# Tips For a 10,000km Model 3 Road Trip?



## Bobby Garrity

In about a month I'll be taking the biggest road trip of my life as I move from Long Island, NY to somewhere on/near the West Coast! I got a new job but I don't yet know the exact location beyond that. Nonetheless, knowing that as well as the places where I will stop along the way to visit people has allowed me to calculate that this trip will be in excess of 10,000km! That's right kids, over 10 megameters! So I wanted to know if anybody who has taken an extremely long trip in a Model 3 had any tips for me!

I'll be doing this alone in a 2018 Model 3 with the Long Range battery and the 18in wheels. I don't have Autopilot, but will certainly be buying it for this trip! Right now I plan on only getting Autopilot, as it seems to me that the Traffic Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer that you get with Autopilot is more valuable than everything you get with the Full Self Driving package, despite the former costing $3000 and the latter costing $7000. But if you've found the FSD package to be a game changer for very long road trips then please try to convince me!

As for charging, I don't think that will be an issue no matter where I end up going. And for simplicity I'm assuming that Superchargers are my only option. The network sure has developed.

Is there anything else you think I should do or consider? Thanks!


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## ravisorg

I just did a 6,000km trip and doing another this week 😄

My only advice is to keep the battery around 25-50% and stop and charge a bit every hour, rather than charge up full and run it all the way down.

Superchargers charge by the minute, and model 3s charge super quick up to 50%, then progressively slower after that. A 10 minute stop every hour will get you to the next charger (give yourself some room for error), five you a quick stretch, and only cost you a couple bucks.

So I charge at home to 90%, drive until as far as I can, then start quick/short charging after that.

In theory you can overnight at hotels with 240v charging too, which would be nice, but I’ve never seemed to stay at a place with that feature (I know I could look for them in advance, but that ain’t the way I roll! 😂)

Overall, model 3 is by far the best road trip car I’ve ever been in, so enjoy!

PS you’re moving from one side of America to the other, but you’re measuring distance in kilometres? I mean, that’s great, it just took my brain for a loop for a moment there 😅

CoronaNote: we’re travelling between two houses, both very carefully isolated, and we’re sleeping / eating in our car, with no contact with anyone enroute. It’s like an enforced camping experiment. 🙂


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## Bobby Garrity

ravisorg said:


> PS you're moving from one side of America to the other, but you're measuring distance in kilometres? I mean, that's great, it just took my brain for a loop for a moment there 😅


While I work on converting my country to metric, I thought I should use it for the sake of our forum members from the developed world! And besides, doesn't 10,000km sound more impressive than 6,000mi?


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## Ed Woodrick

First recommendation, don't treat it as an EV trip, treat it as any other trip. Most of the time an EV will not change how you drive at all.
If you haven't been across country, take a week or two to do it. Stop and see the scenery and attractions along the way. It's an awesome trip, I've done it 3 times.
Time of year will matter, if getting cooler, head down to I-40 to head over.

Once you have your plan, look to see what your charging options are. You will want to plan meals and bio breaks around the stop, but that's about it unless you divert way off the Interstate


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## NR4P

The comment above about charging by the minute is not universal. Perhaps in Canada? Below 45% you do get higher rates. So if you use the NAV system to your next destination at end of day if you can, it will plot the stops and determine optimal charging, usually.

If you want to get somewhere fast, don't charge past 80%, that last 10% to 90% is 10 mins in many cases.

And when you give it a destination, it will try to charge you at the last supercharger enough to get you to your next destination around 20%. Careful with that. You need to then worry where you get your next charge. So sometimes you will have to over-ride the supercharger stop that wants to cut you off at say 60% so you destinate at 20%.
And it won't hurt a bit to try to say at motels/hotels/B&B where you can charge. Destination chargers can be found easily. I like PlugShare.

And if you don't have it for your mobile charger, get the Nema 14-50 adaptor. 

I have done only 1000 mi trips but a family member did 7200 miles in an S. Never had a problem. So Enjoy, it can be fun.


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## ravisorg

NR4P said:


> The comment above about charging by the minute is not universal. Perhaps in Canada?


Wow, I did not know that! Good to know! 🙂


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## AutopilotFan

First, download Plugshare to your phone if you haven't already. It's a valuable resource if those you are visiting aren't near a Supercharger. Make triple sure you have your charge plug and your J1772 adapter. 

Make sure those you are visiting overnight know you are bringing your Tesla. Ask if you can plug in overnight, and if they have a 220 dryer line or just regular house current. Try to make sure you can plug your car in every night while you are sleeping. Another option is to look on Plugshare for nearby free or paid chargers; one may be convenient to where you are staying. 

