Tesla Model 3 Cross-Country Road Trip: Vegas to Chicago

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Join us on an electrifying adventure from Las Vegas to Chicago as we push the limits with this “cannonball” attempt in our 2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range. In this epic journey, we traveled through absolutely beautiful landscapes in Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois, only stopping for quick charging sessions. Our goal was to conquer the 2,000-mile journey in under 30 hours, which is what the Tesla app told us this trip would take, only relying on the supercharging network.
Teslas are the best road tripping vehicles, and it is not only possible, but easy to travel with your family. Autopilot makes these trips so easy, and the Tesla navigation makes it thoughtless as it plans the entire route - including charging details - for you.
Embark on this unforgettable cross-country road trip with us, as we share the thrills, challenges, and moments of awe along the way. Whether you’re a Tesla enthusiast, planning your own road trip, or simply seeking inspiration, this video has something for everyone.
Get ready to hit the road and explore the beauty of America in a Tesla Model 3. Subscribe for more exciting journeys and Tesla adventures, and don’t forget to hit that like button if you enjoyed the ride!
#TeslaRoadTrip #CrossCountryAdventure #Model3 #ElectricJourney #RoadTripUSA #TeslaModel3 #TeslaAdventure #ElectricRoadTrip #TravelVlog #TeslaChallenge #RoadTripChallenge #tesla #teslamodel3 #model3 #roadtrip

[@vegasteslafamily]

You can watch me slowly fall apart through the video as lack of sleep kicks in 😅

[@cgamiga]

That's why I love AutoPilot for roadtrips.. doesn't just reduce driver fatigue (a LOT; charge rest stops/breaks help also)... but having the car constantly watching 360o around you and making sure staying in lane & far enough behind car ahead of you, reassures me that a drowsy drop in attention won't be as dangerous. Still gotta be careful! But having car as co-pilot, helps a lot

[@vegasteslafamily]

@@cgamiga absolutely. Before, I would dread 3 hour road trips playing lacrosse in college. Now I willingly use autpilot across the country!

[@biancaf41]

14:25 A Bed Sounds Pretty Good 😂😂😂

[@jdub_vdub]

I’ll never complain about having to drive from vegas to cedar city again after seeing how far you just went 😆

[@vegasteslafamily]

Haha! Can make it without stopping to charge!

[@clintonpracher8814]

I loved this video! I'm taking delivery of my new Tesla today and this provided so much entertainment and range anxiety relief! Thanks for putting this together :)

[@vegasteslafamily]

Congrats!!! Range anxiety is overrated! Which one are you getting?

[@clintonpracher8814]

I'm getting the Model Y Performance :) @@vegasteslafamily

[@AnythingAuto]

I also had range anxiety when driving across country but it does go away there is really Chargers everywhere. Your issue comes to the quality of the charger where some are rated at 250 kilowatts and you're only charging at 72 kilowatts it really takes a toll on your body waiting that long each trip

[@rogerserafin]

Nice video ya guys. Both of you are soldiers !! 28 hours for some yummy food. Love the videos. This will help me gain a little more confidence in driving my new Tesla for long distance. Thanks !!

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thank you! 😁 it was yummy to me, her first reaction didn’t seem to agree 😂 Glad to help! 😊

[@bizforall]

Thanks for sharing. I have been planning to do this.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thanks for watching!

[@brianriebedriveselectric]

Fun challenge! Glad it went so well.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thanks for watching! 😁

[@gilmorgan4068]

SUPER NICE VID, LOVE FROM PORT ST LUCIE, FLORIDA

[@vegasteslafamily]

THANK YOU

[@Chrisb8s]

Next time. Come down to Mesa az. We have a full blown portillos. And also Lou manattis

[@vegasteslafamily]

There’s Portillo’s not too far in California, but the Lou’s may be worth a trip!

[@mcauleyrj]

Great video, I did that drive in reverse in May, but I started in southeast Michigan. I used many of the same super chargers, but I stopped for the night twice.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thanks! Our first time on this route - pretty boring outside Colorado and Utah!

