How To Plan a Tesla Road Trip

The days of range anxiety are a thing of the past as the North America-wide Supercharger network beckons electric car travelers to hit the road.

Andy Stonehouse | 

Sep 5, 2023 | 3 min read

Tesla

With the combination of electric vehicles with longer driving ranges and an ever-expanding, fast-charging Supercharger network across North America, Tesla owners can increasingly take the kinds of adventurous, spur-of-the-moment road trips more common to gasoline-powered automobiles.

That's a big win for EV owners, but Tesla drivers still must do a bit of planning before hitting the open road for a long distance, especially in areas where a Supercharger isn't available. Here are some tips to make your next Tesla road trip preparations easier.

Plan Your Tesla Road Trip Online Before Departing

Tesla's built-in Go Anywhere travel-planning tool can be accessed via Tesla's large touchscreen in the vehicle, on your phone, or on a home computer. Select your Tesla model and configuration, then add your trip's origin and destination, and you'll be provided with Google Maps routing information that shows Superchargers along the way.

You'll even get data on the suggested charge time at each Supercharger stop along the route to plan how much time you'll need to recharge your Tesla. In areas without Superchargers, you'll get details about the 40,000 slower-charging destination chargers you can use to recharge overnight — or during a longer stopover stretch — at hotels, shopping centers, or other businesses.

Tesla drivers can also use third-party apps. Replug, an Apple iPad-oriented Tesla route planner, indicates a Supercharger's status. A Better Routeplanner also offers customization details such as weather information, real-time navigation, and the ability to plan multiple trips simultaneously.

Where Can I Travel Long Distances in My Tesla?

Tesla owners can find the biggest concentration of Supercharger stations along interstate highways and in major metropolitan areas in California and along the U.S. East Coast — especially in the corridor between Washington, D.C. and Boston.

Additionally, Tesla's North American Supercharger Network now stretches north as far as Prince George, B.C., Canada — about 10 hours north of Vancouver — and as far south as Acapulco, Mexico. There are fewer Superchargers in some central and western U.S. regions such as rural Kansas, the Dakotas, northern Nevada, and much of Montana and Idaho, so you may need to factor in longer stops for full charges at slower-charging, third-party outlets.

Other Considerations When Planning a Tesla Road Trip

Weather can significantly impact range, especially freezing temperatures, which can knock down the total range of any EV by as much as 20% to 30% or more. In Consumer Reports testing, a Tesla Model Y's 326-mile range was reduced to 186 miles in frigid weather. You'll also drain power by using the car's heater to stay toasty, which may alter your road-trip plans.

In the summer, parking the car in a shaded area and turning on the air conditioning to keep the car cool during a charging session can help maximize your comfort. You can also adjust a Tesla's regenerative braking system to help create more on-the-go energy when you take your foot off the accelerator. And whether it's an EV or a gas-powered vehicle, it's always a good idea to ensure the tires are correctly inflated before a long road trip, as low tire pressures can reduce overall driving range.

Andy Stonehouse

For more than 20 years, Andy has been writing about automobiles from a home base in Colorado, with great driving roads, mountain trails, and ever-changing seasonal conditions for real-world tests. Prior to his work with Capital One, he spent a half decade as cars columnist for Ski Magazine, and he continues to write automotive coverage for ski-resort media in Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and Vail — home of downhill stars Lindsay Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin. When he's not praying for a powder day, he enjoys any high-speed moments he can get on the Centennial State's increasingly crowded byways.