Road trip from South Lake Tahoe, CA to Sun Valley, ID and back

renatefry

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I drove my 2022 Taycan 4s with the performance battery (with 3000 miles) on my first long distance 660 (1320 round trip) mile road trip out of South Lake Tahoe, CA through Nevada to Sun Valley, ID and back. After much trip planning, I was confident that I would have no problem finding EA (Electrify America) charging stations through the Nevada desert on Interstate 80 to Elko, which comprised half of my one-way trip.

The PCM trip planner was quite conservative and had me charge more than I really needed to, but since I had never traveled this route, I complied. I also used Google Maps to ensure that I was drivinging the shortest distance with the least traffic congestion, since the PCM wasn't always able to calculate the most optimal route. After Elko, things became dicey, so I drove an additional 38 miles east (74 miles total) out of my way to charge at an EA station in Heyburn, ID, so that I had enough battery to go north the additional 102 miles to Hailey, ID.

Had there been an EA charging station or a any other minimum 50 kWh station such as Charge Point or Plug Share in Twin Falls, my trip would have been 1.25 hours shorter. I charged at a Charge Point station in Hailey, ID for about about 50 minutes without a problem (did some power shopping at the local boutique) and left for Sun Valley with an 85% charged battery, which was more than enough to get me around Sun Valley for the next three days.

On the return trip, with new found confidence, I decided to push the limits of my car's battery and drive the 234 miles directly from Hailey, ID to Elko, NV and not take the 1.25 hour detour to Heyburn, ID to charge. The topography of the interstate roadways was fairly flat. My PCM navigation gave me a range of 258 miles, which I knew was generous, but I nervously took the gamble. I had a 12 hour (with charging stops) drive ahead of me that day. After driving 117 miles (half the distance to Elko), my battery was at 48% and the PCM navigation was showing a 0 to -2% battery at the time of arrival in Elko.

My passenger who was also my navigator began looking for any type of charging station even it only produced 5-7 kWh. Jackpot NV had some that weren't working, so we forged on to Wells, NV and found a charger at the local power plant which produced 5kWh. The station had a message on it that made it appear that the charger wasn't working. Fortunately, a reviewer from 2 days prior had recommended plugging in anyway. We plugged in (free of charge- thank you Wells) for 35 minutes to get the extra 3% that we needed to make it to Elko.

The drive was still a nail biter, to say the least. I drafted semi's, coasted all the downhill stretches, ran the red light at the Elko off-ramp, made an illegal u-turn to shorten the driving distance up the final hill to the EA station and rolled in with O% battery.

What I hadn't considered is that the outside temperature on my east bound trip had been 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit. On my return west bound trip, I left Sun Valley with 38 degree Fahrenheit temps (it was snowing in the mountains above), and I couldn't achieve the range that I had previously experienced 4 days prior. I also had a tailwind going eastbound and a headwind on my way back.

All I can say, is that one can not plan enough. Not only is it important to know distances between charging stations, it is essential to have a written record of charging station addresses (especially if there's no cell phone service) along your route, and be aware of outside temps (and winds), especially when traveling long stretches in remote areas.

The rest of the trip went fairly well until we got to Fernely, NV. Three out of the four EA stations were down, and the remaining one was limping along at 50 kWh according to the VW owner who was charging. Fortunately, he finished quickly, and I was next in line to take his spot. My Taycan received 150 kWh from the same charger - go figure. No complaints from me - we charged from 48% battery to 85% in 20 minutes. The rest of the drive was uneventful, and I easily made it home over the Sierra Nevada mountains. I can't wait for more of the electric charging infrastructure to get built out in the interior north western states.
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Atipical

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Goodness that's a nail-biter for sure. I'm assuming you were in Range mode, A/C turned off, etc.? Do you think you could've done anything to "hypermile" and stretch the battery a little more? That 38 degree temp is a range killer for sure.
 
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jasperp

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When you started the 234 miles, you where at 100% ?
So you did 234 miles with 97% (because you charged an additional 3%). Right ?
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