# Traveling first time long distance-Chicago-Palm Springs



## Greygutt

Hello,
Has anyone done the trip (Model Y long range) from Chicago to Palm Springs? We would love some pointers and insights to aid our planning. We have looked at both ABRP and Tesla...but have questions for anyone who may have made this trip...destination chargers-daily drive time-etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. We are starting from Canada, but it is the Chicago-Palm Springs leg that we are considering...
Thank you


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## FRC

I road trip a lot and have driven most of that route on various trips. But I've never specifically driven Chicago to Palm Springs.

What are your specific concerns? Virtually the entire trip is Interstate travel, so Superchagers will be plentiful. If you're planning significant miles off the interstate then more detail would be required for us to assist. As for overnight charging; Plugshare and Hotels.com are very helpful. At hotels.com you can indicate that you require EV charging under the amenities filter in order to locate an appropriate facility. But I find Plugshare easier to use because of it's map layout. Filter for Tesla and j1772's only and you'll easily locate hotels and motels to fit your needs.


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## Ed Woodrick

Are you looking to take the quickest trip or are you looking to take a relaxing and enjoyable trip? It's a huge difference.


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## Greygutt

Greygutt said:


> Hello,
> Has anyone done the trip (Model Y long range) from Chicago to Palm Springs? We would love some pointers and insights to aid our planning. We have looked at both ABRP and Tesla...but have questions for anyone who may have made this trip...destination chargers-daily drive time-etc.
> 
> Any help would be greatly appreciated. We are starting from Canada, but it is the Chicago-Palm Springs leg that we are considering...
> Thank you





FRC said:


> I road trip a lot and have driven most of that route on various trips. But I've never specifically driven Chicago to Palm Springs
> 
> What are your specific concerns? Virtually the entire trip is Interstate travel, so Superchagers will be plentiful. If you're planning significant miles off the interstate then more detail would be required for us to assist. As for overnight charging; Plugshare and Hotels.com are very helpful. At hotels.com you can indicate that you require EV charging under the amenities filter in order to locate an appropriate facility. But I find Plugshare easier to use because of it's map layout. Filter for Tesla and j1772's only and you'll easily locate hotels and motels to fit your needs.


Thank you SO much for this information. I guess my question is (and the hotels.com is a great resource, thank you), is what is the best way to work backwards...ie, if we want to drive/charge 10 hours a day...it is hard to manipulate the app, whether tesla or ABRP (and I will also take a closer look at Plugshare...we have it, but have not used it yet). In order to figure out where you would be every 10 hours or so, you need to add up all the different charging times and drive times on the tesla app, which is not very helpful. However, your response has been very helpful. Thank you.


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## Greygutt

Ed Woodrick said:


> Are you looking to take the quickest trip or are you looking to take a relaxing and enjoyable trip? It's a huge difference.


I don't know if you can see my reply to FRC...but also thank you for responding. I think we want to get there quickly, but as said in the other reply, driving about 10 hours per day including charge time...want to work backwards. Where would 10 hours land us each day/night...and look for charging hotels nearby,


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## FRC

Greygutt said:


> Thank you SO much for this information. I guess my question is (and the hotels.com is a great resource, thank you), is what is the best way to work backwards...ie, if we want to drive/charge 10 hours a day...it is hard to manipulate the app, whether tesla or ABRP (and I will also take a closer look at Plugshare...we have it, but have not used it yet). In order to figure out where you would be every 10 hours or so, you need to add up all the different charging times and drive times on the tesla app, which is not very helpful. However, your response has been very helpful. Thank you.


Two ways come to mind to achieve your 10 hour objective. In my experience, supercharging adds about 10% to travel time. So if google maps says a particular location is a 9 hour drive away, it'll take about 10. Personally, I'd probably rely on the cars nav system. If you enter a destination farther than 10 hours away, it will tell you an arrival time at each supercharger stop. Using that and the other resources you could then make appropriate reservations.

It's also worth noting that probably close to 50% of superchargers are in motel parking lots. If you stay at one of those motels, you won't have to worry about destination chargers. supercharge.info is a great resource for supercharger locations and nearby amenities.


