X and Airstream Bambi - the new adventures 2017

[Solarman004]

One note from last night that is amusing: I awoke in the middle of the night to a red glow outside the front bedroom window. The Tesla's taillight was glowing. I got up and had to move the key fob a few feet away from the window to get the taillight off. Pretty funny.

Jim, don't know if you saw my post in March when we had the same thing happen to us in a motel. We couldn't move the car because we were charging at their only 240V socket. Nowhere in the room was far enough away so we put both FOBs in a cooking pot. We now travel with Altoid tins, one per FOB. It blocks the signal and gives you a minty fresh FOB!
The glowing announcement of "hey... I'm unlocked" is disconcerting when away from home.

 

[TechVP]

Just messaged you to help in any way I can for your Corvallis stop.

Meanwhile, you'll like the Lincoln City SC location. It is pull in, instead of back in. Not quite as easy as the Bandon SC, but still good.
It would take some coordination to get a trailer of your size in there... but it could work. In any case, Thumbs Up on your trip!

 

[JimVandegriff]

Ah, more back to normal energy consumption patterns today - total distance 125.7 miles and 580 wh/m average. This is on the slow Oregon coast road, with high speed of 53 and driving mostly in the high 40's due to the winding roads. There was a distinct lack of headwind or crosswind today. Temps in the 50's and dry pavement under overcast skies. It didn't start raining until we had finished setting up our camp in Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City, OR.
We stopped in a small town (Waldport) for lunch, and ended up chatting with a young woman whose grandfather has purchased an X 100D for her. It is arriving in early May. She was fascinated that our X was pulling a trailer, and had ordered the tow package because she wanted to put some bikes on the back. She had not realized the X could tow a trailer. I think she is in for some fun.
The Lincoln City supercharger was readily available (despite more absurd directions from the nav). As others have mentioned in other threads, the chargers are in the rear of an outlet mall, and 4 of the charger spots were iced. There was a sign stating 30 minute public parking on those spots, and parking was at a premium in this mall, but we were able to pull in and take only two spots for our charge. Pic below. Tomorrow we head for the Seaside supercharger and then on to Ft. Stevens state park.

 

[ecarfan]

ended up chatting with a young woman whose grandfather has purchased an X 100D for her.

Wow. Talk about spoiling your grandchildren!

 

[JimVandegriff]

Wow. Talk about spoiling your grandchildren!

I hope this gets even more prevalent when the model 3 appears!

 

[JimVandegriff]

Today, Pacific City to Ft. Stevens State Park, OR (near Astoria) with a stop at the Seaside supercharger. Figures for the day - 110.9 miles at 606 wh/m over hilly territory, mid 50's temps, and high 40's average speed on the windy roads. Totals on the trip so far 426.3 miles using 267.6 KWh at an average of 628 wh/m.
Pics of the Seaside, OR supercharger (a good one for trailers), and our spot in the state park surrounded by douglas fir.

 

[Trnsl8r]

Love this thread, nice job.

 

[JimVandegriff]

Traveling in the rain isn't my fave, but we did it - Ft. Stevens State Park near Astoria, Oregon to Bayport RV park which is owned by the port of St. Helens. It is a small park, has sites with different energy availability (we pick the 50 amp sites in general because they have the 50 amp plugs, and generally a 30 amp plug as well.) We use the 50 amp dialed down to 27 amps for the car, and the 30 amp for the trailer.
We travelled 80.5 miles today using 55.3 KWh of energy at 687 wh/m. We are clear that rain, and wind increase energy consumption rather dramatically. Pavement was wet today, not much wind, temps in low 50's and overcast. One caveat comes with this park. There is no waste dump site for black or grey water tanks. There are coin op showers here, and kitchen water dump sumps, so we will probably be okay especially since we flushed both tanks this morning. We are also having an intermittent problem with our hot water heater, which we haven't been able to figure out, but since we won't be taking showers in the trailer this week anyway, that isn't as bad as it could be. We may hit an RV service center on the way home or just wait until we get there and take it to the folks we know at home.
We did an interesting experiment today at a roadside weigh station. We've seen them in Oregon and finally pulled into one today. They are self-service weigh stations with a large scale, and markings on the pavement to assist trucks with the weigh in. The trailer weighed in at 3908 lbs (about right for its stated 3500 lbs empty and 4500 loaded), and the X weighed in at 6550 lbs (we are carting stuff to my daughter.) We will be here for 6 days, then we go to Corvallis, then back to the coast for the return trip home. Here is a pic of our spot tonight.

 

[ohmman]

Wishing for calm air and dry roads in your future, guys.

I was driving north on I-5 yesterday in gusty headwinds and consumed over 500Wh/mi without a trailer. It definitely made me wonder how it would have affected my consumption with the Airstream.

Keep us updated!

 

[ecarfan]

Hi Jim, thanks for your continuing "adventures in towing" reports! Very helpful for people like me who have future plans towing a camper trailer with an X.

Like @ohmman I have had experience driving a Tesla into a headwind (when not towing) and have seen energy usage skyrocket. While my camper trailer will be much lighter than yours, its aerodynamic drag will be similar so I appreciate your data.

