{"id":6731,"date":"2017-07-13T09:42:06","date_gmt":"2017-07-13T16:42:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/?p=6731"},"modified":"2017-07-13T09:42:06","modified_gmt":"2017-07-13T16:42:06","slug":"can-you-drive-a-tesla-cross-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/turo.com\/blog\/gearheads\/can-you-drive-a-tesla-cross-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Can you drive a Tesla cross-country?"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE PERFECT SUPERCHARGED ROUTE<\/span><\/h4>\n

Electric cars, like the sports cars created by Tesla, are better for the environment than your basic, gas-powered automobiles, but they\u2019re not normally known for their distance-driving capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even the new Model S 100D, released earlier in 2017, only offers<\/span> a range of 335 miles per charge<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

While this is the highest range currently available on the market, you would still have to recharge your car between eight and nine times for a cross-country drive from Los Angeles to New York City, begging the questions \u2014 is it possible to drive a Tesla across the country?<\/span><\/p>\n

Charging requirements<\/span><\/h3>\n

First, it\u2019s important to note that while you can plug your Tesla into just about any outlet with the adaptor that comes with the car, it takes hours to charge on a standard power outlet. On average, it charges 52 miles of range per hour \u2014 meaning that charging the new Model S we just mentioned would take upwards of six hours to fully charge. That\u2019s not useful for a road trip \u2014 it\u2019s designed for overnight charging in your home \u2014 but it is better than being stranded.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Tesla Superchargers are popping up all over the country and can charge<\/span> approximately 70% – 80% of the car\u2019s capacity<\/span><\/a> in 30 minutes \u2014 much more road-trip friendly. You can plug your car in, go get lunch, and be ready to go by the time your car is charged. It can also make road trips more comfortable because it encourages you to get out of the car and stretch your legs during the charging cycle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tesla even has an app that syncs with your vehicle. It will let you know when your vehicle is done charging or when it\u2019s received enough power to continue your journey, based on your destination and the other available superchargers along your route.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Planning your trip<\/span><\/h3>\n

So where do you want to go? For the purpose of this experiment, we\u2019re going to use the same trip we mentioned before \u2014 Los Angeles to New York City, a distance of 2,797 miles according to Google Maps.<\/span> According to Teslarati<\/span><\/a>, a website that shows you the location of all nearby Superchargers and Destination Chargers, there are no supercharger stations in downtown LA, so we\u2019re going to start assuming that the car, a Model S 100D for the range it provides, is fully charged and ready to go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your first stop will be close to home<\/span><\/a> \u2014 the superchargers in Burbank, California. You\u2019ll stop again at the superchargers in Barstow and Needles before you make your way out of California. You\u2019ll stop twice in Arizona, four times in New Mexico and twice as you cross the northern part of Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll finally start to turn north in Oklahoma, stopping in Oklahoma City and Catoosa before you continue northeast through Missouri. Three stops later, you\u2019ll make your way into Illinois \u2014 one stop there, another in Indiana, two in Ohio and one in the very northern tip of West Virginia.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Then, two more stops, one in Somerset and one in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and you\u2019re in the home stretch. You\u2019re just a hop, a skip and a jump from New York City. While there are no superchargers in New York proper, there are plenty of places for you to plug in an electric car overnight, so if you\u2019re staying a while, you\u2019re in good shape.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This is all based on a variety of different factors, of course, such as the model of the car, the temperature both inside and outside of the car and the amount of weight your car is carrying. If you\u2019re hauling luggage or other heavy materials on your road trip, the distance between superchargers may be shorter as your car has to work harder to keep you moving.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trip timeline<\/span><\/h3>\n

According to Google Maps, the trip from Los Angeles to New York is 2,797 miles and should take approximately 41 hours to complete. (Note \u2014 this doesn\u2019t take into account breaks for food, bathroom trips, or sleep.)<\/span><\/p>\n

In a Tesla, the trip takes slightly longer. First, the distance becomes slightly longer due to having to plan your trip around the location of the superchargers \u2014 add a little less than 100 miles to your total, which brings your driving time up to around 44 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You also have to take your charging time into consideration. With the number of stops we listed above (23 stops), you\u2019re adding anywhere from nine to 11 hours of charging time to your total trip time \u2014 your total trip will probably take somewhere between 52-55 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is also a straight drive between LA and NYC. If you\u2019re planning an actual road trip and not just a drive cross-country, chances are you\u2019re planning to visit some attractions along the way, and that will obviously increase your travel time. We\u2019re not taking those stops into account because we have no idea what you want to see while you\u2019re driving across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Questions answered<\/span><\/h3>\n

Now we come to the question we mentioned at the beginning \u2014 can you drive cross-country in a Tesla?<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer is a tentative but resounding yes. Currently,<\/span> there are 373 supercharger stations<\/span><\/a> across North America and Mexico, with 2,636 superchargers total. Tesla is also working on doubling the number of superchargers in the country during 2017, making cross-country road trips even easier.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not unlike filling your car with gas. Tesla owners get credits for free supercharger recharges, but after those run out, owners are charged a small fee \u2014 it is much cheaper than gasoline, though.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Our yes is tentative right now, simply because whether or not you can complete a cross-country road trip in your Tesla depends on what you want to see. You do have to plan your trip around charging availability \u2014 whether you\u2019re charging overnight in your hotel parking lot or parking for lunch at a supercharger depends on your location.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are plenty of tools available, from websites like the ones we\u2019ve mentioned above, to apps for your phone, to help you plan your Tesla road trip based on charger availability.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let yourself get stranded \u2014 you can\u2019t have someone bring you a spare battery like you would a can of gas for an empty tank, and towing fees from remote areas can get expensive!<\/span><\/p>\n

So, overall \u2014 yes. You can drive cross-country in a Tesla. Just make sure you plan your trip carefully and always know where the next or nearest supercharger station is.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Charging into the future<\/span><\/h3>\n

At the rate technology continues to change and adapt to consumer demands, it\u2019s entirely possible we\u2019ll see Tesla vehicles capable of driving distances well over their current maximums in the future. The company has already been toying around with futuristic tech concepts<\/span> like self-driving and mirrorless vehicles<\/span><\/a> since 2012, so who know what they\u2019ll develop in the next few years. The limits of Elon Musk\u2019s imagination seem nonexistent.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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