Washington, DC area to Atlanta questions and suggestions...

[LBMagneto]

I'm considering a road trip from the DC Area (starting near Gaithersburg/Germantown in Maryland) and was curious if anyone has made this journey before. I drive an M3 LR RWD, so I have about 290 miles in range after some degradation. I mapped the route out on ABRP and it looks like I'd have to make stops in Chester, VA; either Oxford or Thomasville, NC, and another stop in Charlotte and Fair Play, SC. I want to avoid the South Hill, VA supercharger if I can, and make a lunch stop/long charge in Charlotte. It also looks like the routes vary... Naturally, there's the tried-and-true I-95 to I-85 route, which seems to be the popular choice between these two cities. But there's also the old-school route, taking US 29 through Central Virginia to Greensboro, then hopping onto Interstate 85 from there, but I wonder how much longer that route would take since US-29 isn't all freeway, so I'd have to factor passing through towns and that route seems to be the most optimal if there is a major traffic jam on I-95 in VA, which isn't out of the question for those of you who are familiar with I-95 in VA. ABRP also has a route that entails taking the Beltway to I-66 West to I-81 in Front Royal, VA, driving South on I-81 to I-77 in Fort Chiswell, VA, and heading South to Charlotte and picking up I-85 there. But that route seems to take the longest.

I've driven this route in an ICE vehicle and typically stop in Henderson, Charlotte, and if I really need to, Gaffney, SC. For those who have driven this route, how does a journey in a Tesla compare? I look forward to any responses! This isn't exactly the shortest drive and this is really a long weekend trip (thinking of leaving on Thursday and coming back on Monday) as opposed to an entire week.

 

[vanjwilson]

I live in Charlotte and have been driving a MY LR for almost 2 years now. My wife has family in Georgia, and I've done a few hiking and family trips up into Virginia and Maryland. Personally, I think your biggest trouble on this trip will be the traffic from D.C. to Richmond, and then the traffic once you get to Atlanta. I've done all 3 of the routes you describe, and the US 29 route is definitely the best compromise among distance, traffic, and scenery. But I've also gotten stuck behind slow cars on that route, so I-95 is probably better for a weekend trip.

I'd use Waze to anticipate traffic slowdowns, let it guide you off the interstate when necessary, and then just let the Tesla nav recommend the next supercharger it thinks you need to stop at. There are so many superchargers between D.C. and Atlanta, and really almost anywhere east of the Mississippi, that I've almost stopped pre-planning trips unless I'm heading out West.

I try to plan my stops based on easy access to milkshakes, too. There is a good milkshake place in the parking lot of the Oxford superscharger, but there is a Cook-Out a short walk from the Thomasville supercharger. So, you can't go wrong with either location.

 

[CapsEngineer]

We've made 4 trips to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in our MY and we go I-66 to 29 and then down like you say. I prefer it over I-95 and the I-81 route (that's not in play for you). Great drive, no real traffic and most of 29 is 4 lane road. I was concerned last fall because we went down on a Saturday and both UVa and NC A&T had home football games that weekend. Neither one had any noticeable effect on our drive.
Charging stops we've used along the way (in no particular order -- just going through charging history)

• Bealeton, VA (Sheetz) -- No real need to charge going out, but it's when my wife starts needing coffee and breakfast. On the way back, it's our final rest room break.
• Madison Heights, VA (Sheetz)
• Thomasville, NC (Sheetz)
• Greenville, SC (Hotel parking lot)
• Piedmont, SC (C-Store where rest rooms are sometimes not well maintained)
• Lexington, NC (Sheetz)
• Lynchburg, VA (Sheetz)
• Fair Play, SC (C-Store/Travel Plaza)
• Charlotte, NC (Northlake Centre Parkway) Very busy location, but I haven't had to wait the couple of times I stopped there. Always seems to be 1 or 2 open with a lot of turnover.

Editing to add: If anyone is going through Atlanta on a road trip and you hate dealing with heavy traffic and the idiot behavior it creates, I would suggest getting a Peach Pass. It's well worth the money and you don't have to be a Georgia resident to get one. They'll take anyone's money.

 

[JamesEarl15]

I have made this trip a time or two. My mother lives in Stafford and my cousin lives in ATL. We took this trip and make 4 stops total and this was a year ago. There are more than enough superchargers now that this trip may be faster than what it was before (some we used were 150 KW). But its a fun trip and relaxing. Put it on Autopilot (or NOA) and the rest if history.

 

[LBMagneto]

Thanks for the tips! I might wind up having to fly because my partner still isn't sold on long distance EV trips when I broached the topic. We drove from here to Toledo, OH last year (which is a shorter trip to be fair) and it was noticed that it took a bit longer factoring the charges. Oh well. I may plan another trip as a compromise because we were talking about going to North Carolina next month as well.

 

[Big Earl]

DC to Atlanta is a complete non-issue. Plug your destination into the navigation system and hit the road. Stop where it recommends or choose chargers that suit your travel needs.

