We are thinking of switching our current car out for a Tesla Y. My partner does allot of long distance driving from Niagara to Windsor twice a week so a round trip of about 600 Km. We have hired a tesla Y for a week to see if it would work for us, it is the long range model and the owner asked us to keep the charge between 20-80% while we drive it. So yesterday to get from Niagara to Windsor my partner had to charge it twice up to 80%, which cost him ca.20 dollars each time at two superchargers along the 401. It also added an additional 45 minutes onto his 3.25 hrs drive time. We both were really surprized and disappointed to experience just how expensive it is to fast charge the Tesla in Ontario. This makes it longer and more expensive to drive upto Windsor in the Tesla Y than our current car which is a Kia Optima. All of the reviews I have read say that a Tesla is more economical to drive than a conventional gas car and I can see at short range when you are charging at home this is the case, but for those of us who drive long distances, it is looking like it will be more expensive in both cost and time to switch to the Tesla. I would really welcome comments and recomendations. I really like the Tesla Y but I just cannot yet see how it would be cost effective and convenient to drive one for longer distances.
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Cost of long distance driving in a Tesla Y in Canada
- Thread starter mpilky1
- Start date
You don't need to charge to 80%, you only need to charge enough to get to either the next supercharger you want to get to or to your destination. The battery charges faster when it's low, which will save you some time. If you have destination charging (like at home) it will cost a lot less than superchargers. You can also go below 20% if you need to, just keep enough buffer to feel comfortable.
Charging pricing is currently per minute with tiers depending on power pulled which makes no sense. As Measures Canada approved per kWh pricing, this will probably come in action soon. Therefore, pricing will be changing soon so don't base your decision too much on current pricing. With that said, don't expect to pay the same price as at home, there will always be a premium to charge fast.
Some people use alternative charging systems on CCS, like Petro Canada for example, and state it costs less. You could also look into that.
Charging pricing is currently per minute with tiers depending on power pulled which makes no sense. As Measures Canada approved per kWh pricing, this will probably come in action soon. Therefore, pricing will be changing soon so don't base your decision too much on current pricing. With that said, don't expect to pay the same price as at home, there will always be a premium to charge fast.
Some people use alternative charging systems on CCS, like Petro Canada for example, and state it costs less. You could also look into that.
I drove 50,000km during my first full year of ownership. We also travelled multiple 2,000km+ trips during the last 12 months. Lots of 380km drives between Toronto and Belleville.
Canadian side is more tricky because they are still based on tiers, charged by minutes. (Apparently, we will soon change to c/kwh soon).
All charges that started from very low (under 20%) to mid level (50-60%) tended to be cheaper than if you try to fill 80% or higher. Once I did charge up to 95% and the effective rate was awful (and slow). So my typical pattern used to be 15% -> 60% whenever I can. Also, always look for 250kw chargers if available.
This is going to become moot once we switch to c/kw, but 15% to 60% still applies if you want to optimize total charging time. It works out to be roughly CA$10/100km for superchargers.
Also, supercharger cost is roughly 4 to 5 times the cost of charging from home (7pm-7am), and soon, Ontario is about to introduce Ultra-Low-Rate between 11pm and 7am, which apparently will make it even cheaper. Still, this is only 40-50% higher than home charging when you charge during the day. So it's still not that bad. With the current rate, charging overnight works out to be roughly $2.50/100km.
We also camp inside our Model Y. So we tend to camp at 50A sites, arrive under 15%. 50A easily gets it back to 100% if needed, overnight. Super cheap way to travel.
So our 1,000km away camping trip becomes $10 for the first 400km, then $60 for the remaining 600km. Coming back, camp site covers the first 400km, then another $60 for the remaining 600km. In total, $130 for 2,000km trip, plus camp site fee.
So if you drive fast, only use superchargers, and drive long distances, your travel cost will be higher than an economical gasoline cars.But if you compare it against another gasoline car that can hold as much cargo as Model Y, it does come out slightly cheaper, even if you only rely on superchargers.