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## Greygutt

Greygutt said:


> Thank you SO much for this information. I guess my question is (and the hotels.com is a great resource, thank you), is what is the best way to work backwards...ie, if we want to drive/charge 10 hours a day...it is hard to manipulate the app, whether tesla or ABRP (and I will also take a closer look at Plugshare...we have it, but have not used it yet). In order to figure out where you would be every 10 hours or so, you need to add up all the different charging times and drive times on the tesla app, which is not very helpful. However, your response has been very helpful. Thank you.


So question about Plugshare...We can do about 10 hours first two days and then much shorter days the final two (including charging) I've toggled between Tesla and google maps (and hotel.com) to plot the route. I wanted to see what Plugshare showed, but when I book the same route with Plugshare, it does not give me charging time...I have to input my own. Is there something I am missing? It gives the charging stations within the range of the car...but the time to charge is not indicated and I will not know what level of charge I have when I arrive as weather and other won't be known. (I guess that is true of Tesla, but the Tesla route planner must do it based upon averages and may change as we drive). My wife has lots of range anxiety so she never wants to get too low on juice.


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## Greygutt

Greygutt said:


> I don't know if you can see my reply to FRC...but also thank you for responding. I think we want to get there quickly, but as said in the other reply, driving about 10 hours per day including charge time...want to work backwards. Where would 10 hours land us each day/night...and look for charging hotels nearby,


We are going to go south...a bit longer (not much), but due to weather we think it might be better. Not quite as many chargers along this route, but hopefully enough!


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## DocScott

I think you may be overthinking this.

Once you decide where you're staying each night, you should easily be able to do the trip you describe with Superchargers. No need for L2 en route. Also no need for overnight hotel chargers (although it's a nice bonus if you get one.)

My plan would be to start out each day setting the Nav to the hotel you're staying at that night. That will give a good baseline. Then, while driving, we would decide when we were ready for a break. The passenger can then look up what Superchargers have amenities in walking distance that might make the break more pleasant, like somewhere to grab a bite to eat. I'd then add that as a stop to the Nav.

I think sometimes people start to focus too much on what gets them to their destination a few minutes quicker, rather than their own driving rhythm. I'd rather have a nice lunch in a diner somewhere while the car charges to near full then spend fifteen minutes with nothing to do while the car charges, even if it means getting to my destination a few minutes later.


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## FRC

I've always relied upon the car to give me charging times. And, just in case, I'll share this tip for new owners (whether you need it or not). You're not charging the car to 100%, you're charging enough to get to your next charging stop (plus a comfort buffer). I use the nav system to show my arrival %. When it says I'll arrive with11%, I'm gone. And that 11% buffer has never come close to failing me after almost 80K road trip miles. Also, I don't generally rely on the nav system to tell me where to supercharge. The car will route me to a supercharger that is 225 miles away, skipping past 2 other superchargers, then require a 45-minute charge for the next long leg. I will charge at one of those locations that the car skips, charge for 15-20 minutes (until my magic 11% buffer) then head out. I normally go only 150 miles or so between stops. We refer to this as "riding the bottom" of the battery. The result is charging more often, more quickly, and arriving at about the same time but much more rested. Most of the time when I stop to supercharge, the car is sufficiently fueled more quickly than I can use the restroom, get a snack, stretch my legs, and plan the next leg of the trip.

After you have completed your trip, you (and hopefully your wife also) will realize that you needlessly over planned this trip; range anxiety will be a thing of the past and you can pick up and go on a moment's notice. Safe travels and happy motoring!


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## bwilson4web

My rules of thumb:

Overnight to 100% SOC first drive of day - you'll easily cover 3-4 hours
Segments
plan for 30 mile reserve using trip graph to adjust speed early (nominal 62-63 mph)
near SuperCharger stop at fast food for bathroom and sack snack
at SuperCharger, eat snack and charge for next SuperCharger with 30 mile extra

Tesla navigation will recommend detours, take them to avoid backups
You'll be fine! Plugshare is your backup router to L2 if remaining range looks short.

Bob Wilson


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## garsh

FRC said:


> After you have completed your trip, you (and hopefully your wife also) will realize that you needlessly over planned this trip


<raises hand> overplanner here!  

While I like to use ABRP ahead of time to have an idea of where to get hotels and what supercharging stops to make, during the actual journey, I don't use it. I just use the car's nav. I'll often override it to force it into routing to my planned supercharger stop, but like @FRC, I also try to ride the bottom of the battery to make each stop pretty short.


