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Dallas to OKC in the Model S

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Charged up the Tesla Model S today to 261 rated miles for trip to in-laws for Thanksgiving. Started off in Dallas, TX. Destination was 215 miles away in Edmond, OK.

Good day. Weather was cooperative. Temp mild and low wind etc. Still I quickly realized, I was not going to make it. Oklahoma is an EV desert. No Superchargers although apparently one in Denton, TX is in permitting.

With 12 miles to my destination remaining and only 13 miles of rated range left, I decided to quell my Kramer from Seinfeld exhilaration of making it to my destination on "fumes" and waive the white flag. I began working the Plugshare options which are few in OKC. My first choice was Onyx Theaters (@onyxtheaters) in OKC. I had read great things in blogs and Plugshare about the good folks at Onyx Theaters. I called Jenn, one of the terrific owners, and she said for me to come on in and they would take care of me which they did. Jenn and her husband are each Tesla owners, and they very much support the cause. The hospitality was tremendous. Not only did they let me charge my Tesla, but they also showed us their amazing showroom of home theater options. They even set us up in a movie theater room and played a movie for my son while we waited for my Tesla to charge.

I can't say enough about these great people. Definitely look them up if you find yourself traversing the EV desert of Oklahoma or if you live in the area and are in the market for a home theater. These are the type of people you know you can trust.
 
I've heard really good things about the nice folks at Onyx. Glad to hear it all worked well.

The next time you make the trip, or this week on the way home, feel free to stop by my place in McKinney and pick up some charge on your way. Depending on your point of origin in Dallas, it might make a difference. (80 amp HPWC)
 
This is one of the cases, though, that driving about 5 mph slower will save you a lot of en route time.

Good to know about the Onyx Theaters as a possible resource near OKC.
I have used the KOA RV park West of OKC a couple of times.

I completely agree about driving 5 mph slower, at least initially.
When zipping between Superchargers spaced at 130 miles apart, have fun.

For your consideration:
When doing a lengthy drive into 'the Wild', I have found it is typically more prudent to tone the speed down a bit for the first 50% of the journey, recheck your amount of remaining Range vs the remaining distance.
Then adjust your speed accordingly so that you will still have enough Range to complete your journey (and maybe a couple of Range miles in reserve).

The time you save in recharging is worth the slightly slower speed.

Also, driving with cruise control OFF can gain you a small amount of Range.

Lastly: there is a HPWC charger at Maker's Space, just West of I-35 in Carrollton, that can be used in a pinch.
They would like a $10 donation when you use it.
 
We've charged at Onyx and the Hilton Skirvin downtown OKC with no problems. Make sure you call ahead with Onyx though. The Skirvin HPWC is in the valet garage and they'll happily ride with you to it, just around the hotel. Tip them well! ;)
 
Just curious. Why couldn't you make 215 miles on a 261 rated charge? Is this typical? All due respect to Tesla (which I love) but that's a ~18% miss on mileage with (what sounds like) very friendly EV driving conditions...
 
Just curious. Why couldn't you make 215 miles on a 261 rated charge? Is this typical? All due respect to Tesla (which I love) but that's a ~18% miss on mileage with (what sounds like) very friendly EV driving conditions...

Because once in a while there is a strong headwind and you can't always predict when it will happen. Most of the time 215 miles will be no problem (assuming you're not driving when there are winter conditions).
 
Rockster and bollar, thanks for the kind offers to use your chargers. I was looking for a charger along I-35 though.

I thought with the elevation change in my favor I could make it back to Dallas in one charge on the return trip. I also dialed the speed back 5 mph and just stayed at 70. However, I would have only made it 208 miles. I ended up stopping at Dallas Maker's Space with 3 miles of rated range remaining and 10 miles remaining to my destination. Received quite a scare when I plugged in the Tesla charger and nothing happened. Went in an open dock door and found a gentleman who ran the place. He turned it back on. A forklift was charging off that circuit. Anyway, received a tour of the place while my car added 15 miles of range. Pretty cool operation there.

I will be glad when the Denton Supercharger opens.
 
Rockster and bollar, thanks for the kind offers to use your chargers. I was looking for a charger along I-35 though.

