Planning a Road Trip & Cutting it Close

[Mike321]

I have a 2024 MYLR and I'm mapping out a trip from Central Florida to North Carolina.

Using the Tesla trip planner it shows 4 charging stops with the longest stretch being 3hr 20 min (215 miles).

I also tried A Better Trip Planner and it gave me 4 completely different stopping points, with the longest stretch being 3hr (200 miles).

Based on the fact that I've been averaging around 200 miles on a full charge, I'm a little concerned about the long leg of either route.

I do plan to put my aero covers on and limit my air conditioning. If you have driven a similar distance on one charge, I'm curious if you have any tips for maximizing my battery. I really don't want to be stranded on a NC highway.

Thanks

 

[kpanda17]

I have a 2024 MYLR and I'm mapping out a trip from Central Florida to North Carolina.

Using the Tesla trip planner it shows 4 charging stops with the longest stretch being 3hr 20 min (215 miles).

I also tried A Better Trip Planner and it gave me 4 completely different stopping points, with the longest stretch being 3hr (200 miles).

Based on the fact that I've been averaging around 200 miles on a full charge, I'm a little concerned about the long leg of either route.

I do plan to put my aero covers on and limit my air conditioning. If you have driven a similar distance on one charge, I'm curious if you have any tips for maximizing my battery. I really don't want to be stranded on a NC highway.

Thanks

Tesla's in vehicle, battery management system (BMS) is better than any external app for Tesla battery and navigation together. Also using the Tesla BMS via the Nav, it preconditions the battery as you arrive at the Supercharger for optimal and shortest charging time. The preconditioning does use energy though, but the stops will even be shorter.
Stick with mapping on your phone Tesla app location/nav first to see the rough estimate, jump in your vehicle to see and even more accurate depiction.
As for number of stops, that's up to you. Tesla BMS will typically runs the vehicle battery between 20 to 80% charge thus more stopping for charging. You can override that by watching navigation and being sure when you drive past the BMS/Nav suggestion supercharging stop location, you can reach the next supercharger.
I'm about to drive 552 miles. Using the app on my phone shows 3 stops and then charging at my destination. In the app, I can set my departure charge percentage, I set to 95%, and now I have two charges and then charge up at my destination. Lucky for me there is a supercharger, recently built at my destination. BUT I do use A Better Route Planner ABRP for unique situations, like my return 552 mile trip will be towing a uhaul trailer impacting my efficiency, wh/mile by double. The ABRP app allows me to set my expected energy use when it navigates. Btw, my stops on the way back increases to five.
The Tesla BMS will see im in towing mode and will also slowly adjust the NAV to reflect my double energy use pulling a box through the wind behind me.
Im in tech and this geek stuff is fun.
btw, there are a lot of posts on what to store in the vehicle for road trips. Read up and pack for a disaster, just kidding but have the right stuff with you.
good luck

 

[Mike321]

Tesla's in vehicle, battery management system (BMS) is better than any external app for Tesla battery and navigation together. Also using the Tesla BMS via the Nav, it preconditions the battery as you arrive at the Supercharger for optimal and shortest charging time. The preconditioning does use energy though, but the stops will even be shorter.
Stick with mapping on your phone Tesla app location/nav first to see the rough estimate, jump in your vehicle to see and even more accurate depiction.
As for number of stops, that's up to you. Tesla BMS will typically runs the vehicle battery between 20 to 80% charge thus more stopping for charging. You can override that by watching navigation and being sure when you drive past the BMS/Nav suggestion supercharging stop location, you can reach the next supercharger.
I'm about to drive 552 miles. Using the app on my phone shows 3 stops and then charging at my destination. In the app, I can set my departure charge percentage, I set to 95%, and now I have two charges and then charge up at my destination. Lucky for me there is a supercharger, recently built at my destination. BUT I do use A Better Route Planner ABRP for unique situations, like my return 552 mile trip will be towing a uhaul trailer impacting my efficiency, wh/mile by double. The ABRP app allows me to set my expected energy use when it navigates. Btw, my stops on the way back increases to five.
The Tesla BMS will see im in towing mode and will also slowly adjust the NAV to reflect my double energy use pulling a box through the wind behind me.
Im in tech and this geek stuff is fun.
btw, there are a lot of posts on what to store in the vehicle for road trips. Read up and pack for a disaster, just kidding but have the right stuff with you.
good luck

Great info, thank you very much I’m heading to one of the Wander properties and I know they have a Tesla charger at the house which is a bonus.

