Achievement unlocked: I drove my 2021 SE named "Wattson" from the Kansas City area to the Tail of the Dragon and back. (1667 miles!) I spread the journey between home and my hotel in Tennessee across 2 days (each direction). All things considered, it was a very smooth trip--thanks to many days of planning by experimenting with A Better Routeplanner and cross-referencing charge stops with PlugShare. ...And re-checking PlugShare regularly to monitor the health of each planned charging stop. (Now that the trip is done, I'll have to figure out a new "winding down for the evening" routine - heh!) For the trip out, the weather was ideal for EV road-tripping: temperatures in the upper-80s to lower 90s (Fahrenheit) with little to no wind. Wattson averaged 3.8 mi/kWh at 70mph and 4.8 mi/kWh on the 45/55mph stretches. Charging stops included: 10 DCFC stops 7 Level 2 stops 2 were “scenic”/extra stops 1 was a “safety” charge while getting dinner 1 was a planned overnight hotel stay 3 were necessary to make the stretch between DCFC locations If you want to see a report from each stop, go here: https://assortedflotsam.com/@undeciderist/111154383940323121 The hotel I stayed at (because it has Level 2 chargers) is in Lenoir City, TN - about 40 miles from the start of the Tail of the Dragon. Halfway there is a free Level 2 charger at Fort Loudoun Electric Cooperative. That would be my emergency option in case I needed more energy to get back to the hotel at the end of the day. I confirmed it worked on my way out to the Dragon. I entered the north end of the Tail of the Dragon around lunchtime. The first couple of miles were great--I could immediately understand the attraction. My plan was to take it easy since it was my first time but...between the banking of the turns and Wattson's excellent grip and torque, I quickly found myself wanting to push a little more. Not long after that, I caught up to a pickup truck that was obviously not going to go very fast. A few minutes later we caught up to a car that was stuck behind a minivan, which in turn was being slowed down by a trike motorcycle. So the rest of that run was following that parade of vehicles, breathing in their exhaust fumes the whole way. I eventually got to the shop at the end and confirmed their Level 2 charger works. It took a little patience waiting for a spot in front of the charger to open up. I hung out for a bit to browse the shop (I got a t-shirt & a decal), look at the "Tree of Shame" (adorned with parts from vehicles that wrecked while driving this road) and watching cars & motorcycles come through. Then I went a couple more miles down the road to Tapoco Lodge to check out their Level 2 charger and eat lunch. Their chargers have definitely been out in the elements for awhile, but Wattson was able to top all the way up while I enjoyed a very delicious lunch. After lunch was a side trip to Fontana Dam. That drive was great fun (far less traffic and quite exciting roads), and it’s a hydroelectric dam so an obvious photo op location for an EV. After taking several pictures and a brief look at the scenery, I drove back to the Tail of the Dragon shop so I could get a feel for a good time to depart without running into too much traffic. (And to set up a video camera--I'll post the video soon-ish...) That run went much better. Clear road for several miles before I caught up to a trike motorcycle. They eventually noticed me and used one of the pull-offs to allow me to pass. A few more miles of fun before catching up to a pair of trikes which weren't interested in pulling off to let anyone pass. So, I bailed at the scenic overlook. The drive back to the shop was fairly good, but still found some traffic. I hung out at the shop while charging Wattson a bit more before the drive back to the hotel. That final journey along the Tail of the Dragon was probably the best pass. I wasn't pushing hard, and was much more familiar with the road, so it was a pretty smooth run. I caught up to one car along the way but it wasn’t bothersome. The temperature was dropping and the sun was getting lower, so best to take it easy. Besides, I had had my fun. Oh, and I didn't need to stop at Fort Loudoun Electric Cooperative to charge in order to make it back to the hotel. General impressions/opinions: There's a general aroma of exhaust fumes and burnt brakes at various times. And corresponding sounds. The SE is *fantastic* on that road (and others like it). Quick torque and regen braking make for a fun and engaging driving experience. Most of the time, I simply modulated the accelerator pedal to speed up/coast/slow down; I only had to dab the brake pedal when I found myself approaching a corner a little hotter than I should have. The wider wheels & summer tires I used (17"x7.5" Neuspeed RSe05 wheels with 225/45R17 Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 K127B tires) really improved lateral grip. I just swapped back to the stock wheels with all season tires, and the traction control is kicking in more and torque steer is increased by comparison. I did not experience reduced power at any point. Average consumption for all the spirited driving was 4.2 mi/kWh. On that last drive, I actually gained back 1% of the energy spent. Since the SE is so quiet, other drivers may not notice you're behind them. And it seemed like I caught the pro photographers off guard anytime I wasn't near a loud internal combustion car/truck/motorcycle. A recap of my stops that day can be found here: https://assortedflotsam.com/@undeciderist/111165660252508699 I updated Wattson's flair by adding the decal I bought at the shop that night at the hotel. For the trip back home, the weather was great for the first day. The second day started cold & rainy, which dropped Wattson's consumption to 3.4 mi/kWh at 70mph. As I turned westward, the rain stopped but then I ran into a 10-14mph headwind which dropped consumption to 3.3-3.4 mi/kWh at around 65mph (in a 70mph zone). Charging stops included: 10 DCFC stops 4 Level 2 stops 1 was a planned overnight hotel stay 3 were necessary to make the stretch between DCFC If you want to see a report from each stop, go here: https://assortedflotsam.com/@undeciderist/111176621441560926 I'll add another post once I'm done editing the video. Meanwhile, I'm happy to answer any questions you have.
