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Renting a Tesla from
Turo.com
in
Charlotte, North Carolina
October 23 -
29, 2022
Report and
Photos by Carl Morrison, Carl@TeslaTouring.com
http://www.teslatouring.com/carl/TuroTesla/
(Many photos can be clicked for a larger
version.
Then click the back arrow in your browser to return to this webpage.)
Purpose of the Trip
Our trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, and Roanoke, Virginia, from
Southern California, to visit relatives of me and my wife, would
require a rental car. Since my brother and wife in Charlotte had
been interested in our 2020 Tesla Model 3, I decided to rent a Tesla in
Charlotte so they could see what our and our son's 2021 Tesla Model Y
were like. Needless to say, they were impressed and by taking
them on an outing to the North Carolina Transportation Museum, I could
show them how easily it was to use the Tesla Superchargers.
First get the
Turo and the Tesla Apps
I rented the 2021 Tesla Model Y through the Turo.com app. Owning
a
Tesla in Placentia, California, I knew Tesla owners can add drivers who
need to be near the car to pair their app to the car. The right
photo above is a copy of the invoice for the trip plus charging during the rental.
(The above photos can be clicked for a larger
version.)
Summary of the table
of charging spots along the route between Charlotte and Roanoke,
("Arrival" and "Departure" not shown).
Main Points:
For the 392 mile drive, it was predicted that it would take a total of 50 minutes of charging
along the way, The drive would take 6 hrs 25 min plus that 50
minutes of charging for a total time on the road of 7 hrs. 15 min round trip.
Of course this is just a prediction. If you drive over the speed
limit, the time to the next destination will decrease. You would
usually take more time to use the restroom and get refreshments than
the minimum needed. Side trips for shopping, eating, or
sightseeing would increase the time.
In the enlarged map above, note the convenient table in the lower right
corner which summarizes the trip. I have enlarged the title line
and the total line of the map below the map.
In the enlarged section below, you will see an additional feature of "A
Better Route Planner" which is the current information about the Colfax
Tesla Supercharger:
Using
the Tesla Computer in the car, during the drive, always enter your next
destination as the next Tesla Supercharger you plan to us so that the
car will "prepare the battery for the most efficient charging."
Along the way from
Charlotte to Roanoke, we found "Cracker Barrels" convenient stops for
restrooms, food, and shopping.
Dog Mode
At
stops, if the weather was warm, I would leave the climate control on
"Dog Mode". This kept the car's interior at the same temperature
set during the drive and it takes minimal miles of range for the electricity. This rented Tesla had white interior.
It was very clean and I do not know how Grady kept it so clean.
I have noticed that if a Tesla Model 3 has white interior, while
approaching the car, I notice that with the high back on the white
front seat that the car and people inside look small. I did not
get the same impression with white interior in a Tesla Model Y.
This
will be a
surprise to fellow California Tesla Owners since our gasoline prices at
this writing are in the high $6.00 range. I think Sheetz is
leading the pack of gas station/convenience stores by installing fast
chargers for EVs.
Another
unusual thing about the Sheetz Tesla Superchargers is that they are
not crowded. While at this one, two other Teslas came to
charge and one was local, his home charging system had shorted out from
a stink bug infestation in the conduit and a second Tesla owner was
from Ontario, Canada.
Tesla Owner's Group of Southwest Virginia.
As it turned out, the local fellow was Trevor Holbrook and he was a
Tesla Tech! He is a member of Tesla Owner's Group of Southwest Virginia.
He also owns "Mr. Tire" locally. I gave him my Tesla
Touring business card and he posted it on their Facebook Page!
He was super informative about all my questions and helped me
understand Full Self Driving (FSD) on my rented Tesla. He
said: Charging next to
someone at a Tesla Supercharger causes minimal difference in charge
rate.
My
Experience with Full Self Driving (FSD) from Roanoke to Charlotte
When
the posted speed limit goes down, the cruise control decreases to that
posted speed as well.
The Tesla slows for sharp curves on exits and non-Interstate highways.
Visualization is better than Autopilot (see videos below).
FSD will suggest changing lanes, to slower or faster lanes, and asks
for confirmation with the turn signal (photo).
If you turn on a turn signal, the car will change to that lane when it
is clear.
I called FSD, "Driving by turn signal and right thumb roller" (for
changing the set speed).
Good regenerative braking (putting energy back into the battery) in the
mountains.
Short Videos of Full Self Driving at Night Click Here:
https://youtube.com/shorts/Epgxye9ALP4
(The blue warning on the screen is telling me to get my hands back on
the wheel.)
The Salem Supercharger showed 597 miles per hour of charging -
very high.
In the last 10 minutes of charging to a set limit, the rate of
charging tapered down to 51 miles per hour of charging, as I have always experienced in charging a Tesla.
To more night visualizations of Full Self Driving at two intersections.
Morning in Hunting Hills, Roanoke, Virginia in October, 2022
An excellent place in Roanoke to have an overview of the town is at
"The Star"
Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, from the star.