[@mcauleyrj]

The good thing is that it is a straight shot. I mostly turned on autopilot and let it rip.

[@johnchristopher7697]

Great video!

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thank you 😁

[@cgamiga]

Great video and stats, nice drive... hope the food was worth it! :) Well done, showing how easy the in-car nav trip planning and supercharging works, and how short most stops typically are (15mins, enough to hit bathroom, stretch, maybe a snack..) How long would it have been, and cost, for a gas car, with fewer stops? Typically ABRP estimates only around 15-20% longer, but that doesn't count stops multitasking for potty/food breaks (harder to do w/ gas fillups, and folks never count potty breaks)... but is 30-50% cheaper than gas, too. Glad you arrived safe, enjoy your stay!

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thanks for the watch! You can be our 500th sub 😁 Google navigation said 24 hours if we drove straight and didn’t stop to charge or get gas! The cost- not sure, looks to be almost double what we paid.

[@lisak3489]

Just subscribed! Excited for both of your; love your adventures. For long drives, do you have a back up plan in case of a flat tire?

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thank you! 😁 we have a tire inflator and some slime thing with it in the trunk. Not a full spare, but hopefully enough to help us drive to somewhere to get a spare in case of emergency!

[@user-dl1ld3zn8i]

Great video and very informative. I picked up my midnight silver Model 3 RWD last week. I’ll be road tripping it for Thanksgiving. So I appreciate your tips. You may have mentioned this in an earlier post, but which trim level is your car?

[@vegasteslafamily]

Exciting! I have the M3 long range. If the RWD was a LFP battery back when I purchased, I would’ve went with RWD as well. Being able to use 100% of the battery daily is sweet!

[@GetThisNick]

Let’s go! Rocket league playlist is top tier!

[@vegasteslafamily]

😂😂😂 oh oh oh tell me

[@kernalrom]

We have a Portellos in Plano... Its good but that good

[@vegasteslafamily]

The cheese fries tho

[@Reddylion]

Nice ev and boxer.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thank you 😁

[@RealPod4Christ]

Great video! She's killing me with the frogs lol

[@vegasteslafamily]

😂 frogs in the grass. Happens all the time

[@SanDiegoTeslaGuy]

There's TWO in California. Bueno Park & Moreno Valley. I'm sure that's closer than driving to Chicago??? 🙂

[@vegasteslafamily]

Yes, but it doesn’t make for a good road trip video 😜

[@purusoths8675]

Love from India ❤ keep making videos about Tesla cars and roadtrips

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thank you! Will do 🫡

[@bigoldjim4696]

All through the video I couldn't help but think "what if Portillo's is closed?". Glad it wasn't.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Idk what’s worse, it being closed or driving 28 hours for her to tell me it’s not the same 😂

[@charlotte.from.shropshire]

Fab video, thank you! I’m in England and planning to buy the new 2024 Tesla. Do you know anywhere in LA area where you can rent them? I would like to try a US road trip with one to test it out myself. Thanks for the helpful video x

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thank you! I recommend Hertz honestly, it may be a bit beat up but you’ll get the best price. If you want a specific one, I’d recommend renting through Turo.

[@zkogianes_]

Awesome vid! I’m taking delivery of a model 3 refresh next week. I plan on going 5% tint on the sides but I’m trying to decide between 50% or 35% for the windshield. What tint do you have on your windshield? I really like the way it looks.

[@vegasteslafamily]

30% on the windshield! 15% on all side windows. Wish I did 5% on the windows. I love the look of the darker windshield, and it's manageable, but I wouldnt go any darker than that lol. Our Y is 50% but idk if we have any videos, it's been in the shop shortly after we tinted it.

[@zkogianes_]

@@vegasteslafamily Sweet! I think I’m for sure going to do 30% or 35% after seeing what it looks like. It’s been a struggle to find M3’s online that have windshield tint darker than 50%. I got the car in black so it’s gonna look super stealthy. Thanks! 😆

[@JOSEF_GAMING45]

​@@zkogianes_ I have 5% on the sides, 20% on the windshield. I love it.

