Tesla Model 3 - 800 Mile CHRISTMAS ROAD TRIP 2022 / 2023

[@MBrown]

I hope you enjoy this years Xmas Road Trip and hope you all had a nice festive season! Any questions or comments, popp them below!

[@RussRyan7713]

Great video. I have a standard range LFP and regularly drive my daughter from Kent up to Liverpool. It's a 535 mile round trip. I do it in one go and only charge 3 times and never stop longer than it takes to use the loo and grab a coffee. Best time was 9 hours driving, worst was 12 hours. In the Model 3 it's so relaxing. Don't think I could do it in one go in my old Mondeo manual. Also love the new holiday update. Got back the trips on the cards! Also the indicators are great most of the time. Still find I try and flick them off out of habit and then indicate again 😀.

[@MBrown]

Thanks Thomas glad your journeys are going well! Yes it’s so comfy isn’t it. I’d struggle in a regular car now I think. I used to get terrible bad back in my last car

[@aaronbounds1336]

Got my T M Y 7-seater on Dec 23rd 2022. Took it on an 1,100+ mile road trip already and it was great. Charging was something to look forward to (got 254 KW in some cases). The car was ready before we were, and the cadence of stopping for charging matched up great with our bladders. Couldn't ask for a better road tripping vehicle: it's solid to drive, quiet, and very comfortable. We are doing another 900+ mile road trip this weekend, and I can't wait. Costs less than gas, even if we didn't have 10K free supercharging miles. 👍👍 Not only was charging not a problem, it actually makes road tripping better - more relaxing. Turns it from a stress-inducing race to a nice relaxed cadence and I arrived to my destination feeling much better overall than with the old clunker of an ICE car. Top notch.

[@MBrown]

Yeah thats what I find, I kind of always want to stop when the car wants to charge. I love a nice coffee and toilet break! Forces a bit of relaxation

[@MrAwatson1969]

Great video as ever, pleased you just say it as it is without any bias. I get the tongue in cheek in places. Who cares about remote farts when wipers need the attention? I have the same car, albeit in Silver, and love it. Your film highlights the overall problem we all face in that charging MUST evolve. Our journeys are punctuated with stops to enable charging and then several stops to do the stuff you want/need to do when we can't. It's at these locations we all need chargers. With your 2 overnight stops in hotels you could have plugged into a 3 pin plug to give you sufficient charge for the next day, until you park in your next location and then charge again the same way. There is this 'obsession' with installing fast charging at all locations, then the hurdle of 'cost' used as an excuse not to. I'd be happy with a bank of half a dozen 3 pin plugs at all the hotels I stay at and pay £15-20 for the privilege of booking before I travel to ensure a good 10-12h charge when I arrive at my destination. I regularly do a 3-day 280 mile trip from Cotswolds to near Huddersfield where I leave on 100% (home charge), work three days and stay 2 nights in a hotel. I then have to make a quick 10-20 minute stop on the way home to give me a little boost so that I can get home comfortably and recharge cheaply. I don't mind the stop, I plan for it and get a quick coffee as you do. The point is, 3 whole days and 2 nights of my car being parked wasted when they could top up just the necessary amount to make the super-charging stops unnecessary. It's a mindset thing and one which is not being understood, sledgehammer to crack nut problem. Keep up the good work.

[@MBrown]

Thanks, haha yeah I love the car but there are some silly updates, when we need real fixes for some small issues. Oh nice, I love them in Silver. Yes I agree every hotel, should at least have a couple (I mean its a money maker for them too if they charge for it)

[@martingrady7654]

I Did over 800 miles in 2 days in my M3 60kwh LFP, I think it was 842 miles in total, it was a breeze, a bit tricky around the Ipswitch area and Scotch Corner gets a bit busy, but all in all, worked out fine. Some parts of the UK really needs a few more SC locattions.

[@MBrown]

Thanks Martin yes I’ve always found it fairly easy too! A few small villages sometimes I struggle but majority of the time it’s been great! 👍

[@martingrady7654]

@@MBrown just done 640 miles today . Solihull to Stevenson and back, Gretna Green had to Q 10mins and Keele I had to Q 20mins . For me it’s becoming a bit of an issue as SC are becoming overwhelmed.

