Ohmman's Airstream Adventures

[ohmman]

Wind also would be a big factor with that much drag. At the speeds you drive when towing, drag is not much of a factor. A headwind would be an effective increase in speed that you are not including in these data.

Correct. Though I disagree that drag's not an important factor when towing. I think it's the most important. Don't let those average speeds mislead you, I traveled at 55mph+ for many of our miles. With a very low Cd, that winds up being a significant force.

I made a few notes about wind speed when we were driving, so I may be able to pick through the data and get something resembling meaningful.

 

[BerTX]

Correct. Though I disagree that drag's not an important factor when towing. I think it's the most important. Don't let those average speeds mislead you, I traveled at 55mph+ for many of our miles. With a very low Cd, that winds up being a significant force.

I made a few notes about wind speed when we were driving, so I may be able to pick through the data and get something resembling meaningful.

Haha, I didn't say drag was not significant in towing, I said at the speeds you tow they are not as significant. That's why you tow at those speeds...

At 55 mph, a 10 mph headwind will increase your drag by almost 40%. Not having that wind speed factored into the above graph can easily account for the variation, can't it?

BTW, darksky.net has a "Time Machine" function that will give wind speeds for locations at any date and time.

 

[ohmman]

Haha, I didn't say drag was not significant in towing, I said at the speeds you tow they are not as significant. That's why you tow at those speeds...

At 55 mph, a 10 mph headwind will increase your drag by almost 40%. Not having that wind speed factored into the above graph can easily account for the variation, can't it?

Definitely. Sorry, I read your post differently. I absolutely agree that headwinds are a major factor. I encountered them!

Thankfully, I also got some sweet tailwinds..

 

[ohmman]

En route to Lassen. Between Vacaville and Corning, a relatively flat highway stretch, I was driving 53mph. Traffic was quite heavy and not moving too much faster than me. A semi passed me very slowly going 55mph, so I increased TACC and followed at distance 7. Below, you can see the 30 mile consumption while following. I was surprised and impressed with the result.

 

[AlMc]

En route to Lassen. Between Vacaville and Corning, a relatively flat highway stretch, I was driving 53mph. Traffic was quite heavy and not moving too much faster than me. A semi passed me very slowly going 55mph, so I increased TACC and followed at distance 7. Below, you can see the 30 mile consumption while following. I was surprised and impressed with the result.

View attachment 240108

Were you comfortable with this following distance? Seems there are people that 'draft' very close to TTs at very high speed. (I know you were not that close, just curious as my wife has a tendency to tailgate at highway speeds, making me want to always drive the family )

 

[ohmman]

Were you comfortable with this following distance? Seems there are people that 'draft' very close to TTs at very high speed. (I know you were not that close, just curious as my wife has a tendency to tailgate at highway speeds, making me want to always drive the family )

I believe tow mode increases the following distance. That said, it was at my limit of comfort. I can't imagine using anything closer. I also won't make a habit of this. It was more in the interest of research.

 

[ecarfan]

The Model X manual states that when towing the TACC interval is increased. @ohmman did you perceive an increased following distance at 55mph?

I would think that following a semi with TACC at 7 while towing would be fine. Personally, I never use anything less than 7 in any situation. I wish there was an 8 and 9 setting.

Hope you have smooth motoring all the way to Lassen!

 

[cpa]

Would a fine, upstanding contributor to this post please explain what y'all are talking about? My S85 has no switch, button or other gizmo labeled "TACC", and the only single digit numbers available to me are the sound volume and speed of the AC/heater fan.

Thanks!

 

[KJD]

Traffic
Aware
Cruise
Control

They have newer cars than you and me cpa.

 

[cpa]

Traffic
Aware
Cruise
Control

They have newer cars than you and me cpa.

Thank you! The nerve of some people!

