# Question: Running out of "gas" Tesla stories? How to prevent...



## Brett S. (Jul 29, 2017)

Hello,

As a future Tesla owner i've been having a few conversations with colleagues at work who are extremely interested (I think its jealously...) that I may have a model 3 by this winter. One common conversation we have, and I don't have all the answers because i'm new to the community and currently drive a Fusion, is:

What is the best course of action if you are low on "fuel" (energy) and there isn't a supercharger, or official charging station, near by?

I can only play this scenario out in my head a few different ways. Extremely bad traffic jam (?), extremely bad PLANNING, or just a complete mistake/human error. 

Does the Tesla have the capability to plug into the a normal household 3 prong outlet in a strangers garage or outside of a gas station etc? Has anyone had this happen to them where they were running out of energy and needed to come up with a plan?

I'd love to hear thoughts, and stories if you are willing to share, of scenarios like above. And feel free to provide feedback or further commentary on the "out of gas" scenario I'm thinking in my head. My wife and I look forward to day trips and weekend getaways in the pacific NW and south to California, but I keep thinking about this!


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Brett S. said:


> What is the best course of action if you are low on "fuel" (energy) and there isn't a supercharger, or official charging station, near by?


Preventative. With an electric car, you just "top it off" every night. There's no need to wait until your tank is getting low before charging.


> I can only play this scenario out in my head a few different ways. Extremely bad traffic jam (?),


Actually, electric cars don't idle, so they are usually *more* efficient in a traffic jam.


> Does the Tesla have the capability to plug into the a normal household 3 prong outlet in a strangers garage or outside of a gas station etc?


Yes.


> Has anyone had this happen to them where they were running out of energy and needed to come up with a plan?


I've run out in my Leaf. Each time, I had *almost* made it to the parking garage at work. I had to borrow a friends' trickle charger and plug it into an external outlet outside the local Panera. I'd have to let it charge for 3-4 hours at this slow rate before it would have enough juice to turn on again, at which time I could drive into the parking garage right next door and plug into the Level-2 charging stations inside.


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## Brett S. (Jul 29, 2017)

garsh said:


> Preventative. With an electric car, you just "top it off" every night. There's no need to wait until your tank is getting low before charging.
> Actually, electric cars don't idle, so they are usually *more* efficient in a traffic jam.
> Yes.I've run out in my Leaf. Each time, I had *almost* made it to the parking garage at work. I had to borrow a friends' trickle charger and plug it into an external outlet outside the local Panera. I'd have to let it charge for 3-4 hours at this slow rate before it would have enough juice to turn on again, at which time I could drive into the parking garage right next door and plug into the Level-2 charging stations inside.


Thank you so much for the answers, and the honesty that you HAVE ran out of energy in your Leaf.

I guess transitioning to a little bit more of a preventative, planning mindset is the answer. And that is great news that a Level 1 Trickle Charger is included with a Tesla. I guess i'll just leave it in the trunk for those long road trips. I just found this website that was very informative to me: https://www.pluglesspower.com/learn/tesla-model-s-charging-home-public-autonomously/

Hopefully its accurate as it provided with a great basic understanding of charging terminology etc.


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## KennethK (Oct 13, 2016)

Brett S. said:


> Thank you so much for the answers, and the honesty that you HAVE ran out of energy in your Leaf.
> 
> I guess transitioning to a little bit more of a preventative, planning mindset is the answer. And that is great news that a Level 1 Trickle Charger is included with a Tesla. I guess i'll just leave it in the trunk for those long road trips. I just found this website that was very informative to me: https://www.pluglesspower.com/learn/tesla-model-s-charging-home-public-autonomously/
> 
> Hopefully its accurate as it provided with a great basic understanding of charging terminology etc.


Actually the model 3 comes with a level 2 EVSE aka UMC. It is able to supply up to 40 amps or 9.6kW to the model 3 charger.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

KennethK said:


> Actually the model 3 comes with a level 2 EVSE aka UMC. It is able to supply up to 40 amps or 9.6kW to the model 3 charger.