[@nickieredshaw7835]

Yer heard chargers are getting busy by look of social media but remember we have it easer than most ev as we can charge at all the other sites and superchargers unlike other evs heard there has been big QS at Ionty too

[@DeeKay1911]

Just returned from a new years road trip of 1800 km. to go skiing with the family in Norway. There is just something about Tesla road trips I really love. Even with a ‘21 SR+

[@MBrown]

Yeah it’s a really nice experience! Sounds like a great trip!

[@PRG888]

The only thing I don;t like about the auto indicator is you can't do slight click for it to do four indications before it goes off

[@MBrown]

Yeah it;s taken me a while to get used to it!

[@nickbrooker1411]

love your vids! new tesla y owner taking delivery only a week before xmas and did my first "long trip" to see family in Norwich (Newmarket Road, just 200m up from The Arlington!) - coming from Worcester (180 miles) stopped at Thetford (Elveden) which was a good experience - nice Inn with a Bar and Coffee/snacks...also off the beaten track and quiet! Looking forward to trying that Norwich East Gridserve next time i'm back..... also over Xmas set up a Swarco Acc, BP Pulse and Shell Recharge as well as a ChargePoint account as I don't want to rely on purely Tesla SC.....let's see how it goes!

[@MBrown]

Thanks so much Nick! Sounds like you've had some great road trips too! Yeah there are some great third party chargers now. I always like using PodPoint too

[@nickbrooker1411]

@@MBrown are podpoint easy to use? Need to set up an account?

[@MBrown]

@@nickbrooker1411 Hey yeah super easy a nice app and seems to work well at locating you too

[@markherenow]

Always enjoy your videos Mark and inspired me to take the leap and start my own YT channel on my Tesla journey 👏🏻👍

[@MBrown]

Thanks so much Mark! Oh good luck, it's great fun, very hard work but really worth it!

[@nickieredshaw7835]

Great video well done on a great road trip we have done lots of long road trips and it’s so great car and charging is great too we did nearly 17000 miles in 9 months just for pleasure! , yes love our 3 too love the new update and love having cards back and Apple Music is great but one bit I don’t like it having the route info spit into two as the bottom bits in unnecessary put the Soc back at the top and get rid of the bottom bit in my opinion. Take care and safe travels everyone

[@MBrown]

Thanks, nice wow 17000 is good going!

[@stifflol]

Enjoying the videos as ever, thank you Mark. I’d like to make a recommendation regarding the auto wipers, which I agree can be a bit under or over enthusiastic depending on the day of the week. 😅 Get some Glaco Compound and Roll On. The compound clears the glass of everything, then you want to apply the roll on. This stuff is just magic. On any motorway you won’t need wipers, water just blows off over 50-60mph. 👍

[@MBrown]

Thanks so much Stifflol Oh nice I'll give that a try!

[@robchambers7206]

Loved this film. Living just south of Norwich it is great to recognise some of the places you visited. I like the constructive way you discuss negative aa well as positives of Tesla ownership.

[@MBrown]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video, yeah overall I love the Tesla, so I think its important to shout out the not so good things too 👍

[@kennykolourinc1250]

thanks Mark very good video enjoyed it a lot. since I live in the states I really enjoy the scenery as you drive and walk aorund a town. I own a Model Y for the past 5 months is continues to get better and better every time I drive it.

[@MBrown]

Thanks so much Kenny, glad you enjoyed the video, yes I love watching the American ones for the same reason! Nice to see some different scenery!

[@kieranlarkin5938]

Just subscribed. Liking your videos. Keep them going. Making me think about a Tesla 3.

[@Richard_Barnes]

My 2011 Audi S3 would be £190 cus I'm on V-Power UL too. So yeh..... Great video and info, thanks Mark & wife for the editing 🙂👍🏻 Now the prices have just dropped on them it is so tempting to try and find a way to get one. I also cannot charge at home so it's going to be superchargers for me most of the time, with my local one being 4 miles away from home.

[@MBrown]

Thanks Richard! Wow the Audi is quite expensive, but I guess the V power adds a lot to the price. (I used to pop that into the F Type.)