Note that the nav recommends fewer, longer stops. You can reduce your overall charging time by stopping a bit more frequently. My personal approach is to charge to 60%, then drive to whichever charger has me arriving at around 15%, repeat. Charge longer if necessary or desired.

 

[nogajim]

We've made 4 trips to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in our MY and we go I-66 to 29 and then down like you say. I prefer it over I-95 and the I-81 route (that's not in play for you). Great drive, no real traffic and most of 29 is 4 lane road. I was concerned last fall because we went down on a Saturday and both UVa and NC A&T had home football games that weekend. Neither one had any noticeable effect on our drive.
Charging stops we've used along the way (in no particular order -- just going through charging history)

• Bealeton, VA (Sheetz) -- No real need to charge going out, but it's when my wife starts needing coffee and breakfast. On the way back, it's our final rest room break.
• Madison Heights, VA (Sheetz)
• Thomasville, NC (Sheetz)
• Greenville, SC (Hotel parking lot)
• Piedmont, SC (C-Store where rest rooms are sometimes not well maintained)
• Lexington, NC (Sheetz)
• Lynchburg, VA (Sheetz)
• Fair Play, SC (C-Store/Travel Plaza)
• Charlotte, NC (Northlake Centre Parkway) Very busy location, but I haven't had to wait the couple of times I stopped there. Always seems to be 1 or 2 open with a lot of turnover.

Editing to add: If anyone is going through Atlanta on a road trip and you hate dealing with heavy traffic and the idiot behavior it creates, I would suggest getting a Peach Pass. It's well worth the money and you don't have to be a Georgia resident to get one. They'll take anyone's money.

The Greenville SC is best avoided these days: slow charging, lots of traffic, and it used to have lines for charging fairly regularly. I second the PeachPass recommendation.

 

[CapsEngineer]

The Greenville SC is best avoided these days: slow charging, lots of traffic, and it used to have lines for charging fairly regularly. I second the PeachPass recommendation.

I agree about the Greenville SC. I used it when we were staying at the adjacent hotel.

 

[Cherokee180c]

Non issue. I travel twice per year from MD to Naples FL, and you really don’t even have to plan using ABRP. You will pass way more chargers than you need to stop at. Also so far I travel during the week mostly and have yet to hit a charger over 50% full. Only thing is there are a lot of 150kW V2 chargers still, so you may want to plan to just hit V3 chargers at a low enough state of charge to make the trip much faster.

 

[Cherokee180c]

Thanks for the tips! I might wind up having to fly because my partner still isn't sold on long distance EV trips when I broached the topic. We drove from here to Toledo, OH last year (which is a shorter trip to be fair) and it was noticed that it took a bit longer factoring the charges. Oh well. I may plan another trip as a compromise because we were talking about going to North Carolina next month as well.

The math really doesn’t lead to very much extra time. I find that our bladders do not last as long as the battery and 3 hour stops end up being the norm for both. Also most of the time we can not both hit the bathroom, and order food, before the car is ready to move on, so literally no extra time vs. a gas/bathroom stop. The only real extra time on my 1150 mile trips are the extra 2 stops at 26minutes each so about 1 hour total more. Find this is a way more healthy way to travel.

 

[Big Earl]

Thanks for the tips! I might wind up having to fly because my partner still isn't sold on long distance EV trips when I broached the topic. We drove from here to Toledo, OH last year (which is a shorter trip to be fair) and it was noticed that it took a bit longer factoring the charges. Oh well. I may plan another trip as a compromise because we were talking about going to North Carolina next month as well.

DC to Toledo was a different story, since the turnpikes didn't have great charging infrastructure on them until just recently. The trip is now possible without getting off the turnpikes, which should save 15-20 minutes over having to divert places like Strongsville, OH.

Did you all end up flying or driving to Atlanta?

 

[LBMagneto]

DC to Toledo was a different story, since the turnpikes didn't have great charging infrastructure on them until just recently. The trip is now possible without getting off the turnpikes, which should save 15-20 minutes over having to divert places like Strongsville, OH.

Did you all end up flying or driving to Atlanta?

Yeah, I noticed the additional chargers at the OH Turnpike service areas this time around. One that was just finished was still under construction in July when we drove in my partner’s ICE vehicle. When we drove there in my car last year, we stopped in Cranberry and Strongsville on the way up. Strongsville is old, slow, and crowded due to its proximity to Cleveland Airport (the people from Hertz were charging Tesla rentals at that supercharger), and was the only option in that particular area at the time. We stopped at at Twinsburg on the way back, so I’m happy to know that I can skip Strongsville next time I drive that way now that the chargers at the Broadview Heights Service Plazas are now open. I can skip Cranberry now that New Springfield/Mahoning Valley/Glacier Hills are now open by the Eastgate toll plaza.

We wound up flying to ATL and renting a car. Factoring the time it took to drive to the airport, clear security, enduring flight delays (there was a ground stop at Hartsfield-Jackson the afternoon we flew out due to a thunderstorm), waiting for our baggage, and having to catch a ride with a friend to our hotel because the rental car company ran out of cars (we reserved with another company and got a car the next day), we probably would have made the same time driving tbh, whether we took an ICE vehicle or my EV.