Road Triipin’

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bldxyz

bldxyz

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If things line up, I’m considering driving my to-be-delivered SE between SF and LA in a month or so. I’ll only have owned it for at most a couple of weeks.

It looks like, according to PlugShare, I can make it with three stops for charging. The first leg would be the dicey one, though, since there seem to be no chargers between 50 miles and ....

112 miles.

I figure I could use Green + mode, be easy on the max speed, and likely have no issue getting to the first one. The other two would be under 100 miles apart, so it’s really only that first leg to consider.

Assume 50-60 degree weather. What do you all think? Is it too risky not to stop at 50 miles when the next one is 62 miles away?
 
Don't forget to factor in elevation changes, too. This 177-mile SE video should give you more confidence. Your trip will certainly be an adventure. There must be other forum members who have made that trip. I just googled the California map. Will you take I-5 or is the 100+ mile longer State Route 5 an option? Is the Pacific Coast Highway an option? I read it suffered a landslide somewhere.

I've only made one >100-mile trip. I took advantage the MINI NAV's option to choose routes that don't include expressways. It made for a more interesting trip that avoided boring, energy-sapping expressway driving, but it added nearly an hour to the trip.
 
insightman said:
Don't forget to factor in elevation changes, too. This 177-mile SE video should give you more confidence. Your trip will certainly be an adventure. There must be other forum members who have made that trip. I just googled the California map. Will you take I-5 or is the 100+ mile longer State Route 5 an option? Is the Pacific Coast Highway an option? I read it suffered a landslide somewhere.

I've only made one >100-mile trip. I took advantage the MINI NAV's option to choose routes that don't include expressways. It made for a more interesting trip that avoided boring, energy-sapping expressway driving, but it added nearly an hour to the trip.
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I-5 is the right route because of the length, but it also means it is almost entirely highway driving. I’ve driven it countless times in ICE cars, so trying to optimize mileage is going to test my patience.
 
For SF to LA, ABRP has the longest leg as 90mi, from Harris Ranch Inn and Restaurant to Countryside market. But they have you making 5 charging stops. Personally I wouldn't bet on a 112 mile leg, unless there were at least a level 2 charger on the way. You'd probably make it but it would be stressful.
 
bldxyz said:
I-5 is the right route because of the length, but it also means it is almost entirely highway driving. I’ve driven it countless times in ICE cars, so trying to optimize mileage is going to test my patience.
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I meant to ask if State Route 99 is an option (I mistyped State Route 5), but it sounds like you want to get there ASAP. With your considerable experience on I-5, you should be OK. Just find a slow semi-trailer to follow on the longest leg. Not only will you extend your charge, but the semi gives a slow driver cover. Impatient drivers won't tailgate you in an effort to force you to go faster in the right lane if you're behind a semi.

I used to be a fast driver until I acquired my 2000 Honda Insight, when I changed my goal from minimum time to minimum gas and learned hypermiling techniques. It was exhilarating to see 100 mpg on the gauge when tailgating semi-trucks. However, a rock cracking my windshield taught me not to follow that closely. My wife, who used to be impatient with my slow driving, laughs when she sees how my around-town hypermiling practices are a thing of the past since our MINI Cooper SE replaced the Insight.

This is a good thread to have on the forum. Be sure to tell us about your I-5 experience afterwards. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to gain confidence by hearing success stories and learning how to avoid long-distance pitfalls.
 
insightman said:
I meant to ask if State Route 99 is an option (I mistyped State Route 5), but it sounds like you want to get there ASAP. With your considerable experience on I-5, you should be OK. Just find a slow semi-trailer to follow on the longest leg. Not only will you extend your charge, but the semi gives a slow driver cover. Impatient drivers won't tailgate you in an effort to force you to go faster in the right lane if you're behind a semi.

I used to be a fast driver until I acquired my 2000 Honda Insight, when I changed my goal from minimum time to minimum gas and learned hypermiling techniques. It was exhilarating to see 100 mpg on the gauge when tailgating semi-trucks. However, a rock cracking my windshield taught me not to follow that closely. My wife, who used to be impatient with my slow driving, laughs when she sees how my around-town hypermiling practices are a thing of the past since our MINI Cooper SE replaced the Insight.