 

[kpanda17]

Great info, thank you very much I’m heading to one of the Wander properties and I know they have a Tesla charger at the house which is a bonus.

no stress at all with charging, we've done this 552 mile trip many times and were going down 81, not even 95 which has even more superchargers
for me whats new is the towing, I have never towed this far before in this EV
but this forum and youtube have prepared me well with that to do, not to do and what to expect in terms of wh/mile, thats the best guidance

 

[Feathermerchan]

Remember that you can stop at an RV park if necessary. I have driven 200mi (Texarkana-DFW) with no problem in my M3P. The charger in Texarkana is at an Olive Garden so we ate and let it get to about 97%. Then I carefully watched the predicted arrival charge % and adjusted speed and HVAC to arrive with ~10% charge. Worked great.

 

[Mike321]

no stress at all with charging, we've done this 552 mile trip many times and were going down 81, not even 95 which has even more superchargers
for me whats new is the towing, I have never towed this far before in this EV
but this forum and youtube have prepared me well with that to do, not to do and what to expect in terms of wh/mile, thats the best guidance

Have a safe trip!

 

[dgpcolorado]

My experience is that ABRP is worthless for my Y LR. I did one trip from Tucson to Holbrook, 235 miles with more than 4000 feet of elevation gain, that it wouldn't even map, no matter how I tried to adjust the parameters. I made it without difficulty by being careful.

My longest trip leg was 274 miles from my home, over the mountains (11,000 feet) to Milan NM. Drove down to 3% just to get a feel for the range. That distance is not something you could likely do because some of it was on low speed mountain highways and all of it was at high altitude. Range is less at sea level because dense air causes more drag. Range is lower at freeway speeds, also due to increased drag. (The slower you go, the farther you can go because drag increases at the square of velocity.)

That said, the Tesla Nav is superb at adjusting your estimated battery percentage at destination in real time as you drive. if that number is falling, slow down until it stabilizes (unless you realize that you have plenty left and can easily make it). If you get in a jam you can bail by making an additional Supercharger stop; there are hordes of them in the East, unlike where I live.

For starters, shift your battery display from miles to percentage, if you haven't already done so. The EPA miles number is utterly worthless, except for estimating battery degradation over time. That number has nothing whatsoever to do with how far you can actually drive. Stick to battery percent and forget the miles number exists. Then the battery percentage at destination will make a lot more sense.

Although you might want a buffer of 20% or so before setting out on a trip leg, don't be afraid to drive down to the low single digit percent if you need it. Nevertheless, if percent at destination is falling steadily, it is helpful to slow down a little right away, rather than have to slow down a lot later. You can speed up later once you are sure that you can make it.

FWIW. I've done more than 90k miles of Tesla road trips, most in the thousands of miles, so I have some experience with this.

 

[kpanda17]

also, learn the Tesla in vehicle energy app, watch how you drive and the results in the app under instant consumption

 

[cwerdna]

Remember that you can stop at an RV park if necessary. I have driven 200mi (Texarkana-DFW) with no problem in my M3P. The charger in Texarkana is at an Olive Garden so we ate and let it get to about 97%. Then I carefully watched the predicted arrival charge % and adjusted speed and HVAC to arrive with ~10% charge. Worked great.

I wouldn't stop at an RV park. There are numerous reasons (e.g. entry cost, might not welcome EVs, might not have the power that you'd expect, outlets might not work, you might not have the right adapters on hand for their plugs, etc.). One would be better off finding working J1772 EVSEs or https://www.tesla.com/destination-charging on Plugshare.

If you had https://shop.tesla.com/product/ccs-combo-1-adapter, you could use CCS DC FCs which would be way faster than the using any J1772 EVSEs or "destination chargers" or anything at an RV park, but again, check Plugshare first.

I've been driving non-Tesla BEVs for over 10 years. I've never once stopped in an RV park and don't even have anything that could plug into say NEMA 14-50 (assuming the EV park had that) nor TT-30.

 

[Mike321]

Range is lower at freeway speeds, also due to increased drag. (The slower you go, the farther you can go because drag increases at the square of velocity.)

