Battery range questions...

[Mata Hari]

I placed a deposit on the Cyber... I am currently driving a Volvo hybrid. I am considering buying an S or 3 until the cyber truck is available.

I admit to having range anxiety, and owning an older 60 is out of the question, but a 75 or 85 might be possible…

Here’s the question… I live in a very small town up in the mountains above Phoenix. I am at 5000 ft. elevation. One way to the airport is 90 miles. I travel frequently, 5-6 times per month. Because I am in the mountains, the ride down to the airport often preserves my battery usage, because of the descent and regen...

What kind of regeneration will I get for the downhill drive? There is some slight up and down, but since it is a 5000 foot dissent, there is a lot of down hill. Will I need to recharge at the airport? Is there a cable that Tesla can use to plug into a standard outlet or will I need a level 2/supercharger every time I go to the airport?

Also do I need to install a charger at the house or can I plug into a standard 110 outlet? I work from home most of the time, in the car would be able to charge approximately 10-12 hours daily.

thanks in advance...

 

[ewoodrick]

You'll use very little, if any power, may even have more than you left with going downhill the entire way.
Look for parking at the airport that has charging, preferably 120V plugs. You will easily charge on a multi-day trip. The car comes with the 120V cable
120V charging can be all that you need at home, it just depends on how many miles you add daily.

 

[Lasttoy]

I added 10 miles going down mountain into Jackson Hole. That was only time I've ever seen it.
You must have 220v, 14.50 charging at home in order to go to total charge every night from trip up from airport.
Here is page from manual.

 

[JPoldo]

Your question should cause many to opine.
First, forget about 120V charging at only 4 mi/hr as it is frustrating and will ruin your Tesla experience. You need to install a Level 2 charger (240V) at home. I installed a NEMA 14/50 outlet delivering 29 mi/hr. Sadly, 2019 vintage ms have derated charge rate by 20% on the 14/50 adapter and stopped providing it with car, but you can buy it for small $$.

For $500 more, get a Tesla Wall Connector that delivers about 38 mph. Check out YouTube for several Wall Connector vs 14/50 comparisons. Investigate available chargers at airport as they may have J1772 outlets for 19 mph.

Managing range anxiety is your greatest challenge. The question is, will it take you weeks or months to handle it?

 

[TIppy]

The 5000 ft of altitude is equivalent to about 9.5 kwh, but the car is not 100% efficient. So you should recover about 9kwh as you descend and consume about 10 kwh as you return home. The model S uses about 310 wh per mile, so your 90 mile commute will use about 28 kwh in each direction. The round trip will use 28 - 9 + 28 + 10, or 57 kwh. Each day the car is parked at the airport will consume one more kwh.

The S85D has about 77 kwh available from the battery, so in moderate temperatures it could make the round trip. In the winter the range may only be 75%, so the S85D would not be able to make the round trip if the car was parked at the airport for more than a day.

If a 120 volt outlet is available at the airport, it will add about 1.4 kwh per hour. In 24 hours that adds a net of about 32 kwh to the battery. In the winter the battery would have 53 kwh left when you got to the airport. After being plugged in for 17 hours the battery would be full with 77 kwh available. You would need about 50 kwh to get home. Even if you charged the battery to 90%, you could make it home.

 

[SSedan]

Someone said the wall connector is good for 38miles added per hour.......
Not on the older S, a single 40amp charger is good for about 29 dual charger equipped 58miles.