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that was an a looong drive...curious to see what the lessons learned were...
This is the problem with the Model S. Even with Superchargers everywhere, and I love the Superchargers, driving long-distance in a Model S is extremely time-consuming versus an ICE. I kinda look forward to Elon doing his cross-country trip because nothing will make the point more bluntly that we need 500-mi batteries and we need them soon.
Well, yes...but it's not clear how much longer it took with supercharging than it would have taken in an ICE car. It's a roughly 1100 mile trip, which is a long distance in any car. Google Maps suggests 17 hours, without stops or traffic (or weather). Weather and traffic were obviously big factors yesterday.
Will be interested to see what they think the actual delta between taking the Tesla and taking an ICE car would have been.
SeminoleFSU
Voluntaryist
Yea it seems like most of the time when I looked after Burlington, he was doing less than 55MPH. Having said that though, even with the super chargers and perfect traffic, it's going to take longer an the S particularly on those longer runs during the winter months. Sitting on the SC for 30-60mins and doing 55MPH for most of your journey will have an impact.
Agreed...in my ICE we whip into a gas station and drive thru then out on the interstate in under 15 minutes...but I find myself in a Model S enjoying the 30 minutes or so break at the supercharger, especially when I can meet other Model s owners.
and yes...weather was a HUGE factor in their trip, along with Washington thru Baltimore traffic that had them crawling no more than 15 MPH. I think with good weather (and warmer weather!!) and light traffic, they would've made the trip in 20-21 hours versus what it took them. Let's not forget that it takes up to 40 minutes to get to 80% charge (approx 225 miles of Rated Range) 75 minutes (!!!) to get to MAX CHARGE 9approx 255 miles of Rated Range). With the cold temps yesterday Tim/Rebecca had to MAX CHARGE to get 200 miles to each supercharger with a bit left over....
jcadman22
Tesla Owners Club Maryland
"Back in the day" I traveled the I-95 corridor for many of the major holidays and found lines at the gas pumps that would take 10-15 mins just to get to a pump. Then add on another 10-15 mins for a bio/snack break and it's almost a wash.
On that note, I'm curious about Supercharger congestion as there are many more Model S on the East Coast as we're getting more comfortable with road tripping. Has anyone had to wait for spots to open up? Have you encountered ICE'ing situations?
ModelS1079
Member
Regarding trip time.. since I did a large portion of the same trip this past Saturday... I spent 3.5 hours charging for an 830 mile trip. I drove at LEAST the speed limit (frequently doing 65-70; often +5). In a gas car I probably would have gone +10 and spent maybe 1 hour at various stops along the way. But it would have been less comfy and would have cost a lot more. Yeah, there's still a bit of a trade-off. If Tesla can get the tapering stuff better that would help a LOT. The first half of charging is awesome to watch. The second half is painful. Relatively speaking.
I've hit the NC and VA superchargers one time each and was disappointed to be the only one there. The Burlington parking lot was jam packed on a Friday night and 2 of the supercharger spots were ICE'd, one car left within about 15 mins. FYI the Burlington Supercharger signs allow 30 minute general parking.
Thanks to the OP for sharing the trip! I enjoyed following along.
Beat me to it. But if the lot is full most ICE drivers will park in any of the spots.
I was ICE'd this last weekend by a rental budget truck. The EVSE was not in a prime location and the driver was probably trying to find an out of way spot. There was plenty of regular parking available. Plenty of signage. Very annoying.
A
that was an a looong drive...
Sorry it's taking me a while to write that up. Writers block, I guess
I am working on a good blog post about it and I'll try to have it completed by tomorrow.- - - Updated - - -
Most of that slow driving was due to the rain. That's not so much of a range killed as it is a time killer. Ho boy. Between the 2 hour extra time going though MD and the rain, a 21-22 hour trip ended up taking 26.
I'll definitely be heading back on Saturday instead of Sunday, so there's no risk of rain. Rain sucks!
Oh and the trip back will be tracked as well. I'll reset the progress bar (don't worry, I've got that saved behind the scenes) and we'll start Saturday morning, stop in VA overnight, head down to Greenville on Sunday, stop overnight, and then take the remaining 2 hours home on Monday morning. Once they get the SC up in Commerce, GA or South Carolina, we won't need a 2 night stop. Next year should be a *much* easier trip.
Posted my learnings from the trip finally: A Tesla Road Trip | Startups and Code
Heading out around 10am tomorrow. We'll do the same live tracking thing.
I'll also open source the site and all the data I collected from the trip next week at some point. Hopefully that can help others looking to make road trips!
Heading out around 10am tomorrow. We'll do the same live tracking thing.
I'll also open source the site and all the data I collected from the trip next week at some point. Hopefully that can help others looking to make road trips!
doctrewho
Member
We're on the way and stopped in Darien, CT. Took this leg at a much faster 75MPH thanks to no rain and a closer Supercharger. Actually, the rain is the biggest factor so far. Avoid it at all costs on road trips!
My site's updating system is still bugging out, so you might see us stop moving or updating state. The progress line should update regardless. I'll see if I can fix it before we leave for Newark.
My site's updating system is still bugging out, so you might see us stop moving or updating state. The progress line should update regardless. I'll see if I can fix it before we leave for Newark.
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