Y is as fast as gas!

[mikeskuro]

I've been driving from Central Vermont to Western North Carolina for almost 20 years as my parents retired down there. More recently, since 2019, Tesla's Model 3 LR and Model Y LR. I drove down last thanksgiving and have always taken the approach of good average speeds are best.

Tesla continues to fill gaps in their network. On Interstate 26 in Asheville all the way up to Winchester Virgina, they have done a fabulous build out in the last year with tons of accessible 250's 8 to 12 charger sites.

I decided on the way home to do a charger hop run with all the 250s and avoid long deep charges. 11 total stops. I don't have numbers as it was free charging and it just says miles used.

I was not the fastest car on the road or even close to it from a safety prespective. Driving thru the mid Atlantic between 10pm-5am is quick and enjoyable and probably saves many hours.

The route, just about 1000 miles was done in 16 hours. 1:24PM to 5:24AM Per google maps it should take 14:10-16:50. Left with %80 and arrived at several chargers with 1-2%. Stopped for dinner, stopped for some bathroom breaks.

What impressed me was that rather than deep charging and stopping more the time was comparable and not really lost compared to a gas car.

2021 Model Y LR, OEM Continentals & Aero Wheel Covers
1012 Miles
297KwH
3.40Wh/Mi

 

[LoudMusic]

That's mostly been my experience as well. Keep it in the fast charging zone and you'll get to your destination in less time.

With the exception of meal breaks. Might as well have a lunch and dinner long charge which could allow you to skip the next charger.

Arrive at the charging location as low as you are comfortable with to maximize fast charging duration.

 

[Bart404]

About how many miles can you still go at 1 or 2%?

 

[mikeskuro]

About how many miles can you still go at 1 or 2%?

I didn’t test that part but with the humidity last night and 50s-60s I was loosing %1 for 2 miles.

 

[LoudMusic]

I didn’t test that part but with the humidity last night and 50s-60s I was loosing %1 for 2 miles.

I've always estimated 2 miles per percent in my Model Y at interstate speeds. It's been reasonably accurate. And if it's not I speed up or slow down to make it accurate

 

[Pianewman]

About how many miles can you still go at 1 or 2%?

Answer: why would you want to challenge it? Running out would be a very...bad...idea...You can't just put a few electrons in the "tank."

 

[Bart404]

Answer: why would you want to challenge it? Running out would be a very...bad...idea...You can't just put a few electrons in the "tank."

I DONT want to challenge it myself. That's why I asked someone who has.

 

[CMPT PAD]

I decided on the way home to do a charger hop run with all the 250s and avoid long deep charges. 11 total stops. I don't have numbers as it was free charging and it just says miles used.

Sounds like a great trip.
Question for U Pros: Free charging?

 

[hmadsen]

We did a Northern Europe to Italy and back this summer, i must say, i think the route planner that schedules charging stops is not as good as i hoped.

Multiple times it wanted us to go to a 150 KW charge when the car was down to 20%, but when my wife looked up chargers, there were a 250 KW charger that we would arrive with "below 10%" at.

In those cases we just changed the route to go to that charger instead, it was summertime, and the 150 KW chargers would regularily be almost full, so you would have to share the 150 KW with someone else, where as the 250 you get full oomph.

It was about 1000 miles every direction, we started out with 100% at home and we stopped 6 times to charge, some of those were also "to early" but was because we had to have a bathroom break or something to eat.

Worst part was in Germany i pulled into a charger, and they had a HUUGE outlet center right next to the chargers.....It was not that busy, always 50% of chargers free so we ended up leaving with 96% SOT, because someone (Wife, teenage daughter) were IMPOSSIBLE to get away from there

 

[tivoboy]

About how many miles can you still go at 1 or 2%?

I managed to go 20 miles after the car hit 0% during the snowpocalypse of 2019.. 30 mph, behind a truck, hypermiling, but still it was impressive.

2018 M3 LR

don’t try this at home.

 

[EatsShoots]

That’s a great time. I’ve done Nova Scotia to New York a couple times in a gas car, and for me it’s a 1040 mile trip. Best time about 17:15 doing door to door, only stopping for gas and bathroom breaks. A few hours of it are backroads, which hurts the time but I wouldn’t have thought 1000 miles in 16 hours to be east without a lot of speeding in an EV.

 

[sleepydoc]

I managed to go 20 miles after the car hit 0% during the snowpocalypse of 2019.. 30 mph, behind a truck, hypermiling, but still it was impressive.

2018 M3 LR

don’t try this at home.

 

[sleepydoc]

I had a friend who drove his Leaf from Mpls to Chicago and he came to the same conclusion - he said on the way down he tried to stretch it as far as he could between stops. On the way back he stopped more often for smaller charges. The deeper charges took longer and more than canceled out any advantage from making fewer stops.

 

[rzn89]

That’s a great time. I’ve done Nova Scotia to New York a couple times in a gas car, and for me it’s a 1040 mile trip. Best time about 17:15 doing door to door, only stopping for gas and bathroom breaks. A few hours of it are backroads, which hurts the time but I wouldn’t have thought 1000 miles in 16 hours to be east without a lot of speeding in an EV.

I plan on making that trip from LI in my MYP next summer.

 

[father_of_6]

I managed to go 20 miles after the car hit 0% during the snowpocalypse of 2019.. 30 mph, behind a truck, hypermiling, but still it was impressive.

2018 M3 LR

don’t try this at home.

There *IS* a bottom buffer. I chatted with a guy at a SuperCharger who said he frequently drove his Y to zero or less... although he was towed to the SuperCharger, so I wouldn't take it as a recommendation.

 

[Fourdoor]

There *IS* a bottom buffer. I chatted with a guy at a SuperCharger who said he frequently drove his Y to zero or less... although he was towed to the SuperCharger, so I wouldn't take it as a recommendation.

Was his name Kyle?

Keith

 

[Silicon Desert]

There *IS* a bottom buffer. I chatted with a guy at a SuperCharger who said he frequently drove his Y to zero or less... although he was towed to the SuperCharger, so I wouldn't take it as a recommendation.

oh, so you met Elon

 

[father_of_6]

Was his name Kyle?

Keith

Don't know... but to his credit he said he'd hit a hard pothole (or something like that) and it caused his Regen braking to stop working... so the car's estimates were completely off. Seemed like he'd also "ran out of fuel" once or twice when the regen was working too though.

 

[Fourdoor]

Don't know... but to his credit he said he'd hit a hard pothole (or something like that) and it caused his Regen braking to stop working... so the car's estimates were completely off. Seemed like he'd also "ran out of fuel" once or twice when the regen was working too though.

That was a joke about Kyle Conner from "out of spec motoring" YouTube channel. He has a history of pushing the limits on the low end of the battery before stopping to charge. To be fair, I don't think he has ever run out, he adjusts his speed as needed to arrive at near zero when getting to a supercharger.

Keith