WH’s Tesla road trip

Posted by Lauren Dublin on September 27, 2024

Think of your last road trip. It was probably in your car you drive every day, probably an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, maybe going somewhere scenic and memorable. That’s not true of Wright-Hennepin (WH)’s Lead Designer Lisa and Accounts Receivable Supervisor Kim, who recently took WH’s Tesla on a trip to Wisconsin for an on-site meeting with WH’s bill printing company.

WH’s Tesla has primarily been used as a fleet car for employees traveling around our service territory. We acquired the Tesla Model Y to help us better educate our members about how electric vehicles (EVs) work and fit into everyday life.

So how did the trip go? We got some feedback from Lisa and Kim.

Tell me about your previous EV experience.

Lisa: The extent of my previous EV experience has been attending our ride and drive events. I had no working knowledge of EVs. We are not regular drivers of EVs for sure. Kim seemed hesitant. However, she did all the charging and plugging in. I did all the driving, and together we navigated.

Kim: I have none.

Tell me about your overall experience with the car on the trip.

Lisa: It has good pickup; you can get on the highways super easy. Our navigation app told us we only had to stop one time each way. When we got to Eau Claire, WI, the app took us to a different spot than where the chargers were, so we couldn’t find them. We panicked just a little bit thinking we wouldn’t find the chargers but we got back on track. The chargers were near a restaurant and some shops so we could stay busy for the half hour it needed to charge.

On the way back, we pushed it to where the battery got really low – it was between 2 and 4% battery life. That was super stressful for me. We were trying to get to the same chargers we went to in Eau Claire on the way out.

If I were to get an EV, I think it would take little bit of time to figure out how far I can go on a charge. Being in the Cities, I don’t ever have to go into an area where there’s no chargers, so I really wouldn’t have to worry about range, I don’t think, especially if I had a level 2 charger in my garage at home.

Kim: I was fascinated with the car. It was very comfortable, and it was nice knowing that the car mapped out where charging stations were. I liked that, because I was nervous because you can’t putt along like a gas car. The stop in Wisconsin was very quick, and we were charged up and ready to go. It wasn’t the same as gas, because that’s maybe a total of 5 minutes, this was a little longer, it was more like a half hour, but we just ate lunch.

What surprised you about an EV on a road trip? What was different from your previous road trip experiences in an ICE vehicle?

Lisa: It’s not my car so I had to keep it a little cleaner, I didn’t eat any Cheez-its. I had to learn where the controls were, I had to learn the applications, and how to connect a phone. Overall, it was pretty similar to any other car. We still used the trunk even through the frunk was available.

We had to get schooled up about the different adapters on the chargers, because at WH the chargers we have require an adapter for the Tesla, but we didn’t need it for the Tesla charging stations we used. Kim was a good DJ. I love driving, and it was a different kind of car to drive, and I liked that. It was a good experience overall.

Kim: I agree with Lisa, except not the Cheez-its. It was like any other car. It was quieter. When we were getting close to the battery dying — really close — we were watching the percentage go down so I put the temperature up higher and the battery percentage went up. It was fascinating!

Did you run into any EV- related problems on your trip, whether car-related or charging infrastructure-related?

Lisa: We were supposed to stop about 20 to 25 minutes before we actually did, and because we did that, the battery got down to 2-4%. We made it where we needed to go. It’s pretty similar to just ignoring your fuel tank on a regular car and letting it get too close to E, but there aren’t charging stations on every corner. The Tesla makes it easy to find their charging stations, but there are apps out there that will tell you where other ones are, too.

Kim: The only thing we ran into was when we got to the hotel, it seemed like the charger wasn’t working, and I don’t know if it was on the overnight storage for that hotel, or if it was the hotel’s plugin itself.
I went down to the car three times and it was not doing anything, there was no green light, no nothing. I wiggled it around a little bit and it was charged the next morning. It would’ve been nice if they labeled that.

Would you do it again?

Lisa: For sure.

Kim: I would.

Anything else you want to add?

Lisa: It was nice to try it with someone else, and with someone else’s car before investing in my own. I’ve considered an EV for my next car, but would I actually do it? Maybe in a few years; I’m more likely to consider it now that I understand it a little bit better.