A Tesla driver shared what road tripping in an EV entails: A lot of charging stops. At least, if you did it the way she did, and there are ways to avoid the same pitfalls.
Social media user Meryl (@maybe.meryl) recorded snippets of her journey in a clip that she posted on the widely used social media app. Although she clearly shows she needed to charge up five separate times on her journey, several people replied that she should’ve been able to complete her travel itinerary sooner.
Meryl begins her video seated inside of a Tesla. Her camera’s lens is directed at the large infotainment screen that’s become synonymous with the electric-vehicle maker. A large map indicates that she’s beginning her journey in Minneapolis, and she has one hour and eight minutes to go before she hits her first Tesla Supercharger.
The route indicates that after this first charge, she needs to make at least three more stops before she reaches her Chicago destination.
Tesla Road Trip Charging
From the get-go, she intimates that this long drive isn’t going to be a pleasant one. “The reality of road tripping in an EV,” she pens, capping off her commentary with a skull emoji. After this initial shot, she records herself driving on a highway in her Tesla. Afterward, she records herself plugging a Tesla Supercharger plug into her charging port.
Then, her video transitions to her on the highway again, traveling at 74 mph. The next Supercharger spot she arrives at is her third. An on-screen caption reveals that she “forgot to record no. 2” as she pulls up to the charging stations. Several of them are open with a white Model 3 seen charging at one of the stalls. Additionally, there seems to be a Volvo C40 utilizing a Tesla charging stall as well.
Volvo joins a long list of EV manufacturers that can benefit from Tesla’s massive Supercharger network, which means that folks who need to top off in a jiffy have more options than ever available to them. That is, as long as folks have the necessary adapter on hand to use Tesla’s charger network.
Even More Supercharger Stops
Meryl records herself juicing up yet again before she’s back on the road, this time at a speedier 80 miles per hour. The sun has gotten visibly lower at this point in her journey. And as she arrives at her fourth supercharger, the amber glow of dusk hangs in the clouds. At the Supercharger station closest to her destination, there’s only a single vehicle juicing up, which looks like a Rivian. Again, Meryl plugs in her car and when she’s driving again, night still hasn’t set.
But it seems that she’s still not done charging her car, either. Because she has to juice up her Tesla yet again, plugging it in for the fifth time on her journey. At the end of her video, she records herself finally making it to Chicago. A text overlay in her clip reveals the total amount of time it took her to get there in an EV. “Made it from MN to Chicago in 7 hours,” she writes. Meryl punctuates her feelings about the total travel time with a crying emoji as her clip comes to an end.
Furthermore, a caption for her clip speaks to a problem many EV owners have opined about with regards to range estimate inaccuracies. She wrote: “I had to stop every 70 miles, I swear.”
For comparison, Google Maps projects that folks driving in a traditional, internal combustion engine vehicle from Minneapolis to Chicago, while maintaining the legal speed limit should make the 408-mile trip in 5 hours and 52 minutes.
So is she correct here? There are habits to employ in your next EV road-trip to avoid this conundrum.
Commenters Sound Off
One user who replied to Meryl’s video criticized her approach to charging her vehicle.
They said that since she began her journey with a 30% charge on her EV, she was already beginning her trip with a mostly depleted battery. Furthermore, they also critiqued her for driving faster than the speed limit, which will decrease a battery’s charge more quickly than it would at slower speeds.
Despite seeing her clip, which features multiple charging stops, they speculated that she would’ve had to have only stopped once during her journey.
“Started at 30% battery. Didn’t charge to 80% at any one stop. ~400 miles, you should have only had to stop once for a charge. Also, isn’t the top speed between Minneapolis and Chicago [is] 70, not 85,” they said.
However, Meryl, having made the drive herself, countered their points. First, she explained that she was “speeding up to pass” another car in the snippet that she shared. Additionally, she stated that despite charging her battery to 80%, her Tesla’s navigation application indicated that she’d have a significantly lowered charge after 130 miles of driving. In fact, it’d be in the negative. “I tried mapping directly when there were only 130 [miles] left and it said I would arrive with -23% from 80%.”
The discrepancy between real-world and actual range has left some Tesla buyers questioning the travel capacity of their cars, like a Tesla Motors Club driver who saw their maximum Model Y range, even at full capacity, was less than its quoted 303 mile mark. One user attributed the shortcoming to battery degradation. However, there are other Tesla owners who had such mitigated range that they thought their cars were defective. As Ars Technica writes: “Tesla exaggerated EV range so much that drivers thought cars were broken.”