[@Nigelrudyardmusic]

A really useful overview of what I'd thought would be the real weakness of the Tesla - long leg road trips. I live in a flat, so couldn't charge at home, but I don't think it would put me off, given the Tesla supercharger infrastructure. Excellent video, thanks.

[@MBrown]

Glad it was helpful! 👍👍

[@Roy-qn2ie]

The 10:32 thing is something to be aware off, i do it myself aswell with our electric car and press stuff on my screen however slowly loose focus on the road, you yourself also started moving over to the right its something we electric car drivers have to be aware off, sometimes its better to pull over and stop then try and multitask whilst driving.

[@MBrown]

Yes I always tend to put on AutoPilot usually if I'm using the screen, that way the car can keep control of the steering incase the worst should happen

[@stevelongden7368]

you did really well not having to queue at any of the superchargers. Recently I've had to wait for a charge at everyone I've tried, Penrith, Scotch Corner, Charnock Richards and Gretna Green. wait times ranged from 10 mins to about 45 mins. Annoying tbh (still love the car tho and thankfully I can charge at home so its only an occasional hassle),

[@MBrown]

Thanks Steve, yes I did think it might be busy and sorry to hear you had to wait! I'm driving to Cornwall this week, so hoping I don't have to que too much

[@matthewjackson4364]

I can’t believe you gave Alfie and I shout out! Thanks Mark! Hoping to bump into you again!

[@MBrown]

You're welcome Matthew! Hope you had a good journey!

[@briankavanagh7191]

Mark, when you said about range anxiety, the first time I did a round trip from Liverpool to Lingfield (just shy of 500 miles) with 2x 30 mins stop at Ionity Banbury in my Kona EV 64kwh, I was little worried but as you say when you get used to planning your journey and Tesla opening some chargers win win all-round.

[@MBrown]

Hey Brian, yeah it feels like it gets easier over time! Glad your journeys are going well too!

[@cokyrobes]

We are close to completing on our house purchase in Norwich! Maybe see you at the Gridserve supercharger at some point!

[@MBrown]

Oh very nice! Norwich is such a lovely place! The Gridserve is very handy for you when you need a quick charge!

[@Pain4yourmind]

I normally take trip to the south of France once a year and I worked out using an electric car I would add over 4-5 hours to my total trip time. I take. 10min toilet break and quick walk and top up with fuel if needed, it’s all about getting there journey dont asap. And that’s also assuming no queueing at the charge stations which I frequently see. I will not invest in an electric car until battery’s are replaced for a better technology.

[@MBrown]

Hey sorry to hear that, but on a trip to France wouldn't you stop for the toilet or lunch anyway? I just eat lunch when we charge and as soon as we're finished the batteries full.

[@martinekstrom6303]

That sounds like dreadful trips. If it’s all about time,, fly.

[@bloodstockvip2176]

My car too did the speed restriction at night once, limited me to 31mph in a 50mph, although cruise still worked. Odd and I've had Tesla Vision from the start so that's on the Christmas update for some reason 🤷‍♂️

[@MBrown]

Hey yes it does seem like the Xmas update to me too, very strange

[@williambaxendale7641]

Occasionally,my Model 3 takes it upon itself to slow below the speed limit, without warning. It does, however, show è.g. 30 in a 40 as it happens. Think it may relate to previous roadwork restrictions that have not updated. No problem, just close auto pilot and back up to limit.

[@MBrown]

Yeah it could be that, I've had that happen before, but this said ' Speed limited due to visibility' a new one I haven't seen before

[@williambaxendale7641]

That’s a good safety feature, but the situation to which I refer isn’t that. Regularly in a nearby village the car invariably slows to 30 well into the continuous 40 limit. I can only think that some time ago there was a temporary lower limit just there?

[@justgetatesla]

You can't rely on the miles of range shown on the state of charge / miles icon. That is only WLTP - use the range shown on the consumption charts to get an accurate number

[@MBrown]

Hey yes that's why I always use the Trip counter, then you know exactly how well the car does. (I never find it does as well as it says it will)

[@Tom-fe9bu]

I think the first time your autopilot was limited was because it thought the speed limit was 40 because it does reduce to the speed limit when autopilot is engaged now. Altho I have had both this and the warning you got about visibility in my early 2022 model 3.

