First EV Roadtrip

[hut1]

The purpose of this thread is not to promote or discourage electric vehicle (EV) ownership. The purpose is to relay my recent real world experience; no more, no less.

My wife and I just completed a 3500 mile, roundtrip drive from Delaware to San Antonio, TX, with a short stay in Dallas. Our vehicle of choice: a 2018 Tesla Model 3, Dual Motor, Long Range, AWD. We began the trip by plugging in our initial destination (Dallas) into the car's navigation system. It plotted our charging stops based on the range of our charge level, which I initially set at 96 percent. I would later drop that to 90. Frequent charging at or near 100 percent is discouraged because it hastens the degradation of the battery. We usually charge at home, so this would be the first time using commercial chargers exclusively.

After the first or second recharge, any pre-trip anxiety was gone. Each segment between charges averaged 200-225 miles with 12-20 percent charge remaining in the battery. The cost was consistently around $20 for each charge, and it took about 20-25 minutes. We were more than ready to take a break by the time we needed to charge up. The location of the charging stations included hotels, mall parking lots and parking garages; and from Tennessee to Texas, all the Buc-ee's super stops had ample chargers. We never once had to wait for a charger to become available.

Most of our driving was during daylight hours with the temperatures ranging from the 90's to a max of 108 degrees. We have no experience with long trips in cold or moderate temperatures to compare performance.

My takeaways:
The car performed flawlessly and comfortably kept pace with others at 80-90mph on the interstates.
Tesla's supercharger network puts them far and above the other manufacturers, but others are making progress.
An EV is definitely sufficient for my daily lifestyle, and now i know it's practical for a long trip if needed.

While it was a wonderful trip, it may have been my last really long roadtrip. It was an exhausting journey. I've driven coast to coast a couple of times, and taken a few "moderate" motorcycle trips when younger and healthier. I'm now content with shorter excusions and longer adventures by rail.

As always, YMMV.

[BajaRon]

I took a short, 150 mile (One Way) trip to my sister's house in North Carolina with my eGolf. Granted, not a Tesla. But not pushing $50k either. I wrote a story about the trip because it didn't go so well. Family and friends like it. They enjoy hearing about my suffering!

I wasn't traveling high population areas like you were. But I can say the cheapest gas fueled car would have made the trip easily. I wasn't so lucky.

It's a fairly long story and I don't know if the operators would appreciate me posting it here, even though it's an "Off Topic" forum. Not sure there would be any interest if I did. But I can tell you, it was an adventure that I won't soon forget.

[ARtraveler]

Thank you both for posting about actual use of Electric Vehicles. I personally am interested in real life experiences. I would like to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. I spent about an hour trying to find answers to questions such as: how much for a re-charge, are there enough chargers out there, how long for a re-charge. Any problems withs the EV's, etc. etc.

Please post your story Baja. I think if we leave the actual stories in, and leave the criticism out...we might get some good information that will help us to make a decision, pro or con. We don't need any political talk, rants, or distracting comments that are off subject.

Information yes, political statements no.

[BajaRon]

Thank you both for posting about actual use of Electric Vehicles. I personally am interested in real life experiences. I would like to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. I spent about an hour trying to find answers to questions such as: how much for a re-charge, are there enough chargers out there, how long for a re-charge. Any problems withs the EV's, etc. etc.

Please post your story Baja. I think if we leave the actual stories in, and leave the criticism out...we might get some good information that will help us to make a decision, pro or con. We don't need any political talk, rants, or distracting comments that are off subject.

Information yes, political statements no.

There are many variables with the EV as it currently exists in the real world. Where you live, how you intend to drive it, where you want to go all factor in to a much greater degree than with a liquid fueled vehicle. It's like any other vehicle in that if you use it as designed, it will probably make you very happy. The further away from this center you get, the more unhappy you're going to be.

My brother drove his new Tesla from Kansas City, Mo. to where I was visiting my sister and mother in North Carolina. A bit under 1,000 miles. He is supposed to get a range of 280 miles. But he had issues too. You don't want to charge much over 80% on a fast charger. it's very hard on the batteries. Plus it takes a lot longer to get that last 20% and you'll really extend your wait time. Then, in an electric car, you can't afford to get anywhere near 'Empty'. It's very Not Good to run out of juice. And I have not seen an EV that gets anywhere near it's posted range. Especially if you use the AC or Heat. The battery pack will not hold as much energy in cold weather. Further reducing real world range. Add in that you need to get plugged in well before you get near zero. And your range shrinks a good deal.

Maybe I'll post an installment of my story and see where it goes.

[pegasus1300]

Please do. Serialize if you think that will work better. I know I am interested in all EV experiences.

[Fatcycledaddy]

I look at all the people in motorhomes towing cars behind, and I have wondered why some electric car company has not made their car charge as it is being towed.
Every time you stopped your car would be charged and ready to go without having to stop somewhere and charge on the trip, or looking for a place to charge when you get to your location.
My Lexus 400H would charge the battery when slowing down, going downhill, or coasting, so I know the technology is out there.

