I took a little trip. From Atlanta to Albany NY and back. 1999 miles total.
Some rules and observations:
1. I tried to hit Electrify America chargers whenever possible. My two year "free" charging with them ends mid-June.
2. I tried to make sure I always had plenty of cushion to get to another charger at each planned stop.
3. There are almost always Tesla Supercharger with lots of availability around
4. Charging generally tapers off from peak once you get to 50 or 60% down to 120-150 KW range. I don't know if this was a battery temperature issue - ambient was high 70s to low 80s - or if this just the battery management system in general. So, the lower you can go on SOC before charging, the faster the average charging speed.
5. Figuring 2 miles per percent as an estimate is pretty good on 70 mph highways.
6. Nav system was good at displaying charging locations on the route. I would toggle Tesla on to see if one was near my planned stop. Otherwise, I kept it off. Tesla speed is only 97 KW.
7. I tried to be ABC (Always Be Charging). I planned rest stops at charging locations. My "range" is only 90-140 miles!
8. Nearly every stop was only a mile or less from highway exits.
9. New PFJ (Pilot - Flying J) chargers are very good.
10. NY Thruway has chargers at nearly every rest stop. I didn't need to use any, but would not hesitate in the future (when my EA plan runs out)
11. Tesla chargers handshake and start charging faster than any others. EA is slow.
12. Most EA locations now have new style charge stands and all are rated 350KW.
13. Of all the locations I was at, there were only one or two with a charger out of service.
14. Compared to the last time I used most of this route, 20 months ago, there are quite a few new charging locations.
15. One cool morning, battery conditioning came on to heat battery before I arrived at charger. Several times, battery cooling was active after charging - about a half KW of battery draw for 5 minutes or so.
16. I never had any trouble using apps or credit card to start charging. I never had any interrupted charging sessions.
17. To get above 80-81%, you have to wait through 2 or 3 minutes of 6 KW charging before it ramps back up to over 100 KW. This is a feature of Hyundai's battery management system, I think.
18. I never had to wait more than 5 minutes after restroom visit/coffee and snack buy for charger to get level I needed. That was almost always 80% at EA stops - because it was free. I had to avoid some EA chargers because they were full or close to full. Not worth the risk of getting there and being shut out. Many other options, most places.
19. Comparisons to similar ICE trips, driving an EV costs about 5 mph on average speed. I was in low 50s for most legs. ICE trips were in high 50s, generally.
20. Tesla's 97 KW limit means less at higher SOC. Would not hesitate to use for quick rest stop or top up, or at a planned meal stop.
21. Next trip will involve having to pay at every stop. I'll have to start paying attention to rates.
22. Smooth, quiet environment driving EV greatly reduced driver fatigue.
Conclusion: EV trips keep getting easier, but are still more work and take more planning. Cost for fuel is roughly the same as similar sized ICE car. Charger availability is getting better. Charger reliability is excellent. Having Tesla network available is very helpful.
ICCU worry? No. Discretionary trip and just me. If I had to get towed and make other plans, so be it. Risk is pretty low, just not as low as it should be.
Here are the gory details:
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| I found that on back-in Tesla chargers, if you really hug the line and back allll the way in, you can just reach. |
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| Franklin NC. Quasi-pull thru means you can actually use the "right" charger. |
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| EA in Chambersburg PA in evening on trip up. There is Sheetz across the street. No crosswalk at light. Frogger, anyone? |
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| Chambersburg on the way back, with a "friend". Maybe BMW i3 electric? |