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## Greygutt

FRC said:


> I've always relied upon the car to give me charging times. And, just in case, I'll share this tip for new owners (whether you need it or not). You're not charging the car to 100%, you're charging enough to get to your next charging stop (plus a comfort buffer). I use the nav system to show my arrival %. When it says I'll arrive with11%, I'm gone. And that 11% buffer has never come close to failing me after almost 80K road trip miles. Also, I don't generally rely on the nav system to tell me where to supercharge. The car will route me to a supercharger that is 225 miles away, skipping past 2 other superchargers, then require a 45-minute charge for the next long leg. I will charge at one of those locations that the car skips, charge for 15-20 minutes (until my magic 11% buffer) then head out. I normally go only 150 miles or so between stops. We refer to this as "riding the bottom" of the battery. The result is charging more often, more quickly, and arriving at about the same time but much more rested. Most of the time when I stop to supercharge, the car is sufficiently fueled more quickly than I can use the restroom, get a snack, stretch my legs, and plan the next leg of the trip.
> 
> After you have completed your trip, you (and hopefully your wife also) will realize that you needlessly over planned this trip; range anxiety will be a thing of the past and you can pick up and go on a moment's notice. Safe travels and happy motoring!


(Full disclosure...It is I the wife asking these questions! the one with range anxiety---and all of this is immensely helpful and i will share with my very chill husband!) LOL


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## Greygutt

garsh said:


> <raises hand> overplanner here!
> 
> While I like to use ABRP ahead of time to have an idea of where to get hotels and what supercharging stops to make, during the actual journey, I don't use it. I just use the car's nav. I'll often override it to force it into routing to my planned supercharger stop, but like @FRC, I also try to ride the bottom of the battery to make each stop pretty short.


WIth regard to bottom of the battery, I guess my worry is that if we misjudge in an area (stretch of road in Texas) where there are not many superchargers...we will be stuck. But if I understand, leaving 10% is about 80 miles??? I work in kilometers...so I wasn't sure. 80K is too close for comfort...i guess 80 miles gives some leeway.


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## FRC

Greygutt said:


> WIth regard to bottom of the battery, I guess my worry is that if we misjudge in an area (stretch of road in Texas) where there are not many superchargers...we will be stuck. But if I understand, leaving 10% is about 80 miles??? I work in kilometers...so I wasn't sure. 80K is too close for comfort...i guess 80 miles gives some leeway.


NO! 10% is about 30 miles/50 kilometers. Tell us which stretch in Texas worries you, from what charger to what charger?


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## Klaus-rf

Greygutt said:


> WIth regard to bottom of the battery, I guess my worry is that if we misjudge in an area (stretch of road in Texas) where there are not many superchargers...we will be stuck. But if I understand, leaving 10% is about 80 miles??? I work in kilometers...so I wasn't sure. 80K is too close for comfort...i guess 80 miles gives some leeway.


10% of 300 (miles) is 25-30 (miles).


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## Bigriver

Greygutt said:


> WIth regard to bottom of the battery, I guess my worry is that if we misjudge in an area (stretch of road in Texas) where there are not many superchargers...we will be stuck.


Many of us who have done a lot of trips refer to riding the bottom of the battery because it is where you get the fastest charging times. Rather than “fill up” at each supercharger, you charge enough to get to your next supercharger. So a typical trip segment might be arriving at a SC at 20% SOC and charging up to 70% SOC. That +50% SOC from 20% to 70% takes less time than if you did 50% to 100%. And if you did 5% to 55%, it would take even less time to charge. I strongly recommend that when you haven’t yet developed knowledge and a feel for your car’s energy consumption, follow Tesla’s guidance for how much to charge to. The car will typically plan for you to get to the next SC at about 20% SOC. It’s even ok if you decide to charge a little more, just to be sure. There are no awards given for calling it close.

Travelling on US interstates in a Tesla isn’t particularly challenging these days. There are plenty of superchargers. Maybe you have to stop at every SC site, but the distances between them are doable, and I’ve never been blindsided by a SC site being down without the car guidance telling you that.


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## Ed Woodrick

Since we are working hard at driving, I'll add the following.

