by Richard Strock
[Poolesville Green column for the November 2024 Monocacy Monocle]
When friends and acquaintances, even strangers, find that we travel extensively in our EV, we get the same old questions: how far can you go on a charge, how long does it take to charge, and do you have trouble finding chargers? The answers are: it depends, it depends, and no.
In this first part of a two-part article, I’ll attempt to provide more detailed answers to these questions, and suggest how to prepare your EV, and yourself, for extended road trips, covering many miles and several days.
Almost all of our road trip experience has been in our first EV, a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor (AWD), that has now gone over 116,000 miles, much of it on extended road trips. The first trip was in 2019 to Acadia National Park ME, where we found a free charging station that we used for the entire week we were there. Next it was to Columbia SC and back. More recently, from Poolesville to Ohio and back, Poolesville to San Diego CA and back, and from San Diego to Great Falls MT, then back to San Diego.
Let’s begin by prepping the EV. Two big factors that impact EV range are rolling resistance and air resistance.
Rolling resistance is impacted by road surface and condition, rain and snow for example, which we cannot control. But rolling resistance is also impacted by tires, specifically tire pressure. Low tire pressure increases rolling resistance, so inflate your tires to the manufacturer’s recommended cold pressure before you begin your trip, and check it frequently during your trip. Pressure will increase as you drive and the tires heat up, so check it each morning, and set it if necessary. We always carry a small, lightweight, battery operated tire pump in the car to facilitate this. Also, few EVs come with a spare tire, so if you notice abnormally low pressure in one tire while driving, you’ve probably picked up a foreign object in the tire, resulting in a slow leak. Use the pump to keep it inflated until you can get to a repair facility.
Poor wheel alignment can also increase rolling resistance. Have a reputable tire shop check your tires for abnormal wear and consider having the wheels aligned should abnormal wear be detected.
Wash and wax your EV prior to the trip. A smooth, slick surface reduces air resistance, especially at higher speeds. If possible, avoid using any external luggage carriers. Manufacturers go to great lengths in body design to reduce air resistance and aerodynamic turbulence. Anything that disturbs the smooth airflow over the vehicle surface adversely impacts your EV’s range.
Travel light! Excess weight also impacts range, so leave at home anything not needed on your trip. This excludes anything that might be needed in an emergency, such as the air pump mentioned earlier. We also carry a set of “hockey pucks.” These are small, round inserts that are required to put a Tesla EV on a lift, or to jack up one wheel in order to remove it. They fit into small holes underneath the EV to avoid damaging the battery and are available from several aftermarket suppliers on the web. Check to see if your EV requires something similar.
Few charging stations provide windshield cleaning equipment and supplies, so carry some window cleaner and cloths or paper towels to remove the bugs that will most certainly accumulate.
Now let’s prep the driver. First, know your vehicle! Configure your EV for maximum range. For example, Tesla has a reduced acceleration mode, called “Chill.” Jackrabbit starts and unnecessary quick acceleration consume a lot of energy. Most EV’s have much more reserve acceleration than most normal driving requires, so I drive in Chill mode almost exclusively, and the vehicle is still quicker than most others on the road.
Take advantage of your EV’s regenerative braking feature to recapture some of the energy used during acceleration. If your EV has an option to control this feature, be sure to set it to maximum.
Learn to use and interpret your EV’s energy displays. Get a feel for how many watt-hours of energy are consumed per mile at various speeds and road conditions. Knowledge of what is “normal” can be very useful if the need arises to eke out a few extra miles to reach a charger or destination.
If your EV has a trip-planning feature, learn to use it. Some are quite sophisticated, allowing for insertion of intermediate stops and providing multiple route options.
Be sure to take along any charging adapters or cables that you may need along the way or at your destination. Some charging networks are more reliable than others. Should you encounter an out-of-service charger along the way, you need a plan of last resort. We carry a long, heavy-duty extension cord and 110V adapter along with the charge cable as a last-resort option. It may take a few hours to gain enough energy to make it to an alternate charge station, but it beats calling for a tow truck.
Whatever charging network(s) you plan to use, make sure you have the necessary apps installed on your phone and know how to use them. Perform a live test of the charging system to ensure everything works as expected before departing on a trip.
If your EV manufacturer has made an agreement with Tesla to employ Tesla’s NACS (North American Charging Standard) in future models, consider opening a charging account with Tesla. Tesla’s charging network is the most extensive of any in North America, and their charge stations are almost always co-located with other amenities such as fast-food chains, shopping, dining, and restroom facilities. During our recent return from San Diego, we noticed numerous non-Tesla EVs, such as Fords and Kias, charging at Tesla charge stations. Again, should you decide to open an account with Tesla, test everything out before you begin your trip.
In the next installment of this two-part article I’ll discuss some very useful apps that facilitate trip planning.