What a good idea! I am not an engineering wiz, so I don't know if that is even feasible, but it would be handy for those who tow. Any thoughts on how to get this idea to Tesla?
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
X and Airstream Bambi - the new adventures 2017
- Thread starter JimVandegriff
- Start date
Thanks for this. I've been assuming somewhere in that range for our upcoming trip, but generally am rooting for completely dry driving with wind at our backs.
Our longest and most questionable stretch is going to be from the Missoula Supercharger to the West Glacier KOA holiday. 132 miles, basically flat driving. We have two backup spots to charge along the way, and if it rains we'll definitely need one. It's possible anything less than a tailwind will require a stop.
Jim, that is a beautiful photo, contrasting the white X with the gray parking area and overcast skies, combined with the subtle highlighting provided by the Airstream aluminum. Nice work. Thanks for the rain energy consumption figures.
I don't know what the exact length limitations are, but the longer the cable, the greater the losses due to heat. So, adding an extension cable with that much current running through it has to be very carefully thought out because Tesla is usually running things close to their theoretical limits.
They did implement and test a liquid-cooled cable that was supposed to be thinner and more flexible, but I never heard what the results were for it. I hear that they are coming out with even faster supercharging (V3) so maybe they'll have a better solution for everyone.
Well, we made it home - to close out the numbers: Harris State Park (Bandon, OR) to our home, 84.1 miles, 60.5 KWh used at 719 wh/m. It was POURING, and the energy consumption shows this. I think our big takeaway from this jaunt was that rain/wet roads has an enormous impact on energy consumption as shown in wh/m. I think I will be planning at 720 wh/m in rainy conditions. Otherwise, the Tesla performed wonderfully (we may have sold one to our camping neighbor the last night we were out). We are planning our next adventure now. Onward!
Thanks as always, Jim and Ilijana. I'll be posting our updates starting in about 3 weeks. I hope to do your reports some justice!
Canuck
Well-Known Member
Great thread @JimVandegriff. You have a really nice setup there. I have so many good memories of camping in our trailer with my wife and kids. I never thought in those days people would be doing it all electric this soon. You guys are true pioneers!
I'm looking forward to @ohmman's journey too, and being a part of his adventures when he arrives in my neck of the woods.
It's stunning when the sun is shinning but unfortunately that doesn't happen a lot this time of year. I hope the weather is better for ohmman's travels. We've had a ton of rain lately much like Oregon. We seem to forget we live in "The Pacific temperate rainforests ecoregion of North America which is the largest temperate rain forest ecoregion on the planet". It's called a rain forest for good reason and lately we've been really reminded of that.
I'm looking forward to @ohmman's journey too, and being a part of his adventures when he arrives in my neck of the woods.
It's stunning when the sun is shinning but unfortunately that doesn't happen a lot this time of year. I hope the weather is better for ohmman's travels. We've had a ton of rain lately much like Oregon. We seem to forget we live in "The Pacific temperate rainforests ecoregion of North America which is the largest temperate rain forest ecoregion on the planet". It's called a rain forest for good reason and lately we've been really reminded of that.
Solarman004
Member
Well originally we scheduled a 4 month cross country trip from NorCal to Michigan, but decided we did not want to face the heat and humidity, so we are leaving on Wednesday, July 5th for a two month meander up the Oregon and Washington coastlines (and we may or may not get to British Columbia). We are doing this trip differently than others we have taken - there is no pre-fixed schedule or destination, so we think it will be quite relaxed. We will be posting data and pictures here, so stay tuned. We are calling this adventure "Coasting North".
Yeah! Will have to bring my wife by to admire your Oregon beach travels this time. Staying tuned
-TechVP
But...if you are going north isn't that all uphill? When returning home you will be going "downhill" to the south so then you will be coasting.
Safe travels, and keep checking your hitch play.
Well, here we are at our first night's campground at Secret Camp, just outside Gold Beach, Oregon. We stayed at this RV park on our very first night of camping last August, and enjoyed it, so we came back. It is quiet, shady, quite lovely (and has decent wifi). You can see our water hose, our charging cable, and our trailer charging cable. We dial down the Tesla charger to 28 amps on the 40 Nema 14-50 circuit, and use the tt-30 connector for the Airstream.
Stats for our first day which included a stop at the Crescent City, CA supercharger with a farmer's market going on in the same parking lot, and 20 minutes worth of discussion with 6 people about the Tesla (including letting them sit in it while it charged), were as follows:
Totals - 111.9 miles travelled using 66.7 Kwh of energy at 596 Wh/m on a dry day with temps in the 60's.
Tomorrow we head for Humbug Mountain state park in nearby Port Orford. We will spend 4 nights there. I'm hoping to come back down to Gold Beach in the Tesla and take a ride on the jet boats going up the Rogue River. Otherwise, we will be relaxing, reading, and eating my neighbor's gift on leaving - mandelbread (like biscotti). It is fun to pull the Airstream with the X. I haven't checked the bowsal connection yet, but the trailer pulling went very well today. More to follow.
PS We weighed the trailer today on one of those Oregon roadside weigh stations outside Brookings, and the trailer weighed in fully loaded at 4100 lbs. I pulled back and forward on the scale to get the highest reading and 4100 lbs was consistent.
We are in beautiful but windy Port Orford today, eating lunch at the Crazy Norwegian's Fish and Chips (quite good and homemade), touring the Coast Guard museum, and getting some cell phone coverage because where we are staying at the Humbug Mountain State Park, there is no coverage.
There is amazing beauty in this part of Oregon. Humbug mountain state park is highly recommended by us for Ohmman and family - it has beach access to the ocean, and miles of hiking trails both climbing to the top of Humbug mountain, and also going up to the Oregon coast trail. There are lots of families and kids here, as well as 50 amp service (and it is inexpensive at $22 a night).
