Being that it’s a new experience for you, use the Tesla planning and be done with it.
Yes, there is a way to make sure you arrive at the destination by driving based on Wh/km used, but why do it ? For exemple, you have 301 km and you have 70 kWh battery. This means if you keep the average at 70000/301 = 232 Wh/km or better, you’ll make it. From my experience with my Model 3, it can do a lot better than that so the 301 km is nothing in the conditions you mention.
And I suggest you read this before anything to understand what the 430 km in the screen means.

 

I'd suggest you could make it by keeping lower speeds and if necessary, using less air conditioning. If you can "draft" behind a bigger vehicle safely that can help quite a bit. This may not be worth it however if your partner keeps looking at the estimated range at arrival and sighing loud enough to let you know she's unhappy

 

I'd suggest you could make it by keeping lower speeds and if necessary, using less air conditioning. If you can "draft" behind a bigger vehicle safely that can help quite a bit.

I wouldn't even bother worrying about air conditioning or trying to draft other vehicles - just slow down. The air conditioning is efficient enough that you'll barely notice the difference. And drafting only works well at higher speeds - and you'll probably be too close for safety, and trucks tend to kick up more pebbles into your vehicle when you do this (I used to draft all the time when I owned a Nissan Leaf).

Just slow down. Slowing down will extend your range A LOT. In fact, the car's navigation will even suggest that you slow down in order to reach your destination if it believes you may arrive with less than 10% of the battery remaining.

I have a stretch I need to cover where it is 301 km (~187 Mi) of driving between chargers.

Can you tell us where these two charging locations are? We could put those into abetterrouteplanner and give you a better idea if we think you'll have any issues.

 

I am also asking because when I plan in the Tesla app, it takes me on another route that adds another charger and additional time

I have encountered this a number of times, where Tesla recommends an out of the way supercharger that changes my route and takes longer. I would disregard it because you say this is a flat section and the distance of 187 miles is 70% of your rated miles which is a very doable efficiency. On the other hand, reasons that would cause me to choose the longer path with extra charging:

• If I were doing this in the winter
• If this is a very windy area
• If I felt I have to drive substantially faster than 70 mph.
• If I couldn’t start this leg near a full charge.
• If I didn’t have a mobile charger with me. (I know you said there is no intermediate charging, but there is always a basic plugin somewhere, if it were an absolute emergency.)

If at the start of the leg the in-car energy app says I can get to the destination with 10-15% SOC, I go for it. That is enough margin for unexpected issues. Be aware, though, that the end SOC estimate can and does change during the drive. I typically see it go down and then most of the time back up, such that the initial estimate was pretty good.

Also increase tire pressure a bit. If 42 psi is recommended, bump that to 45 psi.

 

187 miles is no problem.
Want to tell us why you think it is?
At less than 2/3 of the battery, it should easily be doable starting at 80%.
Does this include an uphill? Are winds forecast to be high and slowing you down?

 

187 miles is no problem.
Want to tell us why you think it is?
At less than 2/3 of the battery, it should easily be doable starting at 80%.

I think the OP was very clear that he is asking because Tesla is guiding him otherwise.

Would you really feel comfortable starting at 80% of 267 rate miles = 214 rated miles, and assuming you would like to roll into your destination with at least 5%, or 14 miles, means you would have 200 rated miles to go 187 actual miles? So confident that you will get 93% of rated miles that you would drive through an area with no fast charging options? I would only consider that with a lot of experience with that specific car and that specific route. (During the summer I can usually get in the 90’s % efficiency in my model X or model S; my model 3 is more of a wildcard.) But after I considered it, it would probably be a no. My no turns to a yes if starting from a higher charge.

 

Have you looked at ABRP or Plugshare to find other DCFCs or L2 stations?

Guess there's no opportunities to veer to side adventures exploring off the beaten path locales. Bummer that that these regions do not yet have the EV charging density.

