Not sure what I should do and am open to suggestions.

Getting rid of a car that you already own is a drastic step. Hopefully that won't be necessary.

To help give you some advice, can you provide more information?

• Do you have charging available at home? Do you charge your car every night?
• What city/area do you drive in?
• How long have you had your Model Y?

 

I charge at home and do not drive every day. Most days, I use about 20% of an 80% charge when I do drive. I keep it at 80% typically. I should have prepped it to 100% on the day in question, but the plan I had set out shouldn't have required it, and I had to make an unexpected trip that day which caused the unexpected power issue.

I drive along the Wasatch Front in Utah and live in a very elevated part of Salt Lake County.

I've had the Model Y for about 8 months now.

 

I charge at home and do not drive every day. Most days, I use about 20% of an 80% charge when I do drive. I keep it at 80% typically. I should have prepped it to 100% on the day in question, but the plan I had set out shouldn't have required it, and I had to make an unexpected trip that day which caused the unexpected power issue.

Now that this has happened to you, I'd recommend that you charge up to 90% regularly. I know that will be overkill for most days, but it should help you avoid this issue the next time you have unexpected changes.

I've had the Model Y for about 8 months now.

It's new enough that you can charge at CCS stations in addition to Tesla Superchargers. That would increase your charging options. You would need to purchase this CCS Combo 1 adapter in order to use those stations.

Take a look at Plugshare in the area where you couldn't find a supercharger, and see if there is a CCS charger in that vicinity that you could have used instead.

 

The other day I had to travel out to one of the courts I frequent and it was already a bit harrowing because of the storms. At the end of the day, I did not have enough range to get back home and this was the first time that I had this issue. I had not really noticed but there were no Superchargers in the area that I was in. The nearest was too far to get to (I didn't know at the time there was an emergency reserve). I had to go to various other chargers to get enough juice to get to a supercharger and then get home. What should have been a few hour trip ended up taking all day.

It was stressful, and I've been having second thoughts since then about even using an electric vehicle. I'm considering abandoning my model Y, or potentially going with a model S because of the added range. I don't really want to abandon my model Y because I really enjoy driving it and like the minimalist aesthetic. Other vehicles are simply too busy.

Not sure what I should do and am open to suggestions.

If you have the nav routing, that car will keep you safe. In this case you will want to make home your destination and the other location as a waypoint.

As @garsh mentioned, CCS charging can often be helpful and while it may be a little expensive, I'm sure you would have paid twice the price for it the other day. CCS Combo 1 Adapter (tesla.com)

But stuff happens, people run out of gas as well. The Tesla advantage you are at least full everyday.

If you use the nav, the car will take care of you.
Did you try you to route to the Supercharger?

 

Like Ed above said, get used to using Navigate every time you go anywhere. Even around town so you get used to using it.
For trips also download the app, ABRP. Plug your trip in and see how closely it follows Navigate.
Plus it will show any CCS high speed chargers.

 

If you know ahead of time you're going for a long trip, charge to 100% at home and if it's cold out precondition. You won't have the anxiety. September 18th 2022 I had to go to Bedford Nova Scotia to pick up my daughter's Y. Charged to 100% with 527kms estimated range. Bedford Tesla dealer is 263 kilometers from my house. I made it there and back with 3% left. I don't have range anxiety anymore. Know your car and plan your trip. No harm in charging to 100% if you are going to use it right away. It's like pumping extra gas in after it already clicked when you know you are heading for a long drive.

 

This could happen when people don’t pay attention. And once it happened, people don’t trust the car anymore, when in fact they are the culprit, not the car. I don't have a solution for such a situation. I’d say though, the same scenario will happen even with a model S if you don’t change. Being mindful about the range / SOC of the battery in an EV is the first thing one should do. If you can’t understand this simple concept, sell your car and be done with it. Don’t think about buying a model S either. It also needs you to grasp the concept of battery capacity, car efficiency and the relation between them and the range.

I know the above sound harsh. But if one has to do un unexpected road trip and doesn’t think that maybe the car can’t make it, which happened to the OP, then better get rid of the car. There was a chance to keep the car if he learned the lesson, but his message tells me he didn’t learn anything. If you can’t see what you did wrong, you will never understand others who tell you what you did wrong.

 

Unnecessarily sarcastic. You come across as a real snob.

 

My last post reacted to the gist of the story, which was supercharging. But ”one of the courts I travel to” also is a clue. Courts are usually in dense downtown areas, and it’s very common for court parking areas to have charging. So all of this could probably have been fixed by both daily charging, and by using the Plugshare app to find the nearest charging station and plug in while at the courthouse.

If you follow those two steps, it’s very likely running out of power will never be a problem again unless you go on a really long trip far from civilization. Which is better than gas, even for a “busy car”.

 

" Courts are usually in dense downtown areas" Yea, kind of, compared to the rest of the county. But for most of the courts near me, that means a courthouse in the town center with businesses around it. Commonly 60+miles away from the next.

