-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
What battery percentage to charge to on trips?
- Thread starter burnside
- Start date
Departing from home, I would put it between 90 and 100 depending on the 1 st stop. But for the Supercharging, unless they are really far apart, I wouldn't charge to 95 cause it will take forever. Typically, up to 80 is good as long as it gives you a nice buffer for arrival at the next SC. Enjoy your trip ! 
Kognos
Member
The idea is not to charge to full and keep it there. Use it immediately.
Also charging to full on stops is also inefficient -- run your battery as low as comfortable but then charge to about 60-80% and move on. Why? The charge rate slows. Of course you can eat / rest / relax and charge more if you want to, but you'll find that your charging rate decreases at a curve that gets greater as you get closer to full.
In a nutshell, or to oversimplify it -- let the Tesla route planner guide you and charge about 5% more to be safe.
You'll find the extra 30 minutes at a charging station to get 30% more battery doesn't save you a lot of time overall.
(my numbers are very very rough, so apologies on the charge rate purists on the forums)
Also charging to full on stops is also inefficient -- run your battery as low as comfortable but then charge to about 60-80% and move on. Why? The charge rate slows. Of course you can eat / rest / relax and charge more if you want to, but you'll find that your charging rate decreases at a curve that gets greater as you get closer to full.
In a nutshell, or to oversimplify it -- let the Tesla route planner guide you and charge about 5% more to be safe.
You'll find the extra 30 minutes at a charging station to get 30% more battery doesn't save you a lot of time overall.
(my numbers are very very rough, so apologies on the charge rate purists on the forums)
I agree with the 90-100% at the start and 80% during. On our first road trip we arrived at our 1st stop and the supercharger was broken. When we arrived we did not have enough range to make it to the next supercharger. I know it is very unlikely that an entire station is down but it did happen. Tesla did update the supercharger map after our call to indicate it was out of service, but be aware it can happen. My plan now is to always arrive with enough range or plan to make it to the next stop. A planned 15 minute supercharger stop turned into a 4 hour detour.
Just check that all the super charger distances will work for your vehicle.
I only charge to 100% on trips that pushing to 100% allows me not to need to stop at all.
If I know I need to I really only worry about having more change on the very last super charge prior to the destination. Giving me a bit More flexibility for traveling around at the destination.
I only charge to 100% on trips that pushing to 100% allows me not to need to stop at all.
If I know I need to I really only worry about having more change on the very last super charge prior to the destination. Giving me a bit More flexibility for traveling around at the destination.
Awesome tips everyone, this really helps out! I'll charge the car to 90% at home and let the superchargers deal with what the charge limit should be for the rest of the trip and add maybe 5% to their suggestion.
Can't wait to test out the supercharger network!
Can't wait to test out the supercharger network!
puckpurnell
Member
I use A Better Route Planner and program in 20% minimum at charger arrival. That gives me flexibility and security on the charging end. I rarely charge past 60-70% and just go to the next station. Comments about charging times are correct. Better to charge often than to charge to 85-90% at a Supercharger. All of that said, the onboard Nav is excellent. I combine the ABRP and Tesla’s nav planning, usually putting the ABRP data into the Tesla program.
Use the EVTO app myself because I like to play with things and routing on my phone. Once you get used to it and have it dialed in for your speed and load it’s very accurate. Recommended.
All the suggestions above are excellent also, buffer-wise and how much to charge. GF just did a trip from VA to northwest MA and back and we trusted the estimates and buffers much more on the return trip
All the suggestions above are excellent also, buffer-wise and how much to charge. GF just did a trip from VA to northwest MA and back and we trusted the estimates and buffers much more on the return trip
If you can supercharge at a location with a nice sit down restaurant it works great to charge back up to 90-95%. If you’re eating fast food then charging to 80% is probably most efficient.
I second the abetterrouterplanner.com option. Used that on my trip from NC to FL and I planned it so I hit every SC at 10-15% SoC and I usually sat there less than 15 minutes before I had enough charge to make it to the next stop. Worked out really well.
Kognos
Member
I'm curious. Consider me a skeptic.
What is the value of sites and apps like this vs simply using the built in navigation?
I've always followed my own advice (above) and just used the built in navigation. It's easy, it's simple, and I don't need anything 3rd party. But it appeared to me that these apps end up at the same superchargers for potentially different time periods when I last investigated.
I disagree with everyone. I’ve been doing this for six years, first with Model S 60 and now with Model 3 LR. Charge to 100% at home before you leave (completing the charge that morning, so it’s not sitting at 100% for hours). There’s absolutely no reason to leave on a trip with anything less than a full battery. That’s what the 100% is for.
