# Navigating off the typical path



## Matthew McClosky (Aug 3, 2018)

Hey Folks - Can you offer some suggestions when driving long ranges off the supercharge path? A little background on me: I am a new owner since May 2018 located in North New Jersey, and most of my driving is local... This past month I decided to take a 300 mile round trip traveling from the northern part of the state to staying the southern part off the major highways. I took little trips (20m or less) here and there while staying at a hotel that did not offer any charge. (Hotel Owner was gracious enough to keep my car in the front of the hotel plugged into a 120v outlet.) Toward the end of the trip I started to get anxious about running out of electricity. 
My question deals with preparing for trips. Any ideas or guidance that you can suggest when traveling off the main roads?


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## BigBri (Jul 16, 2016)

Check PlugShare, often people will provide access to their home chargers and you can contact them thru there. Alternatively be on the lookout for public 1772 chargers. ATM there are no fast charge options aside from the Supercharger network. There should be support for Chademo in the near future and potentially CCS (which may be European cars only).


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## Bokonon (Apr 13, 2017)

Matthew McClosky said:


> Any ideas or guidance that you can suggest when traveling off the main roads?


Definitely bring your Mobile Connector and every adapter you have. 

Make sure you have PlugShare installed on your phone to help you locate charging opportunities, whether they are Superchargers, regular J1772 charging stations, or an outlet at an RV park.

With respect to outlets at RV parks, hotels, etc: it's always good etiquette (and best from a safety perpsective) to ask the outlet owner if it's okay to charge on the outlet before plugging in. If you're especially concerned about the availability of an outlet in a given area, it would be prudent to call a few places ahead of time and ask the question (and confirm the outlet type), so that you aren't blindsided when you show up.

I've only had one experience traveling away from public charging infrastructure, and that was driving from Portland to the central Oregon coast with my parents in their old Model S85 a few years ago. There were no superchargers anywhere along our route (except for one 30 miles from my parents house), and we did not have destination charging. My dad found an RV park near the hotel and offered the attendant $20 to park the car there plugged into an outlet for one night, and that did the trick.

That's the beauty of the Tesla Mobile Connector... unlike the portable 120V NEMA 5-15 charging cables that come with most other EVs, the Mobile Connector can turn virtually any 120V *or* 240V outlet you encounter into a charging opportunity, significantly improving your options (and experience) while traveling off the beaten path.


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## Matthew McClosky (Aug 3, 2018)

Sounds like "PlugShare" and some planning are the way to go.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

PlugShare is definitely your friend. Also remember that most campgrounds can provide the 14-50 plug if you talk to them nicely (it's what a dual AC camper uses)
There's Superchargers seemingly planned for Cape May, but it really doesn't seem as if you are ever much more than 50 miles to a charger. But there's a lot of J-1772 chargers around the state. They take longer, so try to be inventive and find one that has something to do around it.
Also, don't forget that while slow, a 120V can provide a lot of what you may need. At a hotel in Ft Lauderdale, we only has a 120V plug, but it did a great job of fulfilling daily needs and over the week, finally got us to just about full.
Honestly though, a 300 mile trip really only needs a single Supercharger stop, maybe two. 

Since you seem to like to travel the backroads, looking for things a little offbeat, make finding the chargers a part of your exploration.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

I'm not really into lonely backroads myself, so I can't give a lot of useful advice. What I can guess at though is that when you really think about it, outside electrical outlets are usually far more common than gasoline stations. So use Plugshare, plan out ahead of time where your premium charging will be, and any time you stop, Always Be Charging!


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

I do a fair amount of roadtripping and also like to stay off the major corridors. I try to plan my routes so that I cross a major corridor at or near a supercharger around midday. From looking at the supercharger map, I don't see much in south central NJ. So maybe this strategy won't help this time, but something to keep in mind for future reference.


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## kort677 (Sep 17, 2018)

having plugshare is a must and planning is crucial as well. NJ like many places can be problematic when getting away from the supercharger corridors.


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