Tesla for long journeys
Discussion
RayDonovan said:
JustGetATesla said:
I do plenty of long trips on my YouTube channel. Top end of Scotland down to Kent with 2 stops. No problem. And you'd do a couple of stops on a trip that length with any fuel type.
Watched a couple of your videos today. Perfect in answering my question really. On my usual 215 trip I'll stop twice, so plugging in once or twice isn't a bother.Today we did 229 miles from Somerset to Nottinghamshire in our BMW i4 M50 and stopped off at McDonald's Warwick for a 20 minute charge and a cuppa before continuing onward,
we didn't really plan where to stop, I just did a search for chargers on route when we got down to about 40%
Even though our car is on 20" wheels which affect the range quite a bit it's possible we might have made it without needing to charge,
but we don't have a charger at this house so arriving here with barely any charge left and having to rely on a 3 pin plug to charge back up to 80% or more would take a long time so I'd rather pay the extra to use a rapid charger for the short time it takes while we have a rest then carry on
I've got a few apps now that give charger locations so I probably should try and route plan a bit more as I've had a couple of occasions where we've gotten to a charger and couldn't use it because we either didn't have the necessary app or none were available but finding another close by hasn't proved difficult so far even when looking for just the fast chargers.
RayDonovan said:
Hi all,
Does anyone here use a Tesla (or other EV) for long and regular journeys? I'm close to taking an opt out from work which will enable me to buy a 2021/22 Model 3 LR (or potentially Model Y LR)
I'll be able to charge at home ok but I have a monthly M1 drive that is 215 miles each way (overnight in-between).
Fingers crossed we have a charging solution in the office, but if that fails, how reasonable would it be to assume that one leg of the journey would be fine just using the Tesla charging network.
Cost of the supercharger will be more than covered by my mileage rate, but I'm more concerned about speed and efficiency to charge as opposed to cost at this stage.
Would you / are you currently confident enough to do this on a fairly regular basis?
Thanks!
I do Devon - Glasgow (500miles) in my Tesla 4/5x a year, have done since 2019 and it's easy. I wouldn't think twice about a Tesla for your kind of usage, the fact its also motorway means you'll be fine for Tesla Superchargers, the UK motorway network is well covered by the Tesla network now.Does anyone here use a Tesla (or other EV) for long and regular journeys? I'm close to taking an opt out from work which will enable me to buy a 2021/22 Model 3 LR (or potentially Model Y LR)
I'll be able to charge at home ok but I have a monthly M1 drive that is 215 miles each way (overnight in-between).
Fingers crossed we have a charging solution in the office, but if that fails, how reasonable would it be to assume that one leg of the journey would be fine just using the Tesla charging network.
Cost of the supercharger will be more than covered by my mileage rate, but I'm more concerned about speed and efficiency to charge as opposed to cost at this stage.
Would you / are you currently confident enough to do this on a fairly regular basis?
Thanks!
Enjoy!
Do a 610mile round trip, one weekend a month, with no destination charging. I don’t even think about it with the supercharging network. Model Y LR, cruise set to 73mph and one 10 min charge on way up after leaving with full charge. On way back, leaving with 50miles range, it grabs 20min one at Tebay and a 15min one at Hilton Park.
Dead easy.
Dead easy.
)I'm unfortunate enough to have a Leeds to Stevenage journey once a month and it's just a breeze in my model Y.
Set off fully charged and stick it on a 7kw charger at the office.
Usually only there for 5 hours max and frequently only get 3 hours on charge (you have to book them prior to using them) meaning I don't have enough to get home. So give it a quick 10mins charge at Northampton services whilst I grab a coffee and usually get home with about 15%
Very occasionally all the office chargers are full, in which case I do a 20min charge stop a Northampton which is just enough to get home.
Not once have I felt nervous about range or lack of 'refuelling' stops.
Set off fully charged and stick it on a 7kw charger at the office.
