Tag Archives: Tesla

Charging your EV at an RV Campground

February 2020. California.

This weekend while visiting the Mount Shasta area we stayed overnight at a Lodge / RV campground and charged our car on an RV electrical hookup. I plugged in that night and we left the next morning with 281 miles of rated range (and a warm cabin).

Continue reading

Electric Road Trip: Touring the American Southwest in a Tesla Model 3

October 2019. American Southwest.
 

In October 2019 I went to New Mexico for 5 days of work. The trip to Albuquerque would have been about 1200 miles as the crow flies, but rather than fly I drove there in our Model 3. The full trip was 2,700 miles through 6 states. I used 17 Superchargers and paid $92.66. Driving electric reduced my emissions by over 70% compared to driving a car that gets 25 MPG (or burns 9.7L / 100km).

Continue reading

Travelogue: Weekend Camping with the Model 3

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

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.

Continue reading

Solar Power, Part 2: Tesla Solar for our Home and Model 3

July 2019. California.

We purchased a solar power system to produce and offset the electricity we use in our house and to charge our Model 3. Our primary goal was to produce as much electricity as we used each year. This post describes how well our solar system meets our needs.

Continue reading

A New Tesla Model 3 in Old San Juan

June 2019. Puerto Rico.

Many of my posts are variations on “Yo people, electric cars, they get the job done”. This post shows how EVs can work in Puerto Rico.

On a recent work trip to Old San Juan we arrived at our lodgings around 10PM, and I was surprised to see a Model 3 parked on the street near our building. Later I was fortunate enough to meet the owner and talk about his experiences.

Continue reading

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.

Continue reading

Getting Service for your Tesla Model 3

April 2019. California.

We picked up our long range RWD Model 3 a year ago in April 2018 and enjoy this car tremendously. It’s great for daily driving and Tesla’s Supercharger network allows us to go pretty much anywhere we want. The fit and finish of our car was excellent and we have not had any problems with our car. The Model 3 is simply a great car that keeps getting better with frequent over-the-air software updates.

Continue reading

Winter Weekend Road Trip in the Tesla Model 3

February 2019. California.

We don’t often get snow in my town. According to my neighbor it’s been 23 years since honest-to-goodness snow has fallen in our part of California’s Central Valley. But when we get the urge for snow we don’t have that far to drive.

Continue reading

Solar Power, Part 1: Installation

January 2019. California's Central Valley.

When we bought our home over a decade ago we set goals for ourselves: To make the electricity we use; and to drive electric cars powered by our solar power system. We’re not there yet, but we’ve made progress.

Continue reading

Tesla Model 3 Road Trip to San Diego

November 2018. California.

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