An Honest Review: Are EVs ready for Long-Distance Roadtrips? ~ Part 1 - A Tesla's POV
For some, living in the remote age implies that it's time to make a location change if you've been contemplating it - even if that means driving your reduced belongings across the country in an electric vehicle.
For both my significant other and I, we felt that Austin, TX was the place to be. After all, the location's weather, lack of a state income tax, and perennial top 10 ranking as a place to live in the United States are significant attractions. We made the call to pack up everything left over that we deemed essential and sell/donate the rest after considering this reasoning. That was an adventure within itself.
Yet, the biggest adventure was getting from Detroit, MI to Austin, TX - and we decided to do it all in a 2019 Tesla Model 3 Long Range and a 2021 Chevy Bolt. The experiences were polarizing to say the least.
Here’s a quick overview of the trip before getting into the details:
- Started in Detroit, MI with over 90% charge in both cars
- Planned to take two different routes that span the likes of: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and finally, Texas
- No stopping (besides to charge)
On the left was the original Tesla route plan generated by A Better Route Planner (ABRP).
On the right was the original Chevy Bolt route plan generated by Plugshare.
The weather in the Midwest had other ideas, however, as our range was diminished virtually instantly by the elements.
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Cold weather woes
For those who do not know, Michigan weather wreaked havoc on my Model 3 for months. Taking the coldest dates (November through March), I was only able to average 64% of the advertised 310 mile range.
This average data from these dates revealed 122 charges; the majority of which were in-house charges that took an eternity to charge using a 110v wall charger. Thankfully I do not have a regular commute. There's a slight chance that an EV would not have been a wise decision if that was the case.
The left -- a picture after a supercharge to 94%, telling me to stay under 70 mph to make it to my next charge -- Only 180 miles away. Mind you, a 94% fill of a 310 mile battery is supposedly 291 miles.
The right -- the Bolt giving accurate range estimates. Would have been nice for Tesla to do that! The max range for this vehicle is 238 miles. In the cold it typically maxes around ~150 miles.
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Charging Experiences
My partner left on April 17 at 8 am with an ETA of April 18th at 6pm. A Better Route Planner (ABRP) claimed her trip would take 31 hours.
I left on April 17 as well, around 2pm. To see whether my journey with Tesla's super charger network was more efficient, I left 6 hours later. After all, A Better Route Planner (ABRP) said my trip would take 24 hours.
It got hairy pretty quickly.
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Tesla Charge #1 - Royal Oak, MI to Ft. Wayne, IN (Avg. Temp - 47°F)
I pulled in after a 2h 4mm drive and traveling 183 miles, where I found my first charging station in Fort Wayne, IN with 36 miles (83% efficiency) to spare. I needed to add 252 miles to make it to my next destination, so I spent 64 minutes charging. That's an absurdly long time spent re-fueling, even for an EV at DCFC speeds. Leaving with 289 miles, I spent $20.74 for 252 miles of range.
Tesla Charge #2 - Fort Wayne, IN to Fishers, IN (Avg. Temp - 48°F)
About 10 minutes after embarking on my route out of Ft. Wayne, Tesla route planning realized it was chilly outside, so I needed to diverge and search for a different charger.
I ended up driving 1h 39m and 109 miles to Fishers, IN and arrived with 140 miles to spare (74% efficiency). Tesla told me I needed to add 145 miles to get to my next destination. I spent another 43 minutes refueling and left with 286 miles of charge and paid $8.84.
Tesla Charge #3 - Fishers, IN to Effingham, IL (Avg. Temp - 48°F)
This leg of the trip was the beginning of weather deterioration. Towards the end, the temperature dropped steadily and thunderstorms rolled in. Somehow, this didn't detrimentally affect efficiency too badly.
I arrived in Effingham, IL after driving 2h 39m and racking up 168 miles. I had 61 miles to spare (75% efficiency). I added 209 miles in 36 minutes and paid $20.91.
Tesla Charge #4 - Effingham, IL to Collinsville, IL (Avg. Temp - 42°F)
This 1h 53m, 107 mile leg was the worst of the trip thus far. It was rainy, windy, and cold. Those factors never equate to a wonderous EV experience, as I came in with 62% efficiency.
In Collinsvile, IL, I arrived with 98 miles left and added 146 miles to the battery. I was there for 20 minutes. I paid $12.24 and I was on my way to Rolla, MO shortly after.
Tesla Charge #5 - Collinsville, IL to Rolla, MO (Avg. Temp - 40°F)
By this time, road fatigue had set in. This leg was a difficult one, and Tesla Navigation realized that the weather was too bad to reach our intended destination. I had to be re-routed through a narrow roadway in the middle of a storm on some farm fields at 2 am. It was frightening.
