Trips Beyond a Range Charge

Cottonwood · Nov 17, 2012

I am down in Pagosa, my Model S is in Boulder after some fun track time before shoeing it with its winter tires. Now its time to get the Model S here to its permanent home. Because of schedules, it is working out best for my friend drive my Model S down here today and fly back with me tomorrow. He is a flight instructor that I trust with my airplane (worth more that the Sig Model S), and pretty good with vehicles in general, but not up to speed on electric road tripping. This is not an easy drive, its 295 miles, 3,000 ft net up hill, goes over 4 passes, and usually has head winds. The charge recommendations that I gave him were conservative to avoid any chance of range anxiety. I sent him a detailed e-mail that he recommended that I publish.

Here are those instructions for others to share and comment.

Here is a quick list of things to think of before you leave for Pagosa tomorrow. Because you will be in and out of cell coverage, you may want to print this out tonight. I have attached PDFs of the Model S Owners manual and road side assistance card. I use iAnnotate for PDFs on the iPad if you want a good app for keeping track many PDFs.

Leave the car in "Range" Charging for enough time to get to max range (~265 miles rated range) by the time you leave tomorrow. The 120V outlet in the hangar will charge at about 4 miles/hour and the RV outlet in the garage will charge at about 25-28 mph. You can see current miles in the battery on the cars display.

There is a fat, yellow extension cord with funny twist-lock ends on it, as well as a black shopping bag full of adapters (that you helped me make) in the garage next to the Roadster. This cord and adapters will let us use many sources. You probably won't need it, but I will use these to plug into the Pagosa Hangar 240V outlet. Please bring these with you as well as one of longer, heavy-duty, normal, 3-prong extension cords.

My suggestions for RV stops are below. Be sure to ask for "50 Amp" service. "30 Amp" service is only 120 Volts and will not do you any good. I recommend that you call each place before you leave and perhaps others. To find others, do a search for "RV Park" on google maps, then call and ask for 50-Amp service. Many RV parks are closed for the season, and some don't have 50-Amp outlets. A 50-Amp plug will charge the Model S at about 25-28 mph. It would be nice if there were J1772 EV charging stations on this route, but there are none on this route, yet.

Buena Vista - Snowy Peaks RV Park, (719) 395-8481, 30430 North Highway 24, Buena Vista, Colorado 81211 - Very friendly, I have charged the Roadster here once 3 years ago and the S here last month. The last time they charged me for power only, a few dollars. Adds 8 miles to your trip. 20 minute walk to town. Leaving here, if you are going to make it the rest of the way, you probably want a full standard charge of 240 miles in the battery.

Salida - Four Seasons RV Park, (719) 539.3084, 4305 East US Highway 50 Salida Colorado, 81201 - This place looks perfect, but they never answer my phone calls, maybe you can do better. Adds 9 miles to your trip. 20-30 minute walk to town. Leaving here, if you are going to make it the rest of the way, you probably want a charge of 220 miles in the battery.

Del Norte - Woods and River RV Park, (719) 657-4530, 25 Alder Street Del Norte, CO 81132 - Very nice, used them with Roadster and the S. One time they charged me $5, and the last time, they refused to take my money. Adds about 0.5 miles to your trip. 10 minute walk to town. This is a great place to get a last charge before you go over Wolf Creek Pass. For the climb at reasonable speed, you want at least 40 more range miles than the distance to go to make it over Wolf Creek. That means you want at least 105 (65+40) rated miles in the battery before you leave this point.

Use 135 Country Center Dr., Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 as your destination.

In a pinch, there are safety nets. You can always spend the night in a motel that will let you stretch the extension cord to a regular 3-prong plug and charge at 4 mph; 12 hours at 4 mph is 48 miles in the battery. Also, if you get close, I have an inverter generator that will do the 4 mph thing for you, there are friends on the east side of Pagosa, and the hangar has a 240V outlet.

Don't drive more than the speed limit, and consider driving 5 under. Believe it or not, the time saved charging will be more than the time saved going faster and will save total trip time. Give yourself all day to do this drive.

bonnie · Nov 17, 2012

Well-written email with very clear instructions.

