My first road trip,

This is a rough estimate, my trips to St.Louis 130 miles away @ 75mph take about 20 miles worth of range per the rated range and distance travelled by the trip meter. This is for summer travel.

BrandonF said:

Am I setting myself up for trouble? I am traveling from my house in Overland Park, KS to the Salina supercharger and according to Google Maps, that is 182 miles door to door. I have only had the MS60 for less then 2 weeks so I don't have a great feel for how real world the rated range actually is. I haven't range charged yet, but believe they delivered it with a range charge of 204 miles. Is the 22 mile buffer enough or is it too risky? I have a 3yr old and a 3 month old, so having to find emergency 120v charging in the middle of nowhere would be a very bad situation to be faced with. Speed limit on I-70 is 75mph so I would want to be able to drive the speed limit too, which makes me think that 204 range would be <182 in real world range. Any advice?

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Use EV Trip Planner. it's very good at predicting rated miles needed. Be sure to put in all your parameters. I find that if I charge to 125% of its estimate, I never have a problem. I have completed trips with zero margin by slowing down. Remember that its speed multiplier is a factor on average speed on your route. If you need more margin, drive slower. I will often drive at 10 mph or so less than average at the beginning of a range challenged trip until I know that I will make it, and then only slowly up my speed.

That is at 75mph and A/C @ 68F with wife, three kids aged under seven years, frunk and trunk full , at 60 mph the rated range would be exact. I would pay attention to energy consumption and keep it under 320 and slow down to improve range. Multiple times I have chosen to drive slow than charge slow on the road.

As a better backup, I see there are several RV parks with 50 amp service along your route. Not ideal, but you could spend just an hour and pick up 30 miles. I'd call a few first to make sure they'd allow you to charge. I think you can do it without needing it but you'll be pulling in to Salina with nearly zero most likely, and with little ones and being a newbie... Who wants that stress? Having a backup plan will help keep you calm.

Carry your UMC and all adapters just in case!

Oh, I use a free app to find RV parks called RVParky. Very handy!

@BrandonF
PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge your car!
I see 7 charge locations generally around Topeka, with 3 clustered in the center. I would plan on stopping there as a rest stop to stretch, hit the restroom, grab a snack, and charge-up a bit until you have zero stress about making it to the Supercharger.

You're on the edge. Perfect conditions and you'll make it. Headwind, rain, 100F temps, etc and you won't without slowing below the speed limit. If you're comfortable driving at 68 on the interstate (I don't know how fast people actually drive) then you could do it.

Speaking personally, I wouldn't make the drive unless I was willing to stop for a charge if condition worsened.

JohnQ said:

You're on the edge. Perfect conditions and you'll make it. Headwind, rain, 100F temps, etc and you won't without slowing below the speed limit. If you're comfortable driving at 68 on the interstate (I don't know how fast people actually drive) then you could do it.

Speaking personally, I wouldn't make the drive unless I was willing to stop for a charge if condition worsened.

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With a kid in the car, I'd make the stop in Topeka anyway. I'd probably need the stop even without the charge (unless the kid slept the whole time).

If you are worried, you might want to make a shorter "practice trip", say, to Topeka and back, to get a better idea of your typical energy usage on the road. Your energy usage is going to vary based on your speed, any elevation changes, any wind or rain, and the temperature. High temperature does not hurt nearly as much as low temperatures. You should start at a slower speed, and then you can speed up as you see how you are doing in terms of range and consumption. Doing silly things like turning off the radio to conserve power has no measurable effect.

Make sure you do a max charge before you leave. There are a number of people on TMC who basically refuse to ever max charge because they worry (too much, IMO) about the effect on their battery longevity. Don't be that way...

Personally, I would consider stopping in Topeka at an L2 charger for a bit, just to reduce your stress-level for your first trip. Make sure to get the RVParky phone app, along with PlugShare, so you have some backup options.

You are probably looking at 2-3 hours to get 40 miles of range with a 30A L2 charger. I don't know that you need that much extra range to make it.

If you choose to drive slowly be mindful of traffic behind you, I have driven off the motorway many times just to avoid the fast traffic and was pleasantly surprised at the peaceful rural routes and scenery.

BrandonF said:

Any advice?

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1. I'd leave more of a margin, 20% is recommended in good weather, so for 182 miles 218 is the minimum. Find an RV park between and charge for an hour or two while you have a picnic lunch.

2. For a vacation, the Interstates aren't really the best roads. Use the state highways. They're traffic free, mostly, and much more interesting.

3. Watch the difference between rated miles on the dash and projected miles on the energy screen. If the projected miles are greater than the rated miles, you're golden.

You could always take Highway 24 out of KC to bring down the speeds and see something more scenic!