[@MBrown]

Hey It was 60mph but changed it to 40mph when that warning comes up. Had it happen three times over the journey, pretty annoying as the weather wasn’t that terrible

[@Tom-fe9bu]

Interesting it changed the speed limit icon to 40 too despite it being a 60mph road. Never had that before but have had it pick up speed signs on side roads which has reduced it before automatically even in clear conditions for myself as I suspected that was a similar thing that happened to you the first time it came up. Was rather annoying for me as it was a 30 in a 60🤦‍♂️😂- great video, thank you

[@matthewhicklin1507]

Great video Mark Always enjoy watching your videos I got my model 3 RWD model just before Xmas and really loving it. Well done

[@MBrown]

Thanks Matthew, oh nice what a great Christmas present! Hope you're enjoying your new Tesla

[@matthewrichardson795]

Will have to watch this tomorrow but I’m just back after a 300 mile trip and will be keen to hear your thoughts!

[@MBrown]

Thanks Matthew! Hope yours went well!

[@matthewrichardson795]

@@MBrown had the range down to 7 miles before charging today. Slightly nervous!

[@MBrown]

@@matthewrichardson795 ohh that is close! My lowest has been 5 I think! Nail biting!

[@matthewrichardson795]

@@MBrown but pleasingly accurate!

[@matthewrichardson795]

@@MBrown enjoyed the video. I have similar feelings than you about everything. Wipers poor and I can’t get on with the new indicators so left those off but everything else great. I’m hoping the supercharger cost comes down again one day when the world sorts itself out energy wise but still ok and thankfully I am on 7.5ppkw at home so most trips are for pennies.

[@tdtesla]

Hi Mark - how do you get on with your white seats? Are they high maintenance? tia Ii don't have any problems at all with my wipers..? I also like the indicators feature - my Maserati mate rolled his eyes & said they'd had that for years lol Great video - as always, thanks!

[@MBrown]

Hey thanks for the comment, yes the white seats have been great, 2 years nearly now and look like new. Just clean them with regular wipes, nothing special.

[@tdtesla]

@@MBrown am thinking of getting the Quicksilver Model Y with white seats - looks so pretty lol. But then I love my Model 3!

[@wintersun398]

surprised the hotel didn’t have a few easee charge points Did you find the public 7kW charge points in Yarmo? They are 30pence/kWh iirc

[@MBrown]

Yeah I think all hotels should add them... they can charge for them so it could be a good money maker for them too

[@jackmcbirney8558]

Hi Mark. What cameras / mics do you use? Great quality footage

[@MBrown]

Hey thanks, for most of this video it was the iPhone 14 Pro… but also own a Sony ZV-E1

[@jackmcbirney8558]

@@MBrown Thanks for the info. Great channel. Hope to see more Tesla videos soon

[@flyersforcup18]

Great video, as always. Agree on the wipers, annoying at times. Fashion question? Corded navy jacket - Reiss ?

[@MBrown]

Hey thanks! The jacket is from Zara! Got it a few years ago but pulled it back out of the wardrobe!

[@petermckinnon386]

I live in Lowestoft not far from Great Yarmouth 😀

[@nigelcharles511]

I totally agree that the auto windscreen wipe is poor. My 2011 VW Golf was better in this respect. I wonder whether any subsequent improvements can be done by software or whether it is totally dependent on the sensor.

[@MBrown]

hey Nigel, yes I really hope so! My fingers hurt after 800 miles tapping the button haha

[@nickieredshaw7835]

Until late 22 I would agree about the poor wipers and poor auto headlights but had the camera on the windshield recalibrated due to error saying about steering system needs attention after having new front tires at I guess the shop didn’t set the tracking properly went to service centre and they worked there magic and now wipers and auto headlights are much improved like yesterday it was raining hard and wipers worked as you would want and no extra wiping needed. Our is a 2020 3 sr+ so maybe contact Tesla and ask them to look into it as ours was foc

[@nigelcharles511]

@@nickieredshaw7835 Thanks for the info. Not totally convinced that the problem is that straightforward. I have had times when it wipes a dry screen one day and not wipe during light rain the next. Also it seems to be worse at night so maybe the camera isn't as good as whatever a 2011 VW uses.