[@SecurityForces702]

end of video the handicap stalls the piece is for those in a wheelchair it is to make the cable harder/stiffer so they can easily take out and more important put back in the holder when they cant reach it cause the cable won't flex at all.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Yep! Learned this. This makes sense! Thank you

[@delmarvaaerial3608]

Awesome trip. Could have done without the pee and poop reports from everyone 😂

[@vegasteslafamily]

It’s part of the experience! 😜

[@kanisantee]

I'm subscribing because of the saints blanket, of course! jk, dope video 🤪

[@vegasteslafamily]

Geaux saints! Thank you 😁

[@bigoldjim4696]

Handle is so you can reach up and grab it from a wheelchair. Otherwise the charging part is too high for ADA requirements. Branden Flasch talked about this in a video recently.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Makes sense!!

[@jonmunar5804]

Portillos is a stop we make from SD to LV. There's one in Moreno Valley lol

[@vegasteslafamily]

Oh us too, every time! We visited family for the week in Chicago though 😜

[@iNationOnline]

Nice video

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thank you!

[@emazonreviews6269]

Do you have FSD? Or did you use autopilot ? Nice trip

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thank you! This one was just on autopilot, we don’t have FSD currently

[@evanbattaglia6980]

I’m doing a similar trip Chicago to New York for fresh bagels

[@vegasteslafamily]

Love it

[@00Savvn]

how much did you end up paying in the superchargers full trip? compared to gas

[@vegasteslafamily]

For the entire trip, not sure! I put the screenshot up from a third party app of what we paid vs what it would have costed for gas at each charging stop though

[@lorismartucci]

in che costs, by puel do you mean the price you would have had to pay for petrol?

[@vegasteslafamily]

Yes

[@eggshi]

What app is that where you show in video the charge price amount vs the gas amount and shows distance etc?

[@vegasteslafamily]

Tessie!

[@vegasteslafamily]

They have a TON of more data too. Awesome app. Not sponsored. Yet 😂

[@vegasteslafamily]

share.tessie.com/FuDoQU2pvDb my referral if you wanna check it out! It’s a free app

[@drmyers85021]

@@vegasteslafamily Great road trip - thanks for sharing! Do you have any tips and tricks for using Tessie? I just signed up using your link :) Thanks in advance!

[@vegasteslafamily]

@@drmyers85021 sweet! I actually have a top 10 road trip tips video that I think is great… The content itself at least, I’m still working on the “production” side of things 😜

[@lorismartucci]

How many more hours would it have taken you with the standard range?

[@vegasteslafamily]

Good question - not sure honestly, maybe 2-3 extra stops, a few minutes extra at some chargers

[@MichaelAbernathy]

I hope you don’t charge in the pull in stalls regularly. Those are for people towing trailers so they don’t have to unhook. And if you do I hope you are always ready to move in case a towing vehicle arrives.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Yup! Was a unique case. Only one available when I pulled in 😁

[@JenoFletter]

Does Tesla charge for navigation? I think all modern cars should have free navigation. It just makes sense. Though I am a Chevy Bolt EUV fan I can not wait to see what the Model 2 looks like and if it has the 25k base price. I like to take my time when I travel and enjoy it all. So I don't mind the charge time of the CB euv and enjoy the sights and sounds of life.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Nope! Navigation is standard connectivity I believe, which is free. Premium connectivity is $10/month. The 25k EV is kind of here quite honestly. The standard model 3 with the EV credit and state incentives knock on that price right now.

[@JenoFletter]

@@vegasteslafamily Cool. The tax credit only means something if you have enough taxes to have 7500 in taxes owed. when I mean base model of 25k That should be before tax credit and "gas saved". All car companies should have a 20-25k base car model before incentives so that normal people not living above their means can afford. Keep up the good vids.