This isn’t the case for all electric vehicles, however. InsideEVscompiled a list of fully-electric cars assessed by Consumer Reports that actually performed better than their quoted EPA estimates. The BMW iX managed to eke out 61 more miles of driving past its 309 quoted range. The Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 sedan managed to travel 380 miles on just a single charge. Other offerings from BMW, the i4 and i5 also went further than their quoted EPA ranges. And the Hyundai Ioniq N was able to travel 15 miles longer than its advertised range.
Ultimately, an EV road trip depends on good driving habits—including slowing down when appropriate—planning ahead using apps like PlugShare or the car’s onboard route-planner system, and a bit more patience. But more and more, this kind of experience is an outlier rather than the norm.
InsideEVs has reached out to Meryl via email for further comment.
The Tennessee Titans will spend parts of the next 10 days on the road, logging a total of nine nights in Tampa and Atlanta on a preseason road trip for joint practices and preseason games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. It won’t be the busiest slate; the Titans will only practice three times with two games in between, meaning there will be four off days. But it’ll be a stretch spent together, and, crucially to coach Brian Callahan, it’ll be a stretch where opponents will be able to start forming their opinions about the Titans.
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“One of the things I’m really looking for is what do those teams say about us when we leave?” Callahan asks rhetorically. “What do they say about how we played, the intensity we practiced with? Those are all things we get to go make an imprint of what our team can be this year.”
Callahan envisions this road trip as an opportunity for his players and coaches to get closer, continuing the ongoing trend of Callahan emphasizing connection and togetherness as team-building tacts. It’s also an opportunity to get ready for the long road trips the Titans will have to endure in the fall; the Titans travel to Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas and San Francisco this season, with the Raiders and Cardinals trips coming in back-to-back weeks.
The players seem to be bought into the idea. Receiver Calvin Ridley says the trip will go a long way toward bringing the team together. Rookie tight end Gunnar Helm says he’s looking forward to getting closer with his teammates. And offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr., in his first year with the Titans, plans to take advantage of the closeness.
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“I do think it’s a great time for us to bond us a team,” Moore said. “Spend some time on the road. Get to know each other a little bit better, spend a lot more time with each other and just come together.”
Practicing with the Buccaneers presents a long list of challenges. Coach Todd Bowles’ defense blitzes at one of the highest rates in the league, which should test quarterback Cam Ward and the offense’s readiness. Quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ talented receiving corps, led by Mike Evans, will be a huge test for the secondary. And then there’s the Florida heat. The forecast calls for mid-90s temperatures and extreme heat with a “real feel” of 104 degrees by the time practice is going to be ending.
When asked if he has any advice for enduring the Florida summer heat, cornerback and Florida native Jarvis Brownlee Jr. said to keep hydrated. And then he repeated his advice four more times.
Another underrated element is these joint practices, and preseason games, will be the Titans’ first opportunities to experience unfriendly environments. Having enemy fans around isn’t high on the list of reasons to go on these trips, but it’s a factor.
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“It’s gonna be us against everybody for the next 10 days,” Helm says.
A road trip is the best kind of liberation — you (and your loved ones, if you so choose) plus the open road and limitless possibilities. Still, to optimally embrace that freedom, some upfront planning is required. These practical tips will ensure the trip is all you hope it will be.
Plan food stops before you leave
Just because you can see those golden arches from the highway doesn’t mean you must stop at that McDonald’s. Much of the country’s tastiest food is located just off the road, in what can seem like unsuspecting locations. “Some of the best expressions of regional food flavors and unique culinary styles can be found in gas stations,” said Frank Beard, a traveling sales rep, to Condé Nast Traveler. “Just because a place has four walls and a gas pump doesn’t mean they can’t do something different.”
Drive no more than 5 hours a day
“If you are planning a trip where you are going to drive, say, 12 straight hours to your destination, just fly if at all possible,” said American Weekender.“It’s not worth wasting an entire day of your trip in the car when you don’t have time to explore.” Clichés exist for good reason, so remember: The journey is indeed the destination. Stop at the dinosaur park you saw from the road. Sleep in, if the mood strikes. And relish the chance to break up the drive with an overnight stop.
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“Stopping overnight in the middle has made my driving days infinitely better over the last half-decade,” said Ben Mesirow at Thrillist. “Every leg of the trip feels more manageable, and even if you have to sacrifice one night at the destination, it’s more than worth the trade-off to arrive calmer, happier and ready to enjoy your vacation.”
Prepare for possible roadside emergencies
One certainty of road trips — and driving in general — is that at some point, there is going to be a car malfunction. Two arguably essential tools to have stowed in your auto are a portable jump starter for a stalled engine and a portable air compressor for pumping tires. “If you’re driving alone or in remote areas where car trouble will really ruin your day,” these mechanisms are “game changers,” said frequent traveler Rachel Engen to Outside magazine.
