I approach my destination. I also keep a calibrated altimeter in the car and am aware of the elevation of each supercharger (listed on supercharge.info), so I guess this is somewhat of an expert play and I don't really recommend it to the average Tesla driver. File under: do as I say, not as I do
OBTW- if you are interested in elevation changes on a trip, here's a trick I learned from a seasoned forum member. You can paste a GPS-based plot (such as those generated by Google maps) into the plot generator at gpsvisualizer.com.I've driven down to 0 rated miles twice and <10 countless times, but I'm using many of the same techniques as Tyl. Usually driving faster and using the heat more as I approach my destination. I also keep a calibrated altimeter in the car and am aware of the elevation of each supercharger (listed on supercharge.info), so I guess this is somewhat of an expert play and I don't really recommend it to the average Tesla driver. File under: do as I say, not as I do
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
You are correct, it does. One doesn't really need an elevation plot since the nav energy display shows elevation changes quite clearly.
In my experience the nav system doesn't handle high freeway speeds correctly — the energy plot works for 60 to 65 mph but doesn't profile highways with 75 or 80 mph speed limits correctly; I have to leave with a much larger buffer than nav recommends when driving at 75 or 80. The nav system also doesn't account for altitude — reduced air density — or weather, of course.
Similar threads
- Article