Regarding supercharging, let your activities be your guide. If you’re eating lunch, let the car keep charging until you’re ready to leave. That may mean 100% some stops. On the other hand, if it’s just a bathroom stop and you’re waiting for the car rather than the other way around, leave as soon as you have the buffer you need to get to your next stop. It might be just a 60 or 70% charge, but don’t take the time to keep charging if you’re planning on eating at the next supercharger and the car will have all the time it needs to charge more.
I just completed a 3300 mile round trip Austin- Philadelphia and I was amazed how fast supercharging is now at 145 kW. Rarely did I have to wait for the car, it was usually ready to leave before I was. We usually needed one short and one long supercharging stop per day, and were able to start each day at 100% by staying at hotels with destination charging.
And you don’t need to use any 3rd party apps. The car navigation works just fine. My suggestion would be instead of inputting your final destination at the start of the day, input the supercharger stop where you plan to eat (the longer stop) as your destination. From there enter your final destination.
Regarding supercharging, let your activities be your guide. If you’re eating lunch, let the car keep charging until you’re ready to leave. That may mean 100% some stops. On the other hand, if it’s just a bathroom stop and you’re waiting for the car rather than the other way around, leave as soon as you have the buffer you need to get to your next stop. It might be just a 60 or 70% charge, but don’t take the time to keep charging if you’re planning on eating at the next supercharger and the car will have all the time it needs to charge more.
I just completed a 3300 mile round trip Austin- Philadelphia and I was amazed how fast supercharging is now at 145 kW. Rarely did I have to wait for the car, it was usually ready to leave before I was. We usually needed one short and one long supercharging stop per day, and were able to start each day at 100% by staying at hotels with destination charging.
And you don’t need to use any 3rd party apps. The car navigation works just fine. My suggestion would be instead of inputting your final destination at the start of the day, input the supercharger stop where you plan to eat (the longer stop) as your destination. From there enter your final destination.
Last edited:
I believe the default Tesla Nav system will plan for the fewest stops, longer charge times. With a better route planner, you have more options as to how you want it to plan your trip. You can select max speed, extra weight, etc... You can add or eliminate certain charges if you wish. You can also see what the total SC cost will be for your trip, as well as each stop along the way, if that is something you are paying for.
The options allow you to better tailor your route ahead of time. I recommend playing around with the site and getting familiar with it. It's completely free, so why not.
Gillie
Member
Yeah, the Tesla planner seems to route for the fewest stops (fewer stops but more charging time since you are charging at the high end of the battery). A better route planner pics the stops for the shortest overall time including charging (more stops but less charging time since you are charging at the lower end of the battery). I prefer the shorter and more frequent stops compared to longer and less frequent stops. I just don't like waiting around. As mentioned above, they're both free so try them out and see which you prefer.
As far as the Charge Limit setting, I set it to 100% before leaving home or hotel (charging to 100% just before we leave) and leave it there until our last stop of the day when I set it to 90% for the night. When using a Supercharger with a destination set, the nav will tell you when the car is ready to leave and gives a pretty good estimate of the charge that will be left when you reach that destination. The nav does that regardless of the Charge Limit you have set. You can charge little longer if you would like a bigger margin than the nav is giving you. After the nav thinks you have enough the car just keeps charging, this time heading towards your set Charge Limit. You can stop charging and leave anytime. But if you are still eating dinner it is nice to have the car still charging towards 100%. Any charge you can add that doesn't delay your departure will mean less time spent at the next Supercharger, or maybe even a skipped Supercharger depending on their spacing. You can also set the Charge Limit to 100% from your phone if you don't already have it at 100%. Also watch out for the car automatically setting it to 80% at busy chargers. No overnight parking at a Supercharger spot, even if you're staying at the host hotel. We repark for the night when we reach 90% and move back to start charging again before eating breakfast, if that's useful.
The destination you enter into the nav can be your final destination or just the next Supercharger. The nav does tend to favor long drives and long charges, which are not time optimized. ABetterRoutePlanner will give you a better time-optimized plan. All you need to do is enter the next Supercharger on the ABRP list and then follow the nav's advice about charging or wait for your desired margin. You don't necessarily have to charge exactly like ABRP recommends. We use it as a sanity check against the nav, but the nav has been accurate for the past year for us.
After that you just have to be careful about headwinds or rain/snow or other efficiency sapping conditions when they first pop up. The nav won't know if rain is due to start in 10 minutes, so you may need to increase your charge safety margin if you can. Otherwise keep an eye on the nav's charge remaining at destination while you are driving. If it's dropping continuously you can slow down to increase your efficiency and still reach your destination. Or plan to visit an intermediate Supercharger or even a destination charger on PlugShare.
The destination you enter into the nav can be your final destination or just the next Supercharger. The nav does tend to favor long drives and long charges, which are not time optimized. ABetterRoutePlanner will give you a better time-optimized plan. All you need to do is enter the next Supercharger on the ABRP list and then follow the nav's advice about charging or wait for your desired margin. You don't necessarily have to charge exactly like ABRP recommends. We use it as a sanity check against the nav, but the nav has been accurate for the past year for us.
