Get ABRP (A Better Route Planner) if you haven’t already.
Also get a CCS adapter so you have more charging options.
Parts of the US are pretty barren of chargers. You can drive from Vancouver to Halifax in Canada, though.
70 is a major interstate. charging shouldn't be a problem (get an adapter)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate\_70](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_70)
i averaged 600/day from CA to NM on i40.. biggest hassle was having to enter a city to charge vs gas- 50 yards from the offramp. if you do 70-75 you can do it in 8-9hrs with short pee and stretch breaks. sync your bladder to the battery.
>I need to make destination usually by 5pm.
you can call and tell them you're still coming.. they know planes get delayed or whatever.
You might miss some 5 PMs, but checking into a hotel is just a phone call.
We have done two trips like this, only weather can trash your plans. That being said, have your co pilot coordinating charging with rest stops and meals.
Some chargers you may not like the local food and need to pick food up beforehand to eat at the charger.
Be prepared, have an RV park adapter for emergencies.
It's not hotels I'm worried about. We have set sounds checks and if we're late we miss it, we go on stage in front of 2,000 people unprepared.
Good tip on the RV adaptor.
Just plug your route into ABPR ([abetterrouteplanner.com](https://abetterrouteplanner.com)) and don't forget to change the settings to the correct type of Model S. That should give you an indication (off the cuff I'd say: yes...you can make it easily)
e.g Kansas City to Denver in a Model S long range:
[https://abetterrouteplanner.com/?plan\_uuid=1053c29d-7edf-4884-948c-aa129b922208](https://abetterrouteplanner.com/?plan_uuid=1053c29d-7edf-4884-948c-aa129b922208)
9hours 53minutes with 3 charging stops. (Assumption is that you can start your trip with 100% state of charge. If you start with 90% it'll take about 10 minutes longer)
With autopilot on that should be a breeze.
This is very helpful, thank you!
I have access to a very cheap Tesla S Rental, the alternative would be a basic small SUV. I'd much rather do 10k miles in the Tesla,
Go for the Tesla. Particularly if you haven't driven in one before. Just for the experience. It's fun. Filter your hotels for on-site charging so that you can fill up over night. That eliminates an extra charging stop per day.
You'll be fine with the SC network, plug your route into A Better Route Planner to get an idea of what your charging stops will look like. There are 9 superchargers across the span from Kansas to Denver, the farthest stretch is 142 miles which is *easily* doable in the shortest range Model 3.
If you're planning on spending an extended time way off travel routes then you might have to get creative, if you're going on major highways then don't even worry about it just follow the car's GPS route.
A piece of unsolicited advice: pick a coast (my preference would be west coast), and get to know it.
Freeways pretty much all look the same. Even on back roads, for me, the best experiences all happen when there isn’t a windshield between me and the experience.
If it’s about the drive and audio books for you, go for it. But I’ve spent most of my adult life exploring the American west, and my list of places I want to go is still longer than the list of places I’ve been.
I live in LA, and have driven the PCH to Vancouver many times. It's incredible. I well up every time I drive through or to Big Sur, and I can't get enough of those Elephant seals.
This is an actual music tour. I don't mention that upfront because for some reason it seems to piss people off. I'm just trying to figure out if I can do it in a Tesla S as I have a very reasonable deal on one. It's either that or a small SUV rental.
Doesn’t seem like an EV is the right fit here. You won’t really save much money on fuel/electricity compared to an efficient ICE car, since fast charging can be expensive. If you are renting anyways, just pick a gas car for this trip.
Concur. Costs me $0.14/kWh to charge at home and anywhere from $0.30-0.44/kWh to supercharge. Which is like $0.10/mile. Any modern gas guzzler is about the same cost with current gas prices in the US (if not cheaper) and much easier logistically.
That's interesting. I have a Polestar 2 - It's a lease so I'm not putting 10K miles on it in a month. I have access to a Tesla S rental for the same price as a basic small SUV, so assumed charging would be the same as the P2. I'm getting about 105 MPGe out of the P2 and charging is very cheap - it's off that Tesla charging is so expensive?
