Route suggestions for towing through PA

[fastwheels]

I've charged at the EA charger in State College a couple of times and it would be really tough with a trailer because of where it's located, but the SC would work. Every time we've driven past it there have only been 1-2 cars charging AND it's on the opposite side of the Sheetz from the gas pumps.

The SC in Lancaster is at another Sheetz in the "back corner" of the property:

From Sheetz in Lancaster to the RAN in Christiana it's an easy drive - one that a lot of tractor trailers do regularly. Just head east on Rte. 30 and take Rte. 41 south to DE. Going through Lancaster city is also not difficult if you want to take 222/272 to 95...Again lots of trucks.

After looking at a lot of this route on StreetView, I think we will try Rte 30 to Rte 41 S to Rte 7 which looks like the most direct route to Christiana, plus it is multilane for much of that route.

KBabione's post is spot on. Rt41 is easy with a trailer, you may hit some stop and go from traffic lights. Chargers are generally underutilized around this area, it will just be a matter of trying to angle the trailer to not block traffic. Christiana mall lot is open enough that you'll be blocking lanes but wont be an issue.

Don't underestimate the elevation changes into/out of state college though. There are some decent hills that will suck up range so you may need to stop in Harrisburg for a full charge to make is back to state college.

I'm thinking that I may be able to do a straight shot from State College to Christiana, but I'm hoping one of you can give me some idea of how the roads are from State College down - is it pretty much downhill out of State College, or is there a lot of up and down gradually decreasing in elevation?

It looks like about 173 miles but based on the efficiency I got last week on a test pull, so assuming the route is predominately downhill I think I could make it.

I ran a 230 mile route last week through northern MI that started at an elevation of 627, climbed up to about 1400 ft (hilly up and down), then down to a destination of 610, reversed course back home. Speed was 55-65 with peaks up to around 70, minimal wind, and temps in the 70s. I saw 15 min efficiency numbers of anywhere from 1.31 to 1.84 with the overall average (tuck trailer screen estimate) of 1.60, which was better than I had anticipated. If I charge in State College to 95%, and plan to arrive with a 10% buffer (not comfortable getting much lower), with a 1.6% efficiency I theoretically should get about 171 miles of range.

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[KBabione]

I'm your guy...I grew up in State College and have done the drive many times and, with a daughter hoping to start at Penn State in 2025, I'll be doing it many times more. I just learned how to use PlugShare to generate Elevation Profiles...Here's yours from State College to the RAN in Christiana:

You're right - from State College you'll lose elevation, but, as you can see above, there are a couple of downs and ups. You'll mostly have four lanes for the first 7 miles until you get to Boalsburg, where it merges to two. From there it's generally flat until just before you hit four lanes again. You'll peak crossing Seven Mountains and then begin your long downhill (complete with runaway truck ramp near the bottom) with the reservoir on your left. Once you're down the mountain it's all four-lane highways and mostly flat to Lancaster. Trust your nav system through Harrisburg when it wants to put you on I-81 North - it's only for a couple of miles to I-83 but it feels very counter-intuitive. Pay attention on I-83...You're only on it for about 4 miles and it's a left exit to I-283. Stay in the right lane on I-283 because you'll have to exit in a couple miles to get onto Rte 283 (it's a state road to Lancaster, not a federal road). After that it's smooth sailing to Lancaster.

As you come into Lancaster on Rte 283 stay to the left as much as you can when you see signs for "Fruitville Pike" to avoid the construction in a mile at Rte 222. At this point you can do a gut-check to decide if you need to charge a little before continuing on - The Sheetz with the SC is right off Rte 30 on Greenfield Road.

I'll apologize now for Rte 30 from Lancaster to Gap...There are a lot of lights and you have to deal with the tourons here during the summer. As soon as you're past the outlets it drops to a 2-lane highway and you'll be happy when you hit 40 MPH. From Gap to Christiana it's a mix of 2, 3, and 4-lane roads where people will gun it to get past you when they have a passing lane. With a different SOC (and no trailer) it could be a fun drive.

As you get into Delaware it will be back to 4-lanes but a bunch of lights so you're not going above 35-40 as you get to the Mall.

Happy to help and hope your travels go well!

 

[fastwheels]

I'm your guy...I grew up in State College and have done the drive many times and, with a daughter hoping to start at Penn State in 2025, I'll be doing it many times more. I just learned how to use PlugShare to generate Elevation Profiles...Here's yours from State College to the RAN in Christiana:

You're right - from State College you'll lose elevation, but, as you can see above, there are a couple of downs and ups. You'll mostly have four lanes for the first 7 miles until you get to Boalsburg, where it merges to two. From there it's generally flat until just before you hit four lanes again. You'll peak crossing Seven Mountains and then begin your long downhill (complete with runaway truck ramp near the bottom) with the reservoir on your left. Once you're down the mountain it's all four-lane highways and mostly flat to Lancaster. Trust your nav system through Harrisburg when it wants to put you on I-81 North - it's only for a couple of miles to I-83 but it feels very counter-intuitive. Pay attention on I-83...You're only on it for about 4 miles and it's a left exit to I-283. Stay in the right lane on I-283 because you'll have to exit in a couple miles to get onto Rte 283 (it's a state road to Lancaster, not a federal road). After that it's smooth sailing to Lancaster.

