Upcoming Trip - Looking for Charging Advice

[richguy82]

I have a trip planned from central Florida to Pigeon Forge coming up soon. There seems to be plenty of charging on the way up, but not so much in that part of Tennessee. I only see the one charging station (Tesla) within 25 minutes of where I am staying. Seems a bit risky to only be able to rely on the one charger. Anyone else know this area and can provide insight on this station or the surrounding area options? I’ve only attempted to use Tesla twice. One time I had to park on the sidewalk because of the short cables at the only charger left because it was mobbed. The other time I wasn’t able to charge at all because it was mobbed. I’m starting to lean toward ICE for the trip.

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[Yellow Buddy]

I have a trip planned from central Florida to Pigeon Forge coming up soon. There seems to be plenty of charging on the way up, but not so much in that part of Tennessee. I only see the one charging station (Tesla) within 25 minutes of where I am staying. Seems a bit risky to only be able to rely on the one charger. Anyone else know this area and can provide insight on this station or the surrounding area options? I’ve only attempted to use Tesla twice. One time I had to park on the sidewalk because of the short cables at the only charger left because it was mobbed. The other time I wasn’t able to charge at all because it was mobbed. I’m starting to lean toward ICE for the trip.

Where are you staying? Dollywood? I just did a trip that way. Up 95 is a piece of cake, not sure about 75. Southern part of TN is dicey, stop in Asheville NC and you'll make it with plenty to spare.

Once you're there, Rocky Top Ford has a CCS on RedE about 15min away, There's a Kempower in Seymour that's about 30min. Buc-ee's is an about 25 min away with chargers.

If you're doing a multi day stay, there are several L2s in the area as well.

 

[RLXXI]

I have all of the different brand charging networks apps on my phone to cross reference as they will have the most up to date info on new chargers they may have installed that the built in navigation might not know about yet.

Plug Share
Electrify America
Tesla
Charge Point
EV Connect
EVgo
Blink
Shell
BP Pulse

I'm sure there's more but those seem to be enough to get me anywhere I want to go.

 

[K6CCC]

PlugShare.com is a good reference that largely shows most (not all) networks. It also usually has recent check ins from other drivers and photos of the location. The photos are very useful to help determine if you can get a short Tesla cable to reach (or if you are towing a trailer). You can augment that with Google Earth or Street View (if they have recent enough photos).

And I agree with the suggestion to top off in Asheville, NC on the way.

 

[dustinroyer]

We drove my wife’s Mach-E from southwest Louisiana to Pigeon Forge last November. For around town driving, I planned to top up at the Tesla chargers in Pigeon Forge (must have a NACS adapter.) We rented a cabin, and I kept the car plugged into 120 volts any time we were’t using it and ended up never needing the Tesla chargers. Your mileage may vary, though.

 

[richguy82]

Thanks for the input all. I am coming up west of Atlanta and staying like 20-25 minutes south of Pigeon Forge. Doesn’t seem like much there. I really wanted to find a house with a charger that worked for our group, but it didn’t work out that way. Hopefully, I can get enough with 120v. I just hate to rely on it. The Rocky Top Ford is like 40 minutes away. I do see a number of level 2s as well. Not many though.

 

[RickLightning]

I have a trip planned from central Florida to Pigeon Forge coming up soon. There seems to be plenty of charging on the way up, but not so much in that part of Tennessee. I only see the one charging station (Tesla) within 25 minutes of where I am staying. Seems a bit risky to only be able to rely on the one charger. Anyone else know this area and can provide insight on this station or the surrounding area options? I’ve only attempted to use Tesla twice. One time I had to park on the sidewalk because of the short cables at the only charger left because it was mobbed. The other time I wasn’t able to charge at all because it was mobbed. I’m starting to lean toward ICE for the trip.

12 SuperChargers at that location. No comments in PlugShare about waiting. Charge to 80%, use 120v overnight, and you will be at 100% in a day or so.

 

[djwildstar]

I have a trip planned from central Florida to Pigeon Forge coming up soon. [...] I’ve only attempted to use Tesla twice.

My usual road trips are up and down I-75, either Atlanta-Orlando or Atlanta-Detroit. Offhand, I think you should be in good shape. My first ever road trip in the Lightning was in May 2023, just a week after I got it, from Atlanta to Huntington WV. At the time, there were no fast chargers on I-64 east of Lexington. My usual route planning approach is to plug the entire trip (including local running at my destination, and the return trip) into ABRP and see what it says.

Just offhand, from central Florida I'd probably do the I-75/I-40 route (Orlando -> Valdosta -> Warner Robbins -> Atlanta -> Chattanooga -> Knoxville -> Pigeon Forge) rather than the I-95/I-26/I-40 route (Orlando -> Jacksonville -> Savannah -> Columbia -> Spartanburg - > Asheville -> Pigeon Forge). The route hits more urban centers, and the charging situation overall seems better.

There is a 12-stall Tesla v3 SuperCharger station (meaning 250kW, short cable, adapter required) in Pigeon Forge. PlugShare gives it a 10/10 score, and the Tesla app is currently showing all 12 stalls available. Many of the hotels there also show AC charging: The Inn on the River, Marriott, SpringHill Suites, Smoky Mountain Resorts, Holiday Inn, Cambria, and Home2 all have AC chargers with 7/10 or better scores.

Overall there seem to be plenty of chargers all along I-75 and I-40, including the outstanding Mercedes-Benz 400kW chargers in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Calhoun, Atlanta, and Warner-Robbins.

 

[richguy82]

My usual road trips are up and down I-75, either Atlanta-Orlando or Atlanta-Detroit. Offhand, I think you should be in good shape. My first ever road trip in the Lightning was in May 2023, just a week after I got it, from Atlanta to Huntington WV. At the time, there were no fast chargers on I-64 east of Lexington. My usual route planning approach is to plug the entire trip (including local running at my destination, and the return trip) into ABRP and see what it says.

Just offhand, from central Florida I'd probably do the I-75/I-40 route (Orlando -> Valdosta -> Warner Robbins -> Atlanta -> Chattanooga -> Knoxville -> Pigeon Forge) rather than the I-95/I-26/I-40 route (Orlando -> Jacksonville -> Savannah -> Columbia -> Spartanburg - > Asheville -> Pigeon Forge). The route hits more urban centers, and the charging situation overall seems better.

There is a 12-stall Tesla v3 SuperCharger station (meaning 250kW, short cable, adapter required) in Pigeon Forge. PlugShare gives it a 10/10 score, and the Tesla app is currently showing all 12 stalls available. Many of the hotels there also show AC charging: The Inn on the River, Marriott, SpringHill Suites, Smoky Mountain Resorts, Holiday Inn, Cambria, and Home2 all have AC chargers with 7/10 or better scores.

Overall there seem to be plenty of chargers all along I-75 and I-40, including the outstanding Mercedes-Benz 400kW chargers in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Calhoun, Atlanta, and Warner-Robbins.

Good notes, thank you. I was planning on coming up west of Atlanta and also considering doing the east coast on the back end of the trip.

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