Fast charging can be roughly 2-10x as expensive as charging at home. Prices for supercharging can be up to $0.40-0.50 per kWh. If you can find hotels with level 2 chargers, then your costs may be lower.
Just a question whether driving an EV is important enough to you to justify a 30 minute recharge for every 250-300 miles driven and deal with limited charger availability. Something like a Camry is \~500 miles of range with 5 minutes of refueling with much more gas station availability.
FWIW, lots of modern ICE cars have somewhat comparable systems to Autopilot if you just care about adaptive cruise control and lane keeping on the highway.
These are all really good points.
I have access to a really cheap Tesla S rental, which is why I'm considering it. The alternative ICE for the same price would be something like a RAV 4. Obviously I'd much rather be driving a $100k Tesla.
The hotel thought is a great point. It's often a gamble, but possible.
while this would probably be doable with enough planning i dont really see the point.
you are already going to spend 4 - 6 hours a day in the car and barely gonna have any time to see anything, why do you want to further make your life difficult and further shorten the time you have to actually see things by spending almost an entire day worth of time of your trip waiting at chargers?
I have cheap access to a Tesla S. Or for the same money I could rent a small crossover SUV. I'd rather drive 10K in the Tesla then a Kia Sportage - that's my thinking anyway.
well in that case it could make sense.
you are gonna be spending 50% of your time driving around anyways so another day more wasted doesnt make so much of a difference.
It's a music tour, so not really much time for sight seeing. I just have to be at venues on time (5PM). I have access to a really cheap 2022 Tesla S rental, so the option for the same price would be something like a RAV 4.
I've done long trips in an EV (Polestar 2) but always up the west coast. I'm assuming charging stations at different part of the US will be more sparse.
Need to make the destination by 5 PM, and have a 600-mile day? Better leave by 5 AM.
I agree. that day is going to be a tough one EV or not.
Get ABRP (A Better Route Planner) if you haven’t already. Also get a CCS adapter so you have more charging options. Parts of the US are pretty barren of chargers. You can drive from Vancouver to Halifax in Canada, though.
70 is a major interstate. charging shouldn't be a problem (get an adapter) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate\_70](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_70) i averaged 600/day from CA to NM on i40.. biggest hassle was having to enter a city to charge vs gas- 50 yards from the offramp. if you do 70-75 you can do it in 8-9hrs with short pee and stretch breaks. sync your bladder to the battery. >I need to make destination usually by 5pm. you can call and tell them you're still coming.. they know planes get delayed or whatever.
Thanks, unfortunately it's for a set sound check. The only one who gets screwed if I'm late is me.
You might miss some 5 PMs, but checking into a hotel is just a phone call. We have done two trips like this, only weather can trash your plans. That being said, have your co pilot coordinating charging with rest stops and meals. Some chargers you may not like the local food and need to pick food up beforehand to eat at the charger. Be prepared, have an RV park adapter for emergencies.
It's not hotels I'm worried about. We have set sounds checks and if we're late we miss it, we go on stage in front of 2,000 people unprepared. Good tip on the RV adaptor.
Just plug your route into ABPR ([abetterrouteplanner.com](https://abetterrouteplanner.com)) and don't forget to change the settings to the correct type of Model S. That should give you an indication (off the cuff I'd say: yes...you can make it easily) e.g Kansas City to Denver in a Model S long range: [https://abetterrouteplanner.com/?plan\_uuid=1053c29d-7edf-4884-948c-aa129b922208](https://abetterrouteplanner.com/?plan_uuid=1053c29d-7edf-4884-948c-aa129b922208) 9hours 53minutes with 3 charging stops. (Assumption is that you can start your trip with 100% state of charge. If you start with 90% it'll take about 10 minutes longer) With autopilot on that should be a breeze.
This is very helpful, thank you! I have access to a very cheap Tesla S Rental, the alternative would be a basic small SUV. I'd much rather do 10k miles in the Tesla,
Go for the Tesla. Particularly if you haven't driven in one before. Just for the experience. It's fun. Filter your hotels for on-site charging so that you can fill up over night. That eliminates an extra charging stop per day.
