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I just did a 2 day 2000 mile trip in my long range model 3. Total charging costs were around $100, which didn’t include two stops where the superchargers were f

by jmpman 5y ago

I just did a 2 day 2000 mile trip in my long range model 3. Total charging costs were around $100, which didn’t include two stops where the superchargers were free (network connectivity problems?). Required a total of 13 supercharging stops. Each stop was between 20min to 45min. I started off completely full, and charged overnight at a Tesla destination charger, (so, 14 stops?). Roughly half the cost of the article’s reported charging costs. At two superchargers, I had to wait due to a crowd, which probably added a full hour to my trip. But, all the superchargers worked. What’s not talked about are the bathroom facilities. You’d expect the superchargers to be located next to a fast food restaurant or gas station. Some place with extended hours and restrooms. Nope. Ended up peeing in bushes on the side of the road in the middle of the night. Tesla needs to fix that. At one Supercharger in a hotel parking lot, the fellow chargers informed me that the hotel wasn’t friendly to supercharging restroom seekers. I tried crossing a busy freeway to get to a gas station on the other side, only to find they were open, but their restroom closed. Peed in a culvert. Once I arrived at the Shamrock Texas supercharger past midnight, and the attached gas station (a Conaco used for inspiration in Pixar Cars - highly recommend checking it out) was closed. They probably have some camera footage of me peeing behind a bush. Quite opposite from the premium experience you’d get driving a BMW or Mercedes. Luckily I’m the prime demographic for mandatory late night public urination. However, my wife is not.

drewg123 5y ago
I've done multiple ~1000mi road trips in my Model X, and I've peed in a lot of bushes too. A lot of the newer chargers (at least on the east coast) are located at WaWa's, and have 24hr restrooms. But the chargers at malls are a pain. Either the mall is closed, and you need to pee in the bushes, or the mall is open and the traffic is terrible and the chargers are ICE'ed in. There is one charger in Hardee SC thats in the parking lot of a police station. I was a bit nervous to use the bushes there..
- 1-6 5y ago
  I wonder if the smell of urine is a thing around superchargers.
  - m-i-l 5y ago
    I'd hazard a guess that most people will opt to urinate as far away from sources of high voltage electricity as they can. In the UK we periodically get news stories about people being electrocuted by urinating on railways, and many will have been traumatised by watching the terrifying "Play Safe" Public Information Films as children.
- ansible 5y ago
  I've taken multiple long trips in my Toyota Prius, and never once had to pee in the bushes. 600 mile range on a single fill-up, but after driving for a few hours I'm usually ready for a 5 minute break. I totally get how cool EVs are, and how much fun they can be to drive. And if you're spending 90+% of your time just commuting to work, it can potentially save you money on gas. But I would definitely not subject myself to long road trips with EVs at this point in history. One out-of-service charging station along the way can ruin your whole week.
  - garyrichardson 5y ago
    My experience with hybrids and long trips is that you're stopping more frequently for gas. They've got small gas tanks and small batteries. Both of which are burned through quickly when you're on a freeway and not touching the brake pedal.
    - ansible 5y ago
      I'm real curious as to which hybrids you've been taking trips in. A gen 4 Prius can easily do 600 miles at highway speed. A gen 3 should be able to do at least 550 on a full tank. That's nearly 8 hours at 70mph. There's no current EV that can do that.
      - garyrichardson 5y ago
        My experience was with a BMW 330e. I guess I should clarify, I mean true plug in hybrids. Is a gen 4 Prius a PHEV?
        ansible 5y ago
        The Prius Prime is the PHEV version, which is more expensive than the standard Prius. It has the same gas engine and nearly the same gasoline range as the standard Prius (it gets slightly lower MPG due to the increased weight). You're obviously not going to get far on battery power alone, that is about 25 miles. The intention was to be able to cover a typical commute to work, and then be able to charge a work. Just read a little bit on the 330e. It doesn't get nearly as good gas mileage as a Prius, but is obviously a much peppier car. Though if I was spending that much money, I'd try to get a Rav4 Prime, which is nearly as quick (5.7 seconds for 0-60 mph), 600 mile range, and all wheel drive. But that's a personal preference, I'm not in the market for a sports sedan.
throwawayboise 5y ago
Most recent long drive was 725 miles in a gasoline-fueled Volkswagen. Took about 12 hours with one 10 minute fuel stop.
- ecpottinger 5y ago
  So what you are saying, you could do the 2000 mile trip in 33 hours! Of-course, that assumes you do not sleep for the entire trip, don't take bathroom breaks or stops for food. I think I rather do the 2000 miles in a BEV and take some breaks in the driving.
  - frosted-flakes 5y ago
    With multiple drivers, sure, why not drive non-stop? My brother and his family drove across Canada a year or two ago to visit family; with kids, flying would have been exorbitantly expensive ($1000 per person) and he only had so much time off of work, so him and his wife made the 4000 km trip in less than 40 hours. And the same on the way back.
- gambiting 5y ago
  So I did the same recently, but in a PHEV, and I honestly think it's the best of both worlds. In my daily usage, I use zero fuel. Last time I filled up was in March, because I just charge it at home and nearly all of my daily driving is within the 30 mile EV-only range. But when we drove across Europe I could just carry on for about 600 miles per tank, only filling up once at a well stocked petrol station(with working bathrooms and a restaurant). Anecdotally - tried to charge the car in Germany when we stopped for lunch, but found that it was impossible to start the session, the app wouldn't accept my non-german payment card so that was that. Would suck if I had to charge.
  - masklinn 5y ago
    > So I did the same recently, but in a PHEV, and I honestly think it's the best of both worlds. In my daily usage, I use zero fuel. Yeah in theory PHEV provide the ideal flexibility of EV for commute and ICE for long-range driving, however apparently lots of people with PHEV never charge them, mostly resulting in less efficient ICEs / HEV (because the plug-in-ability means a larger battery and more complexity, so a PHEV is heavier and more complex than an equivalent HEV).
gorgoiler 5y ago
In the UK an ancient law says it is legal to pee against the rear wheel of your carriage. Don’t try “googling” the validity of this law. The mainstream (ahem) media anti-public-disorder industrial complex seems to have polluted cyberspace with articles falsely claiming this law is a myth. Stand up for your rights and pee on your wheels. /s See also: British women having the right to urinate in a policeman’s helmet if they are caught short in public (and are pregnant.)
- TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
  Is it possible to drive 1000 miles in one direction in Britain? Edit to add: nope, The greatest distance between two points is 968.0 km (601+1⁄2 mi) (between Land's End, Cornwall and John o' Groats, Caithness), 838 miles (1,349 km) by road. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain
  - pestatije 5y ago
    The M25. You can drive way more than that anticlockwise, and clockwise is even longer.
m-i-l 5y ago
I did a 1,857mile (2,989km) road trip including some of the more remote parts of Scotland in an electric car last year. Interestingly most of the ChargePlace Scotland chargers were in public car parks, which have public toilets. The Highland Council even has a map of public toilets. All very civilised. When it comes to Tesla superchargers in the UK, most are in service stations, which tend to be open all the time, and indeed were some of the few facilities to remain open in the strictest periods of lockdown given that good transportation was classed as essential service. There are a few superchargers by hotels and restaurants, but in my experience they're always fine with you using their facilities (the main issue seems to be a few who charge excessive parking fines if you don't register with them while charging).
beerandt 5y ago
It's interesting that these charging stations are even permitted to be built without restrooms. No gas station built today would be exempt from that requirement. Although I can think of at least a few unattended gas pumps that also are without restrooms. It's obviously an emerging market, but it seems like charging stations would be suited for bucee's or even truck stop style facilities, with areas to rest, eat, shower, etc. At least compared to consumer based gas stations. I'm not sure what the economics of building those would look like without selling hundreds of gallons of diesel at a time.
timbray 5y ago
The non-Tesla public chargers I used are pretty well all at gas stations or big-box stores. So there's always a bathroom, a fast-food joint, and sometimes even a real-food diner.
belter 5y ago
This is a realistic view of the current experience for some users and some EV models in the UK: "The PAINS of Living with an EV! My WORST Experience Yet" https://youtu.be/XwevvreoNjE https://youtu.be/XwevvreoNjE