Look at scheduling your break periods at Superchargers. If you stop for lunch for 30-60 minutes and are not charging, you are wasting time. So look at your route and figure out where those places are that you want to stop, for lunch, for break, etc. Then look for Superchargers that make that possible. Then a little give and take to figure out where you are going to charge.

If you are the type, you can schedule out your trip from start to finish that way, but I'm not. I'll start driving, then look for Superchargers near where I'll be near lunch time. And then I'll look for any fill in chargers needed. Same for an afternoon stretch break and then dinner and hotel. Hotel L2 charging is nice, but far from required. If you do breakfast, that's a good Supercharger stop.

You should not have to charge your car to 100% at a Supercharger (It is absolutely fine to do so before you leave though) and that basically says that you are going to be looking for chargers every 200-250 miles. Which is pretty good for stretch breaks.

There's a school of thought that you can go faster if you stop at ever Supercharger and keep your batter between 20 and 50% or so. That's the point at which the battery can charge the fastest. And be aware that over 80% is where it charges the slowest. 

But honestly, don't worry about it. There should be enough chargers along the route that you should be able to get in and just drive. Make sure that the car is always in the Nav mode, so that it will tell if it needs to stop to charge.

And remember that for about every 5 mph speed increase over 60 mph, the car decreases range by about 10%. The last I heard the Model 3 can actually go about 600 miles on a charge at about 40 mph.


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## FRC

Ed Woodrick said:


> The last I heard the Model 3 can actually go about 600 miles on a charge at about 40 mph.


I'll probably put this theory to the test on my way to Alaska next week!


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## garsh

Greygutt said:


> I guess my worry is that if we misjudge in an area (stretch of road in Texas) where there are not many superchargers...we will be stuck.


That's quite understandable when you're new to Teslas and EVs in general.

In that case, use Tesla's built-in navigation. It will tell you where to charge. While you're charging, it will tell you how much longer you need to stay charging. And it will tell you when you have enough charge to leave for your next stop. It's quite conservative - I normally don't wait for it to tell me to leave. But I think it will be perfect for someone in your situation.


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## Ed Woodrick

FRC said:


> I'll probably put this theory to the test on my way to Alaska next week!


This isn't a theory, it's been done. Tesla Model 3 travels 606 miles on a single charge in new hypermiling record - Electrek


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## Ed Woodrick

Greygutt said:


> WIth regard to bottom of the battery, I guess my worry is that if we misjudge in an area (stretch of road in Texas) where there are not many superchargers...we will be stuck. But if I understand, leaving 10% is about 80 miles??? I work in kilometers...so I wasn't sure. 80K is too close for comfort...i guess 80 miles gives some leeway.


If you listen to the nav computer, this should not happen to you. It will not even let you start the journey.

On the other hand, just because the Nav computer doesn't let you do it, doesn't mean that it can't be done. The Nac computer is pretty conservative.


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## FRC

Ed Woodrick said:


> This isn't a theory, it's been done. Tesla Model 3 travels 606 miles on a single charge in new hypermiling record - Electrek


I think I'll approach it as a theory. Unless you think it would be wiser for me to assume that I can replicate these "reported" results??


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## garsh

Ed Woodrick said:


> This isn't a theory, it's been done. Tesla Model 3 travels 606 miles on a single charge in new hypermiling record - Electrek


Slowing down to ~30 mph will help, but he's probably not going to replicate that on unpaved Alaskan roads.
@FRC, what's the biggest stretch between chargers that you hope to cross?


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## Greygutt

SO thank you to all of you...I am getting a bit more comfortable. Another general question...I am sure there will be some difference of opinion. But would you plan your trip for the 3-4 days by putting in start (Chicago) and end (Palm Springs) or would you put in the estimated leg of the trip for each day into the planner? Just wondering on pros/cons of each approach. (we may do both...one on the car and one on our phone). Thank you all for being so helpful.


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## Bigriver

Greygutt said:


> But would you plan your trip for the 3-4 days by putting in start (Chicago) and end (Palm Springs) or would you put in the estimated leg of the trip for each day into the planner?


For a multiple day trip, I first load all my intermediate destinations (usually hotels) into the navigation system, so they will be in my Recent addresses and easily accessible. And then each day I enter that days final destination. I don’t keep the whole trip loaded in because it just clutters things up, and I really don’t care about the details for 3 days later. Just today.