[@nickieredshaw7835]

@@nigelcharles511 all cars auto wipers don’t like bright sun and can get confused I’ve had this with lots of different cars over the years like the headlights coming on when it’s nice and sunny etc, but it’s nite and day difference for us , it mite be a different problem with other cars just telling you how it was and is now , going out tomorrow if it start raining I’ll shoot a video and upload it to KZbin and link it in here next time it’s raining when in the car

[@nigelcharles511]

@@nickieredshaw7835 Whatever the reason the autowipe capabilities on my Model 3 are not as good as either our Kia Soul or my previous car (a 2011 VW Golf). The next time I need to go to the Tesla service centre I will ask them to check the settings on the windscreen camera but as many Tesla owners have similar comments I don't expect a huge improvement.

[@aravindhravi2307]

I mean for wipers we can use the auto function or set it to a level . It works here in the US

[@MBrown]

Yes the auto settings just don’t work very well here. I can use manual of course but only car I’ve had where auto wipers don’t work well

[@nickbrooker1411]

@@MBrown agreed! only had the MYLR 3 weeks but the wipers are very annoying! Left on auto they either dont work at all and i end up manually activating each time i want a wipe or on auto they're permently on for now reason! hope they resolve this on the next software update

[@notoriouskickz8782]

Awesome Video

[@MBrown]

Thanks so much! 👍

[@menthe885]

The wind wipers live their own lifes. That's one of the biggest bummer... And you can't turn them off when you have cruisecontrol activated...

[@MBrown]

Yeah they need a huge improvement

[@darrenkent9946]

Hi Mark have the engineers fixed the wipers yet

[@MBrown]

Hey Derren, no they are still rubbish haha

[@mhsohel47]

It's not the camera that restricted you to 40 mph, it's the map road speed that the car detected is 40 which is wrong map data. In Europe, especially in the UK map data is wrong. And mileage you see on display is static wltp range not real world, it does not take into account speed, uphill, rain etc. Only route planning shows you real world percentage

[@MBrown]

So it was showing the road as 60mph until the first warning, then it fixed it to 40mph. It was 100% a camera visibility issue, if you check the video at this point kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoSWi5yuiM2jbLc , even the message on screen says " Autopilot Speed limited due to poor visibility" - Hope this helps. It seems like a new message since the last update

[@mhsohel47]

Hmm, heavy rain is bad for these cameras. 5 mp camera is coming with HW 4.

[@grantmcdonnell174]

How comes you don’t charge to 100% on the long trips? Time saving as it slows down i guess? I use a 2023 model Y for uber in London and can’t charge at home.

[@MBrown]

I do sometimes however I find charging to 80% is a lot faster and usually by the time I’ve used 80% I’ll need the toilet or want to stop. I’ll sometimes start a long journey with 100% though 👍

[@grantmcdonnell174]

Yeah getting to 80% is definitely a lot faster! Im in the same position but i like to get to 100% from time to time

[@PRG888]

Is Gridserve on the Tesla map or did you use Zap Map?

[@MBrown]

So this one does appear on the Tesla map as it's one of the few with Superchargers, however I noticed Gridserve doesn't come up (I used one in Cornwall yesterday that didn't come up.)

[@dang3254]

Nice to see you back Mark and happy new year Dan

[@MBrown]

Thanks Dan, happy new year!

[@cokyrobes]

Thank you so much for posting this video - really important to show that the recent FUD articles about massive queues were just the usual oil money making a mountain out of a molehill! Great editing work btw!

[@MBrown]

You're welcome and glad you enjoyed the video.

[@alexdalgleish1061]

Did you do the trip last Christmas with free miles?! Charging definitely pricey. My ice car for same distance might only have been another £20.