 

[Cinematechs]

Traveling in the rain isn't my fave, but we did it - Ft. Stevens State Park near Astoria, Oregon to Bayport RV park which is owned by the port of St. Helens. It is a small park, has sites with different energy availability (we pick the 50 amp sites in general because they have the 50 amp plugs, and generally a 30 amp plug as well.) We use the 50 amp dialed down to 27 amps for the car, and the 30 amp for the trailer.
We travelled 80.5 miles today using 55.3 KWh of energy at 687 wh/m. We are clear that rain, and wind increase energy consumption rather dramatically. Pavement was wet today, not much wind, temps in low 50's and overcast. One caveat comes with this park. There is no waste dump site for black or grey water tanks. There are coin op showers here, and kitchen water dump sumps, so we will probably be okay especially since we flushed both tanks this morning. We are also having an intermittent problem with our hot water heater, which we haven't been able to figure out, but since we won't be taking showers in the trailer this week anyway, that isn't as bad as it could be. We may hit an RV service center on the way home or just wait until we get there and take it to the folks we know at home.
We did an interesting experiment today at a roadside weigh station. We've seen them in Oregon and finally pulled into one today. They are self-service weigh stations with a large scale, and markings on the pavement to assist trucks with the weigh in. The trailer weighed in at 3908 lbs (about right for its stated 3500 lbs empty and 4500 loaded), and the X weighed in at 6550 lbs (we are carting stuff to my daughter.) We will be here for 6 days, then we go to Corvallis, then back to the coast for the return trip home. Here is a pic of our spot tonight.
View attachment 225235

Very impressive. I spent my youth in an Airstream during summer vacations and enjoyed every moment of it! I traded my S in for an X and took delivery late march. We are taking a road trip in June from Florida to Quebec City and then to our vacation home in Mont-Tremblant. Although we'll stay in different hotels, I'll live vicariously through your Airstream traveling posts. Enjoy!

 

[azbob]

Love this thread, nice job.
View attachment 225091

Traveling in the rain isn't my fave, but we did it - Ft. Stevens State Park near Astoria, Oregon to Bayport RV park which is owned by the port of St. Helens. It is a small park, has sites with different energy availability (we pick the 50 amp sites in general because they have the 50 amp plugs, and generally a 30 amp plug as well.) We use the 50 amp dialed down to 27 amps for the car, and the 30 amp for the trailer.
We travelled 80.5 miles today using 55.3 KWh of energy at 687 wh/m. We are clear that rain, and wind increase energy consumption rather dramatically. Pavement was wet today, not much wind, temps in low 50's and overcast. One caveat comes with this park. There is no waste dump site for black or grey water tanks. There are coin op showers here, and kitchen water dump sumps, so we will probably be okay especially since we flushed both tanks this morning. We are also having an intermittent problem with our hot water heater, which we haven't been able to figure out, but since we won't be taking showers in the trailer this week anyway, that isn't as bad as it could be. We may hit an RV service center on the way home or just wait until we get there and take it to the folks we know at home.
We did an interesting experiment today at a roadside weigh station. We've seen them in Oregon and finally pulled into one today. They are self-service weigh stations with a large scale, and markings on the pavement to assist trucks with the weigh in. The trailer weighed in at 3908 lbs (about right for its stated 3500 lbs empty and 4500 loaded), and the X weighed in at 6550 lbs (we are carting stuff to my daughter.) We will be here for 6 days, then we go to Corvallis, then back to the coast for the return trip home. Here is a pic of our spot tonight.
View attachment 225235

Jim, Would you be available to talk by phone? If so, please call me at 925-595-XXXX (PM for number). Thanks. Bob Cohen

 

[JimVandegriff]

Today's journey from St. Helens, Oregon south to Corvallis, Oregon was interesting for two primary reasons: 1) drafting behind a semi for 20 miles and noticing a drop in energy consumption and 2) having to unhitch in a very tight parking lot to charge at the Woodburn, Oregon supercharger. First the totals- 107.0 miles using 59.9 Kw at 560 wh/m. We were traveling faster than our norm on I-5 at between 55 and 60 mph in cool temps in mostly dry weather (just a few sprinkles).
When drafting behind a semi for 20 miles at 57 mph we used about 520 wh/m. We stayed about 6 car lengths behind taking a hint from Silke and Rolf of Tesla X Canada.
Woodburn is a difficult supercharger for trailers. it is in a crowded parking lot and there was no way we could charge without disconnecting. I am glad to see that there is a new supercharger in the permitting process for Woodburn. Let's hope it is more trailer friendly. We will be here for a few days then head back to the coast and home. Wine tasting at some of my favorite wineries tomorrow (St. Innocent, and Evesham Wood).

