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Picking Up My 85D Today
- Thread starter ABCCBA
- Start date
Arrived at the Mobile SuC 198 miles @ 324 W/mi. The Mobile SuC is located behind the Bel Air Mall. Nothing else within walking range. No lighting! Everything is closed at 2 a.m. I learned a ton this leg. I Trip Charged in Baton Rouge, and thank goodness. The battery charged 100% with 267 miles. The Mobile SuC showed 200 miles away, so I thought all was cool. But 25 miles from Baton Rouge, the route computer changed to add the Slidele, LA SuC, which was just 50 miles from Baton Rouge. I didn't panic, but tried to figure why. Well, it was because the energy consumption at 79 mph put Mobile outside of the Tesla Comfort zone and wanted me to charge for 5 minutes in Slidele. I chose to bypass Slidele and push my luck getting to Mobile SuC. Well, for another 30 miles past Slidele, the route computer kept telling me to go back to Slidele. I ended up having to cancel my route and jus route straight to Mobile SuC. The Energy Trip screen showed I would arrive in Mobile with 13% battery. So, I knocked the speed down to 70 mph to save some energy. And, I made it with 39 miles remaining and 13% just as it originally calculated. Lesson learned, 79 mph pulls about 330 W/mi. 70 mph pulls about 310 W/mi. As to why the consumption was so high on the previous leg, it was due to speed. The speed limit was 75 and 70 the whole way. I was running 7 over, so at 82 mph I must have been draining the battery quickly. No worries now that I am getting a feel for %battery life estimates and the usage at Interstate speeds. This leg from BR to Mobile was by far the furthest. So, the rest of the trip home should be uneventful for battery charge as long as I charge to what the route calculator says, as it appears Tesla wants to remove Range Anxiety by calculating having at least 50 miles or 20% battery charge upon arrival of a SuC
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chriSharek
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Overnight, stopped at DeFuniak Springs SuC. It is about 3 miles off of I10 and in the old section of historic DeFuniak Springs. Nothing around it. Nothing. Slept while car was charging. Then off to Tallahassee SuC. Located in a strip shopping center with a variety of eateries and a Fresh Market. On to Lake City SuC.
Be sure you are pushing the button all the way in. (I know it sounds bad but I've heard of people not realizing the first detent is single wipe and pushing it further is wash.)
Otherwise, I got nothing...
Lake City SuC. This is actually 7 miles south of I-10 on I-75. It is a strip center that has many restaurants. This SuC actually has outdoor seating compliments of Firehouse Subs. These last three stops have all been short 20 - 30 minute charges, as they were just over 100 miles apart.
Dog leg right down the peninsula and towards home.
@NOLA_Mike that was it! Thank you. Dummy me wasn't pushing it in far enough. The story of my life. I cant even get the car to squirt without instructions. lol
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At the final SuC, Turkey Creek on the Florida Turnpike. It is the slowest of all I have visited. Anyway, where I live is directly between two SuC, so I won't see another one for quite some time. I've got a 100A HPWC, so we're good at home.
I have Driven just over 1200 miles so far, across five States. No issues from cops, until pulling into the SuC here. I showed him all my paperwork and he then had to ask 'What type of car is that anyway?' Then, 'How much do they cost?' So, we stood in a downpour for 15 minutes talking about the Model S. 85 miles from home. 30 hours on the road. I'll followup later from my desktop computer, with a detailed critique of the entire trip. But for now I want a shower and sleep.
@Silverpnt01 the vehicle was also on LeaseTrader, where I found it. The LeaseTrader and US Bank transfer process was simple, quick and professional. I called the Florida DMV and the Texas DMV to ask about driving it back home. Texas DMV has a 5-day Transit Permit that can be obtained online for free. I applied and printed the permit the day before I went to pickup the car. I had the permit, lease papers and insurance card in the glovebox. I drove with the Tesla No Emissions tag. Based on what I was able to negotiate and the age and mileage of the vehicle, I see myself doing this again in a couple years as I won't be keeping this car. When this lease is up, I'll just turn in the keys.
AUTOPILOT Review - Positive Opinion - Very easy to use and become Comfortable with. It is absolutely a HANDS ON function as there were several times it abruptly cancelled and I had to take immediate action. Also, the system is heavily weighted to follow the line on the right, that you have to be ready to counter steer at any time.
Abrupt Cancellations - when AP can't figure out what to do it cancels immediately. This happened numerous times. It could not handle left sweeping turns on the interstate at speeds of 75 mph. It also had issues when there were Jersey Dividers just a few feet from the left line.
Heavily Weighted to Right Line - AP appears to be biased to the right line. This is an issue that will necessitate constant attention and anticipation for certain road configurations. I can't list all that I experienced without this becoming a volume. So, the number one area is off ramps. Since AP relies heavily on the right line, at an exit off ramp, the right line follows the off ramp. Therefore the car will turn to the right to enter the off ramp. But, it then picks up the right side line after the off ramp and swerves back to the left to try and center itself in the lane. I anticipated this and was able to counter steer to keep the car straight. However, AP is strong and you have to manhandle the steering wheel. Interestingly, the DOTs place dashed lines on the right side through the On ramp area, so there are no issues there.