As you come into Lancaster on Rte 283 stay to the left as much as you can when you see signs for "Fruitville Pike" to avoid the construction in a mile at Rte 222. At this point you can do a gut-check to decide if you need to charge a little before continuing on - The Sheetz with the SC is right off Rte 30 on Greenfield Road.

I'll apologize now for Rte 30 from Lancaster to Gap...There are a lot of lights and you have to deal with the tourons here during the summer. As soon as you're past the outlets it drops to a 2-lane highway and you'll be happy when you hit 40 MPH. From Gap to Christiana it's a mix of 2, 3, and 4-lane roads where people will gun it to get past you when they have a passing lane. With a different SOC (and no trailer) it could be a fun drive.

As you get into Delaware it will be back to 4-lanes but a bunch of lights so you're not going above 35-40 as you get to the Mall.

Happy to help and hope your travels go well!

Wow! That is super helpful - thanks!

Care to share the trick on how you created that elevation chart? I'd love to do one for each one of my segments...

 

[KBabione]

Care to share the trick on how you created that elevation chart? I'd love to do one for each one of my segments...

I'll give full credit to @Budman in this thread: Using PlugShare for Route Planning

Here are the Cliff Notes:

• In PlugShare click on the 3 bars on the left of the screen to the left of "Search for a Charging Location" and scroll down to "Trip Planner" then select "Plan a New Trip"
• On the right side of your screen you'll now have a pop-up with your start and destination and it will plan your trip on the map
• In the right-side pop-up you'll see a "Elevation" button that will give you the elevation profile for your trip
• You can easily save each segment

You may have to play with the filters a bit if you want to include the chargers. For example, I now have an A2Z adapter on order so I had to add NACS as a valid plug type in my filters for the Tesla SC's to appear on my route. Enjoy!

 

[fastwheels]

I'll give full credit to @Budman in this thread: Using PlugShare for Route Planning

Here are the Cliff Notes:

• In PlugShare click on the 3 bars on the left of the screen to the left of "Search for a Charging Location" and scroll down to "Trip Planner" then select "Plan a New Trip"
• On the right side of your screen you'll now have a pop-up with your start and destination and it will plan your trip on the map
• In the right-side pop-up you'll see a "Elevation" button that will give you the elevation profile for your trip
• You can easily save each segment

You may have to play with the filters a bit if you want to include the chargers. For example, I now have an A2Z adapter on order so I had to add NACS as a valid plug type in my filters for the Tesla SC's to appear on my route. Enjoy!

That works pretty well as long as I do each segment individually. Thanks! Something else to obsess over for the next few days...

 

[Budman]

That works pretty well as long as I do each segment individually. Thanks! Something else to obsess over for the next few days...

If you use the web version you can see the elevation profile of the whole route. The phone app version is just one segment at a time.

 

[KBabione]

@fastwheels - How about an update telling us how your trip went? Inquiring minds want to know...

 

[fastwheels]

@fastwheels - How about an update telling us how your trip went? Inquiring minds want to know...

Between the forecast of rain in OH, PA, and NJ for Tuesday/Wednesday (most of our route) and more rain for Thursday at the track in NJ, coupled with a couple of family issues, we decided to cancel on Monday. More risk of damage to the car fresh off a 3 year restoration on an open trailer than I was comfortable with. My initial plan was to haul it in an enclosed trailer, but that became unavailable a few weeks ago, so my backup plan was to use an open U-Haul car transporter.

 

[KBabione]

Between the forecast of rain in OH, PA, and NJ for Tuesday/Wednesday (most of our route) and more rain for Thursday at the track in NJ, coupled with a couple of family issues, we decided to cancel on Monday. More risk of damage to the car fresh off a 3 year restoration on an open trailer than I was comfortable with. My initial plan was to haul it in an enclosed trailer, but that became unavailable a few weeks ago, so my backup plan was to use an open U-Haul car transporter.

I guess taking it to a boat place and having it shrink-wrapped isn't an option...

After all of that planning...Sounds like a tough, but correct, decision. Perhaps we can meet when you reschedule your trip.

 

[fastwheels]

I guess taking it to a boat place and having it shrink-wrapped isn't an option...

After all of that planning...Sounds like a tough, but correct, decision. Perhaps we can meet when you reschedule your trip.

My trip to NJ won't be rescheduled - it was for the annual Shelby Club convention which is being held this week at NJ Motorsports Park. Next year it will be at Sonoma Raceway, but I won't be trailering all the way out there!

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