Canadian side is more tricky because they are still based on tiers, charged by minutes. (Apparently, we will soon change to c/kwh soon).
All charges that started from very low (under 20%) to mid level (50-60%) tended to be cheaper than if you try to fill 80% or higher. Once I did charge up to 95% and the effective rate was awful (and slow). So my typical pattern used to be 15% -> 60% whenever I can. Also, always look for 250kw chargers if available.
This is going to become moot once we switch to c/kw, but 15% to 60% still applies if you want to optimize total charging time. It works out to be roughly CA$10/100km for superchargers.
Also, supercharger cost is roughly 4 to 5 times the cost of charging from home (7pm-7am), and soon, Ontario is about to introduce Ultra-Low-Rate between 11pm and 7am, which apparently will make it even cheaper. Still, this is only 40-50% higher than home charging when you charge during the day. So it's still not that bad. With the current rate, charging overnight works out to be roughly $2.50/100km.
We also camp inside our Model Y. So we tend to camp at 50A sites, arrive under 15%. 50A easily gets it back to 100% if needed, overnight. Super cheap way to travel.
So our 1,000km away camping trip becomes $10 for the first 400km, then $60 for the remaining 600km. Coming back, camp site covers the first 400km, then another $60 for the remaining 600km. In total, $130 for 2,000km trip, plus camp site fee.
So if you drive fast, only use superchargers, and drive long distances, your travel cost will be higher than an economical gasoline cars.But if you compare it against another gasoline car that can hold as much cargo as Model Y, it does come out slightly cheaper, even if you only rely on superchargers.
Thanks it is a good point, I think we are nervous to run the battery down a little low. A friend of ours ran a little below 20% then she got stuck for 2 hrs in a traffic jam because of an accident on the 401 and her battery died. It was late at night and she was a way from a supercharging point. She had to get a tow but then it took along time to charge as everything was cold. That would be my worst nightmare.
Well no, of course it wouldn't be if 100% of a vehicle's use is long trip vacation traveling, but that's not how most people use cars. That's like if 100% of your eating is out at restaurants and complaining that it's not as cost effective as cooking groceries at home. Well of course not, because you're paying "vacation" prices all the time. Same with this. Discussion of electric vehicles being cheaper is with the understanding that at least most of the charging through the year is where you live where it is cheaper.
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Obviously I don't know the full circumstances of the travel by your partner but there might be some efficiencies if one owned a Tesla. Perhaps you have the potential for charging at home (and to a percentage higher than 80%). That should get the car at least 300 km without the need to charge, barring any unusual weather or traffic delays. If one often arrived early at the destination (to avoid being late for an appointment?) that time window might be used for charging without adding to the overall travel time. Also, most EV owners try to charge during meal or bathroom stops where possible, again reducing overall travel time. Everyone's circumstances are a little different.
KevinT3141
Member
There's nothing wrong with charging to 100% if you're going to use it right away, it's leaving the battery sitting at 100% that shortens its life. By the same token, going below 20% is fine if you'll be charging right away, just don't leave the vehicle sitting at a low state of charge. You also haven't mentioned if your partner can charge at a destination (or any level 2 AC) charger while conducting their business in Windsor. These things all add up to a dramatically different experience than the one you had with the rental Tesla.
According to A Better Route Planner, a trip from our friend's house in Niagara with our Model Y Long Range starting at 100% requires just a 7-minute stop in London to arrive at Windsor Casino with 10%. Personally I'd pad that to a 10-minute stop for better margin, which if you duck into McDonald's for a bathroom break and to grab a drink is easily done without any extra waiting around in the vehicle. If the car can be recharged to 100% in Windsor before returning, then your partner's reverse trip would be similar.
There's also the five days a week that the car isn't going to Windsor to consider. All that local travel will be done on low priced overnight home charging, at a cost significantly less than driving the Kia around on stop-and-go local roads.