Correct. It's not a "trickle charger" like what comes with the Leaf. However, Tesla does include a NEMA 5-15 adapter for plugging into a 110v outlet.


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

Brett S. said:


> I can only play this scenario out in my head a few different ways. Extremely bad traffic jam (?)


better 'fuel economy' while sitting in traffic is probably one of the things I'm looking forward to the most! (and of course, using EAP while doing so). 
In this video by Michael Sabasic he talks about pulling into the Central Supercharger after a traffic jamb and it making no difference in the range.





34m:40s


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## SoFlaModel3 (Apr 15, 2017)

Good answers already, so I'll give you a few more tidbits....

1) The standard outlet at your friend's house will add 3 miles of range per hour. I hope you like that friend as you're going to be there a while. You will want that friend to unplug their dryer and hook you up at a charge rate of 30 (for base battery) and 37 (for long range battery) miles of range per hour. 

2) Sign up for an account with ChargePoint. It's free, so I already did it in preparation. They have chargers all over the place and an app to help you find them.


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## AEDennis (Apr 10, 2016)

I've driven in traffic going 50 miles each way in my previous job. I had NEMA 14-50 at the office and five different (four at the time) ways to charge at 240V at home.

Additionally, I've driven from Southern California to Maine and back in 2015. I've never been lower than 20 rated miles of range on my S... And have charged at 1 mile per hour in a LONG 120V run in New Jersey in my cousin's garage. But it was all good, as we were ensuring that we didn't have any vampire drain and were close enough to a supercharger in New Jersey.

In my ActiveE, I've rolled into home at 1 mile of range, but often carried a 100 foot heavy gauge 120V cable, just in case...

It's fine to charge at 120V, you just need the time and expect 3-4 miles per hour, but don't be surprised if the quality is bad and you're dropped to 1 mile per hour.


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## Model34mePlease (Jun 3, 2017)

SoFlaModel3 said:


> Good answers already, so I'll give you a few more tidbits....
> 
> 1) The standard outlet at your friend's house will add 3 miles of range per hour. I hope you like that friend as you're going to be there a while. You will want that friend to unplug their dryer and hook you up at a charge rate of 30 (for base battery) and 37 (for long range battery) miles of range per hour.
> 
> 2) Sign up for an account with ChargePoint. It's free, so I already did it in preparation. They have chargers all over the place and an app to help you find them.


I'm not so sure it would be that easy to use a dryer hookup. Most dryers are NEMA 14-30 or NEMA 10-30, I believe. Two issues: it produces less power (so fewer miles of range per hour) and your NEMA 14-50 plug won't fit. Better bring lots of adaptors.


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

not to mention, not every dryer is in a garage... Mine is upstairs on the opposite side of the house as the street/garage. 
maybe it's a regional thing, but I can not think of anyone I know here with laundry _IN_ the garage, and very few with a laundry room near the garage making the run more than 20' from where I would park. so no matter the connection, it's just not practical to expect your host to have a dryer plug you could use.
Now, in comparison, my friends/family both in the Bay area and Southern California, everyone I can think of have laundry in the garage!


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## SoFlaModel3 (Apr 15, 2017)

MelindaV said:


> not to mention, not every dryer is in a garage... Mine is upstairs on the opposite side of the house as the street/garage.
> maybe it's a regional thing, but I can not think of anyone I know here with laundry _IN_ the garage, and very few with a laundry room near the garage making the run more than 20' from where I would park. so no matter the connection, it's just not practical to expect your host to have a dryer plug you could use.
> Now, in comparison, my friends/family both in the Bay area and Southern California, everyone I can think of have laundry in the garage!


Laundry in the garage in Florida would be miserable and would lead to instant mold I'm sure. My garage sits at a pleasant 90-95 degrees most days 

The door into my house from the garage though is my laundry room and I assumed (shame on me) that that was a common thing.