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## FRC

Greygutt said:


> SO thank you to all of you...I am getting a bit more comfortable. Another general question...I am sure there will be some difference of opinion. But would you plan your trip for the 3-4 days by putting in start (Chicago) and end (Palm Springs) or would you put in the estimated leg of the trip for each day into the planner? Just wondering on pros/cons of each approach. (we may do both...one on the car and one on our phone). Thank you all for being so helpful.


I do it just like @Bigriver, but with an additional reason. I do a lot of remote stretches in mountainous areas. I routinely lose connectivity in these areas, and if I have previously loaded my destinations (while I had solid connectivity), then it's not a problem to bring them back up as a recent.


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## FRC

garsh said:


> Slowing down to ~30 mph will help, but he's probably not going to replicate that on unpaved Alaskan roads.
> @FRC, what's the biggest stretch between chargers that you hope to cross?


@garsh, That's a question that I can't readily answer. This trip will be unlike any I've previously done in that, after Prince George, BC, I'll likely travel over 2000 miles before I see another supercharger. That 2000 miles will be fueled exclusively by L2 slow charging (hopefully 30 and 50a). And even these charging opportunities are few and far between. So, I'll rarely pass up a charging opportunity. If you assumed an average travel speed of, say 55 mph, and if I achieved my full rated range of 280 miles, and if there happened to be a charging solution exactly at the end of 280 miles, then I'd be driving for 5 hours and then charging for 9-14 hours before going again. And since I won't be driving at night, this would limit my progress to, at most 280 miles per day. And this is not the kind of progress I would wish for. So as @Ed Woodrick suggests above, I'm planning to slow down to 40 mph or so. If this would increase my maximum range to 500 miles (doubtful), then I could have and 12-hour ride followed by a 12-hour charge, rinse and repeat tomorrow.

I'm not sure that answers your question, but it's about the best I can offer right now. Add in the fact of roughly 20 hours of daylight, and who knows how this adventure will play out. But, I'm in no big hurry and I'm excitedly looking forward to the challenge.

I'm hoping to author a new thread "North to Alaska" chronicling my adventure. I hope to post to it daily while charging (I'll certainly have ample idle time). I'm leaving on 7/23 (tentatively) and hope to begin the new thread with a very rough itinerary. Hoping that some folks might be interested in meet and greets at superchargers along the way. Wish me luck, friends!!


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## Greygutt

FRC said:


> NO! 10% is about 30 miles/50 kilometers. Tell us which stretch in Texas worries you, from what charger to what charger?


Roughly...Springfield->Amarillo and then Amarillo->New Mexico


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## Greygutt

Bigriver said:


> For a multiple day trip, I first load all my intermediate destinations (usually hotels) into the navigation system, so they will be in my Recent addresses and easily accessible. And then each day I enter that days final destination. I don’t keep the whole trip loaded in because it just clutters things up, and I really don’t care about the details for 3 days later. Just today.





Bigriver said:


> For a multiple day trip, I first load all my intermediate destinations (usually hotels) into the navigation system, so they will be in my Recent addresses and easily accessible. And then each day I enter that days final destination. I don’t keep the whole trip loaded in because it just clutters things up, and I really don’t care about the details for 3 days later. Just today.


Incredibly helpful...thank you


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## garsh

Greygutt said:


> Roughly...Springfield->Amarillo and then Amarillo->New Mexico


Which Springfield?
And which city in New Mexico?

Have you tried putting your endpoints into ABRP and seeing what it shows?


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## FRC

Greygutt said:


> Roughly...Springfield->Amarillo and then Amarillo->New Mexico


Based upon what I'm assuming is your intended route (Chicago-Amarillo-Palm Springs), I quick look at www.supercharge.info indicates that the longest leg you'll encounter between superchargers is probably 138 miles from Albuquerque to Gallup, NM. If you can keep your speed under, say, 300 KPH you'll be just fine. But seriously, as others have said: The route you intend is well covered by superchargers. Use the in-car navigation system and follow its instructions. You'd have to try really hard to mess this up. Relax and enjoy, you'll be fine.


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## FRC

garsh said:


> Which Springfield?


Are we being punked by the writers of the Simpsons??


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