You can get a really good idea using a website called a better route planner.
Plot out your trips and see what changes.
https://abetterrouteplanner.com/classic/?plan_uuid=ab130091-823d-4571-88c0-5b03ca51dbbc
What is a long trip really like in an EV?
- Thread starter Joel_MD
- Start date
You can get a really good idea using a website called a better route planner.
Plot out your trips and see what changes.
https://abetterrouteplanner.com/classic/?plan_uuid=ab130091-823d-4571-88c0-5b03ca51dbbc
If it's a Tesla long range Model S, you stop every 180 miles. If it is a shorter range EV, you will probably stop at or before 160 miles.
Remember, the only time you get to use a 100% full battery is when you leave home. Possibly a hotel with good charger, but that can't be counted on. The rest of the time, it's 80% down to 10%, then charge back up to 80%.
Last years Model S long range, Jupiter, FL to Burlington, VT, 1485 miles took 3 days, and the charging added 11 hours to the trip (or about 1 1/2 work-days)
for some people that would be a major issue.. for me its literally I've driven 400+ miles in a day ... 5x in 6 years.
Im not sure about the math on what you stated.. yes its correct for a never ending road trip.. but.
I start out with 350 miles of range (100% from home) why would I stop at 160-180 miles?
now I understand after the first charging stop you are near 80% so of course the second charging stop is sooner.
My trip.. lets use kincardine ontario for example. is 400 miles.. So I would stop one time probably around 230 miles for lunch/charge and arrive there and charge overnight... not that terrible.
People who regularly long range road trip extensively already know electric is not uh.. great.. or if you need to tow.
Not a huge fan of electric but these discussions always devolve into the not everyday usage scenario.
Now we can talk about prices and how 50-60k is closing in on half of my house value... but that is a different argument.
By BIL and my nephew drove from Vancouver to Kimberley BC with his Tesla 3 which involved about 10 hours of driving. He said he stopped every few hours at a Tesla Super charger location and charged for 20 minutes, never bothering to charge the last 20% of capacity. They were travelling on week days and traffic was light with no lineups at the charge locations.
It was no big deal, in fact on the way back home he said it pretty much equaled a pee break every few hours while drinking coffee.
It was no big deal, in fact on the way back home he said it pretty much equaled a pee break every few hours while drinking coffee.
Last edited:
What are made for long trips?
Thank you. This is the kind of response I was seeking; a person who has actually made a long trip with an EV. Not links to videos, anecdotes, websites, etc. I can find that stuff on my own.
I talked to a guy who has an early Model S (one with free Supercharging). He has run out of charge twice, both times near home. Just not paying attention he admits.
He called CAA (like AAA) and they sent a flat-bed and hauled him home. They didn't even harass him about it.
Prefacing my comment, I've been driving for 3+ decades, I'd estimate having personally driven 1/3rd of a million miles and into or thru almost every state in the lower 48. I've done numerous cross-country or otherwise long range interstate trips. I'm very versed in route planning, 10-12 hours (average) and up to my personal best a 17 hour days DRIVING a vehicle, and have slept in my vehicle (front seat reclined, not reclined, and laid prone in back of SUV with sleeping bag and pillow).
A few notes from experience, comparing to realistic EV performance.
1. Time: Long drives are tiresome and require good hydration, restful sleep, and minimizing detours and wasted time stopped. Every 10 minutes sitting stationary, is 10-15 miles not traveled, or cuts into restful hotel sleep. That adds up quickly.
2. Miles and stops, for a 2000 mile trip. With a ICE your trip can be as direct as possible with minimal detouring for fuel. Ideally a 2000 mile trip in a ICE vehicle with a 400 mile range, will require about 5 or 6 stops for fuel and 28 hours at an average of 70mph. Stopping about every 5 hours to refuel, which is a natural bathroom break interval anyway. It happens to work out pretty well in that regard. That time/distance, represents about 2 overnight stays. Refueling time is about 5 minutes each so about 30 minutes, which can overlap with bathroom and snacks purchases. So refueling time is almost nothing if done combined with bathroom and snack stops.
With an EV, you're looking at 1/2 the range, so double the stops. Stopping every 2.5 hours for an hour to recharge would be extremely time inefficient. Three overnights, when charging possibly overnight but I'm not sure how that works with occupying a charger beyond the charge time. I suspect you'd have to move the vehicle when it's charged, therefore interrupting resting time. One could possibly use some of that time efficiently, getting a meal for instance, but it's not long enough to really sleep. Regardless, for 10-12 stops at an hour each, that's effectively adding another full day of travel. That doesn't factor any wasted time/energy driving a detour to find a charging station, or if it's occupied, or broken...
Additionally, whereas fuel stations are extremely efficiently located right on the roadways in almost every direction, even if we accept a nominal 10% worse distance/time efficiency detouring for EV charging stations, on a long trip as this example one would add 200 miles and 3 hours additionally just getting recharged. Terribly time/energy inefficient IMO.
What would be a 28 hour ICE journey, with 2 overnight stays, would be about a 45 hour drive and 3 overnight stays in a EV.
3. Rest: I've never gotten good rest in a vehicle at a rest stop. The light, the constant noise, the fear of being robbed and sleeping "with 1 eye open" and so forth is not restful. Sleeping upright is not restful. Sleeping prone in a car, absent a real mattress, is about like sleeping on bare ground and not restful. It's sleep, but barely.
EVs seem to me to be a very niche ownership, generally dense upper-class sub-urbanites with a place to charge it at home or work, who also have an ICE vehicle. As for long range commuting or long road trips, I think it would be foolish to try a long trip in an EV, if you're on any type of schedule or destination oriented journey.
4. Breaking down: In a common ICE, there's mechanics and parts in all minor and major cities across the nation who can fix it with near immediate parts availability. On occasion there might be a 1 day delay to get parts.
In an EV, you're out of luck. Nobody can fix them and you're not getting parts timely. You'd have to probably rent a car and transfer all your luggage and continue in a different vehicle.
A few notes from experience, comparing to realistic EV performance.
1. Time: Long drives are tiresome and require good hydration, restful sleep, and minimizing detours and wasted time stopped. Every 10 minutes sitting stationary, is 10-15 miles not traveled, or cuts into restful hotel sleep. That adds up quickly.
2. Miles and stops, for a 2000 mile trip. With a ICE your trip can be as direct as possible with minimal detouring for fuel. Ideally a 2000 mile trip in a ICE vehicle with a 400 mile range, will require about 5 or 6 stops for fuel and 28 hours at an average of 70mph. Stopping about every 5 hours to refuel, which is a natural bathroom break interval anyway. It happens to work out pretty well in that regard. That time/distance, represents about 2 overnight stays. Refueling time is about 5 minutes each so about 30 minutes, which can overlap with bathroom and snacks purchases. So refueling time is almost nothing if done combined with bathroom and snack stops.
With an EV, you're looking at 1/2 the range, so double the stops. Stopping every 2.5 hours for an hour to recharge would be extremely time inefficient. Three overnights, when charging possibly overnight but I'm not sure how that works with occupying a charger beyond the charge time. I suspect you'd have to move the vehicle when it's charged, therefore interrupting resting time. One could possibly use some of that time efficiently, getting a meal for instance, but it's not long enough to really sleep. Regardless, for 10-12 stops at an hour each, that's effectively adding another full day of travel. That doesn't factor any wasted time/energy driving a detour to find a charging station, or if it's occupied, or broken...
Additionally, whereas fuel stations are extremely efficiently located right on the roadways in almost every direction, even if we accept a nominal 10% worse distance/time efficiency detouring for EV charging stations, on a long trip as this example one would add 200 miles and 3 hours additionally just getting recharged. Terribly time/energy inefficient IMO.
What would be a 28 hour ICE journey, with 2 overnight stays, would be about a 45 hour drive and 3 overnight stays in a EV.
3. Rest: I've never gotten good rest in a vehicle at a rest stop. The light, the constant noise, the fear of being robbed and sleeping "with 1 eye open" and so forth is not restful. Sleeping upright is not restful. Sleeping prone in a car, absent a real mattress, is about like sleeping on bare ground and not restful. It's sleep, but barely.
EVs seem to me to be a very niche ownership, generally dense upper-class sub-urbanites with a place to charge it at home or work, who also have an ICE vehicle. As for long range commuting or long road trips, I think it would be foolish to try a long trip in an EV, if you're on any type of schedule or destination oriented journey.
4. Breaking down: In a common ICE, there's mechanics and parts in all minor and major cities across the nation who can fix it with near immediate parts availability. On occasion there might be a 1 day delay to get parts.
In an EV, you're out of luck. Nobody can fix them and you're not getting parts timely. You'd have to probably rent a car and transfer all your luggage and continue in a different vehicle.
We took a 4,100 Km (2560 mile) trip last summer with our Model 3 SR+. You have to do a bit of pre-planning. A Better Route Planner is a good source.
You start off from home with 100% charge and when you're getting down to 20% or so, you charge enough to get to the next Supercharger with whatever charge you're comfortable with (we like to arrive with about 15%). You don't charge for longer than necessary to get to the next Supercharger, which will be about a 2 hour's drive away. During the day, charging stops are about 20 minutes. When we stopped for the night we stayed at a hotel near a Supercharger and charged up to 90% for a good start to the next day. For the overnight stops we sat in our hotel room drinking a cold one until our cell phone told us our car was charged up.
By using the Nav system in the car and designating the Supercharger stops you intend to use, the car will have the battery primed to charge when you arrive. That saves a little time.
Superchargers are very reliable and we never had to wait to charge. You plug it in and it charges, simple as that. You get a bill at the end of the month. Tesla has the charging thing figured out.
Was it as convenient as a driving an ICE? Nope. But a long trip is entirely do-able with a basic Tesla Model 3.
Where a Tesla shines is for local use and sensible commutes. You start every morning with a full tank and never charge anywhere but at home.
