Tesla model S in the slow lane during road trips?

Was that between Atascadero and Gilroy? I ended up in the slow lane and made it to Gilroy in the yellow (but mostly red) with 7% battery.

I've done the Bay Area to LA twice, and to Vegas twice. Tejon to Harris is pretty easy (only about 115 miles if I remember correctly). Can be kinda windy, but I usually go with traffic (75-80mph). If you are skipping superchargers you need to be careful and go slow, but not necessary to skip. My first time road tripping I went slow just to be safe. Once you get some experience with the car, and Superchargers, it is easy.

I have done the SF to Orange County roundtrip multiple times in my Model S and found it to be ridiculously easy using the Superchargers on both the 5 and the 101 routes. On the 5, I charge at both Tejon and Harris. On the 101 I can skip some of the Superchargers and have no worries.

I went as fast as I care to go, which is 75mph on the 5, and had zero range anxiety.

My overall trip time was within 15 minutes of the time I used to take driving various ICE cars. Yes, I have always preferred to stop every few hours to stretch my legs and visit the bathroom. I used to do that at the California state highway rest stops and gas stations. . Now I do it at Superchargers. No significant difference in travel time.

I started driving in the right lane initially to extend my range but found that I much prefer driving there for completely different reasons. Slowing down and driving in the right lane is much more enjoyable and relaxing for long drives. I find myself less agitated by slow drivers "in my way" and am less concerned about watching for police and weaving in and out of traffic. You also take in a greater amount of sights and sounds when you aren't going full steam ahead.

A few weeks ago did that route to Arizona and back with no range anxiety (and found myself going 100 mph a few times... it's really easy to just glide down the road).
On the way down stopped in Manteca, Harris Ranch, Tejon, Rancho Cucamonga... and points East
On the way back did the same SC in reverse.
No range anxiety. Hot days A/C on full blast. Traffic moves fast on that route... probably averaged 80-85 mph... no slow lane... especially appreciated the power going over the Grapevine where I passed everyone.

The energy trip graph is a must, during our recent Arizona trip I would leave SpC with a predicted 25% of SOC at the next charger, but driving ~95mph the graph would quickly turn yellow & then red, my son & I had a good time guessing optimum MPH but my wife was freaked out seeing -5% (she couldn't handle it & thankfully fell asleep) simply slowing down to ~87mph got me to my target of 3% SOC at destination.

Most owners fear running out & probably aren't aware of the energy graph, v6.2 was supposed to help but so far pretty useless.

I've had to back down from the ideal 75 mph to 65 for longer trips that aren't super charger assisted.

Turning off the HVAC saves a ton of juice. But yea, it's annoying to me driving with 360+ HP when I can't USE IT!

It's only been a few times though. Most days I end up doing 55 in a 35 because it feels... normal? with the brakes and steering it just feels like not a big deal... went back to driving our 3rd car, a 2005 Mazda Tribute... 40 in a 35 feels unsafe as hell!

Energy graph still has some prediction flaws. Driving from Gilroy to Harris, over the hill the graph predicted I would end the trip with -10 % and recommended to find charging. I knew we would make it and ignored the warnings, but it would be confusing for someone not familiar with the route.

I've done the up and down the 5, no problems, the 15 from Rancho to Las Vegas, had a bit of anxiety of way back (operator error), did the Barstow to Needles twice and encountered my first head wind. That was terrorfying! Will check weather and plan better on next day trip

Not on the 5 or any other California roadway, that is me, in the slow lane, on my road trips in Missouri. I drove 60-65 most of the trip to/from St.Louis & Nixa, MO this past weekend. Any faster and I'd have never made it and there are simply no real charging options between (J1772 at the half-way if I want to double the time for the trip).

Some of the "superchargers tour" legs in CA were "challenging" in winter if you don't Trip/Range (100%) charge -- choosing to limit yourself to Daily (90%) / Standard (92-93%) charge. I suspect 60 kWh vehicles charged to Trip (100%) have similar challenges. In the summer though... usually it just comes down to leaving the previous supercharger "too early" (not waiting for completion). At least that was my experience on my supercharger tours through a few states.

Lump said:

The energy trip graph is a must, during our recent Arizona trip I would leave SpC with a predicted 25% of SOC at the next charger, but driving ~95mph the graph would quickly turn yellow & then red, my son & I had a good time guessing optimum MPH but my wife was freaked out seeing -5% (she couldn't handle it & thankfully fell asleep) simply slowing down to ~87mph got me to my target of 3% SOC at destination.

Most owners fear running out & probably aren't aware of the energy graph, v6.2 was supposed to help but so far pretty useless.

Click to expand...

The energy graph is essential on longer trips. You can quickly tell if you're driving too fast to make it to your destination. It works well and updates continuously so you can see the results.

The energy graph works well for the short trips I've taken since it became available. But I never had it for any of my long trips and had no problems. I am looking forward to having it for trips I have planned this year to Montana and Utah.

I think it's the new owners that are careful, maybe too careful. People here in this forum are mostly knowledgeable and know a lot about energy usage and all the things that affect it and they know how charging works and so on.

But most people don't. They are worried and they all have the fear of running out of battery in their heads. (It is the #1 question/concern I get from people asking me about the car). Most people are not technical at all, they just see the battery go down and drive slow out of fear. I've met many Model S drivers at Superchargers and by talking to them I knew they didn't understand much. They charged more than they needed, the drive slower than necessary.

I drove my family nuts on our last road trip when I only partially charged the car and drive it down to a few % on the battery. The energy trip graph scared them. They didn't understand that I was saving time that way and feared running out of battery.

But I also agree with others that just want to drive slower sometimes. I often enjoy driving and it's not about getting to my destination the fastest possible. It's stressful and dangerous and makes a trip less enjoyable sometimes.

It's a tribute to the Model S that it can be just as fun driving slowly in the right lane as it is zooming down the road. It all depends upon my mood. My other vehicle, on the other hand, is annoying to drive in any lane, at any speed.

I usually drive in the fast lane while l driving locally on the highway, not for long trips, because I didn't want to give the wrong brand impression out there. "Tesla Cars Can't Drive On The Fast Lane". I thought I was perhaps being a bit crazy, but if we're thinking about it, others might as well. I'm stock holder after all

I guess I'm confused by this "fast lane" and "slow lane" stuff. I thought there was a driving lane and a passing lane. Is this a California thing? Do you designate another lane as the "fast lane" if there are more than two lanes each direction?