 

[ohmman]

Shingletown/Mt. Lassen KOA has an 80A and 40A HPWC available free to guests. I'm hooked up to the campsite but for cabin or tent renters, it may be a valuable addition. They are also extremely Tesla friendly, making a point to come over and tell us how much they appreciate us bringing our car here. Visitors to the national park who are not staying here can charge for $20.

The campground is very nice. Proximity to the national park is good but Lassen is a bit spread out, so there will be a decent amount of driving on this trip.

We have four nights here prior to heading home.

 

[JimVandegriff]

Shingletown/Mt. Lassen KOA has an 80A and 40A HPWC available free
We have four nights here prior to heading home.

Check out the newest post on the Airstream addicts Facebook page. Someone else is doing what we are doing!

 

[ohmman]

Check out the newest post on the Airstream addicts Facebook page. Someone else is doing what we are doing!

I'm glad it's a public group as I'm not on Facebook.

I immediately noticed they're using a weight bearing hitch..

 

[JimVandegriff]

I'm glad it's a public group as I'm not on Facebook.

I immediately noticed they're using a weight bearing hitch..

Yep, that was my impression too. I could not tell which Airstream model they were towing as the rear window looked different than the 22 footers, and the width seemed larger. It could be a 16 foot Sport or a 19 or 20 foot Flying Cloud. It was fascinating to see it towed with no weight distribution or anti-sway systems.

 

[JimVandegriff]

I just realized looking at the car license plate, that this is probably theTesla display Airstream.

 

[ecarfan]

I just realized looking at the car license plate, that this is probably theTesla display Airstream.

Yes, the white X in those photos has manufacturers plates.

Jim, thanks for your posts in the thread in that FB group that corrects some misperceptions. But now you really have your work cut out for you: someone named Peter Scavone made a post about an hour ago with lots of errors about Teslas and EVs that I hope you can counter.

@ohmman, glad to hear you made it to Lassen and are settled and plugged in. Shingletown KOA sounds like a great place for EVs!

 

[ohmman]

Hiked to Lassen Peak today. Want to play a game of "find the Model X?" Check out this photo, find the parking lot, and look for the white X. It was a decent grade, climbing 2000' in about 2.4 miles.

 

[ecarfan]

Cool! Literally. Love seeing all that snow in August, and a lake with partial ice cover!

So that view is from the peak at 10,463 ft?

 

[ohmman]

Cool! Literally. Love seeing all that snow in August, and a lake with partial ice cover!

So that view is from the peak at 10,463 ft?

It was probably ~200 feet down from the peak. I couldn't see the car from there. I figured my photo should include a Tesla to keep it on topic.

The hike is relatively unremarkable until you reach the top. Interesting and challenging enough with a couple of snow crossings, but it's mostly just a climb. To climb an active volcano and check out the caldera is just too cool to pass up, though. Plus, we have to get our kids acclimated. My 7 year old was the first to the top.

The lake is Lake Helen and it was really beautiful when the sun hit it.

I went ahead and plugged into the vacant HPWC at the campsite just to give the owners some confirmation on their decision to install them. They've been unused since we were here. I only spent about and hour there but got a solid 72A on my X.

 

[ChadS]

Shingletown/Mt. Lassen KOA has an 80A and 40A HPWC available free to guests. I'm hooked up to the campsite but for cabin or tent renters, it may be a valuable addition. They are also extremely Tesla friendly, making a point to come over and tell us how much they appreciate us bringing our car here.

That is very good to hear. I was the first electric car to stay there, in April 2010 with my Roadster. My third-party charging adapter fell apart and my brand new one from Tesla only worked at 120V for some reason, so I borrowed some tools to fix my 240V adapter and talked to them for quite a while.

They were extremely nice and very intrigued by the EVs-at-campgrounds idea. I had noticed they'd put in the charging station, but haven't had a chance to get back there yet...

I had come in at midnight with snow and the ground and freezing temperatures. They had a packet for me to get in to my cabin, which they had pre-warmed. Very nice.