What highway speed would you say is ideal? I usually go somewhat slower with the family in the car. For example 95's speed limit is 70 and I'm typically in the right lane at 75.

 

[EVRider-FL]

When I do road trips from south FL to New England, I don’t try to maximize mileage between charging stops, and you don’t have to either. You can stop for a bathroom break and do a quick charge at the same time, and charge while you stop for a meal. Especially with the higher charging speeds of the newest superchargers and newest Teslas, I rarely have to sit and wait for the car to finish charging. I stopped planning my charging stops after my second road trip in 2017, and just rely on the car and my bladder to tell me where to stop. There are parts of the country with fewer superchargers that require more planning, but the east coast is not one of them.

 

[Mike321]

When I do road trips from south FL to New England, I don’t try to maximize mileage between charging stops, and you don’t have to either. You can stop for a bathroom break and do a quick charge at the same time, and charge while you stop for a meal. Especially with the higher charging speeds of the newest superchargers and newest Teslas, I rarely have to sit and wait for the car to finish charging. I stopped planning my charging stops after my second road trip in 2017, and just rely on the car and my bladder to tell me where to stop. There are parts of the country with fewer superchargers that require more planning, but the east coast is not one of them.

Great to hear, I'm a lot less worried than when I first posted

 

[greatauror28]

I have done Edmonton-Kelowna which is a 2200 kms (1367 mi) roundtrip twice already and have not had any issues with charging nor I try and maximize my efficiency (I rock 21" wheels during the Summer).

No need to worry about it - just plug your destination in the Tesla Navigation and it will do the rest.

 

[Feathermerchan]

I wouldn't stop at an RV park. There are numerous reasons (e.g. entry cost, might not welcome EVs, might not have the power that you'd expect, outlets might not work, you might not have the right adapters on hand for their plugs, etc.). One would be better off finding working J1772 EVSEs or https://www.tesla.com/destination-charging on Plugshare.

If you had https://shop.tesla.com/product/ccs-combo-1-adapter, you could use CCS DC FCs which would be way faster than the using any J1772 EVSEs or "destination chargers" or anything at an RV park, but again, check Plugshare first.

I've been driving non-Tesla BEVs for over 10 years. I've never once stopped in an RV park and don't even have anything that could plug into say NEMA 14-50 (assuming the EV park had that) nor TT-30.

I've never had to atop at an RV park but I've read where others have. If you can't make the next SC, an RV park is a lot better than being stranded. I ALWAYS carry an EVSE (cord) with a 14-50, 6-50 and 120V. I also carry a spare. We've got near 80,000 miles on two Teslas with more than 15,000 on Supercharging. Just follow the nav and monitor the est charge at your next stop and adjust speed, hvac accordingly. When navigating, the car will tell you to slow down to xx speed to make it to the next stop. I've had that happen twice to me. Never been stranded.

 

[kgvickers]

When I've got to cut it close I always monitor the energy app:

My experience is that it works really well and lets me know if I should slow down some.

You mentioned that you were planning to limit the AC use. Slowing down a few mph will have a much greater impact.

Also, check your tire pressure before hitting the road.

 

[bradtem]

Road tripping in EVs is reasonably easy in Teslas but not without adventure at present. However, getting caught at zero just almost never happens because there are many possible ways to avoid it.

1. Predictions by the Tesla in-car system and ABRP will have error, not just because of the system being wrong, but also due to surprise winds, different driving conditions and habits etc. So yes, you must take extra care if doing a plan that gets you there with 5% or less
2. So on these long legs, track how your expected SoC changes, and if it's below expectations, resolve problems sooner rather than later by stopping for a 5 minute top-up at a fast charger, or plotting where you might go. Use Tesla's "Energy" screen which will show you the plotted charge over all the hills and valleys of the trip. In particular what matters is your low point (ie. the top of the highest hill)
3. Carry the CCS adapter, and check on the map to see if there are CCS stations along the path.
4. Failing that, if you see yourself getting too low, just drop your speed, especially if you were planning freeway speeds. Dropping to 55 from 70 will solve almost all range problems, though a top-up may take less time.
5. Worst case, look for level 2 chargers and RV parks. Bring your 14-50 adapter of course. An hour in an RV park will get you 30 miles extra range, which again should solve any major problems. Get some take-out before going there and eat a meal.
6. The very last resort is roadside assist towing you to supercharger. It's obviously going to cost you hours. But you will make it.