On the long legs you should stop every 2 hours or so at some sort of charger, preferably a Supercharger. Get out, walk around, use the restroom, pick up snacks. If you spend 15 minutes at the charger you'll have enough power for another 2 hours of driving. If you are taking major highways you'll be able to keep this up indefinitely.

Look ahead for where you are stopping to visit with people and understand the charging situation. Unless they are within 20 miles of a Supercharger, try to arrive with at least 30% power. That will make sure you can get to a Supercharger if everything goes wrong and you can't plug on overnight. That will also cover you if you need to give anyone test rides before you plug in and charge up! If you can't charge for some reason that night, you'll have enough power to get you to the nearest Supercharger -- and if you did charge then you might have enough for 2 hours of driving before you need to charge again.

You definitely want Autosteer and TACC. Navigate on Autopilot is great if you are a bit absent-minded and might miss your exit on highways. I love telling the car to change lanes but you may not miss that. And have fun! The car is comfortable and has lots of entertainment value to keep you occupied for hours and hours of driving.


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## bwilson4web

In January, 3,168 km (1,980 miles) over several days:

Use PlugShare to augment the SuperCharger map.
Schedule overnight stays a motels with free breakfasts and J1772/destination chargers.
RV parks with NEMA 14-50 or 14-30 can substitute and sleep in the car.
Carry blanket, bug repellant, sun screen, toilet paper, paper towels, and hat.

Adapters: J1772-to-Tesla; NEMA 14-50 and NEMA 14-30; high current, 20 ft extension cord
Protocol (fastest block time, lowest cost)
Leave each morning with a full charge and empty biology to drive to furtherest SuperCharger
Charge enough to reach nearest SuperCharger with 30-40 miles reserve
Stop at nearest fast food for biology break and snacks
Goto SuperCharger to eat and stretch


Enjoy! Try to visit some of the national parks and museums.

Bob Wilson


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## SalisburySam

@Bobby Garrity, you've gotten a lot of charging advice here and it should be no cause for anxiety for your 6000-mile trip (I'm American, and I use American weights and measures). But there are some other things to think about some related to EVs, some not:

1- you have no spare tire. Yes, you can call Tesla for help, AAA, whatever, but the quickest, cheapest, easiest way to get back on the road is to have a plug kit and compressor with you. If you wish, add a jack to that with appropriate jack pads for Teslas. Get the most complete plug kit you can find. It'll have gloves, needle nose pliers to help remove the offending hardware, and good plugs.
2- garbage bags, tissues/napkins
3- while I find the Tesla map and navigation instructions to have been on point in my travels, it is always nice to have a current Waze application on your smartphone. Sometimes the 2nd opinion is worthwhile off major roads due to accidents or other traffic tie-ups.
4- you're going to spill something. Have a few old towels or roll of paper towels with you.
5- take a spray bottle of glass cleaner to go with those paper towels, I use Invisible Glass. If you've been traveling through dirt or weather, spritz off your cameras (remember there are 8 of them) to keep those visual sensors working best. At the end of a day, wipe off your 12 ultrasonics as well. Consider wiping off the front bumper in front of the radar unit if you've had any ice/snow buildup at elevation.
6- before leaving, check tire air pressure, top off the windshield washer fluid tank, make sure you have all your charging adapters.
7- re-read the owners manual. If you've not referenced it in awhile, it'll bring back things that will likely be useful on a trip. It's not a novel, and you can skip stuff, but going over the deets can be very helpful.
8- if you have subscriptions to streaming services that are available on your Tesla, have those set up in advance and verified to be working.
9- know where your keycards, fobs, and smartphone(s) are at all times. Keep at least one of these always on your person if you forget your phone inside the car.
10 - hand wipes, hand sanitizer.

Good luck, and be safe!


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## garsh

Excellent list, SalisburySam.


SalisburySam said:


> 1- you have no spare tire. Yes, you can call Tesla for help, AAA, whatever, but the quickest, cheapest, easiest way to get back on the road is to have a plug kit and compressor with you. If you wish, add a jack to that with appropriate jack pads for Teslas. Get the most complete plug kit you can find. It'll have gloves, needle nose pliers to help remove the offending hardware, and good plugs.


In addition to a plug kit, I'll often throw in one of my winter tires in the trunk as a spare (or one of my summer tires if it's winter). I'd hate to be somewhere with no mobile phone coverage, AND end up with an unpluggable flat.


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## Needsdecaf

I didn't see any mention of A Better Route Planner. My apologies if someone posted it. But it's an excellent website that will allow you very good planning of your route, and allow you to predict with very good accuracy your state of charge when you get to destinations. 

Definitely agree...plug share. Look for lodging with guest charging. This makes your life SO MUCH easier. 

Also, kind of astounded that you're getting a new job...but not exactly sure where..


