Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Adventures in charging a Model S in traveling to Key West

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.

Larry Chanin

President, Florida Tesla Enthusiasts
Moderator
Aug 22, 2011
4,937
814
Sarasota, Florida
Club member Bruce Gamradt sent me the following write-up of a challenging trip from West Palm Beach to Key West.

IMG_2817.JPG


Larry, I am finally back home in West Palm Beach and relaxing. My trip to Key West had some interesting twists.
Monday:

On the trip to Key West from home we stopped at the Miami Sales center to top up before heading on. They were extremely helpful and after a walk to the beach and an early lunch with Sheila and the granddaughters we were off again.

After arriving at the Parrot Key Resort I quickly discovered that I needed an extension cord to reach the basically useless 110 outlets. Realizing that I would need a 30/50 outlet I contacted 2 of the closest RV parks to see what was available. I needed to do this because the 1772 ReCargo site listed was a car dealer who would not let me use their station. Liability issue.

Tuesday: The RV parks required a full 24hr rental regardless of how long it would take. Upon arriving I paid for a 30AMP spot but soon found out it is not the same as the 1772 adapter so back to the office. The clerk felt bad for me and didn't charge me the additional $20 for a 50AMP spot. So after 4.5 hours later and $80 lighter I returned by cab to pick it up to prepare for out trip back to WPB the next day.

I plugged into the 110v outlet over night to insure I had a full charge for my return trip home which registered at 240 miles based on Google Maps.

Wednesday:

My options were to return via Miami, Dania or add some miles at the Marriott on Key Largo which was listed via the ReCargo. We stopped at the Marriott for lunch and Lo and Behold, "We have no such thing". Very disappointed, I contacted Dania to make them aware I might be stopping. On the trip back to the mainland I observed that the Rated Mileage was stable at between 55-60 MPH. One mile rated for every one mile driven. So, I made a decision that we could take our Granddaughters to the Everglades Alligator Farm without hindering our ability to make it back on one charge. Back on the Florida Turnpike with cruise control set at 58MPH I was very comfortable that we could make it. Even though I needed to pass a slower vehicle but always reset to 58MPH.

I made it home with 22 Rated Miles left. Total, miles drive 259!!!!

I am anxiously waiting for Elon Musk's Tuesday announcement.

Bruce Gamradt

Larry
 
I have found Recargo to be iffy, at best. I use Plugshare and Chargepoint instead. I would like specifics on the RV park, so we can know to avoid it if they charge $80 for a top-off. I've heard that many places will let you do it pretty cheaply (but have no firsthand experience).

Hi Ron,

KOA have been known to accommodate EVs. I have written to KOA Camgrounds corporate to obtain their policy and fees for EV charging. Here's their response:

Dear Lawrence,

Thank you for contacting the KOA Home Office. Our KOA campgrounds are independently owned and operated and do set their own rates and policies. To ask specific questions regarding reservations, cancellations, rates, rules and policies or amenities, please call or email the campground directly where you are interested in staying.

Some folks staying overnight at KOA Kabins are charged the full daily rate plus another $15 for charging.

Larry
 
We vacation in Key West every May for a week. (own a timeshare there). As much as the trip would be fun in our Model S, we are still reserved to take my Mom's Mary Kay ICE. There simply are no reasonable charging locations near Naples nor southern keys apparently. Maybe next year!

Hi Steve,

This won't solve the challenges of charging in Key West, but remember we have club members who live in Naples who are members of the club charging network.

Larry
 
Interesting write up on Key West. Several times a year I have to go to Key West and Marathon for work. The good thing is I'm in a hotel there all week so charging up should be easier, even if it's only 120v unless I can talk them into using their 240v dryer socket. Usually I get the company to give me a rental car but the next time I go I'll have to try the Tesla which I'll be getting next month. Both locations are well within range for me (Plantation, FL). US1 (Overseas Hwy) would be an ideal road for the MS as it's generally slow 45-55mph and because of tourists stopping every few miles to view the sights, you slow down a lot. Perfect for regen mode use.
 
Interesting write up on Key West. Several times a year I have to go to Key West and Marathon for work. The good thing is I'm in a hotel there all week so charging up should be easier, even if it's only 120v unless I can talk them into using their 240v dryer socket. Usually I get the company to give me a rental car but the next time I go I'll have to try the Tesla which I'll be getting next month. Both locations are well within range for me (Plantation, FL). US1 (Overseas Hwy) would be an ideal road for the MS as it's generally slow 45-55mph and because of tourists stopping every few miles to view the sights, you slow down a lot. Perfect for regen mode use.

Hi Daniel,

Did you intend to take US1 for the entire route? Driving at a slow steady pace of 45-55 mph with cruise control on will get you great range. However, slowing down and stopping will not help even with regenerative braking because you are still wasting energy deaccellarating and accellarating. Regenerative braking is not 100% efficient.