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## Badback (Apr 7, 2016)

Laundry in the garage in Minnesota would lead to frozen clothes.


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## Brett S. (Jul 29, 2017)

Awesome feedback and great points! Here in the Seattle region newer homes have laundry on the second floor and older homes usually have the laundry room on the first floor "near" the garage. 

All good tips and I guess it won't hurt to buy and carry a heavy gauge 100 ft 120v extension cord for long trips etc. Once again, looks like planning and using the websites with charging station maps will be the best bet.

Thank you!


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## Randy (Aug 1, 2016)

Badback said:


> Laundry in the garage in Minnesota would lead to frozen clothes.


Same thing here in Canada. Frozen clothes and broken pipes .. lol
One thing I have wondered about ,is it possible to completely shut down the vehicle to avoid the vampire drain? Imagine going on holidays for a week or two and being parked in an airport. I would hate to come back from a trip to find I don't have enough charge to get out of a parking lot.


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## SoFlaModel3 (Apr 15, 2017)

Randy said:


> Same thing here in Canada. Frozen clothes and broken pipes .. lol
> One thing I have wondered about ,is it possible to completely shut down the vehicle to avoid the vampire drain? Imagine going on holidays for a week or two and being parked in an airport. I would hate to come back from a trip to find I don't have enough charge to get out of a parking lot.


There is a mode you can place the car in when it will be parked for an extended period.


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## Randy (Aug 1, 2016)

Thanks ..always wondered about that. I saw a video on you Tube that stated an owner came back from a trip and needed a tow truck. I will have to read the manual from end to end ,That's for sure. Now if we could only download that manual b4 we get our new cars.


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## KennethK (Oct 13, 2016)

Randy said:


> Same thing here in Canada. Frozen clothes and broken pipes .. lol
> One thing I have wondered about ,is it possible to completely shut down the vehicle to avoid the vampire drain? Imagine going on holidays for a week or two and being parked in an airport. I would hate to come back from a trip to find I don't have enough charge to get out of a parking lot.


Yes, the is a shutdown option to decrease most electrical drain.


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## SoFlaModel3 (Apr 15, 2017)

Randy said:


> Thanks ..always wondered about that. I saw a video on you Tube that stated an owner came back from a trip and needed a tow truck. I will have to read the manual from end to end ,That's for sure. Now if we could only download that manual b4 we get our new cars.


I'm sure we'll see it soon enough!


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## Brett S. (Jul 29, 2017)

What is "Vampire Drain?"


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## Model34mePlease (Jun 3, 2017)

Brett S. said:


> What is "Vampire Drain?"


Vampire power usually refers to the things in your life that actually are taking power all the time, in particular, when you aren't using it. In most cars, it's just things like the clock. On a Tesla, with all its smarts, there is certainly a larger drain while it is just sitting there.


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## SoFlaModel3 (Apr 15, 2017)

Model34mePlease said:


> Vampire power usually refers to the things in your life that actually are taking power all the time, in particular, when you aren't using it. In most cars, it's just things like the clock. On a Tesla, with all its smarts, there is certainly a larger drain while it is just sitting there.


And don't forget the A/C can stay on to maintain a max inside temperature which makes cooling much easier but that takes juice as well.


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## ModFather (Apr 3, 2016)

Brett S. said:


> What is the best course of action if you are low on "fuel" (energy) and there isn't a supercharger, or official charging station, near by?
> 
> I can only play this scenario out in my head a few different ways. Extremely bad traffic jam (?), extremely bad PLANNING, or just a complete mistake/human error.


The problem is thinking of an EV in the same way we think of an ICE. If you have never owned or driven an EV, you will be amazed at how smart they are compared to an ICE.

