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2024 Eclipse trip in a Model S

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So I'm thinking about taking my 22 MSP (19" wheels) from KC to Cape Girardeau to watch the eclipse on 4/8. Plan is to arrive early morning on 4/8 to the Cape Girardeau SC and charge up to 100%, watch the eclipse, then hopefully be able to make it back without running out of battery and hopefully not having to wait for too long at SCs along the way back.

Question is...I've read to expect highways to be jammed at <10mph or stop and go for 100 miles or more.....does this make the wh/mi much worse than at speed? How much is the range on a MSP when you're just going very slowly or stop and go?

Anyone else doing a road trip in your Model S for the eclipse? Shall I just take my ICE car? (bleh)
 
I'm also planning to view the eclipse, but I'm not expecting much delay as I walk out into my backyard given I happen to live right square in the zone of totality.

What I can share is my experience when I took my 2016 MS90D in August 2017 to see the total solar eclipse.v That time I drove from central Indiana down to the Kentucky/Tennessee border. Back then the only supercharging spots along I-65 were the original Louisville, KY and Bowling Green, KY superchargers. Going down I stopped at Louisville to charge and it was already busier than typical. I didn't have to wait, but charging was slow due to the paired stall impact of the early V2 superchargers. This was even with what I thought was getting there "early", arriving at my viewing spot a good 2+ hours ahead of totality and any beginning of the shadow progress across the sun. Traffic getting there wasn't bad, arriving as I said early, before most starting filling into the area where I stopped.

The actual period of totality is quite short, only about 5 minutes. Many started to pack up and leave pretty quickly, others like me stayed around for a while before deciding I was going to set off for what would normally be about a 3 hour trip back home.

What I immediately saw via my navigation is essentially a solid dark red line along I-65. What I ended up doing was taking a back way via secondary highways up to the Bowling Green supercharger. Supercharger there was full, with typically a couple cars waiting for a spot to open. That is the only time I've ever experienced that supercharger being totally full. I was lucky as a spot opened up right as I pulled in, but again, due to the shared stalls, charging speed was slow and the stop ended up taking about twice as long as I'd anticipated. When I went to leave Bowling Green, traffic along I-65 was still largely at a standstill / crawl, so proceeded to follow alternate routes via state/county roads to weave my way back north. I did ultimately make my way back to I-65 by about Louisville, but the overall drive back was something more like twice the amount of time that it should have taken.

So, whether you take your Tesla or your ICE vehicle, I'd trust the predictions that traffic will be a mess, especially the closer you get to the zone of totality. This of course also depends a lot on the weather, as if it turns out to be an overcast/rainy day, expect a lot less people to make the trek.

Good luck.
 
My commute is about 60/40 highway vs in town. It is very easy to achieve rated or even a bit better in the stop and go traffic of the city. I drive well under the speed limit on the highway, usually high 60s vs the posted 75, and unless there is a significant tailwind the car always consumes more.

I too plan on using the Tesla to make a roughly 200 mile trip to the eclipse center. I plan on topping off about halfway there at a Bucee's, letting the fam use the restrooms and grabbing a snack. One planned location even has level 1 chargers, if it's clear sky forecasted there I plan on trying to snag one of those, but even without I think we'll be fine. The slower traffic when heading back should benefit us. The only possible situation I could see that may provide problems is if it is really hot/ cold so we have to blast the AC/ heat and the traffic is at a standstill for hours. Even then it would just add another charge stop on the way home, not the biggest deal. Good luck, hope we get clear skies!!!
 
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How do you determine where the "totality" is? I live in Ontario, Canada.

Totality will be within the red shaded area around the dashed line. The closer you are to the center line, the longer the period of totality.
 
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I'm driving 120 miles to Cleveland the day before. Not sure if I'll bug out immediately though.I can do round trip on a charge but also many options if needed.

I'm hearing these crazy traffic stories too - what they are suggesting sounds pretty far fetched.
 
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Add in an overcast sky as well and it's perfect. Did that last time. Just a quick glance so maybe not too smart though.
No. Definitely no. You probably did long term damage to your vision that will (at minimum) accelerate your vision as you age.

Folks, those dorky cardboard glasses* are like a dollar. Sometimes free. Don't risk your vision by looking for even a second at an eclipse as the impact to your vision is greater than just staring at the sun right now... Which you also wouldn't do.

*NASA has a website that lists places to get legitimate glasses that actually protect your eyes. Many are free. There's lots of glasses marked as properly rated that are just cranked out of a Chinese factory with zero care of actual eye protection capabilities. I bought a 5-pack from B&H for like $6 shipped.
 
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