I'll be at the farm for a week (the closest supercharger is in Macon >100 miles away). I'll be either using the 14-30 or the 10-30 plugged into the dryer outlet, with the extension cord run out through a window.
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Upcoming Cross-Country Trip
- Thread starter OverJohn
- Start date
I'll be at the farm for a week (the closest supercharger is in Macon >100 miles away). I'll be either using the 14-30 or the 10-30 plugged into the dryer outlet, with the extension cord run out through a window.
2012MS85
Member
Which one of us doesn't pack a bunch of excess crap, that we carry on airplanes at great expense, and never use on our vacations? On my 1,600-mile family road trip in our 2012 S85 from Davenport, IA, to Bristol, TN, and back, I filled my frunk (including the mircrowave compartment) with a new full-size spare rim/tire and a tiny hydraulic jack with specially made wooden jack supports/inserts so I was ready for my flat that never happened. I have emergency road service, but was certain it would take too long when my never-to-occur roadside disaster might happen. I wanted to prove to my wife and daughter that our Tesla was a smarter and more stress-free choice than flying, which it was. Because I felt prepared like a Boy Scout, I never had an ounce of stress. And my wife agreed it was a perfect family vacation!
Switching to another true story... I counted five pairs of fancy shoes my wife packed and never wore in Hawaii...duh, no shoes needed on the sandy beaches we enjoyed. But she felt prepared for whatever shoe emergency might have come up
Trip planning is fun!
Your biggest challenge will be picking Superchargers you “want” to stop at, from the ones you “could” visit.
Start somewhere...get a possible charging plan from the car or EVTripplanner or Abetterrouteplanner and then look at amenities close to the charging stops. I use PlugShare and/or the Superchargers app to check for restaurants, restrooms, coffee shops, etc. These are are crowd sourced info tools, so you can add to these as you travel to make them more up to date for the next traveler.
Your biggest challenge will be picking Superchargers you “want” to stop at, from the ones you “could” visit.
Start somewhere...get a possible charging plan from the car or EVTripplanner or Abetterrouteplanner and then look at amenities close to the charging stops. I use PlugShare and/or the Superchargers app to check for restaurants, restrooms, coffee shops, etc. These are are crowd sourced info tools, so you can add to these as you travel to make them more up to date for the next traveler.
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If you’re going to be there for a week, you would do just fine plugging into a 120V outlet and not have to deal with a 240V extension cord.
Also just looked at your blog—as a practical matter forget about charging for only 5 minutes at some of the superchargers, regardless of what the in car nav or route planners say. It will take you longer than that to walk into the hotel or whatever, find the restroom, return to the car, and clean your windows. Then your next stop will be shorter. Also plan which supercharger stops you’re going to have lunch or dinner at. You’ll end up charging longer at those stops because the car is waiting for you rather than you waiting for the car. Then the next stop will be shorter as you’re starting with more range.
Please try not to be offended, I know this is exciting for you, but I’m not sure why you think anyone would find your blog interesting. Again, this is 2018, not 2013. People described cross country trips in the Model S in 2013 and 2014 when the cars had less range and it was a novelty and the experience truly could be helpful for the next owner. Now such trips in Teslas are routine.
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I just this very day am planning a similar trip next year to nNew York city from Scotts Valley, what a coincidence!
I recommend www.abetterrouteplanner.com. It has a nice set of features, and a mobile friendly interface.
I recommend www.abetterrouteplanner.com. It has a nice set of features, and a mobile friendly interface.
e-FTW
New electron smell
Punch in the destination, and use the new to Model 3 energy graph. I find it crucial on road trips, as you can easily adjust your speed based on the trend of this graph (apologies for the older Model S graph, this was on my first SF to LA trip in 2015):
Since everyone in the car can see it, confidence will stay high for all parties involved.
Enjoy the trip!
Since everyone in the car can see it, confidence will stay high for all parties involved.
Enjoy the trip!
suwaneedad
Member
Not sure how long you've had your 3, but FWIW I'm finding 250mi of real-world range at 80mph on highways in the Southeast (therefore flattish). (80% of rated range at 80mph, for easy remembering) In recent weeks, with cooler temps in place, I'm seeing ~1-3% range loss due to colder temps (40 degrees vs 80 degrees). Not at all as severe as I had been expecting to see (relative to the LEAF). I don't have enough cold experience in the 3 yet to be confident in this minor range loss, though.
2012MS85
Member
I'm only pointing out that @suwaneedad appears to be from Atlanta, so "cooler temps" are likely very different from real COLD TEMPS (sub-zero freezing in the northern half of US and Canada) where an EV driver should be prepared for worse case scenarios of only 50% of rated range when batteries must self-warm and prevent long-term damage, while finicky humans also like to heat their driving cabins and buns (via heated seats, which are actually the most efficient means of keeping warm if you can afford to minimize cabin heating). I have friends from down south who wear winter jackets when visiting Iowa while Iowans wear T-shirts
I just carry the mobile charge connector with the adapters it came with. We do use 120V 12A charging at one son's house with no Supercharger nearby. Never had to use anything but Superchargers during the actual travel portion of road trips.