In terms of running out of 'fuel' your T3 will have several fail safe options:
- enter in your destination, like for example 'work', and your UI will tell you if you have enough energy to get there.
- the UI will display a linear chart that will show energy used on the way to your destination. If you are above or below the 'safe' line you can either speed up for more convenience or slow down to get there with the energy you have.
- an EV uses almost no energy when sitting or creeping in traffic
- you can turn off electrical accessories if need be to save on energy
- you will have 5 to 10 miles in reserve when you reach "0" energy left
- you will have many options for charging besides SuperCharging and those options continually grow exponentially by the month.

Really after the first week or two, you will feel completely comfortable with predicting range and eliminating range anxiety.


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## EValuatED (Apr 29, 2017)

Model34mePlease said:


> I'm not so sure it would be that easy to use a dryer hookup. Most dryers are NEMA 14-30 or NEMA 10-30, I believe. Two issues: it produces less power (so fewer miles of range per hour) and your NEMA 14-50 plug won't fit. Better bring lots of adaptors.


Lots of adapters out there, as Model S/X and other EVs (and frankly RVs) have been down this road before (sorry).

If you're looking to have an extension cord in your road trip kit, be smart about conservatively matching High Amps & Wire Gauge, and remember there's losses in long runs. And that dryers may be on 30a breakers.

As far as stories -- I don't have the source (probably somewhere on TMC) -- but I recall reading about a Model S owner who had a long mountainous run and hit high headwinds, heater on, etc., and was running too low to make his destination, so he googled an RV park and spent some time plugged into a 14-50 there to get the extra range to make it safely.

On more thing... PlugShare lists Tesla and other EVers who you can contact in a pinch to plug in. I've read a few of these listings -- as you can imagine, they're supportive, even generous fellow EVers.


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## EValuatED (Apr 29, 2017)

ModFather said:


> The problem is thinking of an EV in the same way we think of an ICE. If you have never owned or driven an EV, you will be amazed at how smart they are compared to an ICE.
> 
> In terms of running out of 'fuel' your T3 will have several fail safe options:
> - enter in your destination, like for example 'work', and your UI will tell you if you have enough energy to get there.
> ...


Great summary. With my Volt EV training wheels Ive gotten used to:

Unplug from L2 EVSE. 
Drive to work (quietly). 
Park.
Work.......
Drive home (quietly). 
Plug into L2 EVSE. 
Repeat. 
Occasional stops at Gas station (for lottery tickets or something to drink).

When they put a charger next to my parking spot at work, I'll plug in there as needed/ available (4 hour 'quick charge' policy).

Home & Destination charging are the norm.

Destinations include work, hotels, restaurants, family, friends, pay chargers, etc.

Supercharging is typically for road trips.

I was surprised just how easy it was to adapt!


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## Brokedoc (May 28, 2017)

Honestly, the Tesla nav will plot your route to anywhere and tell you the expected battery remaining at the arrival point. If needed, it will plot your route with supercharging stops along the way and tell you the minimum amount of time you need to charge at each stop.

If you run low, there is a range extending setting that maximizes range by limiting air conditioning and optimizing torque.

As with cars, there is a reserve beyond "zero miles" for emergency but I would prefer never to use that. The absolute last resort would be roadside assistance but they would arrive and give you the "Laugh of Shame"


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## EValuatED (Apr 29, 2017)

Brokedoc said:


> Honestly, the Tesla nav will plot your route to anywhere and tell you the expected battery remaining at the arrival point. If needed, it will plot your route with supercharging stops along the way and tell you the minimum amount of time you need to charge at each stop.
> 
> If you run low, there is a range extending setting that maximizes range by limiting air conditioning and optimizing torque.
> 
> ...


And there's the https://www.evtripplanner.com/


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## JWardell (May 9, 2016)

Randy said:


> Thanks ..always wondered about that. I saw a video on you Tube that stated an owner came back from a trip and needed a tow truck. I will have to read the manual from end to end ,That's for sure. Now if we could only download that manual b4 we get our new cars.