Thanks for your report, well written and very informative! Sounds like you had a really great time and I love the decal.
Loved reading it, and glad that the Wattson did so well. This is a bucket list for me. I was surprised to hear the trikes were such a hold up and that there were so many.
If I can do it, so can you! (With adequate preparation, of course.) That was the most trikes I've seen at once, but they were in the minority of motorcycle types I saw there. There were probably more motorcycles than 4-wheeled vehicles; it's a very popular motorcycle destination. On that road, trikes and touring bikes will be the slowest due to the number and type of curves. Sport bikes were the fastest, and often their riders would take crazy risks to keep going as fast as they can.
There were around 40 Minis gathered for the Minis Slay The Sleeping Dragon group run at the weekend. I was attending an autocross meeting in Franklin. One of the other participants told me about it and led me to their Friday pre-meet in Bryson city. There were 2 GPs there but no SEs! Mine is the green one. His wife's mini in front of mine. His R52S was trailered to Franklin. I was too busy driving mine like I stole it all weekend to do a dragon run, though.
Nicely done - the drive, the writeup and the video. Very well presented. Thank you for sharing. Did the tires survive, or time for a change??
Thanks! The tires survived--though with some obvious wear after that workout. They're summer tires, so I swapped over to my stock wheels with all-seasons the day after I got home as much cooler temperatures have finally reached here. Will definitely rotate front-to-back when I put them back on next spring/summer.
That's a great video! The stripes on your hood make it even better. I've never watched a TotD video before and it's almost exactly what I imagined (the difference: I imagined more traffic). I felt such a rush when that first trike pulled over! Because you're so polite (load patience.exe ), you were smart to let that other car past to see if he could bully those later two trikes into pulling over. Are there are no passing lanes or passing zones? What's the speed limit? Did you see any enforcement officers? Are there stories of speed-traps or do drivers have confidence that any speed goes? After your experience would you advise crusaders to start earlier in the day, eg. just before dawn? I have a road like this I drive when I visit my 30-mile distant employee. The really good part is only about 4 miles long, but it makes for a fun 3.5 minutes. Today, I told my employee that if the county ever reduces the speed limit from 55 mph to 35, I'm dissolving the company. Once I saw a McLaren stopped stopped in the opposite lane. I assume it was waiting for the traffic ahead to clear so it's driver could enjoy a brief, 2-minute spurt.
Thanks! No passing lanes or zones. There are occasional pull-offs where slower vehicles can let faster ones pass, or faster vehicles can wait for slower ones to get further down the road. Or to rest and watch others go by (if you're brave/trusting enough). Speed limit is 30mph. I did not see any enforcement officers. Enforcement officers do visit that road occasionally, and have been known to do their job. If anyone plans to exceed the speed limit, they would be wise to do a reconnaisance run at legal speeds first to make sure the coast is clear. I suspect traffic follows the bell curve throughout the day, with the least in the morning and late afternoon. There are no intersecting roads or driveways in this particular stretch of road, so a good strategy is to hang out at the scenic overlook, at the shop, or a similar location and watch traffic for a good opening. I recommend exploring https://tailofthedragon.com/ if you plan to visit that road. It has a lot of helpful information and recommendations for a safe and fun visit. Edit: Also, the killboy.com YouTube channel has some good videos where "killboy" talks you through the Tail of the Dragon as he drives/rides it. Sound reasoning!
@MichaelC Entirely your fault, my wife and I have started planning a trip to the Tail of the Dragon with our MINI SE next year.
