Road Tripping in a 2018 Tesla Model 3

In 2018, I sold my 2013 Ford F-150 and bought a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)! My wife thought (and may still think) I was crazy. I actually have a lot of the same concerns she does. I just push them away because it is too crazy cool to not try! Specifically, I bought a Long Range, Dual Motor, Tesla Model 3.

This blog post isn't about the purchasing experience, what it cost, etc. This is about what most people worry about; what happens if it runs out of juice? Can you actually drive it on long trips?

I have already driven it on several trips of about 8-9 hours, so I think I already know the answer. But I'm planning a longer road trip which will take two full days of driving each way. I will document how it goes, good or bad, in this blog. I will be traveling on Interstates for most of the trip and using Tesla's amazing Supercharger network as well. My destination is a tiny town off the interstates in Kentucky. That may present some charging challenges. I will also have to PAY for my Supercharging which is a tiny bummer. I have had free charging thus far as a promotion. But as you can see above, that ends in just a few days so I won't have it for my trip. That means we will get to compare the cost of charging to buying gas.

I also want to say the only time I even think about my state of charge (SOC) is on road trips. But 90% of the time, I'm staying within the city limits. You know, going to the grocery store, running errands, that sort of thing. My car charges at home in my garage so I never think about going to the gas station or how much range do I have. I should add that Tesla says I can get 310 miles when fully charged. (But you know, you never really operate an EV fully charged.) It is sorta cool I can say "Hey, Alexa, ask my car how much range it has." She just replied, "Sparky has 168 miles of range available." I guess I should plug it in tonight. :)