My prep work for the house and trip took much longer than I anticipated. I didn’t leave until Tuesday the 4th. In order to do this trip spending as little money as possible, I created a bed in the back of the Tesla using two pieces of foam. This is what the bed looks like folded up with the rear seats up.
I wanted to bring enough with me to be prepared for most things but travel as lightly as possible. The frunk (front trunk) helps to add more space and keep my suitcase and bag hidden from people walking by the car.
I started with a clean car and noted my mileage at the start of the trip. I also set a new trip counter for this journey.
When I stopped at a rest stop, I grabbed a few pictures of the Arizona mountains.
Perhaps the most frequent question people ask about the Tesla is the charging times. The SuperChargers are fast. They are faster than any home charging and faster than Level 2 chargers available for other cars. However, they are not as fast as filling a tank in a gas car. A normal SuperCharging stop for me is 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how much charge I would like to have before continuing on my trip. The lower the state of charge when I plug in, the faster the battery charges. The rate of charge slows as the battery gets closer to a full charge. The car will tell you when you have enough for the next leg of your trip, the route to the next SuperCharger or your destination, plus 10% buffer. I like to have a 20% buffer because I drive fast, which uses more than the estimated energy consumption, and so I have more charge just in case something unexpected happens. As such, I spend more time at SuperChargers than would be strictly necessary.
I don’t mind the charging time. It gives me time to walk around, get some food, read a bit, etc. I also like to meet other Tesla owners at the SuperChargers. My first SuperCharger stop was in Quartzsite, Arizona. It was behind a Carl’s Jr, so that was my dinner. On my way out, I met another owner. I noticed he had parked in a B charging spot. I informed him that the A charging spots get priority and charge faster when there are multiple cars charging. He mentioned he was on a trip to Phoenix from Oregon. This was likely his last stop before arriving in Phoenix.
After Quartzsite, I charged again in Indio, California and then stopped in Cabazon, California for a top off charge and to plan my next step. While there, I walked around the outlet shops. It seems that area has a significant Asian population. I took a picture of one of the sale signs outside of the outlet stores.
From there, I headed to Lake Elsinore, California to stay with some friends for the night.
Ryan Roams 