 

Weight can make a little difference, too. The planner doesn't know initially that you're packed to the gills with the mass equivalent of three more people in the car. I've noticed this in drives between MA and FL, but the estimated SoC for arrival quickly recalibrates. It was no big deal at all. After making the trip a few times the level of paranoia on a scale of 1-10 went from 3 to 0.5. But I'll admit it's easy to be less concerned on I-95 which has SC's every 40mi or less. We stuck to the plan for the most part, and on some occasions we opted to skip a SC for one 20-30mi further with better eating, closer/cleaner bathrooms, etc.

Just listen to the car. You'll be fine.

 

For any road trip the most important thing to pack is your experience. If you have very little of that, just follow the car's suggestions until your experience bag is a little more full.

 

I have a 23 Model Y Long Range

Wifes family lives in the UP of Michigan, have made the trip up there several times.

Longest 'gap' between chargers is 167 miles between Mackinaw city and Marquette.

On the way back one time we charged to 90% in Marquette. Made it to Mackinaw city with 15% left

The car reported 6 or 8 mph headwind, tire pressure 38 psi
And it was 20 degrees out (20 f)

Not exactly ideal, and I have since learned to check tire pressures often In the winter. Wasn't really an issue when I lived in Arkansas

 

I'll not try 35 mph on a 68 mph highway. You can try that if you dare...

 

You can bet your bottom dollar that if that means making it to my destination or not, I'll go that speed.

But you really just have to be a troll to read that into what I said.

 

A fact that has no bearing on this discussion. As someone once said-a rabbit hole.

In my Tesla M3LR 2023 I drove @ 75 mph (120 Km/h) when the conditions allowed for 245 miles (395 Km) and still had 14% SOC left. Between pic 1 and 2 below, if you do the math, the average speed was 118 Km/h (about 74 mph). AC 21C Auto. And the average speed before was 110 km/h (68 mph).

I arrived at the charger 27 mins later because of an accident on the highway.

So, yeah, 395 km covered, with two people in the car and luggage for a weekend, and with 13% SOC to spare.
And let's not forget, the highway speed limit in Canada is 100 to 110 km/h (63 to 68 mph). Usually people drive 115-120 km/h.

The whole leg of the trip was at an average speed of 70 mph (before the accident) as it shows in the picture 2.
If anyone is having a problem with a Tesla not doing 300 km in summer time on flat road is either spreading FUD or has no idea about what he's talking about.

At the same time, I advised the OP in my first message :

Being that it’s a new experience for you, use the Tesla planning and be done with it.

 

Being that it’s a new experience for you, use the Tesla planning and be done with it.

Agreed

If anyone is having a problem with a Tesla not doing 300 km in summer time on flat road is either spreading FUD or has no idea about what he's talking about

Agreed. Although some Teslas (aging smaller battery types) in some conditions (say, high headwinds or driving rainstorms) could be dicey.

 

Please avoid name-calling.

 

We are planning our first out-of-town adventure in a couple of weeks from Missoula, MT to Ogden, UT. I charge to 80% every night which gives me an indicated 271 miles of range. For the trip I plan to charge to 100%. Is that adviseable?

As well I have the included J1772 adapter and just ordered a CCS. Not many Tesla Superchargers on 1st leg of my route. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

Tom

 

We are planning our first out-of-town adventure in a couple of weeks from Missoula, MT to Ogden, UT. I charge to 80% every night which gives me an indicated 271 miles of range.

The 271 miles you see is the EPA rated range, not the distance that your Tesla can cover in a charge. So forget about this number, change it to % and let it be.
Use the Energy > Consumption table that will give you the right information about what your Tesla range might be based on the last driving conditions.

For the trip I plan to charge to 100%. Is that adviseable?

Definitely YES ! You should understand that charging to 100% doesn't really impact the battery, letting it sit full at 100% is the one thing that can have a negative impact, especially if paired with a hot temperature outside. Yes, Tesla does advise to charge for the daily driving no more than 80% (I charge to 55% because I don't need more range in the daily driving), but you can very well charge to 100% when you need the range to get to the destination you want.

