# 2,200+ mile road trip -- Iowa to Maryland and back again



## crmatson (Mar 27, 2017)

I wanted to go visit family for Thanksgiving and attend a high school reunion. I looked at flights for our family of four. After spitting my coffee across the table, I discussed driving the Model 3 with my wife. She quickly agreed and I started planning the trip. 

I had no experience with supercharging or destination chargers. I took delivery of my Performance Model 3 in mid-September. Other than the initial drive from Kansas City back to Iowa, I have only used it for local commutes. I read about trips and charging on this and other forums. I tested out charging at the closest supercharger. My Tesla account still indicated pay-per-use charging, but I have never been charged. 

I used EV Trip Planner, A Better Route Planner and the Go Anywhere Tesla planner to look at charging stops along the way. After we actually got on the road, I discovered that I could just trust the in-car navigation, but a little planning never hurts. I was pleased to find that I could get Supercharger rates of over 400mi/hr at 110+ kW. In the time it took 2 kids and 2 adults to use the restroom and grab a snack, we were ready to head out again. We took a more leisurely break for lunches. 

We stopped overnight at the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park, IN and used one their destination chargers. I was worried that the chargers would be occupied, but they were both open the day before Thanksgiving. The Inn is lovely, if a bit dated. I thanked the front-desk staff for offering EV charging stations. 

I even had a chance to use the 120v adapter for an overnight stay at a vacation house with family in western Maryland. It provided about 45 miles of range with overnight temperatures of 20 deg F. 

I had no problems with frozen door handles. Before leaving on the trip, I sprayed some silicone around the handles and used 'Gummi Pflege Stift' Rubber Care Stick around the trunk/frunk/door trim. 

I used a JuiceBox Regular Dryer Adapter (NEMA 10-30) for the Mobile Connector at my brother's house in Maryland as he had an accessible outlet next to his garage. At the time I was planning the trip, Tesla's version was out-of-stock. I was sure to manually lower the charging limit to 24 amps. I combined that with a 25' Conntek NEMA 10-30 extension cord and everything worked out fine. 

We stopped at 16 superchargers in 7 states over the week of Thanksgiving and never had to wait to charge. 

I used Navigate on Autopilot for most of the trip and it greatly reduced driver fatigue. We made it back to Iowa safely after 2,200+ miles with an even greater appreciation for the car.


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## TrevP (Oct 20, 2015)

If you want to write a longer post with pictures of your experience I can make this an article for you.


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## crmatson (Mar 27, 2017)

TrevP said:


> If you want to write a longer post with pictures of your experience I can make this an article for you.


Can do.


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## TrevP (Oct 20, 2015)

Go ahead and fill in the post above (no need to make a new one) and when it's done just PM me and we'll make it happen!


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

As long as you properly prepare the rest of the family for how a Tesla roadtrip differs from a "regular" roadtrip, it's actually not bad at all. I just did a road trip from Pittsburgh to Montreal (~ 600 miles one-way). We had our long supercharging stops coincide with meals. The biggest downside is that we often had a long walk (in freezing temps!) to get from the supercharger to a restaurant. And you're limited to the restaurants within somewhat convenient walking distance.


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## Jay79 (Aug 18, 2018)

garsh said:


> As long as you properly prepare the rest of the family for how a Tesla roadtrip differs from a "regular" roadtrip, it's actually not bad at all. I just did a road trip from Pittsburgh to Montreal (~ 600 miles one-way). We had our long supercharging stops coincide with meals. The biggest downside is that we often had a long walk (in freezing temps!) to get from the supercharger to a restaurant. And you're limited to the restaurants within somewhat convenient walking distance.


MRE's stored in the Frunk Garsh!

Then you never have to leave your car. You can stay put, eat sub par food and play Asteroids while your food heats up in the flame-less heating pouch!


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## kort677 (Sep 17, 2018)

Jay79 said:


> MRE's stored in the Frunk Garsh!
> 
> Then you never have to leave your car. You can stay put, eat sub par food and play Asteroids while your food heats up in the flame-less heating pouch!


some us actually enjoy stopping every once in awhile, visit a restroom, walk a bit, stretch the legs, look at the stores.


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## Jay79 (Aug 18, 2018)

kort677 said:


> some us actually enjoy stopping every once in awhile, visit a restroom, walk a bit, stretch the legs, look at the stores.


It was a joke


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

garsh said:


> As long as you properly prepare the rest of the family for how a Tesla roadtrip differs from a "regular" roadtrip, it's actually not bad at all. I just did a road trip from Pittsburgh to Montreal (~ 600 miles one-way). We had our long supercharging stops coincide with meals. The biggest downside is that we often had a long walk (in freezing temps!) to get from the supercharger to a restaurant. And you're limited to the restaurants within somewhat convenient walking distance.


I have found the supercharging experience way better than "not bad". I was surprised to find that I very much enjoy the experience, and look forward to it. I like seeing the new places that I would normally blow by on the interstate, and I find stopping every 3 hours much more relaxing than my old, only stop when the gas needle begins to bounce practice. I find that trips take about 5% longer(a 10 hour trip becomes 10.5) no big deal. I really like meeting and talking Tesla with others at the supercharger. I wish that Model S owners(not all) would come down off there high horse a bit. Recently, I set out on a 6 hour trip through the autumn mountains alone. I spent so much time visiting at superchargers that the 6 hour trip became 12. One tip, locate your supercharger then take a lap around the immediate area to determine where best to eat, drink, shop, or rest; then return to the supercharger. Have fun out there guys.


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