He parked his Tesla in an airport with something like 15 miles left of range in the battery, then came back after weeks to find it dead. Not the brightest tool. This is the same guy who recently sold his Tesla and said the RWD S is super dangerous because it doesn't have traction in the rain because his tires are bald down to the belts. (!!)
If you have half a brain on your shoulders, you have nothing to worry about.


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## Brokedoc (May 28, 2017)

JWardell said:


> He parked his Tesla in an airport with something like 15 miles left of range in the battery, then came back after weeks to find it dead. Not the brightest tool. This is the same guy who recently sold his Tesla and said the RWD S is super dangerous because it doesn't have traction in the rain because his tires are bald down to the belts. (!!)
> If you have half a brain on your shoulders, you have nothing to worry about.


He probably also left "cabin overheat protection" on. That turns on the A/C whenever cabin temp is over 90 degrees. You can easily lose 20 miles in a few hours on a hot day.


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## Brett S. (Jul 29, 2017)

Thank you for all the great replies! This is so interesting and I can see it is a mentality shift and I was totally unaware of all the features the Tesla operating system has to ensure YOU DO not run out of "fuel."

I have been playing around on plugshare and chargepoint and have a question. There are a lot of different charger selections, please see attached screen shot, which ones should I focus on for road trips? Obviously I understand Super Chargers and Level-2 Tesla would work, but what about the other ones? Or do they all work with adapters.

And I do understand that Level 1 is the slowest charge speed, and Level 2 is better.


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

For roadtrips, you want Supercharger. And that's your only good option. You *could* use CHAdeMO with an adapter, but it's not nearly as fast as a Supercharger, and the adapter costs $450.

The other thing to consider is "destination charging". When you arrive at a hotel, it's nice if you can charge up overnight while parked at the hotel. These are your "Level 2" chargers. These three are all workable for a Tesla:

Tesla - will plug right into your car
J1772 - your car comes with an adapter for this
NEMA 14-50 - the portable charging cable that comes with your car can plug into this 220v outlet.


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## KennethK (Oct 13, 2016)

If you use plugshare, make an account and select your vehicle as Model 3 ( reservation). It will choose the appropriate connections. For Model 3, you can use Tesla supercharger, Tesla, J1772 ( with the adapter that come with the vehicle) for sure. Of course if you bring your UMC with you, you can use wall outlet and Nema 14-50. This is the easy selection. For advanced users, if you buy the chademo adapter, you can select that.


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## Model34mePlease (Jun 3, 2017)

KennethK said:


> If you use plugshare, make an account and select your vehicle as Model 3 ( reservation). It will choose the appropriate connections. For Model 3, you can use Tesla supercharger, Tesla, J1772 ( with the adapter that come with the vehicle) for sure. Of course if you bring your UMC with you, you can use wall outlet and Nema 14-50. This is the easy selection. For advanced users, if you buy the chademo adapter, you can select that.


Beware of expectations to use random 240V wall outlets. There are many outlet types with different maximum amperages (typically less than 50A).


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## JWardell (May 9, 2016)

Brett S. said:


> There are a lot of different charger selections, please see attached screen shot, which ones should I focus on for road trips? Obviously I understand Super Chargers and Level-2 Tesla would work, but what about the other ones? Or do they all work with adapters.
> View attachment 2784


They ALL work with adapters. Only a Tesla can work with every charger out there. Of course superchargers are fastest and easiest to use, but you truly can plug in everywhere if you carry a few adapters with you.


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## Model34mePlease (Jun 3, 2017)

It looked like in the UI of the Model S, there was a way of limiting charger current so you don't blow the circuit breaker when you plug through an adapter into a circuit with less than the 40 amp draw of a NEMA 14-50. Is that how it works?