We have our Tesla programmed to charge only between 7 pm and 7 am when the rates are lowest, stopping at 80%, plugging in every night when we get home. If we know we have a major trip coming the next day then we'll bump it to 100% in the app after plugging in (with no need to even get back in the car).
We did have some range anxiety on our first round trip to Sarnia from Kitchener. The plan was always to stop in London on the way home, but showing off the new car and letting friends drive it added quite a few country road kilometers and high-g launches. We had to take it super easy on the way back to London, doing exactly the speed limit and arriving at the Supercharger with just 2%. The battery was preheated when we got there though, and the charging speed was insane! During our quick McDonald's stop we put way more back into the battery than we actually needed to get home. In the future we'll probably get the CCS adapter so we can do a quick stop in Sarnia, as the only way to Supercharge there is to cross the border into Port Huron. Tesla needs to fix that.
According to A Better Route Planner, a trip from our friend's house in Niagara with our Model Y Long Range starting at 100% requires just a 7-minute stop in London to arrive at Windsor Casino with 10%. Personally I'd pad that to a 10-minute stop for better margin, which if you duck into McDonald's for a bathroom break and to grab a drink is easily done without any extra waiting around in the vehicle. If the car can be recharged to 100% in Windsor before returning, then your partner's reverse trip would be similar.
There's also the five days a week that the car isn't going to Windsor to consider. All that local travel will be done on low priced overnight home charging, at a cost significantly less than driving the Kia around on stop-and-go local roads.
We have our Tesla programmed to charge only between 7 pm and 7 am when the rates are lowest, stopping at 80%, plugging in every night when we get home. If we know we have a major trip coming the next day then we'll bump it to 100% in the app after plugging in (with no need to even get back in the car).
We did have some range anxiety on our first round trip to Sarnia from Kitchener. The plan was always to stop in London on the way home, but showing off the new car and letting friends drive it added quite a few country road kilometers and high-g launches. We had to take it super easy on the way back to London, doing exactly the speed limit and arriving at the Supercharger with just 2%. The battery was preheated when we got there though, and the charging speed was insane! During our quick McDonald's stop we put way more back into the battery than we actually needed to get home. In the future we'll probably get the CCS adapter so we can do a quick stop in Sarnia, as the only way to Supercharge there is to cross the border into Port Huron. Tesla needs to fix that.
Over many supercharging trips, I've learned that when your battery is somewhat low, and you are 30mins away, yet the battery pre-heat comes on, that means you have plenty of charge to get there.
Once, I had a situation where it said I would arrive with 4% remaining, yet it was pre-heating. I could not figure out a way to turn off pre-heating to be more safe with the range. So instead, I just removed that supercharger, manually added a location close to the charger, and boom, I gained significant % back. I arrived with (I believe) around 10%, but predictably, slower charging. Never went higher than 140-ish on a 250 charger. Peace (for some) vs speed? Your call.
On another close-call situation, pre-heat never came on. I guess the car figured I didn't have enough spare charge to heat the battery.
Once again, when I'm low in charge, and if the car says I can get to the charger AND if it pre-heats, that means you have enough charge.
Once, I had a situation where it said I would arrive with 4% remaining, yet it was pre-heating. I could not figure out a way to turn off pre-heating to be more safe with the range. So instead, I just removed that supercharger, manually added a location close to the charger, and boom, I gained significant % back. I arrived with (I believe) around 10%, but predictably, slower charging. Never went higher than 140-ish on a 250 charger. Peace (for some) vs speed? Your call.
On another close-call situation, pre-heat never came on. I guess the car figured I didn't have enough spare charge to heat the battery.
Once again, when I'm low in charge, and if the car says I can get to the charger AND if it pre-heats, that means you have enough charge.
KevinT3141
Member
Yup, I had total faith when it started preheating and said we'd arrive with 2%. I stayed at 110 km/h on the 402 though, no need to push it to 1% or 0% by driving any faster. 
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