Now here's the trick. I've never had to do 5 or 6, but I have done 1-4. And they are faster than other alternatives like going way out of your way to fast charge. Using 1-4 you are not going to lose much time if you do it right.

 

[dgpcolorado]

What highway speed would you say is ideal? I usually go somewhat slower with the family in the car. For example 95's speed limit is 70 and I'm typically in the right lane at 75.

Depends on "ideal." 75 mph will suck range down pretty quickly — much faster than 65 mph, for example. However, nav will make the initial estimate of battery percentage while charging based on usual and customary speeds for the route. It isn't always accurate so be sure to add in a sizeable buffer until you get used to how it compares to your driving. Takes a few trip legs to get a feel for it.

Nevertheless, once you get going and Nav sees your actual energy consumption, it will adjust by shifting the estimated percentage at destination. If that number is dropping steadily, rather than dropping then stabilizing, slow down a bit until it does stabilize. Or pick a nearer Supercharger Station and blast away. Even five mph makes a significant difference.

Most road trip newcomers will charge to a higher buffer to get comfortable what the real range is on a given highway at speed. Do be aware that rain or headwinds can decrease range by a lot — if you face such weather, charge a bit extra. I consider 15% plenty for a typical road trip leg but you might want to go with 20% to 30% at first.

In general, shorter trip legs, say 100 miles, have a lot more leeway than longer ones over 200 miles. There is less time/distance to use up the buffer on short trip legs. In my Y LR I routinely do 150 to 200 miles, but any longer than that and my partner and I will need a restroom break anyway. More short charges are easier to manage than a few long ones. Four and a half hours is my typical driving limit without a rest stop and that's pushing it. Three to three and a half hours is better. YMMV.

 

[kpanda17]

what about energy and towing a uhaul box? I am using ABRP app and estimating my anticipated consumption at 450 wh/mile
does the vehicle BMS report accurately while towing? my guess is that I will have approx 100-150 miles of range while towing this box, brick

 

[dgpcolorado]

what about energy and towing a uhaul box? I am using ABRP app and estimating my anticipated consumption at 450 wh/mile
does the vehicle BMS report accurately while towing? my guess is that I will have approx 100-150 miles of range while towing this box, brick

You will need some sort of energy estimate to get an idea of likely Supercharger stops (perhaps twice as often than without the trailer). Once you are under way, Nav will see that your energy usage is vastly higher than expected and it will adjust the battery percentage estimage at (next) stop to reflect the actual energy consumption. Then it should model your trip leg usage pretty well. Much like making the drive with a huge headwind!

As always, the slower you go, the farther you go and this is even more true when towing a trailer.

 

[Mike321]

Road tripping in EVs is reasonably easy in Teslas but not without adventure at present. However, getting caught at zero just almost never happens because there are many possible ways to avoid it.

1. Predictions by the Tesla in-car system and ABRP will have error, not just because of the system being wrong, but also due to surprise winds, different driving conditions and habits etc. So yes, you must take extra care if doing a plan that gets you there with 5% or less
2. So on these long legs, track how your expected SoC changes, and if it's below expectations, resolve problems sooner rather than later by stopping for a 5 minute top-up at a fast charger, or plotting where you might go. Use Tesla's "Energy" screen which will show you the plotted charge over all the hills and valleys of the trip. In particular what matters is your low point (ie. the top of the highest hill)
3. Carry the CCS adapter, and check on the map to see if there are CCS stations along the path.
4. Failing that, if you see yourself getting too low, just drop your speed, especially if you were planning freeway speeds. Dropping to 55 from 70 will solve almost all range problems, though a top-up may take less time.
5. Worst case, look for level 2 chargers and RV parks. Bring your 14-50 adapter of course. An hour in an RV park will get you 30 miles extra range, which again should solve any major problems. Get some take-out before going there and eat a meal.
6. The very last resort is roadside assist towing you to supercharger. It's obviously going to cost you hours. But you will make it.

Now here's the trick. I've never had to do 5 or 6, but I have done 1-4. And they are faster than other alternatives like going way out of your way to fast charge. Using 1-4 you are not going to lose much time if you do it right.

Thanks!