The only thing I'd change is on #6 .. "Don't drive more than the speed limit, UNLESS you 1) are on the last leg of your trip, and 2) have more than enough miles to get to your destination. Drop your speed if your estimated miles is close to actual miles you have left to drive. " Because, of course, it doesn't matter if it takes 1 hour or 6 hours to recharge when your last stop is for the night.

aviators99 · Nov 17, 2012

Also, from what I've heard from other owners, the 110v plug only gets around 2.5 miles of range per hour of charge.

roblab · Nov 17, 2012

Google "rv park 50 amp near..." any town on your route. That eliminates calling for 50 amp services. Also, most Google sites have RV web sites linked, and you can see hours, seasons open, etc. Plus phone numbers. It is so cool that one can do this while on the trip, not having to look for a wifi.

Trnsl8r · Nov 17, 2012

Please bring these with you as well as one of longer, heavy-duty, normal, 3-prong extension cords.

I thought I had read on one of the Roadster threads that extension cords are inadvisable or don't work for charging? Maybe different for Model S and/or because it's heavy-duty?

Cottonwood · Nov 17, 2012

bonnie1194 said:
The only thing I'd change is on #6 .. "Don't drive more than the speed limit, UNLESS you 1) are on the last leg of your trip, and 2) have more than enough miles to get to your destination. Drop your speed if your estimated miles is close to actual miles you have left to drive. " Because, of course, it doesn't matter if it takes 1 hour or 6 hours to recharge when your last stop is for the night.

Good point on #6. I agree! When I am in my last leg, and relatively consistant conditions to the end (hard to find in CO mountains), I use the rule that battery rated miles need to be at least 20% more than the distance to go with a minimum of 10 miles reserve. If you have more in the battery, feel free to speed up, etc. If you have less, slow down and drive more conservatively.

roblab said:
Google "rv park 50 amp near..." any town on your route. That eliminates calling for 50 amp services. Also, most Google sites have RV web sites linked, and you can see hours, seasons open, etc. Plus phone numbers. It is so cool that one can do this while on the trip, not having to look for a wifi.

I always call and get confirmation on RV parks that are a little out of the way, or that I am counting on. Sometimes they don't update their web page, sometimes all of the 50-amp outlets are taken or reserved, one wanted $75 for a couple of hours, and I had one that just hung up on me when I said "electric car." That being said, I have found most RV Parks very friendly and accommodating. Until we get more 80-Amp J1772's in the wild (forget Superchargers for a long time), the RV Parks are the way to live off the land. It is very cool to be able to this enroute.

My plan is to contact the Salida Chamber of Commerce to see what I can do to get an 80 Amp J1772 somewhere in their old town area. Its a perfect stop for an EV driving from the Front Range of Colorado to SW Colorado, has many nice shops and restaurants, and has a nice waterfront area along the headwaters of the Arkansas River, complete with Kayak course. I have a vested interest in this route and am willing to put in some capital to make it happen. I hope to find at least one receptive business owner.

brianman · Nov 17, 2012

aviators99 said:
Also, from what I've heard from other owners, the 110v plug only gets around 2.5 miles of range per hour of charge.

Yes. It sucks...or rather slowly sucks. Can't wait for the electrician to get out here.

Doug_G · Nov 18, 2012

Cottonwood said:
I had one that just hung up on me when I said "electric car."

How rude. You should name and shame.

Vger · Nov 18, 2012

As @TomSax recommended to me, the AllStays RV Park finder app for iOS is a fantastic tool for road-tripping in back-country areas. It lets you filter for 50A hookup-equipped sites, and the directions, descriptions, and reviews are generally current and accurate.

Jason S · Nov 18, 2012

Trnsl8r said:
I thought I had read on one of the Roadster threads that extension cords are inadvisable or don't work for charging? Maybe different for Model S and/or because it's heavy-duty?

I tried a 50ft 14 gauge (relatively heavy duty) 120V extension cord and the car wouldn't draw more than 6A or so. Practically useless. Maybe would get better results with even more heavy duty cord, but I doubt it.

strider · Nov 18, 2012

I would go w/ a 10/3 cord. 100ft will run you ~$130 but should work. I will be trying this out over Christmas as we are going to visit some friends and will have to run a cord to charge so will report back here.

dflye · Nov 19, 2012

strider said:
I would go w/ a 10/3 cord.

