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In the US I've driven several cross country trips (multi-thousand miles) in a Tesla with 300 miles of range. It's not only not a big deal; it's the most comfort

In the US I've driven several cross country trips (multi-thousand miles) in a Tesla with 300 miles of range. It's not only not a big deal; it's the most comfortable touring car I've ever owned. If you stick to interstates, recharging at superchargers is easy. If you travel on smaller roads you have to plan more carefully to find destination chargers, RV parks, etc along the way but so far that hasn't been a problem for me. Granted I recharge in my garage so I can commute locally without ever needing to think about range, but for purposes of long-distance driving I think range anxiety is an overblown issue, at least for Teslas in the US.

maxerickson 5y ago
Looking at the trip I took over Thanksgiving, there are 3 Superchargers on the route, 2 of which I would pretty much have to stop at. The 3rd one is more than 300 miles from the start, and the second one is more than 200 miles from the destination. So 2 stops, 10-15 minutes each. One stop is several miles from the freeway on a busy town road, which isn't bad, but another 10-15 minutes. The other stop is very close to the freeway, so pretty much just charge time. The largest gaps between gas stations on that trip are probably 20 or 30 miles. I would describe the Supercharging trip as very doable, but it requires following ~1 available plan vs just stopping when it is convenient (for a bathroom break or snack or whatever).
- dreamcompiler 5y ago
  Agreed. Tesla touring requires more planning than touring in an ICE car. But the car itself (and the Plugshare app) helps with the planning process. I enjoy planning; some people might not. In general I find the supercharger locations occur at about the right interval for a pee break and a leg stretch, and more superchargers are being added all the time.
- ec109685 5y ago
  Yeah, planning is key. We do a Bay Area to Central California trip regularly and there is no super charger at destination, nor is there one close enough on the way back along the route, so you can’t drive there and back and land at a super charger on the route. And if you use the car (or just let it sit) some power is drained at destination. Charging on the way there just doesn’t feel right since we have enough juice to get there and everyone is anxious to reach destination, but it’s the only way to ensure we don’t have to take a detour at some point. We solved this by getting an adapter so we can charge at their house using their dryer plug. Yes, these are completely first world problems but it adds just enough hassle I could see some people just wanting to use an ICE car to make the trip.
  - dreamcompiler 5y ago
    We carry a full set of adapters including NEMA 14-50 and TT-30 so we can charge at state parks and RV parks along the route. We also have a nice air mattress so we can sleep in the Model Y overnight while the car charges. This is quite comfortable in a Tesla because you have climate control while you sleep. Probably not a viable option if you have kids but it works well for two people.

maxerickson 5y ago

Looking at the trip I took over Thanksgiving, there are 3 Superchargers on the route, 2 of which I would pretty much have to stop at. The 3rd one is more than 300 miles from the start, and the second one is more than 200 miles from the destination. So 2 stops, 10-15 minutes each. One stop is several miles from the freeway on a busy town road, which isn't bad, but another 10-15 minutes. The other stop is very close to the freeway, so pretty much just charge time. The largest gaps between gas stations on that trip are probably 20 or 30 miles. I would describe the Supercharging trip as very doable, but it requires following ~1 available plan vs just stopping when it is convenient (for a bathroom break or snack or whatever).

dreamcompiler 5y ago
Agreed. Tesla touring requires more planning than touring in an ICE car. But the car itself (and the Plugshare app) helps with the planning process. I enjoy planning; some people might not. In general I find the supercharger locations occur at about the right interval for a pee break and a leg stretch, and more superchargers are being added all the time.
ec109685 5y ago
Yeah, planning is key. We do a Bay Area to Central California trip regularly and there is no super charger at destination, nor is there one close enough on the way back along the route, so you can’t drive there and back and land at a super charger on the route. And if you use the car (or just let it sit) some power is drained at destination. Charging on the way there just doesn’t feel right since we have enough juice to get there and everyone is anxious to reach destination, but it’s the only way to ensure we don’t have to take a detour at some point. We solved this by getting an adapter so we can charge at their house using their dryer plug. Yes, these are completely first world problems but it adds just enough hassle I could see some people just wanting to use an ICE car to make the trip.
- dreamcompiler 5y ago
  We carry a full set of adapters including NEMA 14-50 and TT-30 so we can charge at state parks and RV parks along the route. We also have a nice air mattress so we can sleep in the Model Y overnight while the car charges. This is quite comfortable in a Tesla because you have climate control while you sleep. Probably not a viable option if you have kids but it works well for two people.