I’ve talked a little bit about battery range and some of the shorter road trips we’ve taken in Scarlett. Most have been just a few hundred miles with limited need for charging along the way. I think our longest road trip so far has been Eugene to Seattle and it went seamlessly; we even found a wonderful Thai restaurant for lunch in Vancouver just a short walk from the Supercharger there.
However, now we are planning our vacation. It will be a two-week 1,700 mile jaunt from Eugene to Southern California then back up Highway 1 all along the coast and home. We decided since both National Parks we wanted to visit were on fire, we’d hug the coast and revisit Hearst Castle, Big Sur, San Francisco and the Napa Valley.
Math has always been a passion of mine (you can see that from some of my previous posts) and so planning a 1,700 mile trip in an electric car does take a bit more planning. There are not yet chargers at every freeway interchange (as there are gas stations), but with 310 miles of range on a charge, as I planned out our trip, I discovered a few nuggets I want to share.
First, Tesla planned the Supercharging network impeccably well. All along our route, there are Tesla Superchargers about every 100 to 150 miles. A Supercharger will gain us about 180 to 200 miles in about 30 minutes. And a coffee or lunch stop about every two to three hours is a driving tactic we have done for a while. I can’t physically do long driving stretches without a break. I’ve never been able to and thought it was just me; now I’m learning it’s actually healthier.
From the website Driving Tests: “Take frequent breaks. Never think that you must make a long drive in one stretch. Take a break approximately every two hours. If you are driving on an interstate highway, state sponsored rest areas will provide you with a great place to stretch your legs, grab a snack, and use the restroom. Other great places to take a break from a long drive include gas stations, local restaurants, and parks.”
Taking a 15 minute coffee break or a 30-45 minute lunch break matches not only the recommended rest pauses, but the timing for charging as well. It’s almost like someone thought that through at the front end.
There are Tesla Superchargers conveniently located at every needed point except one. As we head up the coast, deciding to stay on Highway 1 instead of 101, we will need a slight boost in charge on our trip from Petaluma to Eureka (almost 300 miles via Highway 1). But our planned lunch stop is about halfway at Fort Bragg. And Fort Bragg has just installed several Level 2 chargers (240 volt, gaining about 40-50 miles of charge in an hour). Two are at City Hall, right across the street from our planned lunch stop. In the time we will eat lunch, we will be able to boost our charge enough to easily make it to Eureka, where there is a Tesla Supercharger. Plus, the first hour is free.
Which brings me to Sabbath. My wife and I have been trying to slow our pace of life and truly rest a little more and not be so driven to accomplish a task, do way more things than we need to and simply chill. We find we are much more comfortable about life and our demeanors are much more relaxed. It’s a little better understanding of the scriptural principle of Sabbath rest. And it’s changed our lives for the better.
This has been a little longer post than normal, but I wanted to set the stage for my next series of posts. I plan on blogging about each day or two of our trip and evaluate how it goes; from the pure relaxing vacation aspect, and also how Scarlett performs on very long trips and charging.
One added benefit of Supercharging has been the conversations we’ve engaged in and the people we have met at the charging stations. Tesla owners are a tight-knit community and it’s fun being a part of something that is revolutionizing the way we travel. Tesla’s Mission Statement fits our lifestyle choices and sums it up well:
“Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”