Just did a quick test with a 100' 10/3 extension cord we have, charging display indicated it was able to draw 12 amps on that line.

dhrivnak · Nov 19, 2012

I have successfully charged my Roadster at 15 amps with two 12/3 cords for a total of 65'. As i used a 25' and 40 ft cords. But i agree you need to stay away from cheap cords.

strider · Nov 19, 2012

dflye said:
Just did a quick test with a 100' 10/3 extension cord we have, charging display indicated it was able to draw 12 amps on that line.

Thanks for testing!

cinergi · Nov 19, 2012

yeah 14/3 is definitely too small. I've done 12/3 75' (two cords). I may invest it a 100' 10/3 20A cord if Tesla ever produces a NEMA5-20 adapter (and make a 5-15 to 5-20 adapter if the plug is only 15 amps).

Zextraterrestrial · Nov 19, 2012

Why not go w/ a 10/4? most people have dryers that are almost accessible. 120V seems so slow

strider · Nov 19, 2012

Zextraterrestrial said:
Why not go w/ a 10/4? most people have dryers that are almost accessible. 120V seems so slow

Well, the thought was as an emergency cord. Also for my trip, we're visiting friends at a time-share condo complex and 120V is all that's available and not near the parking lot. The good news is that we don't need much charge to get back home so 120V overnight will be plenty for us.

adelman · Nov 19, 2012

Zextraterrestrial said:
Why not go w/ a 10/4? most people have dryers that are almost accessible. 120V seems so slow

There is no reason for the third conductor (the neutral), just the two hots and the ground. The Tesla Roadster and Model S don't connect to the neutral. I've actually sawed the neutral off by 14-50 plugs so they can also go into 14-30 sockets (be sure to set the current down in the car!).

MOST IMPORTANTLY -- if you run 12/3 or even 10/3 cord at high currents, it will get warm. That's ok -- just be sure that you don't leave it rolled up on a spool where it can't air-cool. If you have a long length of cord, uncoil it ALL, not just the amount you need.

So here is an interesting question -- what is the optimal speed to drive the car at on long trips? The idea is to minimize the door-to-door time. Obviously if you drive faster, you can spend more time on the charger, so there must be some tradeoff. If the trip ends after the final recharge cycle at your destination (which isn't normally what most people would consider the end of the trip), and chargers are available anywhere you want (you don't need to worry about stretching a long leg between two chargers), then I believe the optimal speed is the one where the power use during the drive is equal to the power provided by the next charger. This is interesting, because the faster the charger, the faster you should drive! If you know the kWh of your next charger, set the cruise control on level group until the power meter is showing the power provided by the charger. An 80A charger is probably well over the posted speed limit!

Ken

Zextraterrestrial · Nov 20, 2012

adelman said:
There is no reason for the third conductor (the neutral), just the two hots and the ground. The Tesla Roadster and Model S don't connect to the neutral. I've actually sawed the neutral off by 14-50 plugs so they can also go into 14-30 sockets (be sure to set the current down in the car!).

Good idea
so a 10-3 w/ a 14-50, neutral chopped off, plug for travel

roblab · Nov 20, 2012

Zextraterrestrial said:
Good idea
so a 10-3 w/ a 14-50, neutral chopped off, plug for travel[/QUOTE

I don't like the idea of chopping off a pin on a plug. For some reason, it bothers me, and I worry that some people new to EVs will end up messing something up.

I have no idea whether Tesla uses the neutral or ground or both. But as parts for making adapters are relatively cheap (you don't need to buy from Tesla), why not just make an adapter and make sure both neutral and ground are wired?

My biggest worry is that people will start using anything they can find as an extension cord. Case in point: Using #10 wire on a 50 amp circuit. OK, so you limit it to 40 amps. 14-50s are supposed to have #6 wire, two sizes bigger. "Be sure to set the current down in the car!" Until someone forgets or doesn't know the tricks.

Sounds like playing with something that could cause trouble. Make an adapter. Use the right wire size. You're not saving anything by taking short cuts.

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