Give your car the gift of a checkup
Auto maintenance either comes easily to you or it never crosses your mind until those pesky dashboard lights start blinking. If you’re the former, skip ahead. If you’re the latter, gather your strength and get all that maintenance done before you hit the road. “Check the oil, fluid levels, battery and tires,” said Lonely Planet. “Make sure you have air in your spare tire.” Obvious, yes. But obvious is best — especially if you follow through.
Download everything you might need before departure
Picture it: You’ve entered your destination into Google Maps, and the app is guiding you smoothly there. Then, poof: Out goes the cell service. Avoid the abject terror that results and save everything you might need for offline use. That includes “Google Maps, trails, campsites and itineraries,” said Julia, the creator behind Julia Takes a Hike, to Outside magazine. Screenshots of reservations so “you don’t struggle to dig through email without Wi-Fi” is a wise idea, said Engen to Outside. “Make sure your music or audiobooks are downloaded too.”
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This article first appeared in the August edition of Powersports Business.
Summer vacation season has begun, and as Americans gear up for adventure, the high cost of air travel is fueling a road trip renaissance. According to a survey from GSTV, “83% of people said they plan to drive to their summer vacation destination, and 54% said they will drive instead of fly due to the rising cost of airfare.”
Powersports enthusiasts gearing up for summer road trips should ensure their vehicles are up to date on maintenance.
For powersports enthusiasts, a summer road trip may include trailering their ATVs and other on- and off-road vehicles to explore new trails, such as Iron Mountain Resort in Dahlonega, Georgia, Ride Royal Blue Resort in Pioneer, Tennessee, or Badlands Off-Road Park in Attica, Indiana. That is, of course, if their vehicles are up to the challenge.
Before hitting the dirt, riders need to ensure their vehicles are road-ready, and that can be costly. A rule of thumb in the powersports industry is that for frequent riders, an ATV should be tuned up every three to six months, and these costs can add up. For example, a tune-up for an ATV can cost between $100 and $400, while regular oil changes typically range from $30 to $55.
And let’s not forget those items not covered in a tune-up. For example, new tires, shocks, and batteries. According to ATVTires.com, some entry-level tires are priced from nearly $81 to $148 per tire, and for some high-performance tires, the prices go up to nearly $214 to $414 per tire. And remember to maintain those brakes. The price tag adds up quickly if you’re hitting the trails often and/or are covering the cost for the whole family. Keep in mind that maintenance and repair costs have surged in recent years, driven by rising prices across the economy.
For many, the upkeep costs may be too steep to handle without financing. The same applies to purchasing a new vehicle. According to the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, anxiety about inflation, tariffs, and economic uncertainty is pushing consumer sentiment to its second-lowest level since the pandemic. Since January, sentiment has dropped by nearly 30 percent, with many Americans cutting back on discretionary spending.
But all hope of a powersports-filled summer isn’t lost. Like consumers, many dealerships may be feeling the squeeze as inflation rises and discretionary spending dips. However, many continue to be valuable resources for customers by showing them how, through financing, their services team can breathe new life into their existing vehicles. This includes financing everything from essential repairs and tune-ups to upgrades, new accessories, and even gas.
For small businesses that are not offering financing from companies such as Synchrony, this is the time to act. For businesses with existing programs, there is a good chance that many of your current and prospective customers are unaware that they can finance the upkeep of their vehicles. That means it’s time to begin promoting the full extent of these programs online and on-site in the dealership — in store windows, on the store floor, and more.
From there, educate your sales and services teams on the financing options. Make them your store’s financing experts, helping your customers understand how they can use these loans to maintain their current vehicles (and in doing so extend their lifespan) and upgrade accessories that may need replacement. For those riders with relatively new vehicles, be sure to educate them on the benefits of regular maintenance. For example, by financing more frequent tune-ups and replacing worn parts, riders can avoid more significant, and far more costly, repairs down the road. Financing can turn these proactive steps into easy-to-manage monthly payments, saving money and stress over the long haul.
This summer, powersports dealerships could be more than just a place to buy a new vehicle. They can become trusted partners in helping customers extend the life of the equipment they already own, allowing them to embark on their next getaway adventure and generate lasting memories.
Susan Medrano is the senior vice president and general manager at Synchrony Outdoors. With over 25 years of financial services experience, she leads Synchrony Outdoors within the Lifestyle platform. In this role, she provides general management and P&L accountability for Synchrony’s consumer business within the outdoors industries, including powersports and lawn and garden.
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