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Mainland Road Trip

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Papafox

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Jan 12, 2013
5,817
90,038
Hawaii
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Edit: The Electric Road Trip blog is now live. I'll place 99% of my communications there. Check it out at:
www.thelectricroadtrip.com
I chose to buy a new 70D instead of pursuing the method described below.

OK, I've been watching the superchargers multiply like rabbits on the mainland and I'm getting itchy for a mainland road trip. If I could take a year off from work and just travel (visit friends, ski, hike, explore, sightsee, etc.) wouldn't it be cool to do so in a Tesla in another year or so when the supercharger network is solid?

Here's a rough estimate of costs as I see it:
$ 2500 (ship Tesla S to and from mainland)
2500 Install supercharger option in Model S
10000 Upgrade 40kwh battery to 60 kwh battery through software upgrade so that I can use supercharger
$15,000 Auto cost

Yikes! Ok, this plan probably only makes sense if someone already has a car with at least 60kwh of battery or plans to upgrade anyway.

Plan B would be to buy a supercharger-equipped Tesla on the mainland, drive it a year, and then sell it. This solution might make the most sense for me. The negative is that I would own two Teslas that are both depreciating that year.

Has anyone considered such a road trip, and if so, what insights might you offer?
 
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Yes, the same. But mine is already SC enabled. So there's just the cost of to & from.

Back to your situation. If it was me, I'd sell Blue here.

I'd find a loaner or inventory car on the mainland and buy it. Drive around for a year and then put it on Craigslist or ebay and delivery it anywhere on the mainland. Order another and take delivery here.

One insurance bill for only one car at a time too.
 
I did a cross country trip for 5 weeks. Check out my blog (listed in my signature). I would recommend doing it in a 85 if you can. Also if you really want to do this for a whole year, you might want to wait as you said till everything gets more filled out in supercharger land. probably summer 2015 would be quite enjoyable.

Your 40 is quite unique and you may get a really good re-sale on it.


OK, I've been watching the superchargers multiply like rabbits on the mainland and I'm getting itchy for a mainland road trip. If I could take a year off from work and just travel (visit friends, ski, hike, explore, sightsee, etc.) wouldn't it be cool to do so in a Tesla in another year or so when the supercharger network is solid?

Here's a rough estimate of costs as I see it:
$ 2500 (ship Tesla S to and from mainland)
2500 Install supercharger option in Model S
10000 Upgrade 40kwh battery to 60 kwh battery through software upgrade so that I can use supercharger
$15,000 Auto cost

Yikes! Ok, this plan probably only makes sense if someone already has a car with at least 60kwh of battery or plans to upgrade anyway.

Plan B would be to buy a supercharger-equipped Tesla on the mainland, drive it a year, and then sell it. This solution might make the most sense for me. The negative is that I would own two Teslas that are both depreciating that year.

Has anyone considered such a road trip, and if so, what insights might you offer?
 
I am curious also. Not sure how I would evaluate if I was getting a good deal, if it ever were to come to that. I think it's a challenge I'd be happy to encounter, maybe a year from now. Any of you 40 owners considering an upgrade to a 60D, and might be looking for a caring home for their beloved 40?
 
Lots of good suggestions...
* 85 kwh makes the most sense for touring the mainland and summer of 2015 looks like a time with many superchargers installed
* I like the idea of the battery swap. If it can work, it'd be the very best solution
* Stoebs, if I ever decided to sell I would let you and others know. In theory the car is worth more to Tesla than to anyone else because Tesla could change the software and in 20 minutes have a 60 kwh car at their disposal.

I have a secondary occupation that can be practiced anywhere there's an internet connection. It'd be fun to explore. My current job usually eats up 7 long days a week of effort, and the mental planning of such an escape trip will do my mind good as I ponder all the mini-adventures that could transpire. My dog would need a rabies vaccination if he were to travel with me, but that too is workable. Hmm. No roadblocks visible ahead if the job situation allows a break.

Akikiki, your idea makes sense and might be a good way to go, but I savor the idea of touring the mainland in a blue Tesla with Hawaii plates. It'd be a conversation starter.
 