I thought with the elevation change in my favor I could make it back to Dallas in one charge on the return trip. I also dialed the speed back 5 mph and just stayed at 70. However, I would have only made it 208 miles. I ended up stopping at Dallas Maker's Space with 3 miles of rated range remaining and 10 miles remaining to my destination. Received quite a scare when I plugged in the Tesla charger and nothing happened. Went in an open dock door and found a gentleman who ran the place. He turned it back on. A forklift was charging off that circuit. Anyway, received a tour of the place while my car added 15 miles of range. Pretty cool operation there.

I will be glad when the Denton Supercharger opens.

Good job!
 
Rockster and bollar, thanks for the kind offers to use your chargers. I was looking for a charger along I-35 though.

I thought with the elevation change in my favor I could make it back to Dallas in one charge on the return trip. I also dialed the speed back 5 mph and just stayed at 70. However, I would have only made it 208 miles. I ended up stopping at Dallas Maker's Space with 3 miles of rated range remaining and 10 miles remaining to my destination. Received quite a scare when I plugged in the Tesla charger and nothing happened. Went in an open dock door and found a gentleman who ran the place. He turned it back on. A forklift was charging off that circuit. Anyway, received a tour of the place while my car added 15 miles of range. Pretty cool operation there.

I will be glad when the Denton Supercharger opens.

Whoa partner, glad you made it back, but you were cutting a bit close to the edge.
I went to my Sister's house in Whitehouse for Thanksgiving, and had 20 miles of rated range when I pulled into Corsicana on Thurs. night to Supercharge.
I like to keep a buffer of 30 miles minimum range, maybe it is the Boy Scout in me to keep a bit extra in the pack, or adjust my speed so that I know I will get to my next destination.

Maker's Space is a very cool community work concept and place to share and enact ideas.
There was a NTREG meeting held there in October and I had a chance to tour the facility after the meeting.
A wife of one of the guys on the NTREG board knew I have a MS (they have one also), and she pointed the charger out to me during the tour.
Glad you were able to stop, get a bit of a charge and make it home safely.
 
I've gone 10+ miles past the "Charge Now", so you could have easily made it home. Just watch the little dashed yellow line on the top screen. Once it says "Climate controls are degraded" you've got ~5 miles left at 55MPH. I do not recommend this, but it works in a pinch and I've not noticed any range loss in the year I've had the car.
 
I've gone 10+ miles past the "Charge Now", so you could have easily made it home. Just watch the little dashed yellow line on the top screen. Once it says "Climate controls are degraded" you've got ~5 miles left at 55MPH. I do not recommend this, but it works in a pinch and I've not noticed any range loss in the year I've had the car.

thanks, Chris. That's good information for those of us who do the long distance runs, and tend toward a little 'range anxiety' when the RM gauge gets close to "0". We've made the trip from Seattle to Salt Lake twice now, and once to Palm Springs, and appreciate all the tips we can get about others who "push the range mode" as you've done. We're waiting for the Phoenix to Dallas stretch to open up so we can make Florida in the spring.:rolleyes:
 
thanks, Chris. That's good information for those of us who do the long distance runs, and tend toward a little 'range anxiety' when the RM gauge gets close to "0". We've made the trip from Seattle to Salt Lake twice now, and once to Palm Springs, and appreciate all the tips we can get about others who "push the range mode" as you've done. We're waiting for the Phoenix to Dallas stretch to open up so we can make Florida in the spring.:rolleyes:

When pushing the range limits, be aware that the temperature, terrain, wind and time of day may also be conspiring against your safe arrival. Even rain/wet weather/snow has a drain on the rolling friction of the tires.
When traveling with all premium conditions (flat or doawn-hill terrain, 70 degrees, a strong tailwind and middle of day) one might be able to eek out a few extra miles while running on "fumes".

Drivers that have hyper-miled their cars have achieved over 425 miles traveled on a single charge, but they maintained 22 miles per hour speed (the sweet spot).
Several other teams of drivers have gotten in excess of 340 miles, but they did not exceed 40 mph.
And I would not advocate being on any freeway or highway traveling at those slower speeds.

Safe (and Sane) travels.