This is a good thread to have on the forum. Be sure to tell us about your I-5 experience afterwards. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to gain confidence by hearing success stories and learning how to avoid long-distance pitfalls.
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I think what I may do is get good enough at seeing the projected range before I go, while I drive.

Then, on the road, I’ll check that range at 45 miles, seeing if I can comfortably reach the charger at 112. If I don’t have a good buffer at that point, I’ll stop at 50. One extra stop shouldn’t be so bad.

I’m pretty sure every station I’m looking at is L2.
 
I commute a little over 80 miles per day, mostly via freeway. Above 40 ºF I can usually complete the round trip with almost 50% SoC left on a normal day. I use cruise control which seems to help a lot (my next experiment will be the same route with and without cruise control for comparison). I have found in heavy wind or rain my range will drop, because of the increased drag. Also, GREEN mode doesn't matter much when on the freeway, since it nerfs acceleration and at freeway speeds you stay at a fairly constant speed so GREEN can't do much. GREEN+ may give you an extra 10-15 miles by shutting down the environmentals, but at the temperatures you're expecting I don't think that will matter either.

I think 112 miles is not unreasonable in the SE, but I'd have a backup plan for finding a level 2 charge point if you find SoC getting under 30%. Worse case you can always find level 1 charging anywhere, just bring your cable with you and plan to hang out for a couple hours. But @bldxyz is right, you can see how much SoC you've used just before you hit the first charge point and make a decision then.
 
I’m thinking about your SE still being brand new - since there would not be a ‘break in’ for engine components like in an ICE, are there other recommended break in procedures for a new Mini SE hot off the roll-on roll-off ramp?
 
Puppethead said:
I commute a little over 80 miles per day, mostly via freeway. Above 40 ºF I can usually complete the round trip with almost 50% SoC left on a normal day. I use cruise control which seems to help a lot (my next experiment will be the same route with and without cruise control for comparison). I have found in heavy wind or rain my range will drop, because of the increased drag. Also, GREEN mode doesn't matter much when on the freeway, since it nerfs acceleration and at freeway speeds you stay at a fairly constant speed so GREEN can't do much. GREEN+ may give you an extra 10-15 miles by shutting down the environmentals, but at the temperatures you're expecting I don't think that will matter either.

I think 112 miles is not unreasonable in the SE, but I'd have a backup plan for finding a level 2 charge point if you find SoC getting under 30%. Worse case you can always find level 1 charging anywhere, just bring your cable with you and plan to hang out for a couple hours. But @bldxyz is right, you can see how much SoC you've used just before you hit the first charge point and make a decision then.
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I’m also wondering how reliable the charging stations are. I mean, I could show up there on electric fumes and find the station not working? The PlugShare app has ratings. That 112 mile stop is in Santa Nella (a very big stopping point on I-5). The rating is 10 out of 10, and it’s a ChargePoint.
 
bldxyz said:
I think what I may do is get good enough at seeing the projected range before I go, while I drive.

Then, on the road, I’ll check that range at 45 miles, seeing if I can comfortably reach the charger at 112. If I don’t have a good buffer at that point, I’ll stop at 50. One extra stop shouldn’t be so bad.

I’m pretty sure every station I’m looking at is L2.
Click to expand...

If you're looking at L2 chargers, that means you'll be staying the night I presume? Cuz the fastest you can charge at an L2 is 5 hours.