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The battery swap is a great solution & if desired can bring lots of press to Tesla showcasing flexibility & benifits of the battery pack, speaking only for myself I would contact Tesla PR department & see if this trip intrigues them & see if they want to be involved. Biggest problem is what to do with your 40 pack for that year since I doubt anyone will want to swap for it, so it will have to be shipped back to your local service center until you return.
 
Am still curious how much we could get for our 40/60s :smile:

I know we talked about this earlier, especially after the announcement of the model D came out. If there is enough of a demand for the 40 kwh model, considering it is a "collector's item", we may be able to get a good price. However, I think you would get more for it selling it on your own rather than selling back to Tesla. I've looked online to see what the 40's are going for and haven't found any information about this yet.
 
If all else fails, you can use the formula that Tesla uses for the resale value guarantee for those customers that took advantage of that program. If memory serves, they calculate 50% of base price cost, plus 43% of any options. That's at the at the three year point; you can adjust up or down from there based on actual age and mileage.

I'm not sure how to account for the $7,500 fed tax credit in there, since that's captured by the original owner and can't be passed on to subsequent owners. But a potential buyer would probably factor that into their purchase decision when comparing new to used, so it has to be accounted for somehow.

You can also use the 1% per month + $1 per mile formula that they use to calculate depreciation for the loaner cars they sell off. These two formulas (formulae?) together will give you a pair of data points to start with.
 
It's an intriguing proportion. I don't have a job where I can easily take off for a year (at least where I'd expect to still be employed after I got back) but I can at least dream. I'd agree about waiting for the Supercharger network to get built out more and doing it in a 85.
 
Whether my employment situation allows an escape in the near future or not, I'm going to have fun planning the route, figuring out who I will visit, what events I will catch. I know that an imagination is a powerful thing. I once became fascinated with the word "Kathmandu", which led to a month-long trek in Nepal, I attended a seminar on ocean racing and sailed my sloop from California to Hawaii within a year, and I've flown across the country twice in open-cockpit biplanes. This adventure is starting to gnaw at me and I think something has to be done about it in good time.
 
The adventures you have outlined sound exciting. I do think it is important to see the world to get a better perspective. Our family has one continent left to tackle: South America (they don't want to do Antarctica). That will be our trip next year. There are several countries that we still want to visit, though.

As far as hitting Supercharger stations, I actually am not a big fan of long drives. I do think it would be nice to have Supercharger stations in Hawaii, especially on the Big Island.
 
As far as hitting Supercharger stations, I actually am not a big fan of long drives. I do think it would be nice to have Supercharger stations in Hawaii, especially on the Big Island.

drtko147, I'm not really a fan of long drives either and that's the reason for taking a lot of time. I drive manageable stretches per day and spend time at the campground or hotel, working on my next project via laptop or playing with the dog. When the scenery needs to be changed, it's off to the next supercharger.

Papafox..I posted on the Hawaii Owners thread.

The Blue P85 at the service center is for sale! Sell your 40 to Stoebs and buy it for your trip :)

Nanimac, how could you have guessed that I have a weakness for blue Teslas? Thanks for the heads up, but I need to find out first if I'll have a year free to travel. The planning goes on, however.
 
drtko147, I'm not really a fan of long drives either and that's the reason for taking a lot of time. I drive manageable stretches per day and spend time at the campground or hotel, working on my next project via laptop or playing with the dog. When the scenery needs to be changed, it's off to the next supercharger.



Nanimac, how could you have guessed that I have a weakness for blue Teslas? Thanks for the heads up, but I need to find out first if I'll have a year free to travel. The planning goes on, however.

nanimac and papafox, your blue Teslas are things of beauty. nanimac, I think you should reconsider your decision to get the gray one. Me, I like to be unique so I still love my green Tessie! Although the red ones do stand out more!
 
nanimac and papafox, your blue Teslas are things of beauty. nanimac, I think you should reconsider your decision to get the gray one. Me, I like to be unique so I still love my green Tessie! Although the red ones do stand out more!

I'll probably change my mind at least 5 times on the color of my next Tesla....like I did when I got this one :)