Road Trip Using Tesla Supercharger Adapter – Las Vegas, NV to Irvine, CA (and back)

Introduction:

We have two EVs: 2022 Model Y Long Range and a 2022 Lightning Lariat Extended Range. For comfort (and utility) we much prefer the Lightning, but charging on road trips at Electrify America (or similar) has been really sketchy. When they work and are available, EA stations work just fine, but when some of the chargers are down or there is a line… you can end up adding hours to a trip which is already a little longer due to charging stops. We have had issues with charging availability a few times and because of that we were planning to take our 2022 MYLR on the trip even though we would have to leave some stuff home we wanted to take with us.

Game Changer:

Then… at noon, the day before our trip the free Tesla adapter from Ford showed up! As soon as it got here, I drove directly to the closest Tesla Supercharger to test. Worked perfectly! The Lightning would be the road trip vehicle!



The Trip There:

Driving distance from Vegas to our hotel in Santa Ana (Irvine Adjacent) was 285 miles. Planners said we could make it on one charge in Barstow, but we didn’t want to get there with low battery so we planned two stops. EA in Baker (which is an awesome EA station) and the Tesla Supercharger in Hesperia (12717 Main St) which shares a parking lot with Crumbl Cookie and is a necessary stop for my kids.

Started my drive at 99% charge and then went about 10 over the speed limit (keeping pace with other cars) to Baker. 109 miles. ~2.0 miles/kWh. Quick charge. 23kWh from 65% to 81%. 16 minutes. (The m/kWh is from memory, so if you check my math and it is wrong… that’s why)

Baker to Hesperia was 103 miles. ~1.9 miles/kWh. Easy charge at the Supercharger. 53 kWh from 34% to 74%. 27 minutes. 4 Cookies. A common theme started here. Some Tesla folks shot me glares, but a bunch of folks wanted to come over to chat and ask questions. The people who spoke to me didn’t seem upset at all I was charging there and most didn’t know it was possible. Just goes to show that if you leave the EV YouTube bubble, EV knowledge isn’t as far and wide as it seems from inside the bubble. I did have to take up two stalls, but there were many other stalls open so nobody had to wait for me.



Hesperia to our hotel was 73 miles. Unfortunately, I did’t think to grab stats so this is from memory. Big downhill and I think we arrived to the hotel with between 55%-60%. My efficiency was in the 2.4-2.5 range as well.

Charging while in town:

Being California, land of the EV, charging was abundant. I found a 36 stall Tesla charging location with a combination of stalls at the back of the parking spot and a line of ones to the side. Both versions require taking two spots, but the chargers between spots are much easier to use in the Lightning. While in town, I charged three times at that spot adding 37, 38, and 56 kWh in the three charges. Oh… Address is 14661 Franklin Ave, Tustin, CA 92780.

The second time I charged, I did have a Tesla pull into the “correct” spot for the charger and seemed a little put-out that I was using it. He started to give me some attitude, but we chatted for a bit and I answered his questions. He just had no idea Fords (and Rivians) could charge there. It turns out he was previously an F150 owner and I spent 15 minutes giving him a tour of the truck. I suspect he was going to do some shopping when he got home.



Trip Home:

The trip home saw the same stops as the trip there. I added 48 kWh (45-80%) in 22 minutes in Hesperia and then 52 kWh (52-90%) in 34 minutes in Baker.

I got home with 45% left in the ‘tank’ and the drive had no stress and was super-comfy. The Lightning is absolutely our road trip vehicle with the exception for drives to Reno. No good charging options (unless I am wrong) between here and there.

Final thoughts:

• The Lightning is soooo comfortable for a family of four on a road trip. Rides like a dream and can accelerate really quickly when needed. (Tesla can accelerate too…. )
• Plug and charge worked with EA but not Tesla. I had to activate in the Tesla app while at superchargers.
• I spent about $150 for charging (Tesla membership, no EA membership). I actually have an EA membership, but didn’t discover that Plug and Charge does not leverage the EA membership.
• I saw just about every flavor of EV in California, but Lightnings were still rare.
• There have been times I missed having an ICE vehicle for roadtrips in a truck. That feeling is now gone. Note: If I went to more remote locations or ever towed with the truck, I would feel differently.
• I do realize that if I parked my truck on the end of a Supercharger bank of chargers, I would possibly get away without blocking two stalls. They just weren’t available any time I needed to charge.
• If an extension cable is every produced (not sure if that is possible), I would buy it.
• I look forward to trying out the Tesla V4 Supercharger cabinets since they have longer cords, but haven’t seen any yet.
• I really wish more hotels offered EV charging. I would be happy to pay for the charge as it would be much more convenient.
• All my charge stops went by super fast because of all the other EV drivers that stopped by to chat. I can only imagine what it is like for Cybertruck owners given how rare those are.

