1900 Mile Road Trip Report - Arizona to Illinois

[Cybergirl]

I completed a 1900 mile road trip yesterday from Arizona to Illinois in my Cybertruck FS AWD.

My overall efficiency came to 432 Wh/mile driving an average of 70 mph between charging stops under mostly good driving conditions.

My total Supercharging costs came to $284.01 for 821 kWh ($0.15/mile). I started the trip with 80% SOC and had 24% left at my final destination.

I made 14 charging stops averaging 30 minutes/stop for a total of 7 hours charging at both V2 and V3 Superchargers. An additional charge was done overnight at a campsite.

At every stop people approached to inquire about the Cybertruck, ask to take a picture, and engage in conversation. This photo was taken at a Supercharger in Amarillo, TX where two other CTs arrived on their way from New York to California. The reaction of people was openly enthusiastic and 99% complementary of the vehicle. The level of interest increased in the Midwest where most people said that mine was the first CT they'd seen in real life. I often volunteered to take a picture of people standing in front of, or sitting behind the wheel of my truck. I remember only one person turning down the invitation. Most people, and all kids, had heard about the Cybertruck, but were not familiar with its many engineering features. It was amazing and encouraging to encounter such interest and excitement about a car. If you don't like to be the center of attention wherever you go, don't buy a Cybertruck just yet.

I drove the entire 1900 miles without the benefit of FSD. The longest driving stretch was 490 miles from Tulsa, OK to Springfield, IL. I was exhausted by the end of 10 hours of travel in contrast to having previously driven my FSD equipped Model Y twice that distance in 18 hours with minimal fatigue. The combination of FSD and making regular charging/rest stops takes 95% of the stress out of driving in my experience. I hope that FSD for the CT is released soon.

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[jf64k]

Thanks for sharing, CG!!

 

[JosephRides]

Thank you for sharing your detailed road trip experience with the Cybertruck FS AWD, @Cybergirl! It's fascinating to hear about your journey, charging stops, interactions with people along the way, and the overall reception of the Cybertruck. Your insights provide valuable firsthand information for those interested in electric vehicles and long-distance travel. It's great to see the enthusiasm and interest surrounding the Cybertruck during your trip. Safe travels and continued adventures with your Cybertruck!

 

[MHBaker]

I completed a 1900 mile road trip yesterday from Arizona to Illinois in my Cybertruck FS AWD.

My overall efficiency came to 432 Wh/mile driving an average of 70 mph between charging stops under mostly good driving conditions.

My total Supercharging costs came to $284.01 for 821 kWh ($0.15/mile). I started the trip with 80% SOC and had 24% left at my final destination.

I made 14 charging stops averaging 30 minutes/stop for a total of 7 hours charging at both V2 and V3 Superchargers. An additional charge was done overnight at a campsite.

At every stop people approached to inquire about the Cybertruck, ask to take a picture, and engage in conversation. This photo was taken at a Supercharger in Amarillo, TX where two other CTs arrived on their way from New York to California. The reaction of people was openly enthusiastic and 99% complementary of the vehicle. The level of interest increased in the Midwest where most people said that mine was the first CT they'd seen in real life. I often volunteered to take a picture of people standing in front of, or sitting behind the wheel of my truck. I remember only one person turning down the invitation. Most people, and all kids, had heard about the Cybertruck, but were not familiar with its many engineering features. It was amazing and encouraging to encounter such interest and excitement about a car. If you don't like to be the center of attention wherever you go, don't buy a Cybertruck just yet.

I drove the entire 1900 miles without the benefit of FSD. The longest driving stretch was 490 miles from Tulsa, OK to Springfield, IL. I was exhausted by the end of 10 hours of travel in contrast to having previously driven my FSD equipped Model Y twice that distance in 18 hours with minimal fatigue. The combination of FSD and making regular charging/rest stops takes 95% of the stress out of driving in my experience. I hope that FSD for the CT is released soon.

Very cool, and thank you for sharing.

 

[Woodrick]

I drove the entire 1900 miles without the benefit of FSD. The longest driving stretch was 490 miles from Tulsa, OK to Springfield, IL. I was exhausted by the end of 10 hours of travel in contrast to having previously driven my FSD equipped Model Y twice that distance in 18 hours with minimal fatigue. The combination of FSD and making regular charging/rest stops takes 95% of the stress out of driving in my experience. I hope that FSD for the CT is released soon.