If you can't get 240volt charging when in Key West or along the route with 120 volt you should be prepared to be charging more that 60 hours to get home.

Larry
 
Hi Daniel,

Did you intend to take US1 for the entire route? Driving at a slow steady pace of 45-55 mph with cruise control on will get you great range. However, slowing down and stopping will not help even with regenerative braking because you are still wasting energy deaccellarating and accellarating. Regenerative braking is not 100% efficient.

If you can't get 240volt charging when in Key West or along the route with 120 volt you should be prepared to be charging more that 60 hours to get home.

Larry

Hi Larry,

Normally I use the Turnpike to US1 so I bypass Miami. I'd say 2/3 of the journey is via US1. I realize regen braking isn't 100% efficient but with that journey, you do slow down quite a lot and slowly pick up speed. Much of the route is single lane so you can't overtake and where you can they are pretty hot on speeding especially in the summer months. You can't do more than 50 in a 45 or else they'll nick you! There is a KOA at Sugarloaf which isn't far from Key West. They claim to have 30 and 50amp hookups. I'd imagine in the peak season it would be fully booked however: https://koa.com/campgrounds/sugarloaf-key/site-type/rv-camping-sites/
 
Hi Larry,

Normally I use the Turnpike to US1 so I bypass Miami. I'd say 2/3 of the journey is via US1. I realize regen braking isn't 100% efficient but with that journey, you do slow down quite a lot and slowly pick up speed. Much of the route is single lane so you can't overtake and where you can they are pretty hot on speeding especially in the summer months. You can't do more than 50 in a 45 or else they'll nick you! There is a KOA at Sugarloaf which isn't far from Key West. They claim to have 30 and 50amp hookups. I'd imagine in the peak season it would be fully booked however: https://koa.com/campgrounds/sugarloaf-key/site-type/rv-camping-sites/

Hi Daniel,

As you know taking the turnpike you won't be able to safely travel at 45-55 mph and you will be burning off more range until you can safely slow down.

When traveling to Key West it is wise to have some back-up plans and as Bruce reports RVs are sometimes necessary. I have read that KOA campgrounds are sometimes receptive to EVs. So I emailed their corporate offices to see if they had a corporate policy or fee for charging EVs. They told me that each campground is individually managed. Bottom line you will have to contact each campground in advance to determine if they have a policy and pricing for EVs. As you can see from Bruce's initial posting the worst case senario is having to pay for an entire day.

Larry
 
Yeah I realize the Turnpike will use more gas...errr electrons and that any trip near the 200 mile range or so will need some backup plans if it all goes wrong. I suspect you've run into that before at some point :wink: In my regular job, I'm a pilot so managing fuel is a basic requirement of which operating a Tesla is likely to be very similar with one exception. If the worst happens you're already on the ground! :biggrin:
 
Yeah I realize the Turnpike will use more gas...errr electrons and that any trip near the 200 mile range or so will need some backup plans if it all goes wrong. I suspect you've run into that before at some point :wink: In my regular job, I'm a pilot so managing fuel is a basic requirement of which operating a Tesla is likely to be very similar with one exception. If the worst happens you're already on the ground! :biggrin:

Hi Daniel,

Sorry if my postings sounded like I was "Nannying" you. That's because they were. :redface:

I am fairly conservative in approach and I haven't had any mishaps yet. Prior to his trip I did attempt to caution Bruce about the practical aspects of making this particular journey with the existing limited infrastructure. It turned out to be an expensive charging experience for him having to resort to a local RV park. He was hoping that his hotel's 110v outlet would take care of his charging needs. That didn't work out so well.

Larry
 
I happened across this thread while looking for other Florida EVSE info. I have updated the two Recargo entries per Bruce's report above. In my opinion Recargo has the best web interface (slightly better compared to PlugShare and far better than any of the others) and the quality of the data depends on YOU (the "crowd") to improve it. In Atlanta we have whipped the Recargo database into fine shape and it's THE canonical reference for us here.

If someone provides details on an RV park that they have successfully charged at, I'll enter into Recargo. Or, you know, enter it yourself :) Here's are two examples from Model S owners in Atlanta:

EV Charging Location - Cordele KOA - Cordele, GA
EV Charging Location - Beaver Run RV Park - Metter, GA
 
Thanks Chris! As someone who also uses an RV from time to time I have to add that charging at an RV park depends a lot on the season - if they've got space most of them will be accommodating but if they're full then, understandably, forget it. I've had campsites that were fully booked weeks in advance.
 
For what it's worth, I drove from WPB to Orlando and back in February. Range-charged before I left, 110v-charged at a Disney hotel while there. Not enough to get all the way home. Found that a call to a Nissan dealership en route was all it took to stop in and use their Leaf J1772 station for an hour while I had lunch nearby.