Marc's Public Blog - Snow

Back when I had an 90D, it claimed that it might barely make it to KW on a summer day at low speed, but it was just too short to get there in the winter, forcing me to stop at least 30mn in Manteca, creating a 45 to 60mn slowdown.
Long story short, it did get me to Kirkwood, but it was a bit annoying to have to stop, especially the day the Manteca Supercharger was down and I was forced to drive to Folson and all the way around 50/89/88, causing an almost 2H detour.

After getting my new Model 3 AWD LR, my first drive to KW I stayed conservative and stopped 10mn in Manteca to recharge 10%. After arriving, I arrived with 20% left while having driven quite hard. This gave me enough confidence that I'd be able to do it in one shot, even if that day the weather was not absolutely perfect.

So, for my 2nd drive, I planned to drive in one shot, despite the less than ideal conditions (snow at the top). This was a bit risky because if the road closed at the top of 88, I'd be in trouble. My backup plan was first to beg caltrans to escort me through, and if that failed, to roll back to jackson's bus station to use their 240V/22A charger which although not that fast would give me enough charge in 30 to 60mn to make it to the folsom supercharger. Obviously, this would have sucked, but better than being totally stuck (update for 2022: Jackson now has a supercharger)

Before you try to replicate this:

You need at least the M3 AWD LR (range 310mi). The RWD LR is actually rated for 330 miles, but if you have to put chains, it will more than kill the extra 20 mile range the car has.

I have the 18" aero wheels. The more fancy looking wheels will make you lose 20 to 30 miles of range, leaving you with a very small margin.

I didn't drive faster than 75mph

I had to have headlights on for half the drive

I didn't use heating, this uses a lot of energy

I only used the defogger for 15 seconds at a time about 10 times total

I used wipers as needed

note that I arrived with 11-13% less than than the car predicted, so you need margin

Don't even try this if snow is down to Ham's station or lower. Snow that far down (plus the temps) is likely going to eat your entire battery margin and there is a no turning back point.

Basically understand that it will not work in all conditions and that there isn't much margin for error, especially if Carson Spur closes in front of you when you've almost arrived.

The biggest thing is: the lower the snowline, the lower the temperatures, the less likely you are to make it. If you don't make it, you'll have to turn back to Jackson's charging station or make it all the way to the Folsom supercharger and drive around hwy 50/89/88, which is a 45mn detour at best.

When I left, my car claimed I'd arrive with 20%, which I knew was likely optimistic:

Strangely just 9 miles into my drive, it then said I'd arrive with 22%, but it soon adjusted to 17%:

By the time I was climbing 88, my forecast was 16%. Probably because I was driving 70 to 75mph on the freeways:

However, by the time I reached lower temperatures, and then hit the snow, this dropped like a stone. Good thing I gave myself a reserve:

13%

11%

then it dropped and stayed at 9%

finally arrived safe and sound with 9%, happy to have made it in just 3h11 even with the snow at the top

notice the big drop compared to the predicted range

I could have saved maybe a few percents by driving even slower, but ultimately the lower temps and the rolling resistance from the snow definitely harmed the range by a lot in just the last 30mn of driving. Be prepared for that.

Now, I was curious of whether I could get anywhere if I hadn't been able to recharge. Allegedly I could make it barely to stateline or folsom SCs but honestly with no margin and with snow resistance, I would likely not have made it to either of the 2:

stateline with 6% used

folsom with 7% used

Now, Kirkwood nicely installed chargers last year, and keeps the spots empty of non electric cars (at least I'm told they do):

their Tesla charger is good, 10kW/48A. I didn't even know my M3 AWD could charge at 48A

otherwise, in an underground lot, charging from 110V is much slower :)

Important notes:

The fact that I made it was definitely based on the conditions of the day. On a colder day with a lower snowline, my 9% could have turned into -3% or somesuch (i.e. not making it). Please plan accordingly.

The chargers at kirkwood are a very nice addition. You only pay the premium parking fee, but they are too close to one another, so it's unlikely that 6 teslas will fit. On a busy weekend, be ready for the fact that the chargers may be full and you might have to park by the lodge and steal a nearby 110V plug if you are desperate

In case of emergency, the Folsom and Stateline Superchargers are far in time (1H), but you should be able to get there witth just 10% as long as you are not in a snowstorm.

Do not park your car overnight not plugged into anything or be ready to lose a lot of battery if it's cold

Understand that you should however not plug into the few building plugs that you can find without getting permission. Those are typically paid for by the HOA at the rate of 66c/Kwh.

Fun facts:

It took me 91% to drive to KW, but the drive back was predicted to only be 35%

My car showed it drove 184 miles at 356Wh/mi average, or 65.5Kwh used for 91%.

As a consequence of the above, 100% usable battery capacity should be 72Kwh (and the pack 75Kwh if you add a 3Kwh buffer).

I had no idea my car could charge as fast as 48A from an AC charger, faster than my Model S I believe.