Towing 3150 miles: Fargo, ND to Bothell, WA and back

[rbrak29]

2023 R1T Dual Motor Max Pack.
2020 Airstream Basecamp 16X, Flated topper, bed loaded with two recumbent trikes.

Total miles: 3150
Speed: 63mph

Average miles per day: 330 (5 days out, 4 days back)
Average charging sessions per day: 2
Average time spent charging per session: 35 minutes, total of 18 sessions.
(Would have been shorter, but one session had to charge to over 95% as I did not charge at campground)

1.49 miles/kWh (lowest 1.05, highest 1.76, both due to wind)
2133kWh used (733 kWh added at campgrounds, only one charged ($10/day))

Cost $491.66 all Tesla SC except 2 free RAN and one EA. Have Tesla charging membership ($12.99 included in total cost) $0.30 - $0.36/kWh with membership. EA was $0.48.

Did not have to unhook trailer at any charger.

Same trip two years ago using F150 Powerboost hybrid cost over $1500 in gas. Over $1000 today at 11 mpg (generous) and $3.59/gallon.

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[Riviot]

How'd you get free RAN? And do you have a pic of your setup?

 

[rbrak29]

How'd you get free RAN? And do you have a pic of your setup?

Free for one year with purchase of R1T.

 

[Yossarian]

Nice write up - thanks for the information.

Background like yours helps to make me more confident that a trip this winter from to SLC from eastern PA (roughly 5,200 mi with local mileage and side trips) will be relatively easily doable in the R1T, particularly with the ability to use the Tesla SC network. We will not have the advantage of free RAN and campground charging, so I'd expect that our cost will be somewhat greater than if we used our ICE vehicle.

 

[R1Sky Business]

Free for one year with purchase of R1T.

Winning

 

[ScottHinckley]

Nice write up - thanks for the information.

Background like yours helps to make me more confident that a trip this winter from to SLC from eastern PA (roughly 5,200 mi with local mileage and side trips) will be relatively easily doable in the R1T, particularly with the ability to use the Tesla SC network. We will not have the advantage of free RAN and campground charging, so I'd expect that our cost will be somewhat greater than if we used our ICE vehicle.

Make sure to only book hotels along the way with EV chargers. They are often free, and you can mostly top up over night saving both the cost and time of one charge per day. Plus you can use the AC power to precondition the battery for better efficiency during a winter road trip.

 

[michelin]

Make sure to only book hotels along the way with EV chargers. They are often free, and you can mostly top up over night saving both the cost and time of one charge per day. Plus you can use the AC power to precondition the battery for better efficiency during a winter road trip.

@Yossarian and have a Tesla L2 adapter too. I recently stayed in a hotel with one J1772 charger and two Tesla destination chargers - the Tesla ones always have at least one available but there's a queue for the J1772 one!

Luckily it worked out - I kept checking every few hours, managed to get it in after dinner and took the car (rental Solterra so horrible range) out right after breakfast; an EV9 immediately took the spot

 

[Yossarian]

Make sure to only book hotels along the way with EV chargers. They are often free, and you can mostly top up over night saving both the cost and time of one charge per day. Plus you can use the AC power to precondition the battery for better efficiency during a winter road trip.

@Yossarian and have a Tesla L2 adapter too. I recently stayed in a hotel with one J1772 charger and two Tesla destination chargers - the Tesla ones always have at least one available but there's a queue for the J1772 one!

Luckily it worked out - I kept checking every few hours, managed to get it in after dinner and took the car (rental Solterra so horrible range) out right after breakfast; an EV9 immediately took the spot

Thanks for the suggestions. I've done some preliminary checking on hotels with EV charging, but it's a bit of challenge given our route and where it makes sense to stop for the day. I was planing to throw in my 50' HD extension to cord to connect to 110/120v service in as a contingency. Less than ideal but as you note @ScottHinckley, at the least will help stave off drain and pre-condition the battery pack in what is highly likely to be very cold weather. The Tesla L2 adapter is something Ithat I wouldn't even have thought about @michelin, thanks

 

[ElectrifiedOverland]

Thanks for the post, I'm seeing about 1.3 avg towing my Opus OP-15, your efficiency is amazing! The Basecamp is probably a little better on aero and weight than the opus, but I wonder if your topper is helping smooth the airflow out a little bit to provide a more smooth transition from the truck to the trailer. Do you happen to have any efficiency data towing that trailer without a topper?

 

[rbrak29]

Do you happen to have any efficiency data towing that trailer without a topper?

Actually yes. I rented a R1T Max Pack through Turo in Phoenix. No tonneau cover. Did a 119 mile test between Phoenix and Apache Junction. Mostly flat at 63 mph. Of course not true interstate speeds, some stop and go. Got 1.62 mi/kWh. Actually did a 150 mile test in Tucson with a Lightning and got 1.58.

 

[ElectrifiedOverland]

Actually yes. I rented a R1T Max Pack through Turo in Phoenix. No tonneau cover. Did a 119 mile test between Phoenix and Apache Junction. Mostly flat at 63 mph. Of course not true interstate speeds, some stop and go. Got 1.62 mi/kWh. Actually did a 150 mile test in Tucson with a Lightning and got 1.58.

Thanks, sounds like the topper isn't making a huge difference then, seems like the basecamp is just far more efficient than my Opus, which I would expect given the shape and the parasitic drag of my OP-15

 

[JoelD]

Thanks, sounds like the topper isn't making a huge difference then, seems like the basecamp is just far more efficient than my Opus, which I would expect given the shape and the parasitic drag of my OP-15

I’m impressed with the efficiency of the Airstream Base Camp as well. I have an Aliner Expedition that folds to about 6 feet. I get 1.6 m/kWh, and have gotten 1.7 on a 180 mile leg with a lot of downhill. Weight is about 3,000 loaded. 65 mph max on interstate and speed limit otherwise.

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