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Thoughts after 650 mile one-day Tesla drive

Discussion in 'Model 3' started by rachelhikes, Nov 14, 2018.

  1. rachelhikes

    rachelhikes Member

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    So I drove from Los Altos CA to Portland OR on Tuesday, a drive of over 650miles. My thoughts:

    (1) ICE cars are so screwed. The entire negative story about EV’s is that their long re-charging times and range limitations make them impracticle for long trips. But, I drove this trip in a Tesla in about the same time I used to drive it in ICE cars, even though I spent far more time charging the EV than I used to spend pumping gas. Why? I had to stop periodically for human reasons: restrooms, food, stretching my legs, checking email; all of these things had to be done, no matter what drive train the car used. On this trip, it was simple to do that while charging. In fact, there were times when the car was ready to move on, but I wasn’t. The entire argument that EV charge times (at least at Tesla rates) is a barrier to adoption is just FUD fakery that won’t survive contact with reality. Customer experience will destroy this so-called problem.

    (2) At least between the SF Bay area and Portland, there are enough chargers to make the trip stress-free. But, additional, NICER locations would be great. As is, you get off the highway, there is a charger right there, you charge, grab some fast food (maybe) and you get back on. But that isn’t always what you want. For example, there are fun places to eat in downtown Grants Pass OR, but the Tesla chargers at Grants Pass there are near I5, miles from downtown. No way to eat downtown while I charged. Slower destination chargers, at nicer stop points (better food, better shopping) would be a great addition to the charger network for travelling. Tesla is already on the right track with destination chargers: they just need to keep going!

    (3) It wasn’t clear to me when penalty charges would apply. My charge during lunch was done before I could get back to my car. There were plenty of open spots, so nobody was being prevented from charging if I was late. But did the $1 a minute penalty apply? Yes? No? I couldn’t tell. I would have liked to know if I needed to rush getting back from lunch or not.

    (4) The trip planner works too hard to minimize the number of stops. It planned the drive with only two. I manually targeted additional (but shorter) charge stops just to give me opportunities to get out of the car (see 1 above). It would be nice to be able to tell the planner that I don’t really want 4 to 5 hours of driving between stops. More stops is often better than fewer stops.

    (5) ICE cars are so screwed. I’ve never had a more pleasant time on that drive, even without my suggested improvements, and even without AutoPilot, which would have fit that drive like a glove.
     
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  2. tccartier

    tccartier Supporting Member

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    Agreed. I did a 6550 mile "tour the US" from Arizona to Pennsylvania and back in my 2012 Model S Signature 85. As you say charging is not an issue.
     
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  3. PhilDavid

    PhilDavid Active Member

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    This is why Tesla now accounts for about 50% of the premium car segment in the US.

    I've personally sold 3 Model S vehicles to friends and all it took was one drive. I took each friend to the local Tesla gallery and the funny thing is by the time an "owner advisor" started talking, they had no idea that I had already done all the selling and all they were interested in is "how soon can I have the car!"

    It's been shocking to see since 2012 how little progress BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Porsche made while their customers were taken away from them for 6+ years. Glad they will all have EVs in the next couple of years but they will come to regret the 6-8 year delay in offering a a competing vehicle.
     
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  4. Mod3forMe

    Mod3forMe Member

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    One day this will be true, but for now, long road trips I am still better off in an ICE. I am a bit of road warrior, and will cover off 900miles in a day easily. With maybe 30min of total not driving time. You can't pull that off in an EV and as you say where you charge is not always the place you want to take breaks.

    We are not far off from the EV being the better road trip option for most people, just not there yet.
     
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  5. JohnSnowNW

    JohnSnowNW Active Member

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    Most people don't drive 900 miles with only 30 min of down time. We are absolutely there, today, for the way that the majority of people drive long distance.
     
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  6. kbecks13

    kbecks13 Active Member

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    I can't deny this, but i am super excited about the 3rd version of the Supercharger which i feel is coming in the near future. We can expect this to have possibly double (or more, really) the power of the current system. This means ~250 kW and could pretty much charge a Model 3 enough to get to the next station (~200 miles or 3 hours) in about 10 minutes, which isn't too shabby. That's slightly more than 30 minutes for 900 miles give or take :D
     
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  7. RayK

    RayK Active Member

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    Thanks for posting this. I may be making the same trip in the near future (my oldest daughter lives in Portland). I recently took a shorter trip in the opposite direction; San Jose to Los Angeles (Glendale and Disneyland) via I-5. All my ICE trips to LA in the last four decades have been down 101, stopping in San Luis Obispo for fuel/bio break. I decided to go with the car's nav suggestion and hit the Supercharger in Kettleman City. Very nice place! Had several fast food places nearby. Brought the food back to the Tesla lounge while the car charged.

    While in LA we stayed in Glendale where I hit the Supercharger in the Galleria each evening, which was only two blocks away from the motel. On a day trip to Disneyland we found the EV parking on the second floor. I didn't have my ChargePoint card with me but it was nice to see that they were taking some small steps to cater to EV owners. There were only about 20 handles; much too few for the number of electric cars that I saw in the structure.

    The other longish trip we are planning for next spring is to Yosemite. Will probably go in via 120 and hit the charger in Groveland but since we usually stay in El Portal, I'm not sure about driving around the valley for two days and having enough charge left. AFAIK there's still only a single public Supercharger at the Ahwahnee and an L2 charger at the Village Store.
     
  8. HopeToGolf

    HopeToGolf Member

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    Nice report. I regularly take a trip that is ~270 miles one way. I have many superchargers along the way and the trip is easy in the model 3. Take a food or restroom break and charge the car while I am at it.