Typical fall street scene South Roanoke, Virginia
A rare sight. Tesla haters would call this a wrecker, but from
the looks of the tow vehicle, this is someone moving.
Rest Stop on I-81 between Roanoke and Charlotte.
This is where the
Tesla reported a low tire -
right front at 32 mph when suggested pressure was 42 psi. It
stayed the same back to Charlotte. I called Grady and he said air
it free at Discount Tire. We found a close one in Charlotte the
next day and aired it up. It was back to 32 psi when we left it
at the Airport on the 29th.
Rest stop on I-81 between Roanoke and Charlotte.
Some postings at the Rest Stop
View of the hills in Autumn behind the Rest Stop.
Worried
about the low tire, I pulled off at the Fancy Gap BP station that had a 75¢
air pump. Tried 3 times to air the tire, but it showed no
improvement, so maybe the pump was not working. I noticed a
display auto beyond the pump (above right) of a supposed state trooper's car.
Looks like
the imagined state trooper car had been here a while.
Ten minutes later and back on the Interstate, I crossed the border from
Virginia to North Carolina.
After turning on I-77 toward Charlotte, still on FSD (note the green
lights above left for me to advance to the supercharger), I stopped at the
Mt. Airy Tesla Supercharger, not surprising it was at another Sheetz.
This Sheetz had the Tesla Superchargers in the back, as others had,
near the Drive-Through ordering spot.
All Sheetz are laid out the same inside.
Again the general parking signs were evident. The iPhone image, right,
showed I had 5 minutes to get to enough charge to get to Charlotte.
October
26, 2022 - After returning to Charlotte and spending the night at my
brother's, he and his wife accompanied me to the North Carolina
Transportation Museum. We took time in the morning to find a
Discount Tire store and have the tire aired properly for our day's
drive.
Near
the NC Transportation Museum, we charged at another Tesla Supercharger
at a Sheetz convenience store. This time the chargers were again in the
back of the property.
Before going
into the store for the restroom and refreshments, I waited for the
charger to ramp up and was happy to see it charging to 734 miles per
hour of charging. Teslas charge the fastest between 20% and 80% of the battery's capacity.
The back entrance to Sheetz where the Tesla Supercharger are located at this location.
This was the first time my brother and wife had been to a Sheetz, with
their graffiti-like logo in the lounge area.
Your phone is your key to a
Tesla.
With
a full day of photography with my iPhone and DSLR, my phone went
dead. Even though I had a "Fuel Rod" battery for my phone, I
forget the cord to connect it to the phone. With only 1/2 hour
until closing, I went into the original building where we bought
tickets and asked if they had a charge cord I could use to connect the
Fuel Rod to the iPhone. They did and my phone was soon powered up
enough to unlock the car. Once in the car I continued charging my
phone.
.
The North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC, is excellent.
My photos and report on this North Carolina Transportation Museum
is at:
http://trainweb.org/carl/NCTransMuseum2022/
A Tesla Trip north on October 28, 2022, found the leaves even more
colorful that 4 days earlier.
I charged again at the Lexington Tesla Supercharger and noted the trash
cans that I wish more Superchargers had.
I used the same charger as before, but it was still in need of repair.
I feel moisture might become a problem. Ten-minute general
parking is a good idea with these lightly used Superchargers.
The
Tesla computer always shows the cost of the current charge, above.
($23.23 for 212 miles added or 11¢ a mile). Not a bad idea to
take a photo for your records especially if you are renting the Tesla
and will be responsible for the charges which goes on the owner's
credit card until the end of the trip.
The
Cracker Barrel restaurants are plentiful and have tall signs easily
seen from the Interstate so when we needed to stop for restrooms, food,
or snacks, and did not need charging, we usually stopped at a Cracker
Barrel.
Also, when you return a rented Tesla, take a photo of the
Odometer (the photo will tell the location date and time) to prove you
have not exceeded the allotted miles. We used only 799 of the
1500
miles we were allowed.
We returned the
Tesla Model Y to the Charlotte Airport
The final invoice, above, includes the cost of charging.
.
Keep track of your charges.
The owner requested $107.44 for reimbursement of charging costs.
He included a list (from his credit card I presume) that showed several
charges for the dates I had the Tesla, but I did not charge on those
dates.
I asked for a copy
of the Tesla's
invoice for my charging for the dates I had the car - Oct 23 - 29 .
Even though what he sent included charges outside of my dates (above),
I was able to list what I had actually charged. If the renter had
not been a Tesla owner himself, he might not know that Tesla invoices
every charge by location and date and time and amount charged.
I sent the message
above, in blue, saying I charged only $80.40 which was $53.86 less than
what I was being billed. I told him what
I actually owed plus 3%. He
agreed with my figures and we settled. I suggested that his
original bill must have been when some charges were posted, not when
the charges were actually made. The Tesla invoice
helped make my point.
SUMMARY: Charging a Tesla in SC, NC, and VA always at fast Tesla
Superchargers cost 10¢ a mile (799 miles for $80.40). Total cost
of renting a Tesla Y through Turo.com including parking fees and misc.
Turo fees was $130 a day although originally listed for less than $100
a day.
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