Travel from Northeast to WDW via Electric Car

[mrsstats79]

Yes the electric/gas combo is another option and what appears may be the better option at this time for long distance car travel. May I ask what car you had? Did you have it long and were you happy with it?

We have a Prius and a Ford Fusion. Very happy with both of them. We have a Chevy Bolt now - all electric and a Ford Fusion Hybred - not a plug in.

 

[b2k1121]

Long distance driving is fine if it's a Tesla with their supercharging network, any other electric cars would not be so great.

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

DH and I each have a Tesla. We no longer have an ICE car and we couldn't be happier driving electric. We drove from the SF Bay Area to Palm Springs a couple of months ago and had no issues with charging. It all depends on where you are going, of course, but there are so many super chargers out there, we actually "shop around" for the best price just like ICE people look for the lowest gas prices. The car can map all of the charging stations and take you right there. Yes, it takes roughly 30 minutes to charge, but it wasn't a big deal - the benefits far outweigh the time for us. Chargers are usually around restaurants or shopping centers so you can go grab a bite to eat, cold drink, hit the bathroom, etc., and it's no problem.

We drove roughly 1100 miles on our trip and only paid $54 in charging fees.

 

[bcla]

Long distance driving is fine if it's a Tesla with their supercharging network, any other electric cars would not be so great.

Tesla also has bigger batteries than anyone else, so their range is long.

The easiest way to increase range is to just carry more energy. A typical fuel tank only takes a small volume of the vehicle and is hidden. But there can be all sorts of ways to increase fuel storage. I've been overseas riding in a CNG powered taxi. It got weird when I tried to put our luggage in the trunk, and half of it was taken up with a supplemental tank. Intercity buses often have huge tanks. I've been curious about how some short range aircraft got to Hawaii. Turns out that the Hawaiian Airlines has tanks that can be placed in the passenger compartment to increase range. They might need them to fly them in for overhauls that can't be done in Hawaii. They'll just strip out the seats and have places to mount them and even to connect the fuel.

 

[bcla]

DH and I each have a Tesla. We no longer have an ICE car and we couldn't be happier driving electric. We drove from the SF Bay Area to Palm Springs a couple of months ago and had no issues with charging. It all depends on where you are going, of course, but there are so many super chargers out there, we actually "shop around" for the best price just like ICE people look for the lowest gas prices. The car can map all of the charging stations and take you right there. Yes, it takes roughly 30 minutes to charge, but it wasn't a big deal - the benefits far outweigh the time for us. Chargers are usually around restaurants or shopping centers so you can go grab a bite to eat, cold drink, hit the bathroom, etc., and it's no problem.

We drove roughly 1100 miles on our trip and only paid $54 in charging fees.

I thought Tesla said they would still be limited free charging when someone is outside their local area.

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

We don't have free charging anywhere. We pay every time we use the supercharger. We have a charger in our garage so day to day we just charge at home. We only need the super charger on longer trips.

 

[bcla]

We don't have free charging anywhere. We pay every time we use the supercharger. We have a charger in our garage so day to day we just charge at home. We only need the super charger on longer trips.

I was reading about it when they were discontinuing free charging in about 2017. But all the vehicles that had it, maintain that for life. I think they're supposed to have an annual credit for all vehicles, but it's not much. But they've had so many variations on their free charging including referral programs depending on the vehicle type. I thought that there was some limited free charging outside of one's registered local area.

Found the terms. Was a little bit different than I remembered.

https://www.tesla.com/blog/update-our-supercharging-program​

Ensuring Use for Long-Distance Travel​

For Teslas ordered after January 1, 2017, 400 kWh of free Supercharging credits (roughly 1,000 miles) will be included annually so that all owners can continue to enjoy free Supercharging during travel. Beyond that, there will be a small fee to Supercharge which will be charged incrementally and cost less than the price of filling up a comparable gas car. All cars will continue to come standard with the onboard hardware required for Supercharging.​

 

[GAN]

DH and I each have a Tesla. We no longer have an ICE car and we couldn't be happier driving electric. We drove from the SF Bay Area to Palm Springs a couple of months ago and had no issues with charging. It all depends on where you are going, of course, but there are so many super chargers out there, we actually "shop around" for the best price just like ICE people look for the lowest gas prices. The car can map all of the charging stations and take you right there. Yes, it takes roughly 30 minutes to charge, but it wasn't a big deal - the benefits far outweigh the time for us. Chargers are usually around restaurants or shopping centers so you can go grab a bite to eat, cold drink, hit the bathroom, etc., and it's no problem.

