Next up on my cross Canada EV road trip report is a windy 759 km stretch between Regina and Calgary. This leg was highlighted by catching a football game in Regina and lowlighted by frequent charging stops and some surprisingly bad efficiency.
Once again, here’s what my initial plan looked like. Let’s see how far off I went on estimated charging stops and cost.
With that, let’s dive into this Regina to Calgary road trip report.
What To Do While You Charge in Regina?
Regina was another stop where I got caught up on work for a couple of days. This, conveniently, took me to a weekend where the Roughriders were in town. Going to a game in Regina has long been on my Canadian bucket list and I was happy to ticket it off.
The game certainly didn’t disappoint and will say it is about as close as you will get to an NFL experience outside of the United States. The stadium is great and Riders fans are far and away the most passionate in the league, making for a great night out.
I had some friends fly in to join me for the game and this leg. Aside from the game, we visited a couple of craft breweries and ate Regina Style Pizza. They also brought golf clubs so we took advantage of a couple of courses around town as well as on the way to Medicine Hat.
Where To Charge and Stay in Regina?
I stayed at the Delta Hotel in downtown Regina. Not only is it within walking distance to the stadium and a couple of great craft breweries, but it also features an EV charger which is free to use.
Regina to Medicine Hat
After a great night out at the Roughriders game, we hit the road for Medicine Hat. I changed to 90% and only intended to stop and charge once in Swift Current. We ended up stopping in Moose Jaw first due to a heavy foot and the need for something to eat. We arrived at 60% (12% lower than expected) and topped up to 85%
On last year’s trip, I did swing through downtown Moose Jaw to check out the Al Capone tunnels under the city. They were closed due to the pandemic but did get to see some of the old buildings in the area. Also, the giant Moose and Snowbird are worth a photo stop.
From Moose Jaw we made our way west, past Chaplin Lake which took me by surprise. What looked like snow lining its shores is actually salt. This was my first time driving this stretch as both other cross-Canada trips I have done took me through
We stopped in Swift Current to golf and rolled in a full 16% lower than expected. This is where we noticed the wind. It was howling and likely the cause for the unexpected range.
After our round of golf in the hurricane winds, we topped up at the Swift Current Supercharger. The nav suggested 72% continue on however, based on how the day was going, I added another 10%. This was a good thing as we rolled into town with 5% vs the expected 15%.
Initially, we were going to stay at the TownePlace Marriott Medicine Hat which has a free L2 charger but opted to stay at a cheaper motel on the west side of town instead. As such, I topped up at the Medicine Hat Supercharger and then plugged into the motel’s 110 V outlet to ensure we left the next day with 90%.
Medicine Hat to Calgary
Since we had some activities planned in Calgary, we made quick work of the final 295 km stretch. We stopped in Bassano and charged from 40% to 75%. In downtown Calgary, we found a parking garage with a free charger and arrived at 17%, again off by ~15%.
Lessons Learned
In the end my wh/km for this leg was 262, way off from the expected 193. Continuing on from my experience between Thunder Bay and Regina, my biggest takeaway on this leg is that wind plays a HUGE factor in energy consumption. I wasn’t getting anywhere near the expected range but when pushing through the prairies in strong headwinds, it’s easy to see why.
Another factor I failed to consider is weight. Up until this point, my EV road trips have largely been myself or myself and my girlfriend. This leg was four adults, three sets of golf clubs, and way too many Molson Pilsners leftover from tailgating in Regina.
Lastly, and this is another big factor, the elevation change between Regina and Calgary is 1792 ft / 546 m. This, again, makes sense as to why I would be coming up short on rage estimates. That said, ABRP does factor in elevation change so the shortfalls are still largely wind and weight-related.
Regina to Calgary EV Road Trip – Charging Costs
Thanks again to some free Supercharger credits, this 759 km leg between Regina and Calgary cost me nothing.
759 km
262 Wh/km
$28.70
1.10 hr Charging
That said, plugging in the charging stops and time into ABRP, this trip should come to ~$29. Although Supercharger fees have gone way up in Canada, it still beats the skyrocketing gas prices!
This report will continue in the next post with by far the most scenic stretch of this cross-Canada road trip. Calgary to Jasper is on deck!
If you are thinking about placing a Model Y order, be sure to use my referral code and get 1,500 Supercharger kilometres!
*As of Sept 2021, Tesla has put a pause on referrals 😞 I will update if/when they reinstate it.
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