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## AEDennis (Apr 10, 2016)

Model34mePlease said:


> It looked like in the UI of the Model S, there was a way of limiting charger current so you don't blow the circuit breaker when you plug through an adapter into a circuit with less than the 40 amp draw of a NEMA 14-50. Is that how it works?


This feature to adjust amperage of charge has been a feature in Teslarati vehicles since the Roadster and is a critical part of Tesla's ability to charge from any and many sources.


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## Brett S. (Jul 29, 2017)

Thanks for all the replies. Looks like as long as I plan ahead, bring my adapters, i'll be all set. 99.99% of the time our road trips will be on I-5 up and down the west coast so we should be able to find Superchargers and also destination chargers at hotels and restaurants. I'm not anticipating any issues, but I want to make sure I understand what my options are.

My wife already plotted our course from Seattle, WA to San Francisco and it looks like it will be very straight forward. Stop in Portland superchargers, then make our way to SF!  And this can be done in the lower range Model 3 also, which we may end up getting...

Thanks,
Brett


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## Model34mePlease (Jun 3, 2017)

Brett S. said:


> Thanks for all the replies. Looks like as long as I plan ahead, bring my adapters, i'll be all set. 99.99% of the time our road trips will be on I-5 up and down the west coast so we should be able to find Superchargers and also destination chargers at hotels and restaurants. I'm not anticipating any issues, but I want to make sure I understand what my options are.
> 
> My wife already plotted our course from Seattle, WA to San Francisco and it looks like it will be very straight forward. Stop in Portland superchargers, then make our way to SF!  And this can be done in the lower range Model 3 also, which we may end up getting...
> 
> ...


If you want to see a real road trip, @MelindaV posted a version of this video a few days ago. It's pretty fun.


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## Iaeen (Jun 15, 2017)

JWardell said:


> They ALL work with adapters. Only a Tesla can work with every charger out there. Of course superchargers are fastest and easiest to use, but you truly can plug in everywhere if you carry a few adapters with you.


That's not technically true. There's no DC Combo/CCS adapter, and Tesla currently can't speak the protocol needed to use this standard.

Sure, most CCS stations also have CHAdeMO leads as well, but I think the $450 CHAdeMO adapter is cost prohibitive given the availability and superiority of the Supercharger network.


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## Brett S. (Jul 29, 2017)

I have also found this helpful video on youtube that outlines some different charging options and costs. After I watched this one I was then shocked at the amount of Tesla "stuff" on youtube!

I saw it on twitter today.


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## Randy (Aug 1, 2016)

Mr Jwardell and Brokedoc
Thanks for your replies;
I do have half a brain (my kids destroyed the other half Years ago)
Thank you both for clarifying_* the rest of the story*_ regarding the parking lot problems of some You Tubers
I see both you two are very regular with helpful info on this site
I want you to know its appreciated


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

Brett S. said:


> Stop in Portland superchargers...


 if only there were some  Portland is on the "by the end of 2017" list but we shall see. So far closest is Centralia (90 miles north) and Woodburn (35 miles south)


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## Model34mePlease (Jun 3, 2017)

MelindaV said:


> if only there were some  Portland is on the "by the end of 2017" list but we shall see. So far closest is Centralia (90 miles north) and Woodburn (35 miles south)


I noticed that (and Seattle too). I find that absolutely amazing at this point, especially as compared to CA.


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

Model34mePlease said:


> I noticed that (and Seattle too). I find that absolutely amazing at this point, especially as compared to CA.


especially since the Woodburn and Centralia are some of the early superchargers. nothing has been added between Portand and Seattle since. Granted, I could get to Seattle (160 miles), but would not be practical to spend a day in Seattle and think I could make it back to Centralia unless I stopped there to top off there on the way up as well.


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## JWardell (May 9, 2016)

Brett S. said:


> I have also found this helpful video on youtube that outlines some different charging options and costs. After I watched this one I was then shocked at the amount of Tesla "stuff" on youtube!
> 
> I saw it on twitter today.