Thanks for taking the time to write this. Great read!

I’ve done that trip also! Except my starting point was your ending point on the first leg, the first time I stopped only in Baker 30+ min.

On the way back from Vegas I did what you did and made some quick stops in Baker and Hesperia. The quick 15 min stops are more convenient and less painful. With the Tesla adapter it even less of a pain!

One thing I forgot to mention... When driving from CA to Vegas, you will get to Baker and think to yourself you have plenty of charge. Charge anyway. There is a big elevation climb from Baker to the CA/NV state line. If it is also windy, it can really chew through your range. We have skipped it and were fine, but my knuckles may have been a little white near the mountain summit before heading into Primm. Like any advice, take it or leave it. ;-)

Congrats on the trip, I wish the V2 on my routes would be updated, that would be a true game changer.

As a Las Vegas resident that wants a more straightforward path to Reno in my Lariat ER, I wholeheartedly agree that we need some better chargers in Beatty and Tonopah..

ChrisInVegas said:

One thing I forgot to mention... When driving from CA to Vegas, you will get to Baker and think to yourself you have plenty of charge. Charge anyway. There is a big elevation climb from Baker to the CA/NV state line. If it is also windy, it can really chew through your range. We have skipped it and were fine, but my knuckles may have been a little white near the mountain summit before heading into Primm. Like any advice, take it or leave it. ;-)

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Agree! Although you might be able to glide into Primm and those Tesla SC

Interesting,

Drive that a lot in my big truck (otr truck driver) Vegas to LA area....

Although I see more cyber trucks than I do f 150 lightnings. But can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Tesla car on I-15

And 150 bucks to charge my god it's expensive for you guys on the west coast....

would have been cheaper with an ice even at 4.80 to 5 a gallon

Kit2874 said:

Interesting,

Drive that a lot in my big truck (otr truck driver) Vegas to LA area....

Although I see more cyber trucks than I do f 150 lightnings. But can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Tesla car on I-15

And 150 bucks to charge my god it's expensive for you guys on the west coast....

would have been cheaper with an ice even at 4.80 to 5 a gallon

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The $150 was for all the charging I needed to do on the way down, back, and while in town (irvine) for 5 days. If I had taken my 1500 Ram (previous truck) it would have been more expensive by far. Gas prices in CA were ~$5.00/gallon. A single fill-up on my ICE would be $150 and it would likely have been two fill-ups. Road trip charging an EV is the most expensive way to charge, but still cheaper than gas.

I have a lighting and a ice F150 xlt
My xlt would have gotten around 420(ish) miles driving the speed limit 70 on that stretch

So take that how you wish

VirtualTed said:

As a Las Vegas resident that wants a more straightforward path to Reno in my Lariat ER, I wholeheartedly agree that we need some better chargers in Beatty and Tonopah..

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lol - yes I went to charge at Beatty before - and before Tesla integration. Was a disaster for my Death Valley trip where I drove from DVNP to Beatty for a fast charge and they were all broken…

I've made this drive in reverse of yours, as I live in the OC, California. And that is where I make my stops, Hesperia and Baker to Las Vegas (usually only starting charged 85-90%). But on my return trip, I only stop in Barstow (Las Vegas casino/hotels are nice enough to have chargers to fill up)Yes, the down hill from Barstow leaves me plenty of (30%-35ish) range when I get home.

P.S. - Yes, I still feel like a unicorn hardly seeing other Lightnings.

Kit2874 said:

I have a lighting and a ice F150 xlt
My xlt would have gotten around 420(ish) miles driving the speed limit 70 on that stretch

So take that how you wish

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Fair point... My RAM got a similar range with a 33 gallon tank. I would say my entire trip, including around town in Irvine was around 700 miles. So... figure 50 gallons of gas? Road trips in the truck are far more expensive than when you charge at home, but still a little cheaper than ICE. Is that fair? And yes... it seems charging and gas in the west are more expensive, but I have not been an east coast person in 20+ years.

Thanks for the write up. I'll be doing irvine to Vegas at the end of the year so this helps.

Kit2874 said:

I have a lighting and a ice F150 xlt
My xlt would have gotten around 420(ish) miles driving the speed limit 70 on that stretch

So take that how you wish

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Curious what engine you have? V8 or one of the Ecoboosts?