Nonetheless, I arrived in Rolla, MO with 50 miles to spare (65% efficiency). At this point, it was 3:46 AM and I truly needed some sleep, but my road partner would not let me. She got to sleep the entire leg so was ready to run around by the time I wanted to plug in and nap. With no nap, I sat for 36 minutes, added 180 miles, and paid $14.62.
Tesla Charge #6 - Rolla, MO to Springfield, MO (Avg. Temp - 39°F)
Another 107 miles and 1h 37m on the road put me in Springfield, MO with 60 miles to spare (61% efficiency). I arrived at 6:01 AM and needed to add 217 miles to make it to my next leg. This gave me a wonderful opportunity to catch a 42 minute nap, alas, my road partner was ready to eat her breakfast. I paid my $18.02 supercharger fee and was on my to Oklahoma at 6:44 AM.
Tesla Charge #7 - Springfield, MO to Catoosa, OK (Avg. Temp - 42°F)
This leg was interesting. There were two parts to this incident; I drove 126 miles to Vinita, OK, where I was stopped at a toll booth and discovered that it was cash-only. Because I had no physical cash, I was forced to return to the toll station's entry area and manually enter my credit card information myself. Eek.
I drove an additional 51 miles to Catoosa, OK, after paying the slightly inconvenient toll, totaling 177 miles. This was a 2h 40m total leg, yet it felt as if it were 4 hours. Driving through morning sun after being awake the entire night plays mental games on you.
Either way, I pulled into the Catoosa, OK supercharger at 10:06 AM, added 234 miles for a total of 40 minutes. I paid $19.04 and made a pit stop to grab a coffee and donut before departing to my first Texas charger.
Tesla Charge #8 - Catoosa, OK to Denison, TX (Avg. Temp - 59°F)
The southern temps saved me on this one. Looking above, you can see the average temp shot up 17 degrees.
There were no chargers available to take me from Catoosa, OK to a charger in Texas using the highway, so here's a little background. To get to TX, I had to travel some EXTREMELY isolated roads and my phone lost signal for 2 hours. In Savanna, OK, I was forced to pull over at a roadside gas station and ask for access to their Wi-Fi to see whether I had enough range and whether there was a different charger available if required.
For the first time all trip, the Tesla routing and estimated range for arrival was accurate. I drove to Denison, TX after spending 3h 52m and 194 miles on the road. I arrived with 62 miles to spare (95% efficiency!!) and needed to use the restroom, but they didn't have one. In fact, this was the first supercharger that had nothing by it. There was a future build going up, not sure what that was. Overall, I spent 18 minutes in Denison and added 165 miles. The cost was $14.35 and definitely the fastest supercharger I encountered.
Tesla Charge #9 - Denison, TX to Waco, TX (Avg. Temp - 76°F)
I arrived in Dallas and started dealing with the heat. I eventually had to turn on the AC, which was something I didn't think would happen so soon. Certainly not within the realm of possibility less than 24 hours ago. There's really nothing more to say about driving through Dallas. Their drivers are *angry* and traffic is insane.
I arrived in Waco, TX around 5:15 PM with 51 miles of charge to spare after driving 170 miles over 2h 48m (97% efficiency). I plugged in for 18 minutes and added 148 miles. I also got a free sweet tea from Collin Street Bakery.
I didn't know that these kinds of perks come with being a Tesla owner, but it made me feel better about the first half of the journey.
My total cost of stopping there (including the free sweet tea) came out to be $12.60.
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Overall thoughts
Overall, the journey took 22 hours 36 minutes on the road and 7.5 hours charging (this does not include my home charging to prepare for the trip).
I also paid under $130 to travel 1,438 miles. According to a fuel cost calculator I used online, a 25 mpg vehicle would have cost me $230.08 for 57.5 gallons of fuel at $4/gallon.
Is the $100 savings worth an extra 7.5 hours on the road? For me, yes, but I love owning my Tesla. I'd like to emphasize that taking a break every two hours to stretch your legs, breathe, and look away from the road is surprisingly invigorating.
I will say that I would hate to make this trip anytime soon again, at least, in the winter time. That was miserable. But I made it, and that's all that matters.
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If you're considering making a long road trip in your Tesla, I would say go for it! Just make sure to plan ahead with range anxiety in mind. There are plenty of tools available to help make the trip as smooth as possible.
I hope this post was helpful and informative. I'll continue to update as I make more road trips in my Tesla.
Stay tuned for Part 2: Chevy Bolt POV!
Happy travels!