I have used my 12V air compressor when the weather turned cold and we got a low tire pressure warning.
I carry a tire plug kit. Anything that and the compressor can't handle will require a call to Roadside Assistance. Think about your flat tire plan.
The car's nav does fine. I think it likes to make fewer longer stops, whereas the optimum should be more frequent shorter stops so you're not trying to charge the battery beyond 80% to 90% where it becomes slow to charge. Plus I prefer more stops myself. ABetterRoutePlanner should give you a total time optimized plan. It has a setting for "Time to Open Charge Port" that you can increase to discourage frequent stops if you want. Or you can just tell it to avoid/include specific charges to see what that does to your time.
Most important for me is monitoring the charge remaining at destination, displayed at the end of the nav's turn list. If you see that dropping below your comfort level (10% for me) you need to slow down a few MPH to reduce your consumption and reach the destination with your desired margin of safety.
I like to create a spreadsheet with the optimized stops I plan on making. I make notes on hotels and restaurants near each Supercharger so we have an idea of what we will be doing at each stop. And it is really nice knowing what business the Supercharger is located at, since Superchargers generally don't have their own signs. Great if you're a big planner (like me), but not critical.
I have used my 12V air compressor when the weather turned cold and we got a low tire pressure warning.
I carry a tire plug kit. Anything that and the compressor can't handle will require a call to Roadside Assistance. Think about your flat tire plan.
The car's nav does fine. I think it likes to make fewer longer stops, whereas the optimum should be more frequent shorter stops so you're not trying to charge the battery beyond 80% to 90% where it becomes slow to charge. Plus I prefer more stops myself. ABetterRoutePlanner should give you a total time optimized plan. It has a setting for "Time to Open Charge Port" that you can increase to discourage frequent stops if you want. Or you can just tell it to avoid/include specific charges to see what that does to your time.
Most important for me is monitoring the charge remaining at destination, displayed at the end of the nav's turn list. If you see that dropping below your comfort level (10% for me) you need to slow down a few MPH to reduce your consumption and reach the destination with your desired margin of safety.
I like to create a spreadsheet with the optimized stops I plan on making. I make notes on hotels and restaurants near each Supercharger so we have an idea of what we will be doing at each stop. And it is really nice knowing what business the Supercharger is located at, since Superchargers generally don't have their own signs. Great if you're a big planner (like me), but not critical.
morrisdl
Member
We did 5,700 miles this past summer in P85 and never NEEDED the mobile cable, but its good insurance. Actually used the J1772 connector twice just to get premium parking spot. A DC fridge (Dometic CFX-35) is game changer!! Finding hotels with e/v charging is key - we used www.plugshare.com to find them. Calling ahead to confirm parking access is helpful. If we got on the road by 9am (w100%), 1st stop is around lunch time, 2nd around dinner. If you cant stay at hotel w/charging, make sure to charge while the battery is still warm. Cold charging in the morning can take 3x longer. Autopilot is amazing for trips like this. Enjoy the ride!!
My last two cars have not had spare tires, so I always carry a plug kit and 12V compressor.
That's a great idea. I use TripIt for my business trips and have set up the whole trip there. I'll add notes on restaurants in the area. We already have our hotel reservations.
Thank you for this! I didn't see the little greyed-out "trip"... I had just been using it for energy consumption.
Hello, I don't have my Tesla yet. I am picking it up in Portland and driving back to Virginia over Christmas break. Looking forward to this road trip with my 18 year old son. I have been wondering about camping in the car or if there is a network of Tesla owners who would welcome a lowly traveler for an overnight park in their driveway. I sure am willing to offer a safe place for a Tesla car camper at my farm.
Many factors go into the charging time requirement at each unique Super Charger location. State of charge, distance to the next super charger, and any personal buffer added for winter temps, rain, etc.
This will be an epic journey from OR to VA. If you have two weeks and stop at peoples houses along the way for the night, it would make a fantastic video/documentary.
At the very least start a thread here and post pictures, share experiences, etc. please.
RV Parks along the way are an alternative. They have the 240 power to charge overnight.
suwaneedad
Member
Model S has/had "camper mode" but as yet it has not been released as part of Model 3, so I have only read about it.
Essentially it provides a way to keep climate control functioning all night rather than the car assuming you're long gone after a bit.
Also, I think sleeping in the Model 3 with two adults will be too tight. I view camper mode opportunities in my Model 3 to be when I'm traveling cross country solo. Model S has more width, but Model 3 will be VERY cozy for more than one person in camper mode.
ceekz
Member
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