Have you checked out your route on abetterrouteplanner.com? I should have clarified that in my earlier comment. They have a route where you stop at all L3 chargers, with no L2, so you can make it in under a day.
 
fizzit said:
If you're looking at L2 chargers, that means you'll be staying the night I presume? Cuz the fastest you can charge at an L2 is 5 hours.
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That would be to go from zero to 100% SoC, which isn't likely what you'd do in practice. When stopping for a charge at a public charger I usually charge only to 80% or so, even at L3. When I see the charge rate drop, I unplug and go. As for L2, I'll plug in when I stop at a grocery store or similar, and can get about 10% SoC per half an hour.
 
bldxyz said:
I’m also wondering how reliable the charging stations are. I mean, I could show up there on electric fumes and find the station not working?
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That is definitely an issue, and it's really hard to know for sure. I usually go by the check-in comments on the PlugShare app – if I see someone was there recently it's highly likely it's going to work.
 
fizzit said:
If you're looking at L2 chargers, that means you'll be staying the night I presume? Cuz the fastest you can charge at an L2 is 5 hours.

Have you checked out your route on abetterrouteplanner.com? I should have clarified that in my earlier comment. They have a route where you stop at all L3 chargers, with no L2, so you can make it in under a day.
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I misspoke. I meant L3. I’ll check that link you shared!

IMG_4393.webp
 
fizzit said:
Have you checked out your route on abetterrouteplanner.com? .
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Very interesting! I don’t know what criteria they use and the UI is not as information-laden as the PlugShare app, but it did show me a Walmart in Patterson that would be 97 miles away from home, a solid backup plan if it doesn’t look like I can make it to Santa Nella without charging.

(Only downside is the score there is 6.6)

So I think the best thing for me to do is come up with a few plans, and be prepared to improvise based upon the kind of range I’m getting.
 
Also, with the plethora of electric cars in California, you might come to a charging station with a line of cars waiting. Leave home at 4 am :)
 
You won’t really be able to compare you efficiency on the first half of you first leg to that of the second half. Getting out of the city and then into the valley is very different driving than cruising down I-5. As someone said, you are probably best off sitting behind a truck in the right lane otherwise it will be hard to keep the speed under 75. And remember that the valley is always hot.
 
bldxyz said:
Very interesting! I don’t know what criteria they use and the UI is not as information-laden as the PlugShare app, but it did show me a Walmart in Patterson that would be 97 miles away from home, a solid backup plan if it doesn’t look like I can make it to Santa Nella without charging.

(Only downside is the score there is 6.6)

So I think the best thing for me to do is come up with a few plans, and be prepared to improvise based upon the kind of range I’m getting.
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I believe they just go for the fastest overall route, including charging time. Sometimes it shows you alternate routes that take a little more or less time. If you create an account you can tell it to avoid certain chargers when routing.

Torrey said:
You won’t really be able to compare you efficiency on the first half of you first leg to that of the second half. Getting out of the city and then into the valley is very different driving than cruising down I-5. As someone said, you are probably best off sitting behind a truck in the right lane otherwise it will be hard to keep the speed under 75. And remember that the valley is always hot.
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The unfortunate thing though, is that sitting behind a semi for the whole trip will almost guarantee rock chips in your new SE's paint.
 
I've just come back from a weekend up the coast - around 350km (217miles) round trip. Charged at the house up the coast. On the way up we had just over 30% left when we got there - which represents about 5.3miles/kWh (Cool 23C, fair weather). On the way back, the conditions were pretty poor. Thunderstorm (lots of rain/standing water), 110kph (70mph) freeway and we still returned 4.3miles/kWh. It was the first time in 6 months I tried green mode (other than to see if the button worked :) ), and with cruise control on, the little beast performed really well. My trip was pretty flat, so probably not comparable with SF to LA.

I have noticed that with DC charging, the rate doesn't noticeably trail off till around 85%. I either just wait for 100%, or if I am in a hurry, 90% seems to be the sweet spot. The last few percent takes forever. 40-90 took 18 minutes the other day.
 
I have to admit, I'm a little jealous of your adventures in the SE. I won't get to road-trip it for a while because most of my trips include 5 people. Instead, I take the Bolt. Despite its larger range, its similar DC charging rate and terrible taper makes road tripping similar. The Bolt rate drops off a cliff at 55%, at which point it has marginally more range than a fully charged SE.

Once or twice a year I do take a solo trip into the back country to meet my brother for some backpacking. That will be the only time I really road trip the SE.

So do share your experience. At least I can experience the adventure vicariously through you!
 
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