# First cross county trip



## JimT (Aug 9, 2018)

I had planned to drive the model 3 to key largo from Wisconsin, departing on February 24th. The 24th arrived with 12 inches of fresh snow so I delayed my departure til the following morning. It was 11 below zero when I left the house. Since it was cold I spent more time on the chargers than the tesla route planner recommended... if it recommended 30 minutes i'd charge for 45 or an hour. I also overcharged in case one of the superchargers was not operating so i'd try to charge enough to reach the next one as well. The net result was a pitiful 450 miles in 10 hours of driving and charging. Since I had arranged scuba diving dates in key largo I ended up parking the tesla in Chattanooga and renting a gas car for the remainder of the trip. 

I picked up the tesla on the way home and charged as the route planner recommended and drove at roughly 78mph and averaged 62.5mph coming home. The lesson I learned is to trust the route planner, trust the superchargers will be up and running and use the energy monitor to gauge your consumption versus the planner tools estimate. I won't hesitate to take the car on my next cross country trip.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

So, if I'm reading you right, just as you hit the warmth of the south, where the car could get up to full range, you switched over to an ICE. 

Also, I use the onboard recommendations as a guide. There are numerous situations where you can do better. For example coming out of Orlando, the onboard tends to suggest stopping in Macon, but by stretching it to Atlanta (which is relatively easy to do), not only have I delayed a stop, but more importantly I've decreased the battery even more to assure more efficient charging. 

Also, try yo make sure that you are aligning charging with biology. When the tummy needs to fill, also fill the car. 

Any of the route guidance solutions are just recommendations based upon averages. Even simple things like the onboard never wanting you to drop below 20% should be considered if there are options that may take you down to 5%.

Of course, getting a trip under your belt and understanding range anxiety is a huge part of it.


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## ummgood (Feb 13, 2017)

Also if you do more often stops (say every couple hours) and plan on arriving with 20% remaining the charge time is WAY faster. 20 minutes or less. It gives you enough time to stretch your legs and use the restroom and it is easier to time with lunch etc... like Ed recommended in the previous post.


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