After that you just have to be careful about headwinds or rain/snow or other efficiency sapping conditions when they first pop up. The nav won't know if rain is due to start in 10 minutes, so you may need to increase your charge safety margin if you can. Otherwise keep an eye on the nav's charge remaining at destination while you are driving. If it's dropping continuously you can slow down to increase your efficiency and still reach your destination. Or plan to visit an intermediate Supercharger or even a destination charger on PlugShare.
Without absolutely ANY hesitation or worry, charge to 100% before leaving for trips, or whenever you need it. That's what the battery was designed for.
And no, leaving it at 100% for hours or days will not harm it. Leaving it at 100% is something that becomes an issue over months or years.
But, just be aware that you probably won't be charging it to 100% at Superchargers.
And no, leaving it at 100% for hours or days will not harm it. Leaving it at 100% is something that becomes an issue over months or years.
But, just be aware that you probably won't be charging it to 100% at Superchargers.
The fun with ABRP is that it seems to optimize distance and time spent charging. You get an better understanding of how many minutes needed to charge to make it to the next stop with your required charge.
The only caveat with the Tesla planner is that rain and wind are not factored in ( I live in the Midwest, so no elevation concerns). On a windy day ( in the car’s face with rain the Tesla route planner overestimated arriving charge by 11%. Fortunately I required 20%.
Outside of that one time, the Tesla route planner is my std. ABRP is for fun.
The only caveat with the Tesla planner is that rain and wind are not factored in ( I live in the Midwest, so no elevation concerns). On a windy day ( in the car’s face with rain the Tesla route planner overestimated arriving charge by 11%. Fortunately I required 20%.
Outside of that one time, the Tesla route planner is my std. ABRP is for fun.
There are definitely different approach when it comes to trip planning. I don't think there's a definitive answer but I think in general, there are the two main considerations going on:
- Use the car's potential/get the maximum flexibility and charge to 100% when starting. Do this if the thought of handling unforeseen circumstances is a factor, or if you simply want to have the least amount of stops.
or
- Strategize for the battery's longevity. Plan ahead to see where you want to first stop for charge, if you can get there with 20% charge from a battery at 80%, no need to start at 100%. Do this if you prefer frequent and short breaks.
Keeping the car's battery between the 20% to 80% state will greatly maximize its lifespan, especially when fast charging where batteries get hotter.
Of course, at the end of the day, road trips doesn't happen everyday so the occasional 100% charge won't degrade the battery by much. Though I know that for those of us who treat our M3 like a first born (and you want to see your baby go to college), maintaining the battery simply gives a peace of mind. Another factor to consider is that charging is a lot faster when the battery is in low capacity, and vice versa at 80% or higher. You spend less time charging if you optimize your charge to stop at 80%. But then again this isn't specifically time saving as you have to spend time pulling in and out of charging stations, and most charging breaks gives plenty of time for a full charge. At the end, the pros and cons really comes to what makes you comfortable physically or mentally.
I waffle between the charging strategies myself. I usually start at 80% during the trip with frequent stops already planned, and leave the car at a higher charge when I reach my destination as I don't know exactly how much driving will happen the next day. Few road trips require me to get there fast, so I rather take more breaks and take things easy. But that's just me.
- Use the car's potential/get the maximum flexibility and charge to 100% when starting. Do this if the thought of handling unforeseen circumstances is a factor, or if you simply want to have the least amount of stops.
or
- Strategize for the battery's longevity. Plan ahead to see where you want to first stop for charge, if you can get there with 20% charge from a battery at 80%, no need to start at 100%. Do this if you prefer frequent and short breaks.
Keeping the car's battery between the 20% to 80% state will greatly maximize its lifespan, especially when fast charging where batteries get hotter.
Of course, at the end of the day, road trips doesn't happen everyday so the occasional 100% charge won't degrade the battery by much. Though I know that for those of us who treat our M3 like a first born (and you want to see your baby go to college), maintaining the battery simply gives a peace of mind. Another factor to consider is that charging is a lot faster when the battery is in low capacity, and vice versa at 80% or higher. You spend less time charging if you optimize your charge to stop at 80%. But then again this isn't specifically time saving as you have to spend time pulling in and out of charging stations, and most charging breaks gives plenty of time for a full charge. At the end, the pros and cons really comes to what makes you comfortable physically or mentally.
I waffle between the charging strategies myself. I usually start at 80% during the trip with frequent stops already planned, and leave the car at a higher charge when I reach my destination as I don't know exactly how much driving will happen the next day. Few road trips require me to get there fast, so I rather take more breaks and take things easy. But that's just me.
Similar threads