We drove roughly 1100 miles on our trip and only paid $54 in charging fees.

Exactly. Tesla has it all worked out. The car knows where the stations are and when you need to stop. There are many YouTube videos of people making long distance trips with no problem. I don't own one(yet) but the cost of supercharging isn't that bad at all and probably worth the quick time if traveling long distance. Soon, the big car manufacturers will be left in the dust as Tesla has been building and investing in infrastructure while the others sleep. Probably the best stock for the next 5-years if you ask me ....even at the $600 asking price.

 

[yaya74]

The distance from my home to WDW is approximately 1,030 miles. How would that work traveling in an electric car? The best mileage I can see is on a Tesla model S that gets approximately 335 miles on a full charge. It looks like it takes between 30 minutes (partial charge) to 1 hour to fully charge the battery at a Tesla supercharging station. So how does this work? It seems to me that an electric car would make the trip much more difficult, wasting time along the way to get your car charged. I’m thinking electric cars are not designed for long distance travel.

Does anyone out there have an electric car that they have used on a long distance trip? How did it workout for you?

Just came home from a road trip to WDW with Tesla Model 3 Long Range. Each way is 1100 miles, up and down I-95 from North New Jersey. It's our 3rd road trip but first with an EV. Gotta say, those charging times weren't a waste. We needed the time for breaks and stretches. These little breaks reduce the fatigue that comes with the long road trip. It also allowed us to drive all the way back without our usual overnight stay in NC. The standard autopilot feature helped too. The only thing that I hated was the seats of Tesla... It hurts our backs and tushes after sitting for 10+ hours.

 

[mrsstats79]

Yes the electric/gas combo is another option and what appears may be the better option at this time for long distance car travel. May I ask what car you had? Did you have it long and were you happy with it?

Sorry, not sure if I answered this. We had a Toyota Prius and also a Ford Fusion. They were leased so only had for 3 years. We now have an all electric Chevy Bolt and a Ford Fusion Hybrid (no plug in) Both leased but we are going to be buying them at the end of the lease since they have very low miles on them.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I would recommend a good old fashioned non electric car.

 

[_19disnA]

I would consider how you plan to use your vehicle and how long you intend to keep it when making a purchase decision. There are various types of vehicles since everyone doesn't have the same needs for how they use it.

 

[sam_gordon]

Just came home from a road trip to WDW with Tesla Model 3 Long Range. Each way is 1100 miles, up and down I-95 from North New Jersey. It's our 3rd road trip but first with an EV. Gotta say, those charging times weren't a waste. We needed the time for breaks and stretches. These little breaks reduce the fatigue that comes with the long road trip. It also allowed us to drive all the way back without our usual overnight stay in NC. The standard autopilot feature helped too. The only thing that I hated was the seats of Tesla... It hurts our backs and tushes after sitting for 10+ hours.

Didn't the stops to charge take longer than stops to get gas? How did the length of the trip compare between the Tesla and an ICE? Why did you not need the overnight stay?

 

[piccolopat]

Thanks, I hadn’t thought about renting a car, that would make sense for some but I don’t think that would work for us. We go for at least 3 weeks now and take way more “stuff” then I would be able to take on a plane. At this point I’m over the whole flying thing unless of course I was going overseas. Is there a cost to charging your car at the charging station?

If you take more stuff than you can take on a plane, would it even fit in most electric cars?