You start off from home with 100% charge and when you're getting down to 20% or so, you charge enough to get to the next Supercharger with whatever charge you're comfortable with (we like to arrive with about 15%). You don't charge for longer than necessary to get to the next Supercharger, which will be about a 2 hour's drive away. During the day, charging stops are about 20 minutes. When we stopped for the night we stayed at a hotel near a Supercharger and charged up to 90% for a good start to the next day. For the overnight stops we sat in our hotel room drinking a cold one until our cell phone told us our car was charged up.
By using the Nav system in the car and designating the Supercharger stops you intend to use, the car will have the battery primed to charge when you arrive. That saves a little time.
Superchargers are very reliable and we never had to wait to charge. You plug it in and it charges, simple as that. You get a bill at the end of the month. Tesla has the charging thing figured out.
Was it as convenient as a driving an ICE? Nope. But a long trip is entirely do-able with a basic Tesla Model 3.
Where a Tesla shines is for local use and sensible commutes. You start every morning with a full tank and never charge anywhere but at home.
Good summary but key details omitted.
How long was the actual trip in time, versus how long would it have been in an ICE?
The FL highways are fast, and burn up the charge quickly. No way you get 350 highway miles on a charge here, unless you are driving a Lucid air with 100% charge, and staying in the right lane.
Also remember more often than not one DOES NOT want to push it to the next charge station, so it is wise to stop early.
If it was not a Prius Prime, it operates on Gasoline, 100% of the time. The question concerns Electric cars, which don't work for long road trips.
I don't have an EV. If I did and I had to take a 900 mile trip in one day, I'd be needin' for one of these
a lot more than one of these
a lot more than one of these
50 -60 grand gives you the wonderful feeling you are saving the planet.
There have been numerous guys that have done this. Google would be your friend. As is typical on this forum-you have some answering your question(s) who haven't done it not nor even own an EV. "The experts chime in"........
I understand one doesnt work for your job most of the time. What was the article quoted earlier or was that your driving?
I typically drive about 7 over, but maybe 79 if im in a hurry in a 70mph zone.
I see those teslas with 0-60 in 3 seconds doing 60 in the slow lane trying to squeak out a few extra miles
.Just so my position is clear I am not an EV cheerleader.
I do think it makes some sense for a portion of the population for most of their driving.
Esp once we get one that is 30k and goes 250+ miles.
I could definitely replace one of the 2 cars with one.
but not both. I need something to tow and haul with and even a lightning with a BIG kwh battery pack has short range towing.
*not made for long trips
That was our first long trip in the Tesla. It took us a while to figure out how to do long distance travel optimally. We didn't know about using the Nav system to prime the battery, and we didn't know about charging only enough to get to the next Supercharger. It took us a while to figure things out. We had pre-booked hotels in anticipation of distances travelled being shorter than normal in the Tesla (and maybe having to wait to charge - which didn't happen) so there was that too.
Compared to our first long trip in an ICE, we probably did okay. Compared to us as experienced travellers and long time users of an ICE, it was definitely slower.
We're retired, we were on vacation and enjoying the trip so I wasn't keeping track of time.
It sounds like you and I are very much the same when it comes to traveling long distances by yourself. I'll literally drive from full tank to around a quarter if I can. That really doesn't work with the whole family, they don't have the longevity in it that I do. I will say your charging times are off at least for Tesla, but I even would get annoyed at the 15-20 minute stops it actually takes, which would likely happen at about the 2.5 hour mark as you mentioned. Basically I see these stops as being fine with the whole family because they'd be happy to get out for 15-20 minutes, but personally I'd rather push the 300-350 mile mark, stop, fill up, hit a bathroom, grab a drink and roll. Now if I could do this, charge in 15-20 minutes and actually get that 300 miles on electric, I wouldn't mind it.
As far as moving from the charger or not, that really depends on where you charge and their rules, which isn't always the same. If you're in a hotel with a level 2 charger, if you get it low it'll take 8 or so hours to charge so it probably won't be a problem of idling on the charger, but you also have to find a hotel with a charger and some parts of the country are more friendly to that and more likely to have them than others.
As far as service issues, that definitely is a case by case basis. If it's not just a sensor, you're likely not fixing it on the side of the road, even with roadside service and that's only in the case that you have a Tesla. I don't know that any other car company offers that, but I could be wrong on that detail.
This is true. If it's a leisurely trip, family vacation with ample time built in for travel, stops, etc. and more frequently family pit stops, I accept that one might just do shorter intervals, stop for the wife and kids to use the facilities, and juice up the battery over these 20 minute stops. When I travel to a destination, I'm more purpose driven to get there as efficient as possible. As the person doing the driving, I see a wasted 20 minutes at a stop, as being 30 miles I didn't drive. This, adds up. Stopping for ~20 minutes 10 times, is ~300 miles not traveled, which means another day of driving.
My rudimentary impression of "fast charging" is that it is less desirable and cuts battery life shorter than designed. So I'm under the impression a slow charge is better for the longevity of the battery.