Interesting Observation - The AP is Hands On, but all of us will try hands free driving at some time. Don't as there are times were it cancels and you could not get your hands back to the steering wheel fast enough not to wreck.
Secondly, I purposely tried to see how long I could go without touching the steering wheel. The longest was 9 minutes before the warning sounded to keeps hands on the wheel. What I observed is that AP appears to do a series of easy wiggles left and right in the lane. If the car does not detect your counter steer pressure, it alerts you. The thing is that the times varied, but all were above 3 minutes.
Again, Do Not trust AP with your life. Don't be afraid to use it, just don't use it in place of your constant awareness.
Abrupt Cancellations - when AP can't figure out what to do it cancels immediately. This happened numerous times. It could not handle left sweeping turns on the interstate at speeds of 75 mph. It also had issues when there were Jersey Dividers just a few feet from the left line.
Heavily Weighted to Right Line - AP appears to be biased to the right line. This is an issue that will necessitate constant attention and anticipation for certain road configurations. I can't list all that I experienced without this becoming a volume. So, the number one area is off ramps. Since AP relies heavily on the right line, at an exit off ramp, the right line follows the off ramp. Therefore the car will turn to the right to enter the off ramp. But, it then picks up the right side line after the off ramp and swerves back to the left to try and center itself in the lane. I anticipated this and was able to counter steer to keep the car straight. However, AP is strong and you have to manhandle the steering wheel. Interestingly, the DOTs place dashed lines on the right side through the On ramp area, so there are no issues there.
Interesting Observation - The AP is Hands On, but all of us will try hands free driving at some time. Don't as there are times were it cancels and you could not get your hands back to the steering wheel fast enough not to wreck.
Secondly, I purposely tried to see how long I could go without touching the steering wheel. The longest was 9 minutes before the warning sounded to keeps hands on the wheel. What I observed is that AP appears to do a series of easy wiggles left and right in the lane. If the car does not detect your counter steer pressure, it alerts you. The thing is that the times varied, but all were above 3 minutes.
Again, Do Not trust AP with your life. Don't be afraid to use it, just don't use it in place of your constant awareness.
Supercharging - Exceptional Opinion - Simply stated, the Tesla Supercharger (SuC) system makes Telsa Motors, period. Without the SuC system I would not be a buyer of an all electric vehicle.
Speed of Charging - The 7 of the 8 chargers I used were providing between 325 Mi/hr and 350 mi/hr of charge rate. So, in 30 minutes, you have all the charge you need to get to the next SuC, with a few exceptions as I looked at locations around the country. All of the SuC were in good locations except DeFuniak Springs, FL, which I have no idea why it was ever even considered to be placed so far away from the interstate and in a historic old town, side rode location. All the rest were close to some type of business establishment that you could frequent while charging.
Range Anxiety. Unless you are travelling in an area clearly void of SuC locations, there should be no problem with any 70KWh or higher vehicle making it between two SuCs. However, a 70KWh vehicle will definitely lengthen the trip time due to having to fully charge the battery, thus spending more time at a SuC than with an 85KWh or higher.
Negative Note - DO NOT BE IN A HURRY to get somewhere on a long distance drive. Even though you may have a 85KWh or 90KWH battery, you still use the same SuC locations, so you won't be skipping any SuC becasue of the larger battery. It just means that you may not have to charge as long. You need to add 35 - 45 minute of time for every 200 miles you are travelling. The extra 35 - 45 minute is for exiting the highway, charging and returning to the highway. This makes for an extremely long road trip. And I mean drastically longer. Do the math yourself and be prepared.
Speed of Charging - The 7 of the 8 chargers I used were providing between 325 Mi/hr and 350 mi/hr of charge rate. So, in 30 minutes, you have all the charge you need to get to the next SuC, with a few exceptions as I looked at locations around the country. All of the SuC were in good locations except DeFuniak Springs, FL, which I have no idea why it was ever even considered to be placed so far away from the interstate and in a historic old town, side rode location. All the rest were close to some type of business establishment that you could frequent while charging.
Range Anxiety. Unless you are travelling in an area clearly void of SuC locations, there should be no problem with any 70KWh or higher vehicle making it between two SuCs. However, a 70KWh vehicle will definitely lengthen the trip time due to having to fully charge the battery, thus spending more time at a SuC than with an 85KWh or higher.
Negative Note - DO NOT BE IN A HURRY to get somewhere on a long distance drive. Even though you may have a 85KWh or 90KWH battery, you still use the same SuC locations, so you won't be skipping any SuC becasue of the larger battery. It just means that you may not have to charge as long. You need to add 35 - 45 minute of time for every 200 miles you are travelling. The extra 35 - 45 minute is for exiting the highway, charging and returning to the highway. This makes for an extremely long road trip. And I mean drastically longer. Do the math yourself and be prepared.
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