[@cgamiga]

All Tesla connectivity and "tech" features are free/standard, at least for 8years supposedly (they made some noises about older ModelS etc, I think more because they had too-old LTE modems.) Tesla standard gps/nav & other tech is a LOT better than premium navs in other vehicles... MUCH better performance & response, nicer features, often MUCH bigger screen, etc.. and free OTA updates for life, car features added as well as map updates. Oh, and voice control that works VERY well and over 137-150 commands, including texting (contact search is lame though, but response text input works well) Premium connectivity is $10/mo, that basically just covers Tesla's LTE bandwidth (many features below DO work on wifi, eg if you use phone hotspot), lets you: - see google satellite photomaps (VERY useful and helpful for roadtrips & finding unfamiliar superchargers in a parking lot), plus also displays road traffic like google does (red/orange on roads) - video & music streaming for youtube, netflix, disney etc & more, plus Slacker and TuneIn (free accounts ok) plus other music streaming (spotify, apple music, tidal, if you subscribe to their premium accounts).. oh, and Caraoke :). And, internet browser.. .very handy to view business websites DIRECT from the map icon! or, google search (voice commands!) while driving, like "google price of audi x5" to compare vs your Model Y :) - live remote SentryCam views of car cameras while parked, from the app www.tesla.com/support/connectivity

[@osvaldovalencia9305]

How much was the total cost for charging ? Im planning on getting a Tesla in the near future and want a rough idea of how much road trips will be 😁

[@vegasteslafamily]

I didn’t add up the total cost but I posted them at each stop if you wanna do the math 😂

[@ChrisPolg]

Do you have FSD? I want to drive from NJ to Cedar Point and thinking of getting it.

[@vegasteslafamily]

We do not! On road trips where you’re mostly on highway, you’ll be using standard autopilot a great majority of the time anyway!

[@ChrisPolg]

@@vegasteslafamily good point. This will be my first road trip in my M3P

[@mrsamot4677]

Bro learned what twilight was for the first time 19:12

[@vegasteslafamily]

I was so out of it 😂😂😂

[@kevinr8431]

I think we heard more about your bathroom habits than anything else lol

[@vegasteslafamily]

This video is an authentic overnight road trip experience powered by caffeine 🤷😂

[@AnythingAuto]

Congratulations on all the views but I have made many cross-country trips in a Tesla which proved to be the worst experience of our life. We've gone chicago to Vegas many times and had 15 hours of charging round trip each time! We only saved $175 so wasn't worth all the charging time.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thank you, sorry to hear that

[@wt6771]

Do you guys live in Vegas? We are moving there next year.

[@vegasteslafamily]

We do! Where are you moving from?

[@wt6771]

@@vegasteslafamily From North CA.

[@Jakejakejake231]

What app are you using to track your charging?

[@vegasteslafamily]

Tessie here! I use Tezlab now. They’re kinda the same. Most of my friends use Tezlab so that’s why I converted

[@opinionator3884]

I love that the cost is shown. Too often, there is no context on how an EV costs vs. an ICE car on road trips.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thank you!

[@Seazey595]

How do you know when to stop charging so that u have just enough to get to the next one? I assume you dont do 100% at every charger

[@vegasteslafamily]

When you navigate to a destination, it tells you what % battery you’ll arrive with. So when we navigate to the next supercharger, we see what % we will arrive with based on what % we leave with!

[@cgamiga]

The in-car navigation does ALL the planning, and tells you onscreen, during driving and charging, and in the app (eg will alert you a few minutes before charging is ready to go, so you can walk back to car.) It also pre-conditions the battery enroute to a charger to heat/cool it, for fastest & safest charging. The nav does take elevation, temps, recent speeds/driving, traffic, and even forecast headwinds into account for planning range/arrival times! This is a HUGE benefit and SUPER easy vs other EVs/charge networks, especially given the car nav also knows the stall counts & status for all supercharger sites, so if one goes full (rare) or goes down (even MORE rare), it will auto-reroute you to another charger. It isn't perfect as noted in the video @11:14, sometimes it might route you to a slower charger or charge for a long time at one spot for some reason, but as they did, you can just check map yourself and manually route if desired. Charging most EVs above 80% is VERY slow as power(speed) is reduced a LOT, to protect the nearly-full battery... often it can take LONGER (some 2x!) to charge from 80-100%, than from entire 10-80%. You don't "fill up" EVs at each stop, different mindset. Just charge enough to get to next supercharger as they did, and the car plans that. At home of course, charge whatever you want. You CAN of course charge more/longer if you want, eg if you are eating food and taking longer, you can just keep charging... might be enough to skip one charger, as they did. A recommended app/website for other EVs is ABetterRoutePlanner, super-great and advanced trip/charge planner, works for all EVs based on real collected efficiency data, and chargers. Sometimes smarter/bit more efficient than Tesla, but ... not as brain-dead simple :)