Usually only there for 5 hours max and frequently only get 3 hours on charge (you have to book them prior to using them) meaning I don't have enough to get home. So give it a quick 10mins charge at Northampton services whilst I grab a coffee and usually get home with about 15%
Very occasionally all the office chargers are full, in which case I do a 20min charge stop a Northampton which is just enough to get home.
Not once have I felt nervous about range or lack of 'refuelling' stops.
Michael_B said:
(waves from 1284 Chancy)
(waves back from 1203 Geneva 
)For non-local interest, my initial impressions/anecdotal experience from longer trips and different countries in a non-Tesla EV:
- Switzerland: dense network, no major complaints.
- (Northern) Italy: charging tends to be expensive, and Ionity stations are usually hidden far away from the motorways.
- Slovenia: covered by Ionity, the local high-speed chargers can be a bit of a hit-n-miss. The secondary roads I've been to have been very nice without exception, so one of the better places for extending range by going slower.
- Croatia: The western part is still covered by Ionity, and the eastern part has a few DC chargers (you should be able to get to Sarajevo from the last DC charger on the Croatian side with most of EVs).
- Bosnia: cheap(*), one location with 50kW DC, rest 22kW AC. Chargemap and Google Maps seem to have most of the stations listed; Hyundai's (Here-based) navigation didn't have any, causing it to express frequent and motherly concern ("no chargers on your selected route!!!").
- France: cheap(ish) and plentiful options. Stations are usually accessible without leaving the motorway (how it should be done!)
- The Netherlands/Belgium/Denmark/Austria/Germany: all OK, don't remember being amazed or needing to think.
- Sweden: enough locations with fast charging, the only place where waiting for a charger to free up is common (but new ones seem to be coming online). Cheap(ish) I think, was lazy to do the currency conversion
- Finland: Cheap. The Helsinki area is well-covered; the rest of the country is OK. It seems you need to download network-specific apps for pretty much everything.
(*) Often free, charging usually requires asking for a charging card -> speaking a few words of the language and/or having roaming data for Google translate helps. There are a few chargers here and there, probably more than on the maps if you ask around. Seeing more and more EVs on Bosnian plates now, and one free station had converted to a paying one last time I was there (a good sign for improving the infrastructure).
Edited by PetrolHeadInRecovery on Tuesday 27th February 22:02
Edited by PetrolHeadInRecovery on Wednesday 28th February 08:03
Edited by PetrolHeadInRecovery on Wednesday 28th February 08:08
JustGetATesla said:
RayDonovan said:
JustGetATesla said:
I do plenty of long trips on my YouTube channel. Top end of Scotland down to Kent with 2 stops. No problem. And you'd do a couple of stops on a trip that length with any fuel type.
Watched a couple of your videos today. Perfect in answering my question really. On my usual 215 trip I'll stop twice, so plugging in once or twice isn't a bother.PetrolHeadInRecovery said:
(waves back from 1203 Geneva )
For non-local interest, my initial impressions/anecdotal experience from longer trips and different countries in a non-Tesla EV:
(*) Often free, charging usually requires asking for a charging card -> speaking a few words of the language and/or having roaming data for Google translate helps. There are a few chargers here and there, probably more than on the maps if you ask around. Seeing more and more EVs on Bosnian plates now, and one free station had converted to a paying one last time I was there (a good sign for improving the infrastructure).
Very informative thanks especially the experience of Bosnia. )For non-local interest, my initial impressions/anecdotal experience from longer trips and different countries in a non-Tesla EV:
- Switzerland: dense network, no major complaints.
- (Northern) Italy: charging tends to be expensive, and Ionity stations are usually hidden far away from the motorways.
- Slovenia: covered by Ionity, the local high-speed chargers can be a bit of a hit-n-miss. The secondary roads I've been to have been very nice without exception, so one of the better places for extending range by going slower.
- Croatia: The western part is still covered by Ionity, and the eastern part has a few DC chargers (you should be able to get to Sarajevo from the last DC charger on the Croatian side with most of EVs).
