# Tesla Model Winter Trip (4,600 miles) Summary by a 75 year old woman



## Will 4 Gaia (Mar 3, 2019)

Tesla Model 3 Winter Trip (4,600 miles) Summary by 75 year old woman.

On March 31, 2016 my husband and I stood in freezing weather at the Tesla Minnesota service center to put our order in for a Model 3. We were 30th in line and we received the first long-range, dual motor, enhance auto pilot, Model 3 delivered in Minnesota on August 10th, 2018. 

The most common question we receive is about the car’s range and how we handle range anxiety due to cold weather.

Every February we take a month long road trip. This year we ventured out with our Model 3 Tesla. We drove 4,600 miles; from Minnesota to Texas, west into New Mexico, then back home on Interstate 70 and then I35 home. It was 4 degrees Fahrenheit when we left and 0 degrees Fahrenheit when we returned. Our “rated” miles was 6,360 with our average efficiency at 72.3% and over the whole trip the average energy usage was 310 wh/mi. During our trip our highest energy usage was 416 wh/mi where we were fought strong headwinds and a temperature of 6 degrees Fahrenheit. Almost all miles were driven on Enhanced Auto Pilot by my husband except for 40 miles of snow and ice on local roads.

We used “A Better Route Planner” and loaded it into the car’s computer to display on the screen. We personalized the planning data based upon our current situation (average wh/mi, temperature, wind, road conditions). We set our lower battery arrival level at 20% to cover for unknown elevation changes and weather conditions (temperature, precipitation and wind). Using their recommendations, we selected Tesla Superchargers or destination chargers from the Tesla listings. 

We found that Superchargers are often near truck stops, eating establishments or lodging facilities. Plugshare shows more destination chargers than the internal Tesla listings. We never paid an extra charge for destination chargers and left our car plugged in all night! We left our phone number at the front desk in case some other Tesla vehicle needed space to charge. In Las Cruces, New Mexico, their community center provided a free level 2 Tesla wall charger.

Our average trip segment was between 100 and 150 miles (2-3 hours) that enabled us to keep charging in the sweet spot between 20 - 80%. We took bathroom breaks, got coffee, did a little walking, ate a meal and sometimes played cribbage. Tesla automatically notified us when our battery reached 80%.

Over the course of our 28-day, 4,600 mile trip we supercharged 38 times. Our average supercharging time was 31 minutes. We recharged the battery at the end of each day when the battery was still warm verses charging in the morning when a cold battery would take longer to charge. When possible, we plugged our car into a 110 outlet to keep the battery warm and pick up a couple extra miles. Our total supercharging bill was $219. We found 4 locations were the supercharger did not work and simply plugged into another supercharger.

We did not witness internal combustion engine vehicles intentionally blocking Tesla superchargers. Some superchargers were located close to the main entrance of hotels and people would unintentionally park there to be “close in” verses further out. Others were at the furthest end of the parking lots and had no problems. The LaQuinta Inn in Rockport, Texas put orange cones to save Tesla vehicle charging spots.. 

One of our most memorable experiences was while we were Supercharging at the Flying J Truck Stop in Texas. A father came up with his 12-year old son and asked if we were the owners of the Model 3. It was the first they’d seen. The son knew everything about the specs of the Model 3. They both smiled as we showed them our car. His son’s knowledge, excitement and pure joy in witnessing an all-electric vehicle gave us hope for the future.

All in all, I found that charging more often while driving long distances was less stressful on my body as I wasn’t confined to a car for long periods of time and the charging stop enabled us more opportunities to limber up!

My husband said that he’d do the trip over again because the driving was so easy and the car is comfortable to ride in. (He’s 6’3”)


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

Thanks for sharing!


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## TheTony (Jan 20, 2018)

Welcome 

I gotta say, your timing for that road trip was impeccable - snowiest February in years (in history, for MSP). I may be a little envious!

I recall waiting in that same line - I took some time off from work so I could wait in person a few hours early and get my reservation in. I didn't figure there would be the turn out that there was: 40-50 people in line already, and some of the first few had actually camped out - in a chilly drizzle, no less. Then, by the time the store opened and I had completed my reservation, the line stretched around the parking lot to the road, perhaps 150 or more and later heard people kept lining up for a few hours. It was then that it dawned on me that it was going to be more popular than many of us expected.


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## Oyster Bait (Sep 15, 2018)

That's the most concise, well written trip report I've read.

A+


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## Needsdecaf (Dec 27, 2018)

Great story, thanks for sharing! Hope you had a wonderful trip.


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## ltphoto (Jan 30, 2018)

Great summary of what sounds like a great trip. Really helpful for me as I am about to begin a three week trip of my own. Your story gives me encouragement and some useful tips, the first of which is that I am going to try A Better Route Planner. Thanks for sharing your experience.


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## Agon (Jan 8, 2018)

Thank you for a very informative road trip report.

I am trying to decide between midrange and long range rwd by planning some of my typical routes in abetterrouteplanner. I know your conditions were less than ideal when it comes to consumption. But I guess you might still have a good impression of consumption and the use of abettertrouteplanner.

The reference consumption at 65 mph that you have to type in is of course very important when using abetterrouteplanner. In this page the developer estimates 232 wh/mi (dry roads, no wind) based on data points from 233 cars: Tesla Model 3 Performance vs RWD consumption - Real Driving Data from 233 Cars.

But the default setting is somewhat higher (239 for 18 inch aero and 286 for 19 inch). Do you have an impression what setting for reference comsumption gives the most precise prediction of range?


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## SR22pilot (Aug 16, 2018)

Agon said:


> Thank you for a very informative road trip report.
> 
> I am trying to decide between midrange and long range rwd by planning some of my typical routes in abetterrouteplanner. I know your conditions were less than ideal when it comes to consumption. But I guess you might still have a good impression of consumption and the use of abettertrouteplanner.


My 2 cents worth - Range is king in an EV. If you can afford LR then go for it. Stay with Aero wheels and RWD if you need to save money.


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