[Bangorbob]

I know it is off topic, but please post real life experiences about EV's. I'm not there yet with either solar or EV's. Too expensive and not really cost effective (my opinion only) for someone in their 70's.

[BajaRon]

I no it is off topic, but please post real life experiences about EV's. I'm not there yet with either solar or EV's. To expensive and not really cost effective (my opinion only) for someone in their 70's.

An EV can be cost effective under the right circumstances. But if you plan on doing any long distance. A liquid fueled car is, by far, a much better alternative in most cases. I have an eGolf and it is saving me quite a bit compared to driving a liquid fueled car. Of course you have to factor in the cost of the car and how long it will take for the savings to make that money back.

I pay about $0.12 a Kwh here in East Tennessee where our power comes from hydroelectric. You're not going to get this in California or other states. And charging away from home can cost several times what you pay at the house. Then, if you fast charge all the time. Especially if you fast charge past 80%, you're going to fry your battery pack. That can cost you 1/2 the price of the car to replace.

There are a number of upsides to the EV. But this does not include help for the environment, as is claimed. Nor does an EV really save on fossil fuels. Another falsehood. But it does make owners feel good. And that sells.

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes in the production and use of an EV that they don't tell you about. In other words. They are very careful to hide the flaws, which are substantial.

I don't mean to bash EV's. I own one. I have a brother and friends who own them. I am just saying that the hype and reality are very far apart at the present time. And the people who are pushing EV's know it. As always, it pays to do your homework.

[Peter Aawen]

I know it is off topic, but please post real life experiences about EV's. I'm not there yet with either solar or EV's. Too expensive and not really cost effective (my opinion only) for someone in their 70's.

I must admit that I haven't (yet ) discussed this with the other Mods (& probably won't be able to do so all that readily in the near future is I'm pretty much on the road for the next few weeks or so... ) but looking at ARtraveler's earlier post & his comments there, I really can't see how posting anyone's 'real life experiences' about their EV's can be all that far 'off topic' in this thread that started out discussing hut1's 'First EV Roadtrip', which AFAICS is pretty much just hut1's first road trip 'real life experience' with an EV...

So for my 2-bob's worth, and as ARt has also mentioned:

.... I personally am interested in real life experiences. I would like to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. I spent about an hour trying to find answers to questions such as: how much for a re-charge, are there enough chargers out there, how long for a re-charge. Any problems withs the EV's, etc. etc.

Please post your story Baja. I think if we leave the actual stories in, and leave the criticism out...we might get some good information that will help us to make a decision, pro or con. We don't need any political talk, rants, or distracting comments that are off subject.

Information yes, political statements no.

We should be adult enough here to discuss these 'real life experiences' with EV's WITHOUT descending into too much veering off topic by discussing the politics of their adoption &/or criticisms of the process etc, shouldn't we?? Hearing some ACTUAL real life experiences might help some understand a bit more about the choices they face, or maybe even consolidate their ideas on how an EV might or might not feature in their life in the future?!

Either way, I'm pretty sure that I won't be the only Mod keeping a fairly close eye on the thread, and not just to make sure that the thread doesn't get side-tracked or divert into a political bun-fight or argument about the pro's & con's of adopting EV's or not &/or the people, businesses, politics, & processes behind the push for their adoption.

Just Sayin'

[BajaRon]

We should be adult enough here to discuss these 'real life experiences' with EV's WITHOUT descending into too much veering off topic by discussing the politics of their adoption &/or criticisms of the process etc,

I fully understand what you are saying. Especially considering the policies of this forum. I probably should pull my post on another thread for exactly this.

My only thought is that 'Helping the environment' and 'Reducing dependence on fossil fuels' is touted as one of the big incentives for purchasing an EV. This figures LARGE in most people's decision process. In spite of the fact that these aspects are a myth if you look beyond the omission of a tailpipe. I understand not wanting that discussion here. But I don't see how it can be successfully separated from the package.

[Peter Aawen]

I fully understand what you are saying. Especially considering the policies of this forum. I probably should pull my post on another thread for exactly this.

My only thought is that 'Helping the environment' and 'Reducing dependence on fossil fuels' is touted as one of the big incentives for purchasing an EV. This figures LARGE in most people's decision process. In spite of the fact that these aspects are a myth if you look beyond the omission of a tailpipe. I understand not wanting that discussion here. But I don't see how it can be successfully separated from the package.

I dunno Ron, I don't really think that the odd sentence or two about the supposed incentives for purchasing will necessarily drag the whole thread off topic, and I hafta say that I didn't even consider that those few sentences in your post took it all that far off the desired topic at all - but now they've been pointed out, it's up to the readers & responders to play nice and share their EV experiences rather than pouncing on those few lines and running off with ONLY those lines, dragging the entire thread off the rails and into the weeds as they do in a way that's likely to get what could be an interesting and possibly beneficial thread shut down just cos they weren't able to stick to their experiences and leave those bits alone!

So I'd say that at least for now, leave your earlier post as it is and if we need to sort any mis-use of those lines later on the we (the Mods) will; but much more importantly, if you feel you can share, please do give us at least an installment or two of your own experience with your EV & its day to day &/or longer running??