 

Not sure what I should do and am open to suggestions.

And suggestions you have been given! I think the best overall advice is to be more mindful of the state of charge. I tend to keep my entire route in the navigation system, all the way to home or wherever I will charge at the end of the day. I would tend not to alter my daily charging habit for the very occasional, unexpected destination, but I also say that with the expectation that I could stop by a supercharger. I am retired and time is not particularly of essence for me. I think of friends, though, who would not feel they have an extra 15 min to stop by a supercharger, and I am also aware there is not a supercharger at every corner. So depending on your personal details, starting each day at a higher state of charge might be the best answer.

 

Another thought. Before I got my Model 3, I had a Bolt, and before that a Volt. I used PlugShare and Chargepoint to find free chargers. In my area, DFW, a number of car dealers have free chargers. Most are the slow J-1772 but some Nissan dealers also have the fast CCS chargers. I spent a few conference calls with my Bolt plugged into a CCS charger at the Nissan store.

I’ve got the standard J-1772 adapter. I really should get the CCS adapter just in case.

On the other hand, a Model S would be sweet. 😎

 

Another thought. Before I got my Model 3, I had a Bolt, and before that a Volt. I used PlugShare and Chargepoint to find free chargers. In my area, DFW, a number of car dealers have free chargers. Most are the slow J-1772 but some Nissan dealers also have the fast DCC chargers. I spent a few conference calls with my Bolt plugged into a DCC charger at the Nissan store.

I’ve got the standard J-1772 adapter. I really should get the DCC adapter just in case.

On the other hand, a Model S would be sweet. 😎

DCC? Are you referring to CHAdeMO? or CCS?

 

I love my S. It is really great for range. Much more car than a Y or 3.

 

Big Lizzo fan, right?

 

You mentioned you live in Utah. Are you traveling 80mph+ on the highways? If you want to travel at high rates of speed on the highway, live in colder temperatures, like lots of cabin heat, expect to get no where near the stated range. Sentry mode also uses energy that could be valuable when traveling.

Driving an EV requires some thinking and planning. Keep your eye on the Trip Meters ( Lifetime + Current Trip). I have a Model Y with a 78 kWh usable battery. My lifetime average is currently 271 Wh/mi (or 1000/271=3.69 miles per kWh). The EPA just rerated the LR Model Y down from 330 to 310 miles of range. To hit that figure you need to average 250 Wh/mi or 4 miles per kWh. Typically most TMY LR drivers are not averaging that!

 

I have a Model Y with a 78 kWh usable battery. My lifetime average is currently 271 Wh/mi (or 1000/271=3.69 miles per kWh). The EPA just rerated the LR Model Y down from 330 to 310 miles of range. To hit that figure you need to average 250 Wh/mi or 4 miles per kWh. Typically most TMY LR drivers are not averaging that!

Through many miles of experience, I have learned that I can achieve the displayed range at an efficiency of 225 Wh/mi. That is possible, but impractical in a M3P with 20" wheels!

 

There are so many Super Chargers within 1000 miles radius of my travel that I never worry anymore. I was close to running out and actually ran out once in my Chevy Bolt. It was inconvenient but not devastating. They even brought out 2 tow trucks to pick up my passengers. It took just over an hour total. They put skates underneath the vehicle and hoist it onto a flatbed. Out of pocket expense was $0

With my Tesla, all I do is enter my destination and charge when it tells me to but I also start looking for a Super Charger when I'm near 25% There are always one within 15 miles. At least in the 6 or 7 states that I travel. I also have more options to charge at a DCFC with my CCS to NACS adapter.

There are plenty of charging desert for CCS but I can usually find a SC.

Perhaps Utah, Nevada, N&S Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska aren't quite ready for EVs yet.

 

.

 

The other day I had to travel out to one of the courts I frequent and it was already a bit harrowing because of the storms. At the end of the day, I did not have enough range to get back home and this was the first time that I had this issue. I had not really noticed but there were no Superchargers in the area that I was in. The nearest was too far to get to (I didn't know at the time there was an emergency reserve). I had to go to various other chargers to get enough juice to get to a supercharger and then get home. What should have been a few hour trip ended up taking all day.

It was stressful, and I've been having second thoughts since then about even using an electric vehicle. I'm considering abandoning my model Y, or potentially going with a model S because of the added range. I don't really want to abandon my model Y because I really enjoy driving it and like the minimalist aesthetic. Other vehicles are simply too busy.

Not sure what I should do and am open to suggestions.

I suggest a cursory look at your planned route before you leave. Familiarize yourself with charging options and locations. Just takes a moment to look at the map.
Yes, driving an EV takes a little more attention to detail than just hopping in an ICEV and presuming there will be gas stations all over Hell's Half Acre. You could even try ABetterRouteplanner.com over your morning coffee.
A small price to pay, IMHO.
The car will tell you where the S/Cs are, all you have to do is ask. I learned years ago to trust the system. I knew the route better than the car did (!). What the car knew and I didn't was the 10 mile traffic backup on a controlled access highway. Lesson learned.

