Tail of the Dragon?

[MichaelC]

I'm thinking about doing this:

So I can do that:

It's not impossible, but it's also not without risk.

There are 2 sections along the way that would require a level 2 charging stop (excluding 1-2 overnight hotel charging sessions because I don't want to drive from Kansas City to Tennessee in one stretch).

It helps that the Tail of the Dragon shop offers level 2 charging (1 J-1772, 1 Tesla, & 1 NEMA 14-50 outlet). Without that, I probably wouldn't have given such an adventure more serious thought. But I find myself very tempted to give it a go...

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I also dream of driving down there from upstate NY. A very tempting road indeed. If you do go, let us know how the trip was!


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[DJCoopster]

That looks miserable *to me* just to wear some extra rubber off the tires.

Fun driving the Tail, yes, but getting there and back, ugh.

I'm in Louisville, KY and have looked at the drive/possibilities before and it's just not there for me.

 

[MichaelC]

If you do go, let us know how the trip was!

If I go, there will definitely be a trip report.

Fun driving the Tail, yes, but getting there and back, ugh.

Yeah, it's a LOT of driving just to do a little more driving. I never claimed it was a good idea...but part of the appeal to me is being able to say I did it with the teeny-tiny battery in my SE. And going that direction is WAY more appealing to me than attempting to drive across Kansas (which I have done before in ICE cars).

 

[bfl]

I don’t have an SE anymore, but I can confirm that the dragon is fun in an EV. I was just up there a few weeks ago. The 48 amp Tesla charger at the souvenir shop came in handy.

 

[revorg]

I spent the better part of a year in North Carolina when I had a supercharged Mini. Most of the rural roads in the western part of the state are very similar to the Dragon. Great fun driving! Go for it!

 

[azausa]

I won’t be able to experience this drive, as I am on the other side of the world, in NZ. But, I say go for it. I am always keen to push the limits of the SE. Just like you, I want to say, yah done it on this teeny battery. For me, the tiny battery of the SE is just that, it is the drive and me and the road; really love it when we go for a long drive and other EVs with bigger batteries ask me so many chargers did it took, and I reply the number but say, man, the drive was awesome.

 

[Puppethead]

For me, the tiny battery of the SE is just that, it is the drive and me and the road; really love it when we go for a long drive and other EVs with bigger batteries ask me so many chargers did it took, and I reply the number but say, man, the drive was awesome.

For me the experience of stopping to charge makes me feel more "connected" to the road trip, and it seems more like the romantic era of road travel when you took in things along the way instead of just cannonballing it across country. If anyone's ever read something like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance it feels like that; the road trip is the experience, not the destination.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Reminds me of a saying we have in sailing.

In a power boat, you get there fast. In a sail boat, you’re already there.


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[revorg]

If anyone's ever read something like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance it feels like that; the road trip is the experience, not the destination.

Blue Highways!

 

[jakesmini]

Been to that area multiple trips. My only concern would be the SE battery cutting back on power during your run, killing the fun of 318 turns in a row.


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[MichaelC]

My only concern would be the SE battery cutting back on power during your run, killing the fun of 318 turns in a row.

Considering how low the speed limit is on that road (30 or 35mph), I'm not too worried about it even with the elevation change.

Barring complications, I plan to find out the first week of October.

 

[pictsidhe]

Been to that area multiple trips. My only concern would be the SE battery cutting back on power during your run, killing the fun of 318 turns in a row.


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My concern would be getting stuck behind a very slow person. Yep, I've been the guy in an overloaded S10 trying to pass your sports car.
There is quite an elevation change IIRC. Uphill from Tennessee to the NC end. Your mileage will be awful. Tow charging does work, btw...

 

[Puppethead]

There is quite an elevation change IIRC. Uphill from Tennessee to the NC end.

Just go down the other way to get all the energy back . I don't know the elevations in that region, but one really nice thing about EVs is they don't suffer altitude performance issues like the air-breathing ICE vehicles.

 

[MichaelC]

My concern would be getting stuck behind a very slow person.

Yeah, I know exactly what that's like. Fortunately, there are several pull-offs on this road--so polite slow drivers can pull off to let the faster ones pass; otherwise, faster drivers can pull off and wait for the slower drivers to get further away.

There is quite an elevation change IIRC. Uphill from Tennessee to the NC end. Your mileage will be awful. Tow charging does work, btw...

It looks like about 1100 feet of elevation change: "uphill" approaching the shop at Deal's Gap; "downhill" for the return trip.

Just go down the other way to get all the energy back . I don't know the elevations in that region, but one really nice thing about EVs is they don't suffer altitude performance issues like the air-breathing ICE vehicles.

Bingo!

There's a level 2 charger 33 miles away from the shop at Deal's Gap, and that shop has J-1772 + Tesla + NEMA 14-50 outlet for topping up while I'm there. As long as either one is working, I shouldn't get stranded. <knocking on simulated wood grain>