My own EV experiences are more along the lines of 'test drives' rather than anything else; altho admittedly, a couple of those 'test drives' have been somewhat more along the lines of 'extended multi-day test drives', and as such, I don't really feel that they really give a true reflection of anyone's likely 'real life use' ... But I am sure that I'm not alone in wanting to hear about your EV suffering...

[ARtraveler]

If we go to "real life experiences" and leave out the commentary in this thread, everyone should be all right. I have already deleted two posts that were commentary only. They missed the point of the thread.

I would like to hear real life experiences from real people that drove EV from x to y. I don't care about the grid, the environment, or the conspiracies behind the subject at this time.

Let's see how it goes from here.

[rational]

Just ran into this thread. I had a 2020 Model 3 and went on two long trips. One was about 3000 miles and the other about 2000 miles. Based on those two experiences, I was not too happy and that was one reason I eventually sold the model 3 and later got a Lexus PHEV.

The good:

1. Driving on the road was excellent as it had to no problem keeping up with traffic at up to 90 mph.
2. The FSD worked well (I rarely use the self-drive-with-navigation but just the other features) and I was less fatigued.
3. Having multiple profiles is very useful, so I could switch to a sleep-mode and nap while car was charging etc. The software is generally done well and the app worked well.
4. Absolutely no mechanical or any other issue at all. It was smooth all the way. I actually never visited a Tesla service center in the 3 years I owned the car. That is a definite, strong plus.

The bad:
1. The car is tuned for best mileage at about 70 mph. The highway speeds where I was mostly driving (west, southwest) allowed me to travel up to 85, even 90, mph. Problem is the battery starts to discharge faster as you exceed 70 mph. It may not be a problem for a typical long distance driver, but when I get on the road in the summer I want to go at least 1000 miles a day. That was easy with an ICE but the need to slow down to preserve charge or the time spent recharging start to bite into that.
2. While the superchargers were generally widely available, there were pockets where the coverage was off. Maybe that change since 2021/2022 when I made those trips. I was heading down from Denver to Dallas and wanted to stop at the carlsbad caves in New Mexico, but there wasn't enough coverage in that state. So I couldn't make that trip.
3. When I was in Frisco (Dallas suburb) for a few nights, charging was a bit of a challenge. The charging stations were fairly busy so there was waiting. On the highways, you would occasionally run into stations that were busy and/or had some broken chargers.
4. The supercharger stations only guarantee access to a rest room. You can't count on any other facility. So the thought that you could go grab a bite while the car is charging isn't practical. Even when the stations were located in a strip mall or with some burger joint, often the choices were basic. It annoyed me. YMMV.
5. The car is noisy compared to other cars in that price range. I understand a big part of the price is the EV tech, but it is annoying nevertheless.

I recently replaced the Tesla Model 3 with a Lexus NX which gives me about 39 miles on full battery, which works very well for daily use. So it's practically an EV for daily use. On longer trips it's a hybrid, so a regular ICE car. And the Lexus quality/luxury is much better than the Model 3. However, the Lexus app and the lane hugging feature don't measure up to the Tesla.

Hope it helps someone out there when trying to decide between a Tesla or a PHEV.

[Chasdog]

I look at all the people in motorhomes towing cars behind, and I have wondered why some electric car company has not made their car charge as it is being towed.
Every time you stopped your car would be charged and ready to go without having to stop somewhere and charge on the trip, or looking for a place to charge when you get to your location.
My Lexus 400H would charge the battery when slowing down, going downhill, or coasting, so I know the technology is out there.

I’ve been watching The Long Way Up with Ewen McGregor and Charley Boorman. It’s about a trip from South Argentina to Los Angeles. They got Rivian to build 2 custom pickup
trucks to go along on the ride. One of the early pictures involves Rivian towing one of their trucks around their test track in order to charge the batteries.

[wyliec]

BajaRon,

I’m not sure if this counts as a true EV. But last week I ended up with a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4XE. I was not looking for electric, but with all the incentives I leased it. This model level is a Willys, and it is hybrid, all electric, or gas, and it can charge itself, which is highly b.s. But like I said, I was not looking for an EV. The Willys on pure electric makes only 21 miles, then it’s charge time or have it in hybrid mode. The one thing about Teslas is they have a network of supercharge stations across the U.S. But that doesn’t help my Willys or a lot of other EVs due to the actual connection point on the vehicle for charging. But what is fun is trying to get the Willys to self-charge in the hybrid mode. The way it does that is as you let off the accelerator the internal braking takes over for a few seconds, and then you have to finish braking the normal way. So, every now and then I get an extra 1 mile in the electrical bank, and that doesn’t happen very often. The fun part is when I'm coming to a stop sign, I let off the accelerator at a point where I can coast right up to the stop sign, and then give it the gas again. What you are trying to do is not use the actual brakes, but time it right to hit the accelerator and not have someone cross in front of you. It’s almost like playing a game, and my g.f. keeps telling me to stop doing that. But I’m getting better at determining at what point to let up on the accelerator and coast right up to the stop sign, and then hit the gas. But like I said, I wasn’t actually looking for an EV.