Charging Towards Colorado

July 4, I decided to head for Colorado – apparently, four days in the car is somewhat close to my breaking point. A proper bed awaits!!

A couple of questions from folks on charging the Tesla. I didn’t know what to expect; I didn’t have ”range anxiety,” and I was just hoping the car was smart enough to know not to get in power trouble.

First, the range: I have what they call the LEMR (Limited Edition Mid Range) model, for a trip like this, I charge it up to around 200-215 miles. Unlike a gas car where you fill the tank, go as far as you need to get to the next gas station, in an electric vehicle requires some extra planning.

Tesla’s onboard computer makes the planning easy. You put in the destination, and it tells you where to stop along the way. If you want to maximize time, it will ask you to stay at station X for 15 minutes the station Y for 10, etc. etc. But if you are like me and anticipate wandering off to see something exciting or better yet break up the monotony by gunning it to 120+ (cough cough), I mean gently accelerate to 10% above the posted speed limits. But I digress…

Accelerating quickly and driving it in sport mode will take some miles off the charge. Not to worry, the car factors that in and calculates your next stop. If you are at the tail end of your range, the car will suggest reducing to a recommended speed to reach your next destination. The vehicle does protect itself.

So far, what I am talking about is all using the Teslas Supercharger network. Tesla has done an excellent job of setting up these stations, typically next to points of interests (hotels, restaurants, tourist traps that make wonder if you are the one crazy for not thinking these are the best places to shop and absorb the ”local flavor” (ref: Wall Drug rant – I mean seriously… Plastic statues for posing a classic ”I was here picture for the Gram” – I watched, no one was wiping these things down, people weren’t wearing masks, these nasty germ-laden monuments of artificial experiences would have been covered in fecal matter pre-COVID (ah, remember the good ol’ days when all we needed to worry about was pink eye from poop on the hotel remote control) but nowadays, the concerns lead me to think these should be added to the current statue relocation program underway in many places in the South). But I digress, Wall Drug has a Tesla charging station, 2 points in the plus column.

What was I talking about?? Oh yes, charging cross country.

The Tesla Superchargers are amazing. The latest V3 chargers will charge you from 10% to 80% in about 20-30 minutes. Long enough to stretch your legs or take a bio-break. Even the original V1s fast enough to get you back on the road without feeling you are wasting time.

In addition to Tesla’s, there are other companies like ChargePoint that offer a comparatively smaller network that provides charging for a fee. Another service that aggregates any system and is updated by crowdsourcing maps out both free and for-fee charging. Mostly, you can go anywhere and not be far from something that will get you charged up and back on the road. But if an unfortunate situation does happen, Tesla Roadside Assistance will send a flatbed truck out to bring you to safety. I hear that they are working on vehicles with battery packs to give you sufficient enough charge to get you to the next station.

Then you have the 110 (standard wall outlet) and 220 (dryer type connection) that come with the car, they are suitable for overnight charges at a house or RV hookup. Some older RV Camps (like KOA Deadwood) use a different plug style. You don’t know what places will have, so it’s better to prepare for the unknown – I bought a 30 Amp to 50 Amp adapter from Home Depot (NEMA TT-30P to NEMA 14-50R) for $55, not knowing if I would need it. Happy I did, and the KOA may have had one I could borrow for a fee, but at least I had what I needed and never know when and where I will need it again.

Now, for the essential details, how much do the chargings cost. Well, it varies from place to place. The KOA in Ohio, $5 overnight, and fully charged. $10 for a full charge at one Supercharger and maybe $6 at another. Keep in mind when fully charged, the car is currently getting about 220 miles at ~85% charge. At this time, it kind of feels like I am getting a gas car equivalent of $15 for a tank of gas.

At the end of this adventure, I will tally up the costs for electricity and lodging to compare to gas-powered touring.