- Bosnia: cheap(*), one location with 50kW DC, rest 22kW AC. Chargemap and Google Maps seem to have most of the stations listed; Hyundai's (Here-based) navigation didn't have any, causing it to express frequent and motherly concern ("no chargers on your selected route!!!").
- France: cheap(ish) and plentiful options. Stations are usually accessible without leaving the motorway (how it should be done!)
- The Netherlands/Belgium/Denmark/Austria/Germany: all OK, don't remember being amazed or needing to think.
- Sweden: enough locations with fast charging, the only place where waiting for a charger to free up is common (but new ones seem to be coming online). Cheap(ish) I think, was lazy to do the currency conversion
- Finland: Cheap. The Helsinki area is well-covered; the rest of the country is OK. It seems you need to download network-specific apps for pretty much everything.
(*) Often free, charging usually requires asking for a charging card -> speaking a few words of the language and/or having roaming data for Google translate helps. There are a few chargers here and there, probably more than on the maps if you ask around. Seeing more and more EVs on Bosnian plates now, and one free station had converted to a paying one last time I was there (a good sign for improving the infrastructure).
Edited by PetrolHeadInRecovery on Tuesday 27th February 22:02
Edited by PetrolHeadInRecovery on Wednesday 28th February 08:03
Edited by PetrolHeadInRecovery on Wednesday 28th February 08:08
I drive regularly to Southern Serbia but haven’t attempted in an EV yet. I figured after the last Ionity at Zagreb you’re into uncharted waters, I could get to Belgrade on a charge (iX M60) although not at typical speeds for thar road.
There’s a 130kW DC charger now near my in-laws place bit its the in-between bit that is uncertain.
I did ~3000 miles to Benelux, France, Switzerland and Italy without any concerns but the Balkans is definitely off the beaten track for charging.
The wife just asked me if we could drive down to Greece again (did this in 2022 in Petrol car) and I’d love to do it in the EV just to be able to prove whether its doable or not!
RayDonovan said:
Watched a few more videos and it's really cemented the idea of using a Tesla MYLR for longer trips. The M1 is already well serviced for superchargers and I would expect it's only going to get better (certainly north of Sheffield towards North Yorks is a bit of a black spot for chargers)
End of March I am driving London docklands back home to northern Aberdeenshire. With the car charged overnight before I head back it should be a two stopper - Ferrybridge and Edinburgh. As it has been the other times I have done the same trip. It truly is Long Range - and I would need to stop after driving that far anyway.PetrolHeadInRecovery said:
A week in October (with an Ioniq 5):
A bit under 3000km this month, 70% of those in two days. But the charging network is pretty good (Bosnia might be an exception), so I do a bit less advance planning than I did with the old diesel bus.
Perhaps relevant in BosniaA bit under 3000km this month, 70% of those in two days. But the charging network is pretty good (Bosnia might be an exception), so I do a bit less advance planning than I did with the old diesel bus.
But not in the Uk
To imply that an Ev takes less planning would be a plain lie here
My wife had an Ev & it’s great
I have a diesel, until it expires. 700 mile range/£30 tax/£290 insurance
Ev would take more planning here, to say otherwise does not help the cause
James6112 said:
Perhaps relevant in Bosnia
But not in the Uk
Indeed, not really a fair comparison.But not in the Uk
One is a developing country on the fringe of Europe with a fragile economy, little investment in infrastructure, riven with social and economic divisions, suffering from years of corrupt and ineffective government… and the other is a former constituent republic of Yugoslavia
theboss said:
Very informative thanks especially the experience of Bosnia.
I drive regularly to Southern Serbia but haven’t attempted in an EV yet. I figured after the last Ionity at Zagreb you’re into uncharted waters, I could get to Belgrade on a charge (iX M60) although not at typical speeds for thar road.
There’s a 130kW DC charger now near my in-laws place bit its the in-between bit that is uncertain.