I've been following another thread where a family traveled to WDW in their Tesla. They planned their travels around the available Tesla and other charging stations. Some were free while others charge per kwh. They told of places where there were a limited number of charging spots, some were out of order and others taken by EVs that were not plugged in. So far the family has been doing OK but it sounds to me that there is a lot more risk (not being able to charge) and inconvenience to traveling with an EV than there is with a gas car right now. I wish the focus would have been on more hybrid cars until a very robust charging network was established. I'm also concerned that we don't have a standard for these charging stations. We certainly don't need a repeat of the beta vs. VCR or cassette vs. 8-track. One standard that would be used for every kind of EV should be the goal for a charging network. I'm also not sure why the fast charging stations aren't the norm. Is there a downside to having these everywhere rather than the slow trickle chargers?

 

[dvcgirl67]

Didn't the stops to charge take longer than stops to get gas? How did the length of the trip compare between the Tesla and an ICE? Why did you not need the overnight stay?

I have a Tesla Y....haven't taken any long road trips yet, and have only charged at home. But yes, as that person who recently took the trip said, it takes roughly 30 minutes at a Tesla Super Charging station to "fill up". You can get out and stretch...grab something to eat....etc. I was thinking about times we've driven from NJ down I-95 in our ICE cars....you'd go to gas station to fill up, then typically drive to a nearby restaurant to eat, use the rest room....etc. So that also takes time. Overall though, I do think it would add a couple of hours to the trip....coming for NJ anyway.

We've had the Y for seven months and I still absolutely love it. My favorite car ever. It's just so much fun to drive. Unless we have some huge inconvenience/reliability issue with it, I don't think we'll ever own an ICE car again. The battery technology is only going to get better. And I'm spending an additional $75 a month on my electric bill to drive. My previous car needed premium fuel, and I'd be spending over $80 just to fill it up one time with current gas prices....once a week, so $320 a month. That's a pretty significant savings...and that's just the gas, let alone all of the maintenance that ICE cars need that EVs don't.

All of that is worth an extra couple of hours for a longer road trip.

 

[yaya74]

Didn't the stops to charge take longer than stops to get gas? How did the length of the trip compare between the Tesla and an ICE? Why did you not need the overnight stay?

It is true that it takes average 20 minutes to charge the car where it would take less than 5 minutes to fill up a tank. But when we drive an ICE we would take a 20-minute break after driving for 2 hours or so anyway. The number of charging stops that we took with a Tesla is the same number of breaks that we would take with an ICE.

We didn't need the overnight stay because we didn't feel as exhausted after driving Tesla for more than 16 hours. But during the previous trip with ICE, we felt so tired and couldn't drive anymore.

**edit to add: Tesla's battery charges faster in the beginning and slows down significantly towards the last 15-20%. So our strategy is to stop more frequently so it takes less time to get to the point that we need. The full capacity of a Model 3 long range is 350 miles. We only charge up to 300 miles on our car and would stop when there is about 100-130 miles left.**

 

[yaya74]

If you take more stuff than you can take on a plane, would it even fit in most electric cars?

I've been following another thread where a family traveled to WDW in their Tesla. They planned their travels around the available Tesla and other charging stations. Some were free while others charge per kwh. They told of places where there were a limited number of charging spots, some were out of order and others taken by EVs that were not plugged in. So far the family has been doing OK but it sounds to me that there is a lot more risk (not being able to charge) and inconvenience to traveling with an EV than there is with a gas car right now. I wish the focus would have been on more hybrid cars until a very robust charging network was established. I'm also concerned that we don't have a standard for these charging stations. We certainly don't need a repeat of the beta vs. VCR or cassette vs. 8-track. One standard that would be used for every kind of EV should be the goal for a charging network. I'm also not sure why the fast charging stations aren't the norm. Is there a downside to having these everywhere rather than the slow trickle chargers?

