Any Tesla or Electric car owners here?

[rOmiLaYu]

I have a question. I've seen a bunch of them around the metro area and never really thought much about it, but over the past weekend, the rOmiFam went skiing in NC and as I was walking into the lodge from the parking lot, I saw a Tesla with FLA plates and thought, "How did he do that?"

I assume they have a limited range, so, how? I assume you can't just plug them up to a motel room outlet with a drop cord and charge them over night...or maybe you can?

One of the many downsides, to me, of the electric car is the range. Road trips would seem to be off the table. A local commuter car? Maybe...but no more, pack up the family and drive to Disney in a day. Or so I thought.

Any ideas?

 

[sparked1]

The charging network is growing by the day. There are apps plus the Tesla itself that help you plan a roadtrip by mapping charge points along your route. The charge stations are popping up in parking lots all over the place.

 

[Falcon1]

How long do they take to charge?

 

[C Drill97]

I believe @Nuke And Juke has a Tesla.

 

[zesty]

Wife has had a Nissan Leaf for years. We're on our third one but that's not because of issues. They're great for a commuter. Never did a road trip with one. It's possible as stated above but it'd be a pain. Depends on the car, some have a pretty long range. The Leaf has a 150 mile range (as long as you're not running 80mph with heat on).

You can plug it into a wall outlet, but the charge time is very slow. It wouldn't get her to full charge when she plugged in at work. We have a 220V charger at home and that gives a full charge in a few hours.

 

[rugerguy]

Did somebody say, DIESEL !!!

 

[sparked1]

How long do they take to charge?

Depends on the make's battery tech and the charger. Tesla's "supercharger" can purportedly give you 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes. that's pretty impressive.

 

[payneed]

I have a question. I've seen a bunch of them around the metro area and never really thought much about it, but over the past weekend, the rOmiFam went skiing in NC and as I was walking into the lodge from the parking lot, I saw a Tesla with FLA plates and thought, "How did he do that?"

I assume they have a limited range, so, how? I assume you can't just plug them up to a motel room outlet with a drop cord and charge them over night...or maybe you can?

One of the many downsides, to me, of the electric car is the range. Road trips would seem to be off the table. A local commuter car? Maybe...but no more, pack up the family and drive to Disney in a day. Or so I thought.

Any ideas?

Lektrik cars are over rated and extremely flammable.
Actually I am joking about them being over rated I LOVE my little BMW I-3 but it has a very specific purpose and certainly is no Tesla.
It will charge off of a regular household outlet (yep a drop cord and folks can't steal your charger because it locks onto the car), a level 2 (Charge point or home installed) and even a level 3 Tesla or Dealership charger. The higher the charging level the cheaper the electricity is but the level 3 chargers are CRAZY priced, and not intended for home use. The big difference is the on board computers in Teslas & BMW's convert electricity much better than a leaf but those are a lot of car for the money if the range fits your need...

So many variables in the electric market, you really need to look for a level 3 chargeable vehicle which means it will charge 80% (of a 375 range) for a 300 miles in 30-35 minutes. Stop for a meal every 5 hours and you can keep on driving.

If all goes to plan my next one will be the BMW I-4 in a few years when I retire... https://www.caranddriver.com/bmw/i4 it is coming out this year has 530 hp 4-wheel drive 375 mile range 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and I think it looks really good.
I really did my homework on the I-3 and thought it was cool with the 75 mile (summer) range because you can flip it over to the whopping 2.4 gal. gas tank and stop every 100 miles to put gas in it and go to California... in theory... Have you ever had a car for a couple of months and really really liked it and then it burnt up and you had to have another one just like it??? That was the I-3 to me.

 

[Gingerbeard Man]

I believe @Nuke And Juke has a Tesla.

Pretty sure it's a Chevy Volt. Had one.... Have not had a Tesla but I'd happily repurchase another Volt.

 

[GAK9]

Depends on the make's battery tech and the charger. Tesla's "supercharger" can purportedly give you 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes. that's pretty impressive.

In practice, I believe you will get less than 160 miles in the 15 min supercharge.