August 2018. California.
Late last summer we decided to head out of town for one last weekend getaway before the kids started back to school. So we loaded up our Model 3 for a weekend of camping in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Continue reading
Tag Archives: electric cars
Day Trips in the Tesla Model 3
August 2019. California.
This week I drove my daughter in to San Francisco to see Hamilton. This is a 150-180 mile round trip for us, depending on route and where we park. The night before I charged our Model 3 to 85%, giving us 275 miles (440 km) for the day.
CHAdeMO Charging the Model 3
July 2019. California
Last night I received the 2019.24.4 software update for our Model 3. So this morning I tested Tesla’s CHAdeMO adapter to determine the rate of charge, and see how many miles I’d get and how long it would take to charge from a given SOC. Summary: 45 minutes gave me 139 miles of rated range and cost $8.69. Tesla’s CHAdeMO adapter is easy to use and provides more charging options for the Model 3.
Tesla Model 3: One Year Review
April 2019. California.
This review of our Model 3 starts from the time we reserved it through our first year of driving the car. The review describes several aspects of life with the Model 3 and addresses the basic question: has the Model 3 met my expectations? There have been many reviews on the Model 3, but each review provides another data point for readers about driving the Model 3 in the real world. In addition these reviews may answer questions you have about how well EVs in general, and the Model 3 specifically, can meet your needs.
50,000 miles in the 2012 Rav4 EV
November 2016, California.
We passed 50,000 miles in our 2012 Toyota Rav4 EV in 2016. To mark the occasion I wrote this post to share:
1) data on mileage, electricity use, efficiency, cost to drive;
2) a few things I’ve learned from driving an electric car;
3) highlights from driving electric;
4) a few opinions on driving electric.
Continue reading
Tesla Model 3 Road Trip to San Diego
November 2018, California. This post is for those who are learning about EVs, and those wondering how an EV will fit into their lives. This post was written when we'd had our Model 3 for seven months and the odometer was at 11,000 miles.
Most of our mileage comes from the daily work commute, but we’ve also taken a few trips in our region: to San Francisco for work and family trips, to Montgomery Woods State Reserve to see Redwood trees, to Lassen Volcanic National Park for camping, and to the Mammoth Lakes area to take in the scenery. Continue reading
Travelogue: Tesla Model 3 Daytripping
May 2018, California's Central Valley.
We’ve had our Model 3 for about a month now and this morning we decided to take a day trip to explore new places we hadn’t seen before. Continue reading
Summer EV Road Trips: Tesla Model 3 Edition
July 2018. California and Nevada.
Since getting our first electric car 5 years ago we’ve taken our EV on summer road trips. Last week we took our first road trip in our Model 3. How was it? We saw some great sites, interesting history, and beautiful vistas. Continue reading
EV Charging Primer
In one respect charging an electric car is no different than filling a gas tank: it’s all about storing energy in the car to power its motor. We use electricity every day to power and charge all kinds of devices: phones, computers, shavers, televisions etc. But driving an electric powered car is still a new idea for many people so it helps to be familiar with the terms you’ll be using. Continue reading
2012 Rav4 EV, 5 Year Report: A Tale of Two Cars
April 2018. Northern California.
This is a perspective from one driver to provide an example for how the Rav4 EV has been used for daily life, and in particular how DC charging allows you to use an EV for trips that take you beyond the range of your battery pack.
