Advice for Miami-Orlando trip

Rodolfo Paiz · Feb 14, 2013

Hello, everyone!

I expect to receive my Model S in early April, and I have a trip to Orlando on 4/16 that just begs to be my first electric road trip. (Despite 18 months with the Roadster, I've been strictly local with it.) But I'll be on a tight schedule on both legs of the trip, so I'm letting a little of my OCD side show itself by thinking about the charging logistics ahead of time. Charging in Orlando won't be a problem; though the Rosen Centre does not have chargers, the Hilton and Rosen Plaza nearby do and even the Convention Center might.

It's the trip that worries me... even driving conservatively on the Turnpike at 75 mph, 230 miles seems to be about 30 miles beyond the range I could expect from a P85, even with a range charge. And I'd much prefer to be able to do 80 or 85 if that's what the rest of the traffic is doing so I can save some time. Lastly, of course, I'm not fool enough to push a car close to any of its limits when it's barely two weeks old. So I need to charge somewhere along the way in both directions, at the fastest possible charger I can find. Two questions then:

1. Can anyone recommend a fast charger between Miami and Orlando near the Turnpike? I only see 30A J1772 chargers on Chargepoint, with the best choice apparently being a parking garage at 500 Clematis Street in West Palm Beach. Recargo adds some Nissan dealers with J1772, also 30A. Is there anything faster, anywhere along the route?

2. Will the J1772 adapter be included in the car when it'd delivered? What, if any, other power adapters can I count on having and which ones should I purchase to cover the majority of potential charging sites?

I know this trip will be easy as pie once the Superchargers are fully deployed, and doable without Superchargers as long as I have the J1772 adapter. But IIRC those adapters just started shipping recently, so I don't know if I'll get mine before this trip... and it seems like the trip pretty much requires the J1772 adapter to be done comfortably. I have an ICE car I could take (Honda Odyssey), but what fun would that be?

Exact route is from the Midtown Shopping Mall in Miami (basically Miami Avenue and North 36th Street) to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando (on International Drive), and my usual routing is entirely via the Turnpike, if that matters at all.

Any advice welcome, and thanks in advance!

ClearwaterBchSteve · Feb 15, 2013

Rodolfo Paiz said:
Will the J1772 adapter be included in the car when it'd delivered? What, if any, other power adapters can I count on having and which ones should I purchase to cover the majority of potential charging sites?

The J1772 adapter comes with the car. It's simply that, an adaptor. You insert it into the charge port on the Model S, then the J1772 cord from the charger plugs into it. The car by default also comes with the mobile charger with interchangeable ends (one for standard 120v household plug, the other for 240V 14-50). Apparently 14-50s are also common at trailer parks and campsites. Most owners get those installed in their garages.

I built a homegrown adaptor to allow the 14-50 plug from the Model S cable to plug into my old-school 3 pronged dryer outlet until permanent 14-50 is installed. I could also take this on trips to attach to friends' dryers if they happened to have that type of jack and the plug was close enough in their garage

You'd be welcome to get a boost at our house, but your travels won't take you to the West Coast.

I was planning to go to an event in Naples this weekend, but there simply are not enough chargers in that area to make a "quick trip" happen yet.

Good luck! Steve.

NigelM · Feb 15, 2013

Orlando is covered with charge stations, you'll have no problem finding one there to suit you (Use chargepoint.com) and some of the hotels also offer valet service to charge the car for you and/or give free parking to EV's. The only adapter you'll need is the J1772.

I've done 230 mile trips a couple of times in Florida. The only thing you need to do is start with a range charge and then keep your speed around 65mph till you're sure that you have plenty of capacity left to get to the nearest charge station.

- - - Updated - - -

Afterthought: it would be real easy to go via Dania Beach and top to a full range charge at the Tesla Service Center, from there it's only 212 miles to your destination in Orlando.

Larry Chanin · Feb 15, 2013

Hi Rodolfo,

As a member of the Florida Tesla Motors Club you are eligible to join our club charging network to share the charging source of participating members. We are in the early staging of building our club network, but we are continually adding locations as members receive their cars. Currently we have over 20 locations. A couple of locations are on the Space Coast and one in Sebring. All are NEMA 14-50 outlets.

If you are interested in joining the network and sharing your charging source please contact me directly at [email protected].

Regards,

Larry

aviators99 · Feb 15, 2013

I have also done two 230 mile trips. I normally drive pretty fast on the highways, but have enjoyed the "game" of seeing how good a range I can get on these long trips, without being a P.I.A. to other drivers. On both of these trips I have kept the cruise control set at 60, and have arrived with around 50 miles to spare. You might consider taking US 27 like I did, instead of the Turnpike. Feel free to reach out if you want to discuss, or hear about my experiences.

stevezzzz · Feb 15, 2013

Rodolfo, it's worth noting that if time is of the essence, slowing down to make the trip in one leg will be the fastest option, even if you can find a 70a charger on your route. If time isn't particularly tight, then drive faster, charge en route, and get there anyway...just later than you could have.

Only a supercharger can replace the battery's charge faster than you'll be depleting it at 75-80mph. The rule of thumb for optimal cross country speed when charging en route: drive at a speed that depletes the battery at the same rate your next charger replaces it. But if you drive at 60mph you'll make it all the way with range to spare and can plug in anywhere in Orlando without particularly caring about the charge rate, because it'll be an overnight charge. If you drive at 80mph and have to stop to charge at a campground with a 14-50, you'll have a nice break but you'll arrive in Orlando later in the day. If your en route charger is a L1 J1772: well, I'm sorry.

Rodolfo Paiz · Feb 16, 2013

Hmm... can't wait to see a Supercharger at Vero Beach or thereabouts. For now, the math is unequivocal that a 60- to 65-mph non-stop trip is indeed quicker than an 80-mph trip with a one-hour charging stop; but traffic on the Turnpike does seem to average at least 80 mph -- certainly I do when traveling on it -- and I hesitate to be 10- to 15-mph slower than the flow on a fast two-lane highway. Perhaps I need to lok at I-95 or US-27 as suggested.

I'll follow up on a few of the comments in this thread and take another look at the route planning. Thanks for all your help so far, folks!

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Advice for Miami-Orlando trip

Rodolfo Paiz

Fidelius Family Office

ClearwaterBchSteve

P445 / VIN 1794

NigelM

Recovering Member

Larry Chanin

President, Florida Tesla Enthusiasts

aviators99

Model S - R140

stevezzzz

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Rodolfo Paiz

Fidelius Family Office

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