[@MBrown]

Hey yes I also had free miles left for this trip too (then run out at the end of the year) yes price is getting much closer now

[@jameswilliams2323]

I’m confused - that wasn’t Ferrybridge supercharger? Still watching btw..!

[@MBrown]

Hey James oh that’s strange, that’s what it said on my Sat Nav! Which one was I at? 😂

[@jameswilliams2323]

Not sure! I was there twice between Christmas and New Year on a trip to York and it definitely didn’t look like that…! Ferrybridge is back-to-back stalls and all the ‘other’ chargers are over the other side of the car park. What does your charging invoice say?!

[@MBrown]

@@jameswilliams2323 ah it’s sayings Heartshead Moor!

[@jameswilliams2323]

Was probably the wiser choice anyway as Ferrybridge was carnage on both occasions!

[@richardhepworth]

Yeah definitely Hartshead Moor eastbound

[@larsrosing5033]

Use the wipers manually, no problem no effort! 😉

[@MBrown]

Sometimes that works for me, but you know when it’s that light misty rain. It’s either on too fast or too slow for me

[@robarnold578]

I totally agree about the wipers! It’s the one thing I dislike about the car. Do you think it can be sorted in future updates, or is it more of a hardware issue?

[@MBrown]

Hey I think it’s a hardware issue, there are no rain sensors like a normal car, Elon said it could be done just with cameras!

[@cokyrobes]

I think it can be done via software - it's just about calibration of the cameras to be better at detecting different rain amounts

[@MBrown]

@@cokyrobes Fingers crossed! Hope they can do it

[@ulfw]

Extremely expensive to charge. Not surprisingly.

[@MBrown]

Yeah I'm hoping it will go down soon.

[@somewaresim]

Unfortunately, although the M3 is a great car to drive, every feature prefixed with “auto” is pretty rubbish now, auto-headlights, wipers, steering. The cruise control is downright dangerous with phantom breaking. Such a shame.

[@MBrown]

Yeah I agree with you there Gary, it needs some improving for sure

[@Chris-sp5ld]

I don't have a Tesla but all-ways been a big fan - love the road trip videos, very familiar places, particularly Norwich, Great Yearmouth, also the Cornwall trip

[@MBrown]

Thanks so much! Glad to hear you’ve been to the places too!

[@tommendoza1812]

Yeh same, I’m in Portsmouth, shame about the lack of Chichester footage! 😆 no issues with queues then at chargers?

[@MBrown]

@@tommendoza1812 Haha I know, we literally were all either and it was raining all week, I was going to pop in shots from my previous Chichester road trip video, but it looked like summer haha

[@RedRocketTesla]

Great video Mark as always! Trust you both had a good Christmas. Cliff.

[@MBrown]

Thanks Cliff, yeah it was lovely to have some time off and see the family! Hope you had a great one too! I was watching your Solar video the other day! 100% want to get some on our next house move! 👍

[@RedRocketTesla]

@@MBrown very exciting when the sun ☀️ appears 🤦‍♂️…. What has life become! 🤣….

[@MBrown]

@@RedRocketTesla haha! Have you managed to charge the car fully from Solar? It’s the kind of thing I get excited about, being off grid!

[@RedRocketTesla]

@@MBrown not fully, but we have only had about 4-5hrs true daylight since install each day… I can get between 10-20%…. So I’m hoping we will get enough daylight to do at least 50% in a day come the summer.

[@bobjohn3108]

What's yours and everyone's thoughts of the daily mails and other media outlets mocking the teslas queueing over the Xmas period? Model Y was the 3rd best selling car of 2022, around 35k odd. We only have 30-40k public chargers in the UK, its bound to be busy

[@MBrown]

Hey I can say I could see on the map some stations were full, however it's very rare it's like that in my experience. Most people could just drive to the next charger use a third party like Instavolt

[@bobjohn3108]

Talktv was being way too over dramatic and calling everyone smug

[@jjZ41962]

Great Yarmouth lookes as horrible as Blackpool. For the love of God I wreally cannot understand that people like these places.

[@MBrown]

Haha, It used to be lovely, hopefully it will come back again!

[@eprohoda]

thanks- beautiful - catch you later- Mark~😲

[@MBrown]

Thank you! 😃👍