by jmpman 5y ago

drewg123 5y ago

I've done multiple ~1000mi road trips in my Model X, and I've peed in a lot of bushes too. A lot of the newer chargers (at least on the east coast) are located at WaWa's, and have 24hr restrooms. But the chargers at malls are a pain. Either the mall is closed, and you need to pee in the bushes, or the mall is open and the traffic is terrible and the chargers are ICE'ed in. There is one charger in Hardee SC thats in the parking lot of a police station. I was a bit nervous to use the bushes there..

1-6 5y ago
I wonder if the smell of urine is a thing around superchargers.
- m-i-l 5y ago
  I'd hazard a guess that most people will opt to urinate as far away from sources of high voltage electricity as they can. In the UK we periodically get news stories about people being electrocuted by urinating on railways, and many will have been traumatised by watching the terrifying "Play Safe" Public Information Films as children.
ansible 5y ago
I've taken multiple long trips in my Toyota Prius, and never once had to pee in the bushes. 600 mile range on a single fill-up, but after driving for a few hours I'm usually ready for a 5 minute break. I totally get how cool EVs are, and how much fun they can be to drive. And if you're spending 90+% of your time just commuting to work, it can potentially save you money on gas. But I would definitely not subject myself to long road trips with EVs at this point in history. One out-of-service charging station along the way can ruin your whole week.
- garyrichardson 5y ago
  My experience with hybrids and long trips is that you're stopping more frequently for gas. They've got small gas tanks and small batteries. Both of which are burned through quickly when you're on a freeway and not touching the brake pedal.
  - ansible 5y ago
    I'm real curious as to which hybrids you've been taking trips in. A gen 4 Prius can easily do 600 miles at highway speed. A gen 3 should be able to do at least 550 on a full tank. That's nearly 8 hours at 70mph. There's no current EV that can do that.
    - garyrichardson 5y ago
      My experience was with a BMW 330e. I guess I should clarify, I mean true plug in hybrids. Is a gen 4 Prius a PHEV?
      - ansible 5y ago
        The Prius Prime is the PHEV version, which is more expensive than the standard Prius. It has the same gas engine and nearly the same gasoline range as the standard Prius (it gets slightly lower MPG due to the increased weight). You're obviously not going to get far on battery power alone, that is about 25 miles. The intention was to be able to cover a typical commute to work, and then be able to charge a work. Just read a little bit on the 330e. It doesn't get nearly as good gas mileage as a Prius, but is obviously a much peppier car. Though if I was spending that much money, I'd try to get a Rav4 Prime, which is nearly as quick (5.7 seconds for 0-60 mph), 600 mile range, and all wheel drive. But that's a personal preference, I'm not in the market for a sports sedan.

