Travel Times on MS cars vs ICE cars

[AmpedRealtor]

Most travelers will need to add 20%-30% travel time due to charging on long trips. This is unavoidable and assumes that one is able to charge at a nominal rate without waiting in line. If the SC are crowded and/or running at reduced capacity, add more time. This is the big problem with EVs on which the general public is focused.

I wish it weren't true, but a minimum of 25% additional travel time is warranted for a "no compromise" EV like the Tesla. Imagine doing a long distance trip in any other EV, pretty much impossible.

 

[Rocky_H]

I'll certainly agree that depending on what you're comparing to, @AmpedRealtor is mostly right. If the traveling method you are trying for is the "pound out as many miles per minute as possible with the least amount of stopping time", it is a reality that nothing can beat liquid fuel to accomplish that. But if you are OK with a more comfortable normal traveling process, the Tesla way feels pretty reasonable.

 

[Need]

I found this kind of interesting. You can do that level of planning if you want to, but I don't think it's very necessary anymore. Most of my life I've wanted to do some kind of huge road trip across the country, and in February, I got to do it by myself.

I think it is much easier with just 1 person. You get to decide when and where to stop anytime you need/want. Long road trip with more people are exponentially harder. If I have to stop at a supercharger with no clean bathroom within walking distance, I will be sleeping on the sofa for the rest of my life. Trust me, I need to plan if I value my life!

 

[kiwi]

We absolutely have to stop every 3 hours because the kids are getting pretty
tetchy by then. So its not much slower for us.

The superior ride, quietness, comfort and handling more than make up for the extra time.
Plus there's a feel good factor.

 

[Ofarlig]

I am wondering how it can take you that long to charge. Even with my S75D we are talking charging for 15-20 minutes on trips around 5 hours of highway (I would have stopped minimum 10-15 anyway even without eating). On 8-9 hour trips I need to add 70-90 minutes for charging at highway speeds, meaning two leg stretchers and lunch. Imagine how it would be with a 100 pack.

The actual extra time I need to stop over what I would want to in an ICE is a few percent. Although I do have a tendency to sometimes just drive with too few and short stops in an ICE I always regret it later.

 

[Need]

I am wondering how it can take you that long to charge. Even with my S75D we are talking charging for 15-20 minutes on trips around 5 hours of highway (I would have stopped minimum 10-15 anyway even without eating).

What is the speed on your highway there? Here most people drive at least 70 mph unless there is traffic. At that speed, 5 hours would be 350 miles of distance. Lets say you start out at 100% which for S75D would be about 220 miles realistically. So you really could only drive 3 hours and you will be close to empty. If you only charge about 15 to 20 min, you can only go another 100 miles or so so you will have to stop every 80 min from that point on to charge for 15 to 20 min. That's why many people say it will add about 25% of traveling time.

 

[Ofarlig]

What is the speed on your highway there? Here most people drive at least 70 mph unless there is traffic. At that speed, 5 hours would be 350 miles of distance. Lets say you start out at 100% which for S75D would be about 220 miles realistically. So you really could only drive 3 hours and you will be close to empty. If you only charge about 15 to 20 min, you can only go another 100 miles or so so you will have to stop every 80 min from that point on to charge for 15 to 20 min. That's why many people say it will add about 25% of traveling time.

Around 70-75 mph over here on highways. But if the trip is 5 hours it would be more like 300 miles since you are not getting on the 75 mph highway instantly from your house with no traffic. So in reality we are talking about adding 80-100 miles with a charge for a 5 hour trip which is really fast.

 

[bob_p]

Road trips in our S 100D are much better than in our S P95.

With the S P85, we would have to stop about ever 150 miles (2-2.5 hours) for charging - and often require stopping longer to get an 80-90% charge.

With the S 100D, we can drive further between stops (3-3.5 hours), which is about as long as the humans want to go before taking a pit stop. And with the extra range on the 100D, there isn't as much need to get above 80%, so charging is faster.

If you can pre-plan your route, there are superchargers located at or near restaurants. If you can time your trip to eat a meal while you're charging, the extra time you use during the meal will let you fully charge the car - which either extends the time until the next stop or will reduce the charging time on the subsequent stop.

While it does take longer to charge - we've found the difference isn't that significant, forcing us to stay a little longer at the chargers, and if we can plan meals during the charger stops, it really helps.

 

[born2run]

Road trips in our S 100D are much better than in our S P95.

With the S P85, we would have to stop about ever 150 miles (2-2.5 hours) for charging - and often require stopping longer to get an 80-90% charge.

With the S 100D, we can drive further between stops (3-3.5 hours), which is about as long as the humans want to go before taking a pit stop. And with the extra range on the 100D, there isn't as much need to get above 80%, so charging is faster.

While it does take longer to charge - we've found the difference isn't that significant, forcing us to stay a little longer at the chargers, and if we can plan meals during the charger stops, it really helps.

^^This is exactly why I ordered a S 100D

 

[docherf]

Charging certainly adds time, but I prefer it over driving our ICE. I've gotten used to planning where we're stopping/eating. It helps to plan to charge at destination to save a stop (pick hotel that has charging).

It really is a different mindset from someof our prior trips where I'd gas up while the family used the facilities and we hit a fast food drive thru and ate behind the wheel. Felt like a NASCAR pit crew on some stops!