I'll agree with the stress. I took a drive this weekend, only 250 miles, but having to drive without FSD is HARD! It's a lot more stressful!

 

[skinzy]

Your cost per mile of $ .15/mile is not much better than what I get with my gas F-150. Regular gas in my area is about $3.00 with an average of 22mpg that's about $.14/mile. I've always assumed electric was significantly cheaper?

 

[Mini2nut]

Yes if you charge at home and have cheap electric utility rates like $0.07 per KwH. Supercharging rates during peak charging times are significantly more.

 

[Cybergirl]

Your cost per mile of $ .15/mile is not much better than what I get with my gas F-150. Regular gas in my area is about $3.00 with an average of 22mpg that's about $.14/mile. I've always assumed electric was significantly cheaper?

An EV is cheaper to operate overall, but on road trips, the cost is roughly the same as the cost of cheap gasoline. Keep in mind that not much of the country has gasoline for $3/gal. The cheapest I saw on my trip along the interstate highways was in Texas and Oklahoma at about $3.17/gal. The cost varied between $3.49 to $3.89 elsewhere.

The real savings comes with local driving when I charge at home. Electricity in NW Illinois runs about $0.12/kWh, and around $0.08/kWh when charging overnight which I do whenever possible. That same 1900 miles at 0.432 kWh/mile is 820.8 kWh of electric energy. Taking into account charging losses, make that about 900 kWh. At 8 cents/kWh that's $72 compared to at least $259 for your Ford F-150.

In addition, I don't need oil changes, cooling flushes, filter changes, brake pad replacement, or emissions testing.

 

[CyberGus]

Your cost per mile of $ .15/mile is not much better than what I get with my gas F-150. Regular gas in my area is about $3.00 with an average of 22mpg that's about $.14/mile. I've always assumed electric was significantly cheaper?

Yes if you charge at home and have cheap electric utility rates like $0.07 per KwH. Supercharging rates during peak charging times are significantly more.

I've been Supercharging since I don't have EVSE at my home yet. I think the cheapest I've seen is $0.11 after midnight, peak times in the afternoons are usually $0.33 or more.

Charging at home would be $0.06 to $0.09.

 

[pricedm]

Your cost per mile of $ .15/mile is not much better than what I get with my gas F-150. Regular gas in my area is about $3.00 with an average of 22mpg that's about $.14/mile. I've always assumed electric was significantly cheaper?

wow inexpensive gasoline where you live. I just drove from Chicago area to Denver in a 30 mpg Subaru. $0.15 per mile on fuel cost for the 980 mile drive....$145. And now it is time for the oil change (5k interval) for another $40. Plus there's some belt noise under the hood, something to fix.

My last road trip in my Tesla Model Y was a similar distance, but cost was $44.

Agree with @Cybergirl it is a significant PITA to not have FSD on a road trip. Plus very few maintenance items. Cost of ownership is significantly lower with an electric vehicle.

https://electrek.co/2024/04/22/tesla-lowest-maintenance-repair-cost-any-brand/#:~:text=Consumer Reports released its 2023,Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche.

 

[Mini2nut]

We put 53k miles on our Model Y. Maintenance consisted of new tires, wiper blades and cabin air filter.

 

[skinzy]

wow inexpensive gasoline where you live. I just drove from Chicago area to Denver in a 30 mpg Subaru. $0.15 per mile on fuel cost for the 980 mile drive....$145. And now it is time for the oil change (5k interval) for another $40. Plus there's some belt noise under the hood, something to fix.

Was not talking at all about total operating cost.

 

[LifeOnTech]

Nice and simple write-up. Thanks for sharing the stats. Can't wait for autopilot.

 

[GatorCyber]

Was not talking at all about total operating cost.

If an EV cost twice as much as ICE to operate, I would still only own an EV. But the cost of Supercharging is close to or a little cheaper depending on what you are comparing. And as noted, charging at home is 1/4 the cost and is where you get your savings.
When is Cybertruck getting FSD? On the earnings call Elon said licensing FSD to others would be simple and involve no work, yet Tesla cannot even get FSD working six months into a new model? Maybe FSD team layoffs are next.

 

[Cybergirl]

My guess is that the delay in releasing FSD for Cybertruck is due to the time it will take to collect and curate the real-world data that must be gathered from Cybertrucks currently on the road to train the FSD neural nets. The size of Cybertruck and camera placement doesn't match well with any of their other vehicles making it impossible to simply transfer their current FSD to the CT.

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