I did ~3000 miles to Benelux, France, Switzerland and Italy without any concerns but the Balkans is definitely off the beaten track for charging.
The wife just asked me if we could drive down to Greece again (did this in 2022 in Petrol car) and I’d love to do it in the EV just to be able to prove whether its doable or not!
Glad to hear this was of interest! They seem to be building the high(ish) speed charging infrastructure in the Nort-Eastern part of Croatia at least to Slavonski Brod. An alternative border crossing that is handy in case of a snowstorm (or forgetting to turn off to the Banja Luka motorway). I drive regularly to Southern Serbia but haven’t attempted in an EV yet. I figured after the last Ionity at Zagreb you’re into uncharted waters, I could get to Belgrade on a charge (iX M60) although not at typical speeds for thar road.
There’s a 130kW DC charger now near my in-laws place bit its the in-between bit that is uncertain.
I did ~3000 miles to Benelux, France, Switzerland and Italy without any concerns but the Balkans is definitely off the beaten track for charging.
The wife just asked me if we could drive down to Greece again (did this in 2022 in Petrol car) and I’d love to do it in the EV just to be able to prove whether its doable or not!
No experience with Serbia, although we'be been toying with the idea of Greece, too. A ferry from Bari(?) could be an alternative route, although that means spending a fair bit of time on Italian motorways (done that part only with a diesel so far).
Michael_B said:
Indeed, not really a fair comparison.
One is a developing country on the fringe of Europe with a fragile economy, little investment in infrastructure, riven with social and economic divisions, suffering from years of corrupt and ineffective government… and the other is a former constituent republic of Yugoslavia
Take a bow Sir One is a developing country on the fringe of Europe with a fragile economy, little investment in infrastructure, riven with social and economic divisions, suffering from years of corrupt and ineffective government… and the other is a former constituent republic of Yugoslavia
Michael_B said:
James6112 said:
Perhaps relevant in Bosnia
But not in the Uk
Indeed, not really a fair comparison.But not in the Uk
One is a developing country on the fringe of Europe with a fragile economy, little investment in infrastructure, riven with social and economic divisions, suffering from years of corrupt and ineffective government… and the other is a former constituent republic of Yugoslavia
@James6112: I meant that in Bosnia you definitely need a bit more planning/effort with an EV than with diesel. The rest of the places I'd been to have been more relaxing with the EV than with the particular diesel we had before(*). However, I have to apologise for the implicit claim that this would automatically apply to all compression ignition automobiles! I believe that in the future it is possible that - despite its inherent complexity - the technology can be made somewhat reliable.
(*) A car with the infamous Toyota D-CAT engine, probably designed to help the EV cause. IMHO about as nice a car as a cheap diesel family bus can be, but replacing a set of injectors would cost about the same as a second-hand Ioniq 5 battery pack. Dealing with random "check engine" lights for 8 months after a fill-up at a sketchy gas station, I was a bit paranoid about the choice of a station/chain.
theboss said:
I drive regularly to Southern Serbia but haven’t attempted in an EV yet. I figured after the last Ionity at Zagreb you’re into uncharted waters, I could get to Belgrade on a charge (iX M60) although not at typical speeds for thar road.
its doable or not!
For Zagreb to Belgrade, the INA Stari Grabovac - jug station has a 178kW charger now (not yet on Google maps, in-car navigation and https://www.plugshare.com/location/529899 have it).its doable or not!
The typical speeds of that road seem to be a fair bit faster than on unrestricted German Autobahn, indeed.
Michael_B said:
Indeed, not really a fair comparison.
One is a developing country on the fringe of Europe with a fragile economy, little investment in infrastructure, riven with social and economic divisions, suffering from years of corrupt and ineffective government… and the other is a former constituent republic of Yugoslavia
One is a developing country on the fringe of Europe with a fragile economy, little investment in infrastructure, riven with social and economic divisions, suffering from years of corrupt and ineffective government… and the other is a former constituent republic of Yugoslavia
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