Trip 33 hours driving 10 hours charging 15 charging/break stops = Analysis - Driving/Charging/Meals

[CHGolferJim]

Recent trip NC-TALLAHASSEE-NEW ORLEANS-COLUMBUS-NC

Here are some figures to tweak and possibly help convince family members or folks considering a Tesla that there isn't that much time wasted on longer trips. This will help me be more realistic in planning future trips, as recently I have been about 10% unrealistic in how far I can get/time required. Caveat: driver and passenger are 61 y.o., not in a great hurry, and need more frequent and longer breaks, lol.

33 hours driving
10 hours charging

15 charging/break stops = 0:40 each on average
6 included meals --> assume would have happened in an ICE, so no time wasted
9 for breaks/charging = 6 hours total, assume breaks/gas stops would be 0:20 --> 3 hours breaks anyway

Conclusions

• 43 hours Total
• 33 hours driving
• 4 hours for meals stops
• 3 hours of bathroom/walk breaks
• 3 hours extra for charging

Please challenge the assumptions/analysis/conclusions. (Sorry for the cumbersome title, couldn't figure out how to edit it once posted.)

 

[outdoors]

Really cool data to share. This is how I show, especially for those that are not in super hurry how fun and enjoyable road trips can be in a Tesla. Sure you could push it (10% unrealistic comment) but you also are factoring the comfort of not having to worry. No challenge at all. If your not in a hurry charging extra can help you see the sights off the beaten path without having to say. No we can't see that, we don't have enough if something strikes your fancy.

Keep on tripping!

 

[Helmuth]

I can agree that trips in an EV are pretty much hassle free!

We usually start with the car fully charged, make a bathroom stop as needed, charge for about 20 minutes and get to the next Supercharger for lunch.
While eating charge up to roughly 100% again, take a 20 minute stop again and keep driving. By now you’re almost 10 hours into your trip and most likely ready for (an early?) dinner.
If you need to keep driving to get to your destination for the day, charge it up again while enjoying your dinner and you are good to go for another 4-5 hours with a 20-30 minute charging stop on this part of the trip.
Which means you can do 900 miles with just two longer stops for lunch and dinner and three bathroom breaks for about 20 minutes each.
Of course it depends on the Supercharger distances on your way but 750 miles are easily doable...

OP enjoy all your upcoming trips!!!

 

[Darmie]

Last year in our S we had a blast. We drove from Lake Charles Louisiana up to New England, over to Ohio, then back down. Hope to do the same this season in our Model X. Also hope to make more videos of the trip this time out too.

Am I crazy thinking of driving North this month

 

[SSedan]

I am currently a few hundred miles from home, traveling is fine, honestly I tell folks that on a 3-400mile 1 food stop trip you just pick a restaurant by a supercharger and add no time.

 

[animorph]

This is a plan? Have you looked at ABetterRoutePlanner or EVTripPlanner?

My plans usually have about 20% of total time charging, so more like 8 hours of charging for your trip. Usually less than 40 minutes per stop. Unless you include drive time to the chargers as charging time. I think the above planners also include 5 minutes of charge setup/teardown time either in the drive time or charge time.

That said, we usually end up walking around for longer than planned and most often are behind the optimum schedule.

 

[SSedan]

Charging time can get stretched if charger placement is not geographically ideal.
For example my return trip today from no at destination charging.
30minutes in I will have to stop to charge for probably 10-15 minutes as a cold battery is going to swill juice when I head that way. Then 90minutes later I will have to stop because that is where the charger is, then it is a 3 hour stretch home, meaning I will have to take my P85 solidly above 80% at that charging stop meaning 50 minutes and frankly won't be meal time. Going to have rain, cabin heat and elevation change so no cutting charge close.
If I reroute 30 minutes longer drive there is a supercharger closer to home so I could keep stops shorter by not going above 80% but would still be slower over all.

 

[CHGolferJim]

This is a plan? Have you looked at ABetterRoutePlanner or EVTripPlanner?

My plans usually have about 20% of total time charging, so more like 8 hours of charging for your trip. Usually less than 40 minutes per stop. Unless you include drive time to the chargers as charging time. I think the above planners also include 5 minutes of charge setup/teardown time either in the drive time or charge time.

That said, we usually end up walking around for longer than planned and most often are behind the optimum schedule.

This is data from an actual trip over the last few weeks (so early autumn temps in the South requiring minimal energy for AC/Heat). Actual stops in Brunswick GA, Tallahassee FL, New Orleans LA and somewhere in GA on the way home were required. Creaky bones and temperament make it hard to push beyond 400 miles/day. We could have done slightly better if we had planned the last stop in Columbus GA better and chosen a hotel with HPWC from Plugshare which I didn’t think to check until we’d checked into a place without one.

My 22 y.o. son who was with us NC-Tally claims our meal stops were slightly extended by waiting to finish charging, so maybe add 1-2 hours to the “extra time”.

 

[Lasttoy]

I drive Fl to dc every other month.
I cut time off by leaving the minute says go
Use cruise control set on 75
Eat and potty at charge place.
Hardest was driving so slow.
But it works, i have to explain everyday that there is NO charge anxiety, the computer does it all.

 

[SSedan]

I think most of us choose slower meals when charging, hopefully they are slightly better for us too.

 

[SSedan]

Jinxed myself car is bricked at the Oakdale supercharger, betting the 12volt charger died have wife and kids with and Tesla service hold time is long