I find autopilot decreases fatigue tremendously.

I'm sure EV on trips is not for everyone though.

Good luck

 

[jerry33]

After the Superchargers were installed, I haven't found any material difference in the time our most frequent trips take between the S85 and the former ICE. If you are using RV parks, then the ICE is faster. Even if I had a 300 kW battery, there would still be a 15 minute stop every 100-150 miles, and lunch takes the same amount of time whether in a Tesla or an ICE.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

My wife didn’t care for the SC stops when we first got the car. She was annoyed and thought it was such a waste of time.

Fast forward almost 2 years since we got the car and she’s excited about SC stops. For her it’s now fun, relaxing and Soooo satisfyingly that we aren’t belching out dangerous fumes anymore.

Were toying with the idea of going to the east coast this summer and she didn’t even flinch; “let’s drive!” She said

 

[xyeahtony]

If you need to get somewhere ASAP, dont drive. Fly.

Part of what makes road trips fun is the experience and the adventure. Supercharger spots are generally in cool places I'd normally never visit so I've gotten to visit and see cities I've never been in before.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

If you need to get somewhere ASAP, dont drive. Fly.

While that might often be correct you do need to take airline routes and schedules into account (unless you own your own plane). Whenever I travel to visit relatives in Kansas and Nebraska, it is faster to drive than to fly, even if driving takes 6 to 8 hours. Since there are no direct flights, I would have to fly from Denver to Dallas or Chicago and then wait for a connecting flight back to Kansas. I could fly to another city in Kansas such as Wichita or KC but I would then need to rent a car and drive several hours to my destination. That option comes out to almost the same time as driving (or even longer) and ends up costing hundreds of dollars more than driving. In Nebraska, I'd have to fly to Lincoln or Omaha and then drive halfway back across Nebraska.

 

[EARL99208]

I thank all that have chimed in on their experiences from owning and driving a Tesla on longer road trips......it all makes very good sense to make things a more relaxing adventure in the trip and not make it a sprint race to destination.
I'll have to just get my butt in motion to start the funds saving to get a Tesla.

 

[jerry33]

While that might often be correct you do need to take airline routes and schedules into account (unless you own your own plane). Whenever I travel to visit relatives in Kansas and Nebraska, it is faster to drive than to fly, even if driving takes 6 to 8 hours. Since there are no direct flights, I would have to fly from Denver to Dallas or Chicago and then wait for a connecting flight back to Kansas. I could fly to another city in Kansas such as Wichita or KC but I would then need to rent a car and drive several hours to my destination. That option comes out to almost the same time as driving (or even longer) and ends up costing hundreds of dollars more than driving. In Nebraska, I'd have to fly to Lincoln or Omaha and then drive halfway back across Nebraska.

I drive there quite frequently, and even if the price were the same, the convenience of having your own car and not dealing with the airports is well worth it.

 

[hacer]

My family has made several trips from Maryland to Charleston, SC. Many years ago we drove straight through in our Prius, about a 10:15 drive (565 miles), 9 hours of actual driving but two short meal breaks and a fuel stop. It was brutal and I always hated the drive; at some point we started stopping half way which was also terrible because although the drive experience was much improved because of being shorter a lot more time was wasted at a blah motel with nothing to do but internet and TV. When we got the model S, I decided to try driving straight through again and it is way better. Now it adds about 1 extra hour (75D and we usually do 4 charging stops), two of them short ~ 20 minutes and two longer charging/meal breaks. The autopilot really reduces the driving fatigue, the car is much more comfortable and it is great to get out and walk around on the shorter charging stops. A bigger battery could reduce the time. Our 3 could do it in 2 charging stops which could get us back to ICE time of 10:15 driving with 2 meal breaks, but I don't think we will try this because we have no autopilot on the 3, the ride is not as comfortable (springs vs air suspension on the S), and the supercharging would cost just a little bit. To be honest I've come to enjoy the charging breaks where I get to walk around and recover from the long time of the seating position so that would also be not as good.

It's funny that we never thought to just take some extra breaks when we drove ICE because I think that would have actually made those trips better even though longer, but it never occurred to me to do that.

 

[xyeahtony]

I honesty dont mind stopping every 2 hours. im at that age where driving for 5 hours nonstop is far too exhausting to attempt.

 

[Ofarlig]

I honesty dont mind stopping every 2 hours. im at that age where driving for 5 hours nonstop is far too exhausting to attempt.

Hell, I am at that age as well and I am barely 30 .

 

[buttershrimp]

I'm in the process of trying to convince myself on a purchase of a Tesla.

The long distance travel times on a MS vs a ICE car is quite a bit longer, and that kind of is a troubling thing for both my wife and I.
Since I'm in the financial level of affording a used MS I guess obviously the size of battery is a big issue of how many times you need to stop....just like a size of gas tank in a ICE car.

I guess I'm asking for some ideas to put my mind at ease as to why the Tesla owners like/love to take long distance trips in their Tesla's vs their ICE cars?

Thank you

To be honest, I can't imagine driving a long distance trip in anything but a Tesla. Maybe one day when the autopilot technology of other cars reaches where Tesla is now. Probably will be 3 or 4 years. I routinely drive 300 miles nonstop (literally), which feels about the equivalent of driving 120 miles in an ICE.