Speaking of 50 amp service, and beauty, here are some pics taken at our last two overnight stops showing typical park electrical service - each box has a Nema 14-50 connector, a TT-30 amp connector, and 15 amp connectors.
Yesterday while at the Humbug state park beach I was treated to a series of whale breaches. Here is a sequence. You don't see that everyday!
We spoke to our neighbors in the park this morning - both are Daimler (Mercedes) engineers and we had a great time talking cars and Tesla with them. More stats when I don't forget my notebook at the campsite.
There is amazing beauty in this part of Oregon. Humbug mountain state park is highly recommended by us for Ohmman and family - it has beach access to the ocean, and miles of hiking trails both climbing to the top of Humbug mountain, and also going up to the Oregon coast trail. There are lots of families and kids here, as well as 50 amp service (and it is inexpensive at $22 a night).
Speaking of 50 amp service, and beauty, here are some pics taken at our last two overnight stops showing typical park electrical service - each box has a Nema 14-50 connector, a TT-30 amp connector, and 15 amp connectors.
Yesterday while at the Humbug state park beach I was treated to a series of whale breaches. Here is a sequence. You don't see that everyday!
We spoke to our neighbors in the park this morning - both are Daimler (Mercedes) engineers and we had a great time talking cars and Tesla with them. More stats when I don't forget my notebook at the campsite.
qadaemon
Member
Those are great electrical boxes! I wish more sites would have 50/30/20's. At least in our area almost all are 30/20, except a few 50's on pads for the larger class a and disabled spaces. Our class a is a pain because even if we fit, we don't have reliable power so we're going back to the box trailer. May upgrade to an airstream sometime soon.
ps that's a nice whale too
ps that's a nice whale too
Hi Jim, thanks for your post. Next year I will be towing a camper trailer, but as of now I have zero experience. Regarding the electrical outlets photo you posted and described, in that situation does the 14-50 typically offer more amps (50?) or is it the same as the TT-30? Just wondering if there is a reason to use one over the other for vehicle charging other assuming adaptors are available for both (I don't have a TT-30 yet but my trailer will come with that power cable type). Just trying to clarify what is meant by "50A service". Thanks!
qadaemon
Member
The nomenclature is a bit confusing.
50 amp is 240v with a neutral and ground. Larger trailers and class a motorhomes typically use it as two 50a 120v circuits, mostly to split dual ac units.
30 amp (tt-30) is a 30 amp 120v common on small and medium trailers and motorhomes.
For charging the car the 50a is far superior. The 30a is only marginally faster than plugging into a "normal" wall outlet.
50 amp is 240v with a neutral and ground. Larger trailers and class a motorhomes typically use it as two 50a 120v circuits, mostly to split dual ac units.
30 amp (tt-30) is a 30 amp 120v common on small and medium trailers and motorhomes.
For charging the car the 50a is far superior. The 30a is only marginally faster than plugging into a "normal" wall outlet.
I should have said 40 amp service for the Nema14-50. It charges at around 20 miles per hour of charge since I usually dial it down in the car to charge at 28 amps. I do this so there is little possibility of blowing breakers when both plugs (to the trailer and to the car) are plugged in at the same time. It is an over abundance of caution on my part, but the 14-50 plug can charge at 40 amps on its own, It is a 220 volt circuit I think whereas the 30 amp tt-30 circuit is lower voltage.
We do occasionally run into 30 amp -20 amp boxes in campgrounds, but we request 50 amp circuits if they are available when we make reservations. Well, that's it for now. We are off to tour the Cape Blanco lighthouse.
Solarman004
Member
What Jim said...
A 50 amp breaker (NEMA 14-50) means you can only pull 40 amps max continuous (50 x 0.8). In fact, the 14-50 Tesla adaptor won't let you pull more than 40 amps.
Things get more interesting with a campground TT-30. An RV TT-30 male to NEMA 14-50 adaptor from Amazon or any RV store will not work on the Tesla because it is wired to provide 120 V to one phase of the 14-50 socket. I built my own adaptor with about $30 worth of parts. There is an aftermarket EV store that also sells these.
Here is the warning: when you plug it into the UMC, and into the car, the Tesla will see a 14-50 adaptor and default to 40 amp draw. But you shouldn't pull more than 24 amps from a TT-30 camp socket. Above 30 and you'll pop the breaker. I put a label on my adaptor: "EV Charging Only. 24 Amps Maximum."
By the way, assuming the camp uses 240 volts, not 208, your power available is 9.6 kW from a 50 amp socket, and 2.9 kW from a 30 amp campground socket. The latter is slow, but I have been to state parks which only had 30 amp service.
A 50 amp breaker (NEMA 14-50) means you can only pull 40 amps max continuous (50 x 0.8). In fact, the 14-50 Tesla adaptor won't let you pull more than 40 amps.
Things get more interesting with a campground TT-30. An RV TT-30 male to NEMA 14-50 adaptor from Amazon or any RV store will not work on the Tesla because it is wired to provide 120 V to one phase of the 14-50 socket. I built my own adaptor with about $30 worth of parts. There is an aftermarket EV store that also sells these.
Here is the warning: when you plug it into the UMC, and into the car, the Tesla will see a 14-50 adaptor and default to 40 amp draw. But you shouldn't pull more than 24 amps from a TT-30 camp socket. Above 30 and you'll pop the breaker. I put a label on my adaptor: "EV Charging Only. 24 Amps Maximum."
By the way, assuming the camp uses 240 volts, not 208, your power available is 9.6 kW from a 50 amp socket, and 2.9 kW from a 30 amp campground socket. The latter is slow, but I have been to state parks which only had 30 amp service.
Similar threads
- Article
