[TDA]

I have a question for bay area e-tron owners. How does winter weather and elevation change affect your range when you drive to North Tahoe? Where do you charge on route, and what is your level of charge when you arrive? I notice there is a long stretch of I-80 without any chargers.
thanks in advance,
Todd

 

[RVA]

Not in your area, but really cold winter weather really drags down your range, and uphill runs are also problematic. If it is all uphill, plan on 120 miles of range at best.

Also beware of Electrify America charging stations - they are notoriously out of order. Sometimes the app will say it, but most times it's just an unpleasant surprise when the chargers don't work.

I will never take a trip that relied on a stop for charging.

 

[Joe]

If it is all uphill, plan on 120 miles of range at best.

I've never driven 120 miles all uphill. Is there a road to the top of Everest?

 

[waldo0007]

I have a question for bay area e-tron owners. How does winter weather and elevation change affect your range when you drive to North Tahoe? Where do you charge on route, and what is your level of charge when you arrive? I notice there is a long stretch of I-80 without any chargers.
thanks in advance,
Todd

We just did that trip. Stop for lunch at the Promenade or Rocklin to fully fast charge. The promenade EA chargers are hit or miss if they are working tho. Then drive conservative up the hills and mountains to Truckee, where they have a new bank of EA chargers. We had about 70 miles range left when we arrived there, after some nice downhill regen from the summit. You would probably be ok getting to the north side of the lake without charging at Truckee. Good luck!

 

[tnek]

I’m curious to try that, as well (starting from the East Bay). And a jaunt down to LA.

I did run across this article:

2019 Audi E-Tron EV: What We Learned Climbing a Mountain | Automobile Magazine

We ran from San Francisco to Tahoe in Audi’s new electric luxury SUV and learned a few things about its range, charging, and more along the way.

www.automobilemag.com

...and have read others online doing a similar drive. Enjoy!

 

[Mike]

I’m curious to try that, as well (starting from the East Bay). And a jaunt down to LA.
...

Last December I did the trip from the Bay Area to L.A. down I5. It was my first trip in the e-tron and I found it to be pretty easy. I stopped to recharge more often than I probably needed, only because I didn't want to risk it. Went at above posted speed for most of it.

For the trip back I went through Ojai and Santa Barbara. There were no fast chargers until I got to Paso Robles, so I ended up stopping more often and longer than desired. That and a few of them didn't work (eventually learned the lift-the-handle-while-starting trick, but not in time for that trip).

 

[Joe]

(eventually learned the lift-the-handle-while-starting trick, but not in time for that trip).

Wut?

 

[Mike]

Wut?

Some chargers fail to initialize. You have to grab the handle and lift up (and in) a little until the initialization process finishes. Once the charging starts you can let go. I had this problem at a Recargo Network charger and the error message even suggested the fix because "older cables are heavier". The first time I tried it didn't work. You have to firmly lift and push in for it to work. I have heard some EA chargers have the problem too. Someone told me it is a problem with Huber + Suhner cables, but I wouldn't know how to check that.

 

[Joe]

Some chargers fail to initialize. You have to grab the handle and lift up (and in) a little until the initialization process finishes. Once the charging starts you can let go. I had this problem at a Recargo Network charger and the error message even suggested the fix because "older cables are heavier". The first time I tried it didn't work. You have to firmly lift and push in for it to work. I have heard some EA chargers have the problem too. Someone told me it is a problem with Huber + Suhner cables, but I wouldn't know how to check that.

Very very good to know, thank you! I have only had to DCFC three times so far (COVID has cancelled many longer trips that were planned) but I had issues the first time.
Knowing little tricks like this are a part of EV ownership

 

[Tony]

Just did this trip from South Bay to North Tahoe (Truckee area) with the '21 e-tron. Went way smoother than expected! Left the Bay area with ~100% charge, arrived at Rocklin EA charger with about 40% left. Charged at Rocklin to >90% while grabbing lunch at the nearby Panera. The range meter showed ~160 mi range with my destination at Donner Lake. It's really great that the range estimate seems to take elevation into account with the destination set! Arrived at my destination with ~50% of the battery remaining.

Overall, the experience was excellent. I daily drove an e-Golf for 2 years before switching to the e-tron, and I of course never made an attempt to go beyond the Bay Area with that car. The 200+ mile range, along with the 150 kW charging, has completely changed my expectation of what I can do with my EV!

 

[Lucken]

So Tony, what did you calculate your actual range to be?

 

[Tony]

So Tony, what did you calculate your actual range to be?

From the Bay Area to Rocklin trip (no significant elevation change), I estimate the range to be ~200-210 mi. I was in Dynamic mode, I had the AC (non-eco) on at ~65 deg F on auto, and was driving at highway speeds, probably averaging 70 mph, but at times going up to 80 mph.

From Rocklin to Donner Lake (7000 ft elevation increase), the range meter showed ~160-170 mi at near 100% charge with the destination set. The range estimate of ~160 mi going up to North Tahoe seemed pretty accurate to me.