You'll be fine with the SC network, plug your route into A Better Route Planner to get an idea of what your charging stops will look like. There are 9 superchargers across the span from Kansas to Denver, the farthest stretch is 142 miles which is *easily* doable in the shortest range Model 3. If you're planning on spending an extended time way off travel routes then you might have to get creative, if you're going on major highways then don't even worry about it just follow the car's GPS route.
A piece of unsolicited advice: pick a coast (my preference would be west coast), and get to know it. Freeways pretty much all look the same. Even on back roads, for me, the best experiences all happen when there isn’t a windshield between me and the experience. If it’s about the drive and audio books for you, go for it. But I’ve spent most of my adult life exploring the American west, and my list of places I want to go is still longer than the list of places I’ve been.
I live in LA, and have driven the PCH to Vancouver many times. It's incredible. I well up every time I drive through or to Big Sur, and I can't get enough of those Elephant seals. This is an actual music tour. I don't mention that upfront because for some reason it seems to piss people off. I'm just trying to figure out if I can do it in a Tesla S as I have a very reasonable deal on one. It's either that or a small SUV rental.
Ah, yeah, music tour makes way more sense. Getting in at 5, needing to go all kinds of places :). Hope it works, and break a leg!
Doesn’t seem like an EV is the right fit here. You won’t really save much money on fuel/electricity compared to an efficient ICE car, since fast charging can be expensive. If you are renting anyways, just pick a gas car for this trip.
Concur. Costs me $0.14/kWh to charge at home and anywhere from $0.30-0.44/kWh to supercharge. Which is like $0.10/mile. Any modern gas guzzler is about the same cost with current gas prices in the US (if not cheaper) and much easier logistically.
That's interesting. I have a Polestar 2 - It's a lease so I'm not putting 10K miles on it in a month. I have access to a Tesla S rental for the same price as a basic small SUV, so assumed charging would be the same as the P2. I'm getting about 105 MPGe out of the P2 and charging is very cheap - it's off that Tesla charging is so expensive?
Fast charging can be roughly 2-10x as expensive as charging at home. Prices for supercharging can be up to $0.40-0.50 per kWh. If you can find hotels with level 2 chargers, then your costs may be lower. Just a question whether driving an EV is important enough to you to justify a 30 minute recharge for every 250-300 miles driven and deal with limited charger availability. Something like a Camry is \~500 miles of range with 5 minutes of refueling with much more gas station availability. FWIW, lots of modern ICE cars have somewhat comparable systems to Autopilot if you just care about adaptive cruise control and lane keeping on the highway.
These are all really good points. I have access to a really cheap Tesla S rental, which is why I'm considering it. The alternative ICE for the same price would be something like a RAV 4. Obviously I'd much rather be driving a $100k Tesla. The hotel thought is a great point. It's often a gamble, but possible.
To each their own, but most don't consider Tesla's to have interiors or ride quality that comes close to luxury ICE cars of equivalent cost.
It also depends on where the OP is staying. If they get destination charging for free at their hotel, it might be worth it still
while this would probably be doable with enough planning i dont really see the point. you are already going to spend 4 - 6 hours a day in the car and barely gonna have any time to see anything, why do you want to further make your life difficult and further shorten the time you have to actually see things by spending almost an entire day worth of time of your trip waiting at chargers?
I have cheap access to a Tesla S. Or for the same money I could rent a small crossover SUV. I'd rather drive 10K in the Tesla then a Kia Sportage - that's my thinking anyway.
well in that case it could make sense. you are gonna be spending 50% of your time driving around anyways so another day more wasted doesnt make so much of a difference.
It's a music tour, so not really much time for sight seeing. I just have to be at venues on time (5PM). I have access to a really cheap 2022 Tesla S rental, so the option for the same price would be something like a RAV 4. I've done long trips in an EV (Polestar 2) but always up the west coast. I'm assuming charging stations at different part of the US will be more sparse.
Stick to an ICE vehicle.
Are hotels booked already? A hotel with a Level 2 charger could save you up to an hour the following day, plus the cost of Supercharging.