Well, I hate to say this but the drive from Toronto, Canada to Casper, Wyoming was uneventful. Elon Musk and Telsa have made Superchargers so abundant that this was a routine drive.
The last time I attempted anything similar, there were still big gaps between Superchargers. That meant strategizing and rationing power. I expected to do the same pulling my trailer.
The closest I came to strategizing was when the Tesla route planner wanted me to leapfrog a charger, but I decided to stop anyway.
And so… that is what I took away from this drive. I resigned myself to stopping at every charger so that I could have a break. Knowing that, I hauled ass and paid no attention to keeping my power low. As such, my numbers are higher than expected and a hyper-miler could do better.
Totals:
820 kWh of power to go 1,706 miles at 481 Wh/mi (2,745km at 299 Wh/km) versus my lifetime average of 431 Wh/mi (268 Wh/km).
Other advice?
- Regarding Auto-Pilot with a trailer:
The car automatically engages “Trailer Mode” when you attach the trailer electric connection. According to the Owner’s Manual, Trailer Mode disables auto-pilot, increases the follow distance for Traffic Aware Cruise Control, and it locks suspension at “Standard” height. From my anecdotal experience, it also budgets more power in the Route Planning.
You can override this setting in the “Driving” menu. The Owner’s Manual says Tesla lets you turn off “Trailer Mode” in case you have something like a bike rack or storage bin attached (some of which have lights because they block your cars lights).
One could theoretically disable “Trailer Mode” while towing to re-activate auto-pilot. If one were to do this, it would be wise to disable auto-lowering and manually lock the suspension to standard. One would want to be even more attentive but one could drive for hours on auto-pilot with no issues… theoretically of course.
- The purchase of a TT-30 adapter was worthwhile. Why?
50 amp spots are meant for the huge RVs. Those spots are ugly and $15+ more per night. The abundance of Superchargers means a 30 amp charge is sufficient overnight to fill the gap. The 30 amp spots are also located nearer the ‘tent’ spots which are forested/scenic.
- It was nice to see some of the Superchargers supported by a specific business.
I came to love the “Hyvee” 24-hour grocery chain that hosted Superchargers in Illinois. They have fresh salad bars, soup, Chinese, pizza, and more.
And big props go to the “Thunder Road Grill” at Grand Island, Nebraska for offering all Tesla drivers a free appetizer.
- Blocking chargers with my trailer:
I was lucky and didn’t have to remove my trailer when charging. I’d always arrive to an empty bank of chargers (usually 8). If I could park on the end, I’d block two spots. Worst case, I’d block four spots. I would not wander far away but it is currently a long shot for 5 other Teslas to arrive while I was away.
So, that was the civilized, all highway drive. The next week puts me 500 miles, off road with few J1772s, unknown Nema 14-50s, and absolutely NO superchargers. Stay tuned.