[@mabellera2000]

THEN you gotta drive back?! ;)

[@vegasteslafamily]

Yep! More content 😅

[@TheTheboss175]

Why no fsd on this trip?

[@vegasteslafamily]

Because it's $12,000 and our current KZbin income is $0/year!

[@briannash6994]

Great video! I like how you showed the cost of each stop with gas and electric ⚡️

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thank you! 😁

[@soccerrayray9]

Rocket League Only Bangers!!!!

[@vegasteslafamily]

You know it 🔥🔥🔥

[@vegasteslafamily]

Only bangers aka the entire game soundtrack

[@Nippelssiini]

This video should be called ” Peeing across America”

[@vegasteslafamily]

We got another road trip coming up, maybe we’ll do pooping across America!

[@Nippelssiini]

Nice🎉😂

[@vegasteslafamily]

@@Nippelssiini 😂 but thanks for watching, we are trying to learn and make each video better! We’re making the same trip next month with hopefully a better video!

[@clarkzy]

i never understand why people use their stop watch in these videos :D like if its hours you can just use your clock :D

[@vegasteslafamily]

We wanted down to the second

[@Chrisb8s]

25:16 I know someone with a Tesla in a wheelchair. I think that is because when I. A wheelchair the cable needs to put on your lap and it gets very hot. So that helps and also allows for two handed usage

[@vegasteslafamily]

Interesting! It’s very stiff, I thought maybe a version of an extended handle as well

[@itzterror1931]

17:43 can’t park there 😂😂😂

[@vegasteslafamily]

😂😂 we love saying this

[@mixedupfilesmusical4038]

FSD woulda made that trip a lot less work

[@vegasteslafamily]

We had FSD for this trip last year. Much prefer it without! No necessary lane changes

[@user-eh9jn7xe7t]

You guys need the bed.

[@vegasteslafamily]

What bed?

[@user-eh9jn7xe7t]

@@vegasteslafamily they have beds for people to camp in look up Tesla camping.

[@user-eh9jn7xe7t]

For a fun trip I saw someone's video in Georgia some where there's a new v4 superstation!

[@vegasteslafamily]

@@user-eh9jn7xe7t I wanna see one!

[@random-videosworld]

that girlfriend. Of yours Filipina right

[@vegasteslafamily]

Yes

[@random-videosworld]

@@vegasteslafamily same race of your girlfriend hehe

[@bizforall]

Your dog is skinny guys. Please feed him like a dog 🐩. Not like a human on diet.

[@vegasteslafamily]

He was sick! He’s good now

[@MrMcgooOG]

Music is intolerable.

[@vegasteslafamily]

Sorry!

[@NurseLeonardo]

Pee and poop

[@vegasteslafamily]

I know 😂

[@vegasteslafamily]

Next one less of that I promise

[@KLm912]

The most boring Tesla trip video. The tale of pee and poop throughout...and that haircut needs to go dude. Another tip: a bit more about the car had been useful. Is it comfortable on long rides? Consumption? Etc....people are not that interested in how many times you go to bathroom..

[@vegasteslafamily]

Thanks for watching! 😁

[@rightclickdelete]

Every time I see the side of his head I think "what a terrible haircut"

[@vegasteslafamily]

Me too 😜 no longer do I have that haircut!