 

Plan better is my suggestion, the navigation lets you enter a round trip so you can consider the return journey

 

Just use the alphabet. A B C Always Be Charging. Heck I have had my Tesla for a month and figured that one out. Always entering your destination is useful, I've taken to doing so around town too. I was getting in to that habit with my ICE car also, esp.with traffic aware nav software.

 

Remember that RV parks are everywhere and usually have a NEMA 14-50 which can add miles quickly enough to get you out of a tight spot.

 

IF you have a mobile connector in the car with the appropriate heads.

 

The other day I had to travel out to one of the courts I frequent and it was already a bit harrowing because of the storms. At the end of the day, I did not have enough range to get back home and this was the first time that I had this issue. I had not really noticed but there were no Superchargers in the area that I was in. The nearest was too far to get to (I didn't know at the time there was an emergency reserve). I had to go to various other chargers to get enough juice to get to a supercharger and then get home. What should have been a few hour trip ended up taking all day.

It was stressful, and I've been having second thoughts since then about even using an electric vehicle. I'm considering abandoning my model Y, or potentially going with a model S because of the added range. I don't really want to abandon my model Y because I really enjoy driving it and like the minimalist aesthetic. Other vehicles are simply too busy.

Not sure what I should do and am open to suggestions.

The only question I had at the Tesla dealer the day I bought my car... Which model has the longest range. That's what I bought... without a test drive.

 

And how many times have you needed it?

 

I bought a used Tesla V1 EVSE for each of my two Teslas so I could leave the factory supplied one in the car at all times. There were adaptors available for them at the time.

 

You ought to be driving an ICE car. Tesla isnt rocket science but you aren’t up to it.

 

Driving an EV long distances requires more planning than doing so in an ICE vehicle. Some new owners are going to be unprepared for that reality. But if they're willing to learn and want to make it work, and ask for advice, I think it's worthwhile to try helping them rather than just telling them to "give up".

 

And Chicago was a charging desert recently unfortunately. Actually worse, it had mirages, too!

 

I guess the argument for topping off to 80% every night is that you never know when you might need to leave on a long-ish trip with little or no warning. But in practice the odds of that happening are so tiny that I don't worry about it. On a daily basis we use a few % each day, so we don't plug it in again until it gets down to ~40%, top it off to 80% that night, then don't plug it in for a few days (this is with the Mobile Connector plugged into a NEMA 14-50 in our garage). If we only had L1 at home I'd definitely plug it in each night but with a few hours warning I know I can get it to 100% if need be at home, so I just don't worry about it too much.

 

Once you have a good understanding of EV charging and your own usage, you can do whatever works for you. But people who are new to EVs are often still of a mindset of driving a car until it's down to about a quarter, then filling it back up. It takes a little while to realize that you have to plan things differently with an EV, and a lot of that depends on how you personally end up using your EV.

Tesla's recommendation to leave it plugged in at all times and charging to 80%-90% every night is a good starting point for a new owner.

 

With my battery sitting around 60%, I know I can go 100 miles and hit a SuperCharger at a preferred lower battery level, so I'm now not even bothering to save for an unplanned longer trip.

I came to this realization as I planned for a trip of 100 miles and started the planner with 80%. I would get there with too much in the battery. I would also prefer to SC charge upon arrival (warmer battery after a couple hours driving and can also precondition the battery with sufficient lead time, versus going to the SC later after cold soaking). I would charge adequately for local travel and not expecting to have any supplemental L2 charging. The place we're staying does not provide destination charging. The place that did, just down the street, did not appeal to us. We wanted to be right on the edge of the beach though mid-February cold.

 

Unlike ICE vehicles (gas or diesel) which you can fuel any where. With EVs and Tesla, you have to use the navigation and follow it to chargers along the way, even though you know the route.

When you are more than 50% to the next charger, less than 50% of charge, and you decide to turn around, you may not have the charge to reach the charger you left. You are then committed to get to the next one, charge, then go in either direction.

 

Unlike ICE vehicles (gas or diesel) which you can fuel any where. With EVs and Tesla, you have to use the navigation and follow it to chargers along the way, even though you know the route.

When you are more than 50% to the next charger, less than 50% of charge, and you decide to turn around, you may not have the charge to reach the charger you left. You are then committed to get to the next one, charge, then go in either direction.

Said like a newbie with range anxiety.

In most places, Superchargers are closer than 50 miles apart. It's nearly impossible to be out of range of a Supercharger at 50% range. In many places, you can pass two Superchargers and make it to a third with 50% left.

 

If you know the route thru the Superchargers and do not use the in car navigation, the battery will not pre-condition for charging and your overall experience will be slower charging.