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## littlD

Feel free to listen to episodes 34 through 36 on road trips

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/lifewithmiddie


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## felzano3

all great advice from everyone. if on a trip from CA to WA, what save places has anyone parked at if you decide to sleep in a Model 3. I am hesitant to stay at hotels for an overnight stay or two with all the risks of staying in a previously used hotel room.


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## littlD

felzano3 said:


> all great advice from everyone. if on a trip from CA to WA, what save places has anyone parked at if you decide to sleep in a Model 3. I am hesitant to stay at hotels for an overnight stay or two with all the risks of staying in a previously used hotel room.


Maybe consider staying at KOAs or other RV parks. Bring a 14-50 or other 240v adapters and, tada, you gain charging and lodging!


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## orekart

10km is not too much. Easy. Get used to charging from 8%-50% SoC @ 120kW+ in states that meter by the minute instead of by kWh and you'll cut the supercharging bill in half (or better), and faster overall travel time. When you need rest just power nap and charge to 100%.

Full Self Driving can now help you stop for traffic controls. I wish I'd had that on my last 8,000mi+ trip. It's natural to become a less attentive driver after moving at speed for days on all-highway routes. You zone out and forget what that eight sided red polygon thing is - FSD didn't have any use last trip but I would recommend it going forward.

You might get juked by supercharging stalls that are paywalled or members-only. It's not common but there are supercharging locations that are inside a casino or metro parking garage. Tough bananas!


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## AutopilotFan

orekart said:


> You might get juked by supercharging stalls that are paywalled or members-only. It's not common but there are supercharging locations that are inside a casino or metro parking garage. Tough bananas!


The car will tell you more about the Supercharger if you tap on it. But Plugshare will tell you everything, including where in the garage/parking lot to find the charger and reviews from folks who have used it. Often there is a photo. Use it if you are at all unsure.


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## Ngl22

Hello, Bobby Garrity! How did your road trip from LI to the west coast go? I am taking my Model S from CA to the East Coast and back and wonder what tips you could share?


Bobby Garrity said:


> In about a month I'll be taking the biggest road trip of my life as I move from Long Island, NY to somewhere on/near the West Coast! I got a new job but I don't yet know the exact location beyond that. Nonetheless, knowing that as well as the places where I will stop along the way to visit people has allowed me to calculate that this trip will be in excess of 10,000km! That's right kids, over 10 megameters! So I wanted to know if anybody who has taken an extremely long trip in a Model 3 had any tips for me!
> 
> I'll be doing this alone in a 2018 Model 3 with the Long Range battery and the 18in wheels. I don't have Autopilot, but will certainly be buying it for this trip! Right now I plan on only getting Autopilot, as it seems to me that the Traffic Aware Cruise Control and Autosteer that you get with Autopilot is more valuable than everything you get with the Full Self Driving package, despite the former costing $3000 and the latter costing $7000. But if you've found the FSD package to be a game changer for very long road trips then please try to convince me!
> 
> As for charging, I don't think that will be an issue no matter where I end up going. And for simplicity I'm assuming that Superchargers are my only option. The network sure has developed.
> 
> Is there anything else you think I should do or consider? Thanks!


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## FRC

Ngl22 said:


> Hello, Bobby Garrity! How did your road trip from LI to the west coast go? I am taking my Model S from CA to the East Coast and back and wonder what tips you could share?


If you read all of this thread, you've probably learned all you need to know (and more). If you have any specific questions, ask away! I only have around 80,000 miles of road trip experience, but I'll try to help!


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## skygraff

The bit about bringing stuff to clean the front bumper is especially true in bug season. Bring self contained entertainment and be prepared to navigate without internet for the few places you won’t get a cell signal.

All in all, did a slightly longer trip) started in Chicago be did a loop) in my 2018 RWD LR back in 2018 and the best part was not having to really make any plans. I supercharged when that was the best option, I stayed at RV parks when it worked for my hiking plans which also led to a few Walmart parking lots and rest stops (not all will let you). When I felt like doing a hotel, I used PlugShare or other tools to find ones with charging so I could give them business as a thank you for supporting this shift. I even charged at a restaurant or two simply because they had them and I wanted to patronize their establishments.

Never felt like, as you say, charging was an issue but encouraging the community was a nice byproduct. That said, if you go the mountain route (especially if it’s cold, there’s precip, or it’s extra windy), give yourself a nice cushion for the conditions.

When I did the drive, I had EAP but it wasn’t much more capable than basic autopilot (the lane change update came just as I finished the trip). It was very relaxing and works great away from traffic. Have great time and don’t let yourself feel rushed.


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## Kimmo57

Fart on turn signal brings a happy surprise every now and then on a long trip 🙂


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