 

[JimVandegriff]

After a few days in Corvallis, and getting to meet TechVP from this forum in person (with his beautiful new P100D five seater Model X), doing some fun stuff with Illijana's brother and sister in law, and doing the oh so tough work of wine tasting in the Eola-Amity portion of the Willamette Valley (highly recommend Evesham Wood/Haden Fig winery, and Bethel Heights), we took off for a leisurely trip to the coast today along Hwy 20, and landed at the Newport Harbor South Beach Marina and RV Park. It was a beautiful drive with the spring greens being everywhere.
Numbers for the easy day: 56.6 miles, 33.5 Kwh used at 593 wh/m on up and down hills (Coast Range) with temps in low 70's and clear skies and dry pavement at about 50-55 mph. We will be here for two days exploring the Oregon Coast Aquarium and the town of Newport, then head down the coast for two more nights before reaching home.
Here is a pic of our campsite within view of the marina and one of Oregon's art deco bridges.

 

[TechVP]

@JimVandegriff So glad to have caught up with you on your stay nearby. The mountain of tips and hands on experience are incredibly invaluable. You and Illijana are living the dream. Someday soon a trailer is in our future.... What is amazing was to see first hand the near full apartment suite that you and Illijana have. And receive your expert advice on the key extras necessary for your X road trips. One great story was how Jim's Airstream is LED --- which the X didn't sense as a trailer. And the custom accessories needed to a) solve it, and b) keep it attached. If that hasn't been covered elsewhere, I know for certain the forum would benefit from your school of hard knocks on that one.
Another great tip was the left and right side mirror attachments attached to the foldable mirrors on their X. They appeared to be as advertised, and solid. If you didn't catch it in the Newport photo above, look very closely at their mirrors --- those extensions make it extra safe pulling the trailer.
Speaking of trailers... There is an epiphany moment, seeing the setup in person. Tesla had to make the X capable for pulling a trailer... because it was in Musk's DNA to go further -- incrementally finding a way to get to the Semi -- paving the road (if you will) to solve the incremental problems to get there; range, capacity, torque, safety, and on and on. Even if its not a perfect implementation, its all baby steps toward the next deliverable.
Jim and Illijana thank you again for setting aside time on your Sunday morning for a tourist visit... where I was the tourist.
Glad to have shown you my X 5 seater. I can see that it made an impression.
Welcome back to our area anytime. And thanks for the power usage stats from Corvallis to Newport; and everywhere else too. All incredibly useful. I'll have to catch you when you are this way again. Send us a message anytime.
Tesla app just went ding! That update we talked about on Sunday? It just now says Update Complete. Can't wait to go for a drive on 17.17.4.
Happy Traveling!

 

[JimVandegriff]

It bears repeating - wet pavement sucks for energy usage. Excuse me, wet pavement clearly affects energy consumption while pulling our trailer. It was a wet night along the Oregon coast, and showery this morning when we left Newport to head south along the coast to Honeyman state park just south of Florence. Really, it was an easy day of travel with a stop in Westport for a mocha and chai latte, and some marveling at the beauty of the Oregon coast near Cape Perpetua. Stats - 55.8 miles with 37.7 Kwh of energy use at 675 wh/m. This is about 100 wh/m greater than I would expect on dry pavement. Temps in the high 50's, traveling 40-53 mph on winding, hilly roads. Here are a few pics of the days sights.
One important feature I haven't talked about yet is backing up into our campsite. We use walkie talkies for the backing and give each other "driver side, passenger side" directions. We have found them invaluable for backing into campsites with one person directing the driver to perform the necessary wiggle maneuvers.

 

[Super_Popular]

Oregon coast is so depressing.

 

[fatmiko]

Jim - love your work. Ohmann as well. You guys are inspiring. Happy adventuring! I'm curious about this, as we're about to embark on our first EV road trip, with just a simple StowAway2 hitch mount carrier, and I can already see situations where getting back into the supercharger will be challenging.

Has anyone approached Tesla about a supercharger extension cable for MX owners who may be towing/hitching/etc.? I can gather that nothing like this exists from my research, but seems like something that could/should be available for the MX... Thoughts?

 

[ilovemycoffee]

Oregon coast is so depressing.

the raaaiiiinnnn.......

the travel south won't be fun since you're going against the wind. I hope the rest of your trip will be as safe as the first half!

 

[JimVandegriff]

the raaaiiiinnnn.......

The RAIN was really coming down today during our entire drive from Honeyman State Park near Florence, Oregon to the Bandon supercharger, and then from Bandon to the Harris Beach state park near Brookings, Oregon. It had a huge impact on our driving, and on our energy consumption. Water was running in sheets down the highway at some points, and like all ocean bordering roads, there were numerous sections of rough road where the road was trying to slide into the ocean. When Illijana and I discussed what we had learned on this trip this evening, our first conclusion was that we became very aware of the impact of wet roads on energy consumption by the tow vehicle (our X, Dona Bella). We have decided to plan on at least 700 wh/m of energy use in the rain (and that may be too low). The numbers from today - 153.8 miles with 110.5 KWh used at 718 wh/m. So my suggestion is to be careful to plan appropriately for range if you are driving in the rain.
DougH, the coast is still way more enjoyable to drive than the 1-5 corridor simply for its beauty. Despite the beastly weather the last two days, for us, it is a far more enjoyable drive.
Here is a photo of said coast from today which ilovemycoffee should recognize.