 

Missoula to Ogden - if you don't mind using ABRP to gauge the trip (just for grins) and like easy, fast stops, 3 stops with 10% to xx% charges, except the first early stop in Butte making the rest easier. All Tesla stops. Plot your round trip to have extra running around Ogden, or check out PlugShare if you'll be there for an extended period.

The first stop in Butte would go faster if you started with under 80%. Or start with 100%, skip the Butte stop and cap your speed at 80 mph. 😁

I'm sure the Tesla NAV will have an easy time routing you with no drama, whatever your starting charge level.

Nice road trip car!

ABRP Plans

2 stops

ABRP

A Better Routeplanner is the world's most popular consumer EV routeplanner - both for beginner and experienced EV drivers. And of course for anyone curious about EVs.

abetterrouteplanner.com

3 stops

ABRP

A Better Routeplanner is the world's most popular consumer EV routeplanner - both for beginner and experienced EV drivers. And of course for anyone curious about EVs.

abetterrouteplanner.com

 

For the trip I plan to charge to 100%. Is that adviseable?

That's what I do.

While charging to 100% leads to some additional degradation, it's not a whole lot more. It's good if you can avoid doing so when it's not necessary, but otherwise feel free to do it when you need to.

I charge to 80% every night which gives me an indicated 271 miles of range.

As @voldar suggests, tap on that number to change it to percentage. That 271 indication is just battery percentage converted to a fraction of the EPA rating. It rarely matches reality.

Instead, use the car's navigation system. It will tell you the expected battery level when you arrive at each supercharger. This is VERY accurate. It takes EVERYTHING into account, including the terrain, expected speeds, weather, etc. It adjusts the estimate in real-time as well. If it ever looks like you won't make it to the next charging stop, the car will pop up a warning message telling you to slow down. EVs get more efficient at lower speeds (down to about 20-30 mph), so this is an easy way to "get more range" when needed.

For planning, use abetterrouteplanner.com. It does a decent job of figuring out a route. I'll use that for planning trips, but I just use the car's navigation system while actually driving.

 

For planning, use abetterrouteplanner.com. It does a decent job of figuring out a route. I'll use that for planning trips, but I just use the car's navigation system while actually driving.

I would not use ABRP at first, as a new Tesla user. Just use the Tesla planner and it will be just enough. Once the Tesla owner is starting to understand how things go, ABRP could be an option to use for adjusting the trip stops based on the user preference, especially when non-Superchargers might be involved. A lot of Tesla owners use ABRP, I am not one of them. And I had a Bolt for 4.5 years before my Tesla. The one tool to use is PlugShare which not only let you chose the DCFC based on your needs, but also it gives you the state of the DCFC stations at a selected stop.

 

Wow, lots of good info! I'll probably use the out-of-the-way Butte supercharger. There is a closer Electrify America station. Not sure if it's Level 3, but will use it if I discover it is. Hate backtracking!

This is kind of like imagining what travel across America by car was in the 1920s! Lots of planning. Here-to-for, I jumped in the car and drove!!

I'll try the %age method. I don't really think that way (this burger will cost me 13% of what I have in my wallet). But, I'll learn!

Thanks,

Tom

 

I'll try the %age method. I don't really think that way (this burger will cost me 13% of what I have in my wallet). But, I'll learn!

Looking at money in your wallet and charge in the battery... I say you can spend the $ in your wallet just as you can use the kWh (=%) in the battery, but you cannot use the supposed range in the battery because how far the kWh will go varies. Spend in the dollar ($1.25 now!) store or at your favorite beverage place, the money will likely go farther in some stores vs others.

 

I think we've both wrapper ourselves around the flagpole on this one!! After taking the dog to the groomer and back home, my # is 78%. And ask myself, "of what?" 🤪🤪

 

Of the "tank". Heck, in your ICEV you also had 0%-25%-50%-75%-100% of the "tank". Definitely NOT the mileage left you could drive. That was based on the driving conditions, outside weather and so on. An EV is not different than an ICEV, but people expect precision for some reason.
The only thing an EV driver should learn is that they can't control anything else but the speed. And if they see that they might not reach the destination, slowing down is the only right option they have left.