The Tesla route planner remains the benchmark in the world of electric cars today. The manufacturer recalls everything it takes into account in its calculations, the opportunity for us to take stock of one of the big advantages of the brand. This is what allows Teslas to be among the best electric cars for long trips.
Traveling in a Tesla is very simple, in particular thanks to the integration of its network of Superchargers within the route planner on the central screen of the brand’s cars. Simply enter a destination, and the car calculates the best route by telling you where and how long to stop to recharge.
But this is not the only advantage of this planner, since it aggregates a lot of data in order to try to be as precise as possible on its consumption estimate, so that there are no surprises behind the wheel of the vehicles. Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y from the American brand.
A route planner that gets even better
Since the release of the first Teslas more than 10 years ago, the route planner has been an integral part of the vehicle. And it is clear that it is still one of the benchmarks in this area in 2023. Its ease of use is undoubtedly the main reason for its success: you enter a destination, and all you have to do is let yourself be guided.
The stops necessary to arrive safely, on Tesla Superchargers only, are taken into account automatically, with many features being added over time to ensure the best experience possible. For example, if a station is congested, you will be redirected to another that has a lower occupancy rate, without needing to take a manual action.
Of course, not everything is perfect, andwe still deplore the impossibility of modifying, for example, the desired battery level on arrival, or forcing a v3 or v4 Supercharger rather than a v2. There is of course the possibility of adding stages to your route to force passage to certain places rather than others, but this is not yet ideal.
In any case, this route planner takes into account a lot of parameters to have the most precise estimate possible during a trip. Tesla has just reminded this in a post on X as you can see below.
Information collected by the vehicle includes wind speed and direction, altitude, speed limits, average acceleration, ambient temperature, humidity and pressure, cloud cover and sunlight , the level and temperature of the battery at the start, the weight of the vehicle, the wind resistance, the air penetration coefficient, the consumption linked to ventilation, the preconditioning of the battery and the specific equipment having an impact consumption (bike rack, hitch, trailer, etc.).
Despite all this information, it is not uncommon for some users to notice a large gap between Tesla’s initial forecast and reality. But this is also the strength of this planner: adjustments are made throughout the journey, to possibly add a stop to recharge, or propose a longer charge than planned to arrive safely.