It's amazing how high youtuber production values are getting. This video should be running in a loop in the showroom.
I just wish she also mentioned that you can actually plug in to any regular outlet to charge slowly.



Randy said:


> Mr Jwardell and Brokedoc
> Thanks for your replies;
> I do have half a brain (my kids destroyed the other half Years ago)
> Thank you both for clarifying_* the rest of the story*_ regarding the parking lot problems of some You Tubers
> ...


Thanks! There is tons of confusion and questions out there, and that's why forums like this are a great place to figure everything out.


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## SSonnentag (Mar 30, 2017)

Here in Arizona, it's easy to find an RV park with NEMA 14-15 outlets. Every tiny town and intersection seems to have at least one RV park.  I have already stopped and asked permission at a KOA campground that is on one of my regular routes. They said no problem charging, $5/hr. Not the most economical, but in a pinch it will work just fine.


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## Brett S. (Jul 29, 2017)

MelindaV said:


> if only there were some  Portland is on the "by the end of 2017" list but we shall see. So far closest is Centralia (90 miles north) and Woodburn (35 miles south)


Wow, I guess I was planning off of "coming soon!" chargers. I'd love to see Portland and Seattle get more chargers soon. Ever since I moved to Seattle I see about 10 Tesla's a day, and everywhere else I lived in the country i'd see one a few times a year!  But, I have lived primarily on the east coast.


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## Brett S. (Jul 29, 2017)

As I continue to research potential travel routes across the pacific northwest I keep coming across chargers labeled as: CHAdeMO. 

From a quick google, I see they have their own charging stations across North America but i'd have to purchase an adapter. Does anyone have experience, or a membership, with these chargers? Are they recommended? Where and how much is an adapter?

Thanks!


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## Model34mePlease (Jun 3, 2017)

Brett S. said:


> As I continue to research potential travel routes across the pacific northwest I keep coming across chargers labeled as: CHAdeMO.
> 
> From a quick google, I see they have their own charging stations across North America but i'd have to purchase an adapter. Does anyone have experience, or a membership, with these chargers? Are they recommended? Where and how much is an adapter?
> 
> Thanks!


shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/vehicle-accessories/model-s_x-chademo-adapter.html?sku=1036392-10-D

It's not labelled for the M3, but I suspect it will be.


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## Liberty (Mar 13, 2017)

JWardell said:


> He parked his Tesla in an airport with something like 15 miles left of range in the battery, then came back after weeks to find it dead. Not the brightest tool. This is the same guy who recently sold his Tesla and said the RWD S is super dangerous because it doesn't have traction in the rain because his tires are bald down to the belts. (!!)
> If you have half a brain on your shoulders, you have nothing to worry about.


As knowledgeable early adopters we should make every effort to use the correct terminology.
Batteries are inanimate, they cannot be "dead".
They are discharged.
Let's set a good example for the neophytes.


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## SSonnentag (Mar 30, 2017)

Liberty said:


> Batteries are inanimate, they cannot be "dead".


Um, no. Dead, flat, discharged, are all perfectly correct terms for a battery that has run down.


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## Kizzy (Jul 25, 2016)

SSonnentag said:


> Um, no. Dead, flat, discharged, are all perfectly correct terms for a battery that has run down.


But rechargeable batteries can be brought back to "life" making them zombie batteries! 

Maybe "fainted" is a better term.


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## SSonnentag (Mar 30, 2017)

Oh, I forgot about "drained."


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## teslaliving (Apr 2, 2016)

Model34mePlease said:


> shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/vehicle-accessories/model-s_x-chademo-adapter.html?sku=1036392-10-D
> 
> It's not labelled for the M3, but I suspect it will be.


I recently bought one of these and took a trip where I needed to use it, I wrote that up here:
Road Trips and CHAdeMO Charging

The summary is the adapter was expensive, the charging was expensive, and the charge rate was slow. BUT sometimes it's the closest/best option.


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