throwawayboise 5y ago

Most recent long drive was 725 miles in a gasoline-fueled Volkswagen. Took about 12 hours with one 10 minute fuel stop.

ecpottinger 5y ago
So what you are saying, you could do the 2000 mile trip in 33 hours! Of-course, that assumes you do not sleep for the entire trip, don't take bathroom breaks or stops for food. I think I rather do the 2000 miles in a BEV and take some breaks in the driving.
- frosted-flakes 5y ago
  With multiple drivers, sure, why not drive non-stop? My brother and his family drove across Canada a year or two ago to visit family; with kids, flying would have been exorbitantly expensive ($1000 per person) and he only had so much time off of work, so him and his wife made the 4000 km trip in less than 40 hours. And the same on the way back.
gambiting 5y ago
So I did the same recently, but in a PHEV, and I honestly think it's the best of both worlds. In my daily usage, I use zero fuel. Last time I filled up was in March, because I just charge it at home and nearly all of my daily driving is within the 30 mile EV-only range. But when we drove across Europe I could just carry on for about 600 miles per tank, only filling up once at a well stocked petrol station(with working bathrooms and a restaurant). Anecdotally - tried to charge the car in Germany when we stopped for lunch, but found that it was impossible to start the session, the app wouldn't accept my non-german payment card so that was that. Would suck if I had to charge.
- masklinn 5y ago
  > So I did the same recently, but in a PHEV, and I honestly think it's the best of both worlds. In my daily usage, I use zero fuel. Yeah in theory PHEV provide the ideal flexibility of EV for commute and ICE for long-range driving, however apparently lots of people with PHEV never charge them, mostly resulting in less efficient ICEs / HEV (because the plug-in-ability means a larger battery and more complexity, so a PHEV is heavier and more complex than an equivalent HEV).

gorgoiler 5y ago

In the UK an ancient law says it is legal to pee against the rear wheel of your carriage. Don’t try “googling” the validity of this law. The mainstream (ahem) media anti-public-disorder industrial complex seems to have polluted cyberspace with articles falsely claiming this law is a myth. Stand up for your rights and pee on your wheels. /s See also: British women having the right to urinate in a policeman’s helmet if they are caught short in public (and are pregnant.)

TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
Is it possible to drive 1000 miles in one direction in Britain? Edit to add: nope, The greatest distance between two points is 968.0 km (601+1⁄2 mi) (between Land's End, Cornwall and John o' Groats, Caithness), 838 miles (1,349 km) by road. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain
- pestatije 5y ago
  The M25. You can drive way more than that anticlockwise, and clockwise is even longer.

m-i-l 5y ago

I did a 1,857mile (2,989km) road trip including some of the more remote parts of Scotland in an electric car last year. Interestingly most of the ChargePlace Scotland chargers were in public car parks, which have public toilets. The Highland Council even has a map of public toilets. All very civilised. When it comes to Tesla superchargers in the UK, most are in service stations, which tend to be open all the time, and indeed were some of the few facilities to remain open in the strictest periods of lockdown given that good transportation was classed as essential service. There are a few superchargers by hotels and restaurants, but in my experience they're always fine with you using their facilities (the main issue seems to be a few who charge excessive parking fines if you don't register with them while charging).

beerandt 5y ago

It's interesting that these charging stations are even permitted to be built without restrooms. No gas station built today would be exempt from that requirement. Although I can think of at least a few unattended gas pumps that also are without restrooms. It's obviously an emerging market, but it seems like charging stations would be suited for bucee's or even truck stop style facilities, with areas to rest, eat, shower, etc. At least compared to consumer based gas stations. I'm not sure what the economics of building those would look like without selling hundreds of gallons of diesel at a time.

timbray 5y ago

The non-Tesla public chargers I used are pretty well all at gas stations or big-box stores. So there's always a bathroom, a fast-food joint, and sometimes even a real-food diner.

belter 5y ago

This is a realistic view of the current experience for some users and some EV models in the UK: "The PAINS of Living with an EV! My WORST Experience Yet" https://youtu.be/XwevvreoNjE https://youtu.be/XwevvreoNjE