drdumont
Member
You had me until that last statement. I'll drive a mile out of the way to avoid a traffic circle, roundabout or glorieta.
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Try this, when your battery doesn't have enough to reach the Supercharger
- Thread starter Missile Toad
- Start date
rhumbliner
Member
EVer Hopeful
Active Member
That's maybe because you're not used to them and have to share the road with other users who are not used to them
Think about the queues you see at the intersection of two six lanes highways (plus the turn lanes) and you have to wait for the cross traffic, then the left-turn cross traffic, then your left-turning traffic, then you get to go (and in Dallas, there's ALWAYS some a-hole who makes the left turn AFTER his arrow has turned red) [1] ... and you can't be certain which comes first, turning, or straight ahead, or some even do turning, then straight ahead, then turning again. And don't even bother when there's a power cut or a rainstorm and they all go to flashing red and the tailback is three times as long
A roundabout is just constant movement. You only have to look in one direction and it never gets affected by powercuts
[1] and how often have you been blocked from even getting into the left turn feeder land because there are so many peeps going straight ahead?
drdumont
Member
There was one on my route (the intersection of RT 206, 202 and 28 in New Jersey). After three near misses in a row from mooks who didn't plan ahead and get in the correct lane, and cut across lanes to make an exit or continue around, I avoided that abortion for two years until I moved elsewhere. I'll take traffic lights any time.
JetFalcon
Member
I did a trip from CA to AZ, which can be reached within 6 hours. But with the Tesla I had to charge 3 times, and I believe it added an hour to the commute just to charge and not able to drive. My friend started to get annoyed about having to stop every 2 hours because he drives a fuel efficient gas car, a Toyota Camry, which he claims he can drive 400 actual miles. He said he just need to fill up once and that be enough.
Stopping 3 times does suck, but then autopilot makes the car much easier to drive long distance. Gas cars even if you save time not super charging, you need alot more energy if you don't want to stop at all, and there is no autopilot to help out.
Stopping 3 times does suck, but then autopilot makes the car much easier to drive long distance. Gas cars even if you save time not super charging, you need alot more energy if you don't want to stop at all, and there is no autopilot to help out.
EVer Hopeful
Active Member
So your friend wants to drive 6 hours basically non-stop
Personally I'd rather stop now and again, go take a leak, stretch a little, maybe get something to eat. If nothing else I think it'd make the journey safer
Personally I'd rather stop now and again, go take a leak, stretch a little, maybe get something to eat. If nothing else I think it'd make the journey safer
RTPEV
Active Member
I'm not sure I understand this. Can we have more details? What is the actual distance traveled? Are there any major elevation changes? 6 hours at 75mph (although maybe you drive much faster--would be interesting to see if by just slowing down a bit you could avoid a stop) is 450 miles.
One of the advantages of driving electric is that you have the ability to start a trip at 100% and end close to 0% (although there are exceptions, such as quick turnaround trips).
So let's say you had an early 60kWh Model S, and the battery is partially degraded, giving a range of <200 miles today. If you start at 100%, you'd have to stop at mile 160, 280, and 400. That is kind of the worst-case scenario I can think of. Yeah, that would not be fun. But it's also not representative of today's state of the art.
Even my 2018 Model 3 could do this trip with one stop max, and even then it would be fairly short. If my bladder can hold out that long, I can comfortably make it 260 miles (closer to 280 under more ideal conditions), requiring only a single stop at mile 260-270. Granted, if there are huge elevation changes, that could change things a bit.
A six hour trip is probably going to be the most difficult to replicate in an EV. One stop in six hours is probably sufficient for most people, even though EVs may need two stops for that distance (albeit the second could be pretty quick, not 20 minutes). If it were a five hour trip, today's long range EVs can easily make that with one stop. And at seven hours of driving, most people would probably stop twice. Six is right in that middle. Same with 4 hours that you may or may not be able to make in one shot with an EV.
ElectricIAC
Good-Natured Rascal
EVer Hopeful
Active Member
It's when you can go from the Northbound service road to the Southbound service road without entering the cross street
Maybe a picture says it better - See how you can go from the Northbound service road of US75 round the Texas U-turn to the Southbound without getting onto Lovers Lane. No lights
Maybe a picture says it better - See how you can go from the Northbound service road of US75 round the Texas U-turn to the Southbound without getting onto Lovers Lane. No lights
drdumont
Member
Never occurred to me that I hadn't noticed these in other states. As a matter of fact, I use that very turnaround once a week or so. Handy as a pocket on a shirt. Sometimes blending in to the left lane with traffic coming from the right can get a little dicey, but all you have to do is wait for the light to your right to change, and don't faff around making up your mind.
I'll take these over traffic circles all day long.
EVer Hopeful
Active Member
This is just an advisory for you then: Stay out of Milton Keynes! 
No wait - that's just a normal town in England. It was Swindon I was looking for .. and even I'll admit The Magic Roundabout is a little OTT
No wait - that's just a normal town in England. It was Swindon I was looking for .. and even I'll admit The Magic Roundabout is a little OTT
drdumont
Member
If on the Interstates there can be signs indicating services at the next exit such as food, fuel, lodging, etc, why can there not be an indication of EV charging availability as well? I've overshot charging stations including Superchargers a couple of times. I don't play charge level roulette like Missile Toad, but making a several mile jaunt to U Turn is a major annoyance. Especially at my age when - er - pressures are mounting.
If I'm planning a trip on an unknown route, I try to research using several sources first. It has saved my cute pink little trasero several times.
EVer Hopeful
Active Member
I had no idea that there was something call a Texas U-turn and I’ve lived in TX all my adult life.
Then again I had to travel to Canada to discover a “Texas Gate” - what we call a cattle guard down here.
EVer Hopeful
Active Member
drdumont
Member
As a former Houstonite and worker at NASA during the first 14 Shuttle missions, I just had to throw a thumbs up to someone to someone with the handle of "Missile Toad"!
ZenRockGarden
Active Member
Would you try and drive a gasoline car down to the last few ounces of fuel and just hope that you'd make it to the next gas station?
EVer Hopeful
Active Member
Well actually yes - and did so on many occasions [1]
Having said that however, I wouldn't do it in the Y
[1] if only to calibrate what the E marker really meant and 11.5 was the most I dared to go past that
IronCoffee_Max
Member
At least here in CO there are. Blue signs with an EV and fuel symbol.
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