Newton Resident Shares His Story of a Cross Country Trip in his EV

Posted on January 23, 2023 by Green Newton

A Newton resident and Green Newton volunteer told us about his recent trip from Boston to Vancouver in his EV, a Tesla 3. His fifth cross country trek powered by electricity, it took five days there and seven days back (due to a blizzard in North Dakota). Here are his comments on the trip:

“We made it! Who says electric cars can’t travel long distances and are no good in the winter? We drove 1000 kilometers per day for five days straight over mountains, through freezing winds, blowing snow, and pouring rain without a problem. The car used about 30% more energy heating the cabin and battery than it does in the summer. On average we stopped to eat, rest, and charge 1 hour for every seven hours of driving, similar to a gas car…

The car made the drive a snap. With autopilot helping us cruise along safely, and with endless entertainment options, the time passed easily. Knowing the whole Supercharger network is offset by 100% renewable electricity, I wouldn’t travel long distances any other way. Tesla’s solar and battery businesses generate more power than their cars and factories consume, combined! Even charging from the grid, electric cars are way more efficient…

On our way back we were a little more relaxed and were aiming for 500 miles per day for six days instead of 600 miles for five days. Mother Nature closed the highway in North Dakota for twodays while we waited out a blizzard.”

He also did some “back of the envelope calculations” on how the trip in his EV compared to other modes of transportation and put it into a handy chart.

Here are the resources he used in calculating the fuel used for the graphic: