Tesla Cross Country Road Trip: Fully Packed!

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In this video I share my thoughts on using my Tesla Model Y to road trip across the country.
Wireless Charging Phone Mount Used in the Video (paid link): amzn.to/322OTwW
My Tesla Referral Link: ts.la/dylan49913
Topics: Autopilot, Visibility, Range, Supercharging, Cargo, and more!
Shoutout to Suma Performance for making this drive significantly safer for me, my partner, and my pets! Check out their performance mirrors here: www.sumaperfor...
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[@Geckogold]

Greetings from Wisconsin! I took two long range road trips in my Model Y shortly after your video here last summer, one to Yellowstone, and one to the Grand Canyon. Both trips were about 8k miles total, but I had a lot of fun seeing new things we don't get to see in the Midwest, such as deserts and mountains. Autopilot made the boring mundane interstate driving much more bearable, while the supercharger stops were a great excuse to get out of the car for a few minutes while doing other things like using the bathroom or grabbing a snack/drink from a nearby store. Though you sort of mentioned it in the comments, regarding the lack of rear visibility, you do have one other option that comes standard in all newer Teslas, the backup/side cameras. Obviously you wouldn't want to have it up all the time, but for the times where you're changing lanes and want some better visibility, it's a nice utility to have.

[@jimc.66]

Great call out on the Santa Rosa charger. It would be crazy to arrive with all the chargers blocked off.

[@iPhil77]

For ICE blocking the supercharger stalls, falls on the management company of the private property, and then if they won’t do anything then it’s a police issue and use the non emergency line for the issue. It’s like a Tesla using a gas pump stall for a snack run and bathroom break.

[@Re5ist_ance]

ICE blocking is such a dumb thing that I don't get it .. I don't get what these people get out of it! Think about it .. they took time out of their day to drive to a Tesla stall and just park their car .. they can't even claim they didn't see it because it is clearly marked! It's a special low IQ group of people that this appeals to!

[@mowcowbell]

The Santa Rosa supercharger is in the parking lot of a hotel that has very few parking spots to begin with. Drive across I-40 to the Love's and use the Electrify America chargers in Santa Rosa if the superchargers are ICE'd.

[@christfollower122491]

This is the info I was looking for. We want to do a lot more road trips once we get our model y. It’s great to get an idea of comfort and experience

[@mowcowbell]

280 watt hours per mile is excellent efficiency, especially considering all the gear you had inside the Model Y.

[@DylanHongTech]

Yeah, it held up super well. I was surprised. I drove on chill mode and did often go behind trucks for the aero benefits. But also, we did a lot of elevation up and down

[@cosmoray9750]

Tesla is still using Old battery technology. BYD's blade battery technology has revolutionized car battery sector. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6iUYox7o7mifqc

[@Nessal83]

@@cosmoray9750 Cool story brah

[@phxlee]

The wife and I just did PHX to VA and back for a vacation total was around 5100 miles and cost around $450 in Supercharging costs. Unfortunatly, two flat tires later we made it. The Model 3 Performance I have I can't fault, comfortable and reliable. They need more chargers in Oklahoma. 1 supercharger for the whole city is a little crazy. Sorry to see so many ICE'ed superchargers, good news was that we didn't see a single time that a Supercharger was iced on our trip. Thank you for sharing your trip and welcome to Arizona! I hope your first year has been a good one.

[@Kyle-wq3oe]

I’m actually moving from Phoenix to Virgina early 2025. How was your trip overall? Was the flats from bad road conditions or picking stuff up? Any tips? Going from Mesa to Richmond.

[@phxlee]

@@Kyle-wq3oe Dang literally the same trip, i did from Surprise to Williamsburg lol. The flats were one each way as it was initially a vacation. It was purely junk on the road and that one pot holes hit just right (i drive a performance M3 so the profile is lower and more susceptible to pot holes). avoid those and it's smooth sailing but i strongly encourage you to look into tire insurance with like discount tires for any new tires you get. it's saved me a boat load of money when i got the flats. Make sure to plan you stops especially when they are more spread out like in Oklahoma and Texas. Other than that it was enjoyable and the breaks for charging are very worth it to stretch your legs and most have great amenity's close by. btw if you go along the 40 most the way be sure to check out the superchargers in Shamrock TX (the building was an inspiration for a building in the movie cars) and Bucee's in TN just for the experience.

[@chrismonge651]

I got a MYLR earlier this year because I got a new job as a field technician and my radius is up to 4hrs driving distance from my house. Since July I've put 20k mi on it already 😮. I feel I share similar points with you about long range driving in a model Y. I'm able to load my car with tools, ladder, luggage, cooler, bags, and then some. I've been enjoying it a lot so far and really don't mind the long distances with FSD. The time to charge doesn't get in the way too much, but it has been a little annoying a few times. Getting a home charger really made a difference. I'm planning on doing a similar drive from PA to AZ next year and this video was super helpful to see what your experience was like.

[@DylanHongTech]

Glad it was helpful!

[@brianvermette1231]

Great video, Moving from Miami to San Francisco in my Model Y LR. Me and My dog looking forward to the trip spending one month making several hiking stops.

[@jourelem]

the wobbling cars are your cameras switching from one to the other. happens with large vehicles because the camera on B pillar and the side cam are switching between each other causing the wobble.

[@DylanHongTech]

I think that’s part of it (imperfect stitching for current autopilot software) and then also I don’t think the trucks have dynamic rendering for the sizes/lengths of trucks so it tries to approximate the center of the vehicle using the assets it has

[@mssnhllss]

use the backup camera on the screen

[@coreyverisario6570]

Nice video. Seemed like a good trip. To answer your question for what would you do if the Tesla chargers were full with ice vehicles? You call a tow truck and let them have a great day. They were illegally parked and need to apparently learn a lesson the hard way. I would be laughing the whole time. It's stupid simple instructions to follow but they can't.

[@LambSauceWill]

I agree 100%

[@jacobeldredge803]

The way those were placed, you'd just park perpendicular and plug in. 🤷‍♂️

[@DylanHongTech]

@jacobeldredge803 I don’t think the cable would reach

[@jacobeldredge803]

@@DylanHongTech only about 3 feet from the end of the cars, I'd be surprised if it wasn't long enough.

[@ELCEV]

Good job to both of you for your trip video. Not a trip you will often make so it was good to document it.

[@munkymind]

Why didn't you use the rear facing camera for your rear view while driving?

[@lenimbery7038]

I would have just driven with the rear and side cameras on most of the time

[@xsleep1]

Or, just the rear.

[@DylanHongTech]

I didn’t want to have to tap on the camera icon every time I need to switch lanes or merge. Leaving it on made my partner dizzy and would also block navigation info

[@ysjayc]

Nice video and really fun to watch! Model Y is quite good to drive during the whole trip I can tell

[@ironqqq]

2:59 the old UI!!! Missing that

[@ricafragaa]

In "Europe" We always drive on the right side because that way we only have the mirror on the left to be more attentive and it gives us a traffic ticket in the middle...

[@TimZ007]

I bet a cargo rack basket on the back hitch could add some needed room which out hurting economy like the roof rack would. Might could add a spare tire there as well. 2" receiver good for 350lbs capacity.

[@JustPeaceLoveAndKindness]

These seats need a cushion for long distance trips, and neck pillows for passengers are a must. Autopilot is a must for long roadtrips. Greater safety and less fatigue than standard cars.

[@goldviper5280]

Nice Video...Welcome to AZ. I live in the East Valley. Getting ready to order my MY.

[@kpboix99]

Awesome road trip! New subscriber here, looking forward to more content on the Tesla.

[@DylanHongTech]

Thanks! It was crazy for sure!

[@ZIRTUBE]

Nice Video.. Great Editing.. Heading t GA soon fm NJ.. in my wifes new Model 3.

[@RockPhonic]

Do they sell extension cables, so that if anyone is parked in a charge space then you can still charge the car?

[@ram-ck7ti]

Curious: where did the trip start and where did it end??

[@MRSTEEL15]

I might be overthinking but do you ever feel you need to stop every few hrs so the batteries won't overheat and burst into flames? I know it sounds crazy, but it's on my mind 😊

[@deplorablechump8758]

For long trips with long distances between vehicles, autopilot is good. It takes some time to get used to it.

[@아줌마하와이]

Thx for the link to those mirrors!

[@MkMerk]

So I've noticed some KZbinrs have their phone mounted next to the display. Is that for access to better maps or texts or what? I thought you'd be able to get everything you need to from the display.

[@double_joseph327]

The Tesla GPS can be really stupid sometimes.

[@toridas]

Guessing you. Couldn't bring up the rear cam while driving back then ?

[@geertbosch2778]

Why don't you use the rearview camera instead of the rearview mirror?

[@DylanHongTech]

That would require me to have to tap on the camera icon every time I need to switch lanes or merge. Leaving it on made my partner dizzy and would also block navigation info

[@DblOSmith]

The lane departure stuff I have turned off. Unfortunately, it's way more annoying than it is helpful as it is now. That's partly why I seriously doubt the ability of FSD now. Between that and phantom braking... I don't trust me car to drive for me juuuuust yet. Great video. :)

[@DylanHongTech]

Based on what I've seen from FSD Beta videos, the lane keeping is wildly improved. I'm hoping that those changes make their way down to the standard autopilot stack

[@theodorehaskins3756]

So I’m thinking you did this video before we got the latest updates, as the lack of visibility through your real view mirror shouldn’t been a factor, as the latest update gave us the repeater cameras when you wanna change lanes, so that takes away any issues about blind spot situations & you can always use the back up camera if you need to see behind you, so that’s not an issue & auto pilot takes care of that for you, so you have to trust the system & the other thing is, if you’re going to move, in my opinion, ship everything & only travel with the minimum things you need to support you doing your trip, everything else should be shipped, that’s just my thinking if you’re going to do a permanent move like that! So as far as somebody being in the stalls when you need to charge your vehicle, I would simply ask the property manager to see if they can locate somebody to move their vehicle, so obviously you didn’t have that problem, as you indicated, because there was at least one stall available, what I wouldn’t do is call the cops, as it shouldn’t come to that & calling the cops really is an aggressive move & it’s not a solution to the problem, because this isn’t a crime problem, it’s just a problem with some folks being inconsiderate, so I’d also complained directly to Tesla to let them know of your experience, because this needs to be dealt with and the more people complain about this, the sooner we will come up with a solution & like everything else in life, folks have to adapt to the new changing environment and I think as more people start to drive EV’s‘ themselves this problem will probably take care of itself, at least I hope so! The other thing is, in planning your trip, it’s a good idea to plan for an alternate stop to charge! That’s the way aviators plan their trips & I think it’s a great idea that EV drivers can borrow from the aviation community! So thanks for posting sharing your experience and good luck in your new community! Cheers!😎👍🏾

[@robwagnon6578]

I would maybe think about getting a camera or two for the rear so you can see behind you at a glance at all times. Maybe one that just has a feed to your phone..

[@xsleep1]

All Teslas have rear and side cameras you can call up on the center display.

[@cstaszko9927]

Wow I'm definitely stealing some of these packing ideas for the Y. We are moving from San Jose to Denver in Sept driving the new Model Y & a Prius out & this should help us fit more stuff for sure!

[@hiiCadence]

Where did you get your mattress for your tesla???

[@usinebob]

So did it take you four days to do the 2,300 miles?

[@aidanfenn2]

Quick question.. I'm about to embark on a very similar road trip in the reverse direction, CA to New York via North Carolina. I'm curious if you might recommend getting a FSD or Enhanced Autopilot subscription for the month of the trip? Personally I'm into the idea because I'm very curious in the software and love the idea of reducing driving fatigue. Also curious how you found accommodation that had charging for overnight charging, if you did? Thanks!

[@DylanHongTech]

PlugShare is good for finding l2 chargers along the route. Also, trip advisor and hotels . com website allow filter by ev charger. As for autopilot, I think enhanced autopilot could be worth it, but FSD beta might make it more stressful

[@jinzhu3272]

I am planning to drive from Los Angels to Bradenton FL with my little daughter. I am planning to drive through I-10. Did you drive on the same way? Thanks

[@ironqqq]

2:27 even the frying pan!

[@jedward1832]

I know this video is from a year ago so I don't know if you will see this comment but did you have a spare tire during this roadtrip? I'm about to embark on a trip like this myself and I have a lot of people advising me to purchase one from Modern Spare just in case. If not, were you worried at all prior/during the trip?

[@DylanHongTech]

No spare tire. Not super worried, but it crossed my mind. I don’t think EVs get flats any more than other cars

[@jamersonbrown3656]

I’m really curious what would anyone do if you couldn’t have gotten into the stalls. Police maybe could tow someone????

[@DylanHongTech]

I’ve heard that it would be at the discretion of the property owner (the hotel in this instance). So I’d have to ask them to see if they could do something about it

[@JoeC41]

@@DylanHongTech Were you staying at the hotel? I'm wondering what the hotel would have done.

[@DylanHongTech]

Nope, I stayed at a hotel a few miles down the street

[@Popcornbeetle]

Nice job with the video and trip!

[@DylanHongTech]

Thank you!

[@fpartidafpartida]

Don’t own a tesla. But if I needed a charge and those trucks were inconveniencing me from charging, they might just all be inconvenienced themselves in the morning to have to find a air pump for their tires.

[@Roman.the.explorer]

So messed up those trucks were blocking all the superchargers

[@joshuageiger9452]

1. How many times do you have to stop in one day? (If you are charging overnight) 2. How long does it take from like 10% to fully charge with the superchargers?

[@double_joseph327]

Probably like 6 times he had to supercharge in a day. Lol that adds like an extra 3 hours a day to the drive. Crazy.

[@Andybojangles]

coujust turn on the back up camera and then you have your rear view mirror again...😂

[@jefferrrson1x]

Fantastic video sir.

[@cvrtechcorn]

4Road trip inspire- Out of Spec Motoring- Expedition trip videos

[@johnd9031]

I think depending on autopilot would make me sleepy. I prefer the activity of actually driving.

[@bosongkim9305]

So, how did you charge @9:00, Santa Rosa super charger? and you drove entire trip by yourself? she never drove?

[@DylanHongTech]

The spot I was in was the only charging stall open. I like driving

[@icyneko9175]

You got ice’d. Sad to see toddlers who can’t grow up and feels the need to block people from charging

[@lararafalco2156]

I hope you used the Frunk for space!

[@perjohanohlsson]

Thanks for the video. How do you switch to the new mirrors?

[@DylanHongTech]

There are video tutorials, but essentially you use the scroll wheel to turn the mirror all the way to one side and then you can use your fingers to pry out the existing mirrors. Then you disconnect two wires, reconnect them to the new mirrors, and then pop the new ones in place

[@karlm8067]

That’s truly a wonderful trip 🤠

[@chrisbrodbeck1961]

Dealerships have people that detail for delivery, if you buy online you bypass that service. So you saved some money, when I worked at a dealership we charged about $500 for you to take delivery. That was actually a great deal... So yeh, I know you got a dusty Tesla, I would say find a pro detailer, or watch a good detailer video...Build a long extension chord for long distance charging

[@chrisbrodbeck1961]

I don't know that you can overcome the back pain if you're not used to sitting that that long. I drive professionally so I'm not spinning you're wheels...I would say plan a trip that involves great visiting locations and plenty of rest.... I don't know that a new seat will help the issues... glad you bought electric...

[@tingwang6879]

Did this trip make any impact on the battery efficiency? We are thinking to do the same thing but I heard you shouldn't charge multiple times a day especially at supercharger.

[@DylanHongTech]

Not that I can tell. My battery efficiency still seems quite good

[@arrowlogproductions2509]

It’s ok if you do it sometimes, just not all the time

[@george6319]

Is that a my long range?

[@DylanHongTech]

Yes

[@crazytingz7006]

9:01 I'm keying every single one of those cars

[@IdahoParanormal]

coulda just used the back cameras on the tesla screen.. but ok

[@DylanHongTech]

It blocks most navigation visibility and is also distracting to have on for 40 hours+ of driving. Also affected music and other car features

[@IdahoParanormal]

AHh makes sense, didnt think of that. @@DylanHongTech

[@tanduong3224]

I love Telsa and wanna bet one but thinking about so many stops for charging and time wasting make me back down.I

[@DylanHongTech]

Not having to ever go to a gas station (starting every day with a full charge) is much more convenient than the inconvenience of a few more stops on the occasional road trip

[@icenfolsom6369]

What was your (top) speed when freeway traffic was good?

[@DylanHongTech]

There are some stretches of highway with 75mph speed limits so probably top speed of around 80

[@Reddylion]

Nice

[@sagarmeena0210]

love it

[@ezpoppy55]

Must be the Summer of Go! I just completed a 6,000 mile US road trip in my 2021 Model 3 SR+ Over 13 days of driving (July 10 through July 31, 2022, with family time in Kentucky) from Sacramento CA to Louisville KY and back (with numerous side trips), I drove nearly half what I drive in a year. Shortest distance ~300 miles. Longest drive 650+ miles. Average ~450 miles. The final analysis: Wow. This is definitely a road warrior vehicle, despite so-called “conventional wisdom.” I am still plugging in metrics and numbers, but I estimate about 60 charging stops. In all those stops, I only had ONE 5 minute wait, at Glenwood Springs, CO. One. 5 minutes. I’ve waited longer in a grocery store line. I drove through and charged in major cities (LA, Amarillo, OK City, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City) and countless small towns and wide spots in the road. Typically, I was either the only one there or one of two Teslas. My typical stop was 20-25 minutes. Enough time to have a short walk about, use the bathroom, grab a bottle of water, text my wife, and then get back on the road (the breaks, and auto pilot, assured I’d be rested and relaxed after hours of travel). Weekdays, weekends, crack of dawn, rush hour, nighttime, huge supercharger (50+) or small (4), interstate or blue highway… I drove and charged through them all. No cherry picking. Consider also the local catastrophic climate issues in Kentucky and St. Louis during that time frame. ~60 superchargers. 6,000 miles. 13 days of driving. In July 2022. One wait. 5 minutes. And 6,000 miles of supercharging cost me ~$600.00. More than charging at home. But far less than the ICE equivalent (2021 BMW), at 36 mpg, premium. With no maintenance cost other than wear/tear on tires. I can’t speak for others. But the trip was a complete success in my book.

[@vasi0011]

How long does it take you to charge up at the charge station? How many miles can you go between charging. How many days of driving, how long were your days?

[@teacher555555]

thank you for making this video because you have proven me right that the true range of an EV is only around 150 miles not the 250-300 people think.

[@1307scooter]

Will you even need a license in 50 years?

[@thezendeveloper4097]

I'd be good to understand how many miles on avg u drove before needed to charge...and also how much time on avg u spent on each charging station. Good video and editing by the way!

[@DylanHongTech]

I get to that toward the end! On average probably 170 miles and 20 min per charge

[@mattkim85]

$10 = 2 gal of gas here in SoCal lol

[@tanzanable]

Thanks for the very informative video! This is a bit off topic but you both have very beautiful smiles and teeth. Did God just make them that way or did you get some professional help? If a professional helped, they did a great job!

[@hulasenorita]

How much is weight capacity of this car? We are moving to Texas from California using the same car as yours.

[@michaeladar1763]

Do you wish you got full self driving?

[@DylanHongTech]

Nope, it’s expensive and would have been only a little helpful throughout

[@jrbabcock]

Ditch the background music during narration. It is very annoying while listening to headphones. Why did you not show charging stats & range ?

[@marvkwia3973]

My deasil truck GMC Denali can do it it in 2 days comfortable and see over concrete barriers and do 80 miles an hour all the time warm cold and freezing 25 below or 90 above.

[@billgearhart5734]

I was watching your video and then I saw you were traveling with "pets" and then I saw rats in cages! I am out!

[@tomdavies7759]

sup

[@camosbourne8018]

I would’ve had one of those trucks towed for sure if they didn’t wake up and move in 10 min. How infuriating

[@kevinszhere1]

Hey hey I know where you live!!

[@DylanHongTech]

In DC?

[@kevinszhere1]

@@DylanHongTech Tysons

[@DylanHongTech]

Oh haha, I moved out of the DC area

[@kevinszhere1]

@@DylanHongTech Aw why

[@kevinszhere1]

We could’ve been friends

[@puzzledobserver7644]

This chick is a daytime 9

[@FunWithAJ]

Unfortunately a bit of a poor video. No info on which ranged model y you have. No info on what info on which wheels you outfitted. Etc

[@arthaschen4701]

This lady lol Doesn’t drive and complains about back pain. You can do better dude

[@impitt28]

What a mess. Who takes dirty laundry on a cross-country trip?

[@DylanHongTech]

… it wasn’t dirty. Just separated to fit into all the small parts of the car. Also we were moving, I wasn’t just going to throw away any unwashed clothes if I had any lol

[@flamecrow]

@@DylanHongTech I was also confused until the end when you said it was your home. Didn’t know you were moving lol

[@donovanSMMsvlog1583]

I think your full of Bs, y did u not use the camera 📷 for back viewing 😢.

[@DylanHongTech]

That would require me to have to tap on the camera icon every time I need to switch lanes or merge. Leaving it on made my partner dizzy and would also block navigation info

[@donovanSMMsvlog1583]

Understandable but if u decided to fully pack that car to the fullest then don’t get on Amerasian and say think’s like you’re saying about the car 🚘.just to say you got into and accurate you would be fully responsible for your actions. Remember the camera in the car is watching use all.