I guess we were lucky during this trip. Tesla supercharging stations are everywhere up and down I-95 and in Orlando area. None were broken and there were plenty of available spaces at each station. Before checking in at Disney, we stayed at the Embassy Hotel in Kissimmee which has two Tesla Destination Charging stations for free. We parked our Tesla there overnight and got some free charging. In the town where I live, there are free EV charging stations at the township hall. When we go shopping/dining, often we would find parking garages that offer free EV charging stations. Having said that, at this point, my family won't own just EVs as the charging network is not as common. We would still have a hybrid car.

 

[dvcgirl67]

It is true that it takes average 20 minutes to charge the car where it would take less than 5 minutes to fill up a tank. But when we drive an ICE we would take a 20-minute break after driving for 2 hours or so anyway. The number of charging stops that we took with a Tesla is the same number of breaks that we would take with an ICE.

We didn't need the overnight stay because we didn't feel as exhausted after driving Tesla for more than 16 hours. But during the previous trip with ICE, we felt so tired and couldn't drive anymore.

**edit to add: Tesla's battery charges faster in the beginning and slows down significantly towards the last 15-20%. So our strategy is to stop more frequently so it takes less time to get to the point that we need. The full capacity of a Model 3 long range is 350 miles. We only charge up to 300 miles on our car and would stop when there is about 100-130 miles left.**

That's interesting....that you would only go down to 100 miles or so and then charge. Makes sense. If we ever take a long trip in the Y....we'd do that too

 

[sam_gordon]

It is true that it takes average 20 minutes to charge the car where it would take less than 5 minutes to fill up a tank. But when we drive an ICE we would take a 20-minute break after driving for 2 hours or so anyway. The number of charging stops that we took with a Tesla is the same number of breaks that we would take with an ICE.

We didn't need the overnight stay because we didn't feel as exhausted after driving Tesla for more than 16 hours. But during the previous trip with ICE, we felt so tired and couldn't drive anymore.

**edit to add: Tesla's battery charges faster in the beginning and slows down significantly towards the last 15-20%. So our strategy is to stop more frequently so it takes less time to get to the point that we need. The full capacity of a Model 3 long range is 350 miles. We only charge up to 300 miles on our car and would stop when there is about 100-130 miles left.**

When I'm driving long distance, my goal is to keep stops to a minimum, both number of stops and duration of stops. Stop for gas just off interstate, many gas stations with either integrated fast food or "shops". I can usually average 65-70mph INCLUDING stops over a 12-13 hour trip by doing so. Stopping for sit down meals cuts that WAY down. A 20 minutes break every two hours would add almost two hours to the trip. No thank you. YMMV (literally).

 

[dvcgirl67]

When I'm driving long distance, my goal is to keep stops to a minimum, both number of stops and duration of stops. Stop for gas just off interstate, many gas stations with either integrated fast food or "shops". I can usually average 65-70mph INCLUDING stops over a 12-13 hour trip by doing so. Stopping for sit down meals cuts that WAY down. A 20 minutes break every two hours would add almost two hours to the trip. No thank you. YMMV (literally).

You sound a bit like my father....any road trip with him was so stressful for my mother (we didn't take many road trips when I was a kid)....because he was just a maniac about "beating the traffic", minimizing stops for bathroom breaks...etc, just so they could get wherever they were headed in as little time as possible. Usually, it was a trip from NJ to the house they had in the Florida Keys at that time. They leave right after the evening rush over, drive through the night...straight through....all to get to the Keys as fast as possible...to pretty much do nothing for the two weeks that they were there. He'd take "no doze"...drink lots of coffee....etc. It finally got to the point when there was a big fight between them...my mother threatened to not go unless they "stopped half way to stay in a hotel like normal human beings!!".....and he gave in. .

But...range anxiety is definitely a thing. I hear EV owners talk about it. I ran into a customer of mine recently when I was out running errands. He asked how I liked the Y...told him I loved it. He told me he has an Audi e-Tron SUV....and he said it only has a range of 220 miles and that his wife is nervous to take it on longer road trips. But..as others have said, the battery technology is improving, and while it's tougher for me to tell which cars are ICE vs. EV unless they are Teslas which have a distinctive look....I can tell you that every day it seems like there are more and more Teslas on the road in my area anyway.