Spring 2026 Return

So, the Tesla's are a game changer (as much as we hate to admit that - we contain multitudes). They ALWAYS work, the connection time is so quick, there's always one available, and they reliably deliver @ 97kW.

Because we have the Hyundai Ioniq 5 we can only charge at Tesla Superchargers 2, 3 & 4's (we haven't seen one of these yet). And of the entire TransCanada that we traveled, Sudbury is the ONLY location with only Version 1's. The CCS chargers we'd otherwise use are max 50kW and there's very few of them. Sudbury sucks.

We had 4 days of clear (dry, sunny) weather; the final day rained all day (wet roads) with a 15kph headwind and our consumption increased that day by 10% :(

We charged a total of 15 times in the journey from Nelson to Heathcote (of which 12 were Tesla's). We spent a total of $392, including a one month Tesla membership fee to reduce charging costs. We figure if we had been in our efficient Honda CRV, this would have been closer to $800, so at least half the cost. If you can hold your nose and stomach buying a Tesla, the charging would take less than half this time as they can charge much more quickly on their own network.

And finally, and very importantly, the trip has become comparatively stress-free. Geoff's happy to do most of the driving and I can sit back and eat bon-bons ;)