    That said, I am not certain that I would be as happy driving another EV unless it had similar charging capabilities. During one trip I took a detour to do some shopping. There was no supercharger in the area so I had to use a Level 2 charger. For whatever reason (started with a lower than typical charge?), I had to make a splash and go stop at a supercharger to get to my final destination. Essentially, I made two stops. That extra 10-15 minutes was not a huge deal but it was inconvenient.

    The superchargers are so important to my experience that I question whether EV use will become widespread without fast charging. In my ICE vehicle I often had a 14/-1/8 tank of gas as I drove around until the last opportunity, stopping for gas while on fumes a couple of miles from home. I bought the LR knowing this is my style. Level 2 charging only won’t cut it for me....I like to know that I can find a fast charger quickly despite the fact that I’ve only had these types of stops maybe 6 times in my 6 months/7k miles of ownership.
     
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  9. ngogas

    ngogas Active Member

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    We took a trip to our neighboring state this past weekend. 200 miles. The speed limit was 80 mph and I did about 88 mph on a 295 mile charge. We got there with about 45 miles left. Not bad considering the temp was around 36 degrees F.

    The super charger was right next to our hotel. Grabbed dinner and the car was filled to 280 miles in less then 45 minutes. 90 percent charge.

    Overall I can see traveling and range anxiety is in the past. I think with super charger placed throughout the major routes, I can see why this works. I’m thinking Las Vegas for thanksgiving. From where I’m at, this will be a normal 7.5 hours drive in an ICE. I’m thinking I’m this EV it would be about 9 hours.
     
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  10. ngogas

    ngogas Active Member

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    @HopeToGolf you are right super chargers bring the key to ev success for long trips. Without it it would be hard. I hope Tesla in the future would have two stations placed at major malls through out our states including some grocery stores. This would help folks who like to try different food in a different town leaving major freeway.
     
  11. rachelhikes

    rachelhikes Member

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    Years ago, I drove 900 miles in one day. It was an insane thing for me* to do and I would never do it again. Before the end, I was exhausted and had become a real danger to myself and others. I tell “most people” that I drove over 600 miles in a day and they’re impressed. Even that isn’t something most people would do. For most people, 900 miles in a day is WAY outside the envelope of things they would ever consider doing. It isn’t something with a statistically significant effect on EV adoption.

    * Not saying driving like that isn’t something YOU can’t do safely. I don’t know you and recognize that some people can do things I can’t.
     
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  12. adaptabl

    adaptabl Banned

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    We did a 17 hour drive from Detroit area to Orlando this spring (4 drivers). In an EV I don't think it would be possible in a single day. Our stops were quick and only filled the gas tank once on the way. Even with an EV I think I would rent an ICE car for a trip like that.
     
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  13. ZoomDoggie

    ZoomDoggie Member

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    I would worry about a blood clot doing this...it is important to move around a bit! Anecdote--my mother did this once and did indeed have a clot. It did not turn into a pulmonary embolism, but it's a risk.
     
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  14. acoste

    acoste Member

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    Why are ICE cars screwed?

    I have visitors regularly from Europe. We drive the usual circle, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, LV, LA, highway 1 and so on. Most have less than 2 weeks for it. There is just no time for charging or no charger on the road. I usually rent a Sequoia size ICE car for that.
     
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  15. TexasEV

    TexasEV Well-Known Member

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    To the OP regarding (3):
    Idle fees are charged if the site is more than half full when your car finishes charging.
    Supercharger Idle Fee

    Thanks for your thoughtful post.
     
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  16. TexasEV

    TexasEV Well-Known Member

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    No time for charging? Do you not eat? Or go to the bathroom? Or stop for the night? It just takes a little planning.
     
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  17. Peteski

    Peteski Active Member

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    Rather you than me! That's not gonna be good for your health or safety.
     
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  18. lolder

    lolder Member

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    You caused your inconvenience by "starting with a lower than typical charge". It is simple to avoid these problems and most do.
     
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  19. acoste

    acoste Member

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    I would run into problems on the very first day. From Bay Area to Santa Barbara on Highway 1. There are 2 chargers on the way, one in Gilroy and one in SLO. We never stop at any of these locations. Same applies for most of the days on the trip.
    Second issue: heat in the desert decreases the range, and there are very few chargers there.
     
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  20. Abstrakt1

    Abstrakt1 Member

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    I did a trip that was close to 1,000 miles each way this last week. From Salt lake to San Luis Obispo and back.

    On the way out I was amazed, I hit all the superchargers with about 10% battery left and only needed to stop 4 times. Got about 250 miles per charge going 80+ MPH the whole way and close to 3 hours between each stop was perfect for me as far as needing a break after about that length of time driving. Autopilot handled all the freeway miles and it was a nice relaxed trip. It actually took about the exact same amount of time it has in ICE cars for me in the past.

    On the return trip I hit some high winds and cold temperatures and it got a bit rough. I ended up stopping at 7 superchargers instead of the 4 I needed on the way out. When the wind was at it's most extreme it used over 50% of my charge going the 50 miles from Baker to Primm and then 40% again in the 40 miles from Primm to Vegas. I really don't think it would have made it from Baker to Vegas in that wind and worry about my ability to make it to superchargers with more space in between in those conditions. It got a bit frustrating because I don't need to eat, go to the bathroom or stretch that often and it ended up taking about 2 hours longer than it does in an ICE vehicle.

    Overall I would take the Tesla over my wife's ICE car again but only because of autopilot. The charging was exactly what I expected out but less convenient than I wanted on the return.

    I was less than impressed with the navigation. It almost always gave me suggested charging stops that I wouldn't be able to come close to reaching on a single charge. If I stuck to their charging stops and route I would need a tow truck to follow me and take me the final 40 or so miles to the charger. It would be nice if it calculated based on realistic range and conditions.
     
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