Road trip · 2026-09-04 to 2026-09-05 · two states
What would happen if a road trip ran on plugs?
Brentwood to Florence to Birmingham to Athens and back. 439.2 highway miles on four legs, five plugs, and every second of it recorded by the car.
The route
measured. Line labels are the measured distance and consumption of each leg. Orange rings mark the places it charged. City centers, not the car's own coordinates.
439mi
Highway miles
98.5%
On FSD (Supervised)
22,876ft
Climbed
14.4¢
Per mile, measured
The four legs
Leg 1
Brentwood to Florence
Every mile of it on FSD (Supervised). Not most. All of it.
- 120.4 mi distance
- 256 Wh/mi consumption
- 100% on FSD (Supervised)
- 54.7 mph average
- 80% to 36% charge
- 6,089 ft climbed
- 61.0 mi regenerated
- 81 to 108°F
Leg 2
Florence to Birmingham
The longest leg. Climbed 6,663 feet and finished 30 feet higher than it started.
- 130.6 mi distance
- 260 Wh/mi consumption
- 97% on FSD (Supervised)
- 62.7 mph average
- 94% to 45% charge
- 6,663 ft climbed
- 56.7 mi regenerated
- 79 to 90°F
Leg 3
Birmingham to Athens
The expensive one. 307 Wh a mile against 256 on the way down, in 105 degree heat with the climate system fighting it.
- 103.0 mi distance
- 307 Wh/mi consumption
- 100% on FSD (Supervised)
- 58.5 mph average
- 79% to 34% charge
- 5,459 ft climbed
- 46.1 mi regenerated
- 95 to 106°F
Leg 4
Athens to Franklin
Fastest average of the trip at 68 mph, and the last 85 miles back.
- 85.2 mi distance
- 280 Wh/mi consumption
- 98% on FSD (Supervised)
- 68.1 mph average
- 80% to 46% charge
- 4,665 ft climbed
- 39.3 mi regenerated
- 97 to 100°F
What the charging curve actually looks like
Power falls as the battery fills.
Three sessions, recorded by the car at roughly one sample a minute. This is the shape that decides how long a road trip takes. All five sessions came to 2h 6m plugged in: 41.5 minutes for the first, from 1% to 80%, and 19.9 to 22.8 minutes for each of the other four.
Brentwood 1% to 80%
Rolled in on 1%. Peak 221 kW, the fastest session of the trip, because an empty pack takes charge hardest.
56.7 kWh added in 41 min, peak 221 kW, 44.9¢ a kWh.
Florence 32% to 79%
Twenty-two minutes for 47% of the pack.
33.7 kWh added in 22 min, peak 164 kW, 33.4¢ a kWh. One invoice ($15.14) covered both Florence sessions, split here by energy. modeled
Athens 34% to 80%
The last plug needed, at 37.8 cents.
33.2 kWh added in 22 min, peak 145 kW, 37.8¢ a kWh.
The eighty percent rule, in one comparison
At Florence the car charged twice, back to back, on the same plug.
32% to 79%
33.7 kWh in 22.3 minutes, peaking at 164 kW.
79% to 95%
11.6 kWh in 19.9 minutes, peaking at 56 kW.
Nearly the same time on the clock. A third of the energy. measured on 2026-09-04. This is why a road trip stops at 80% and drives on.
FSD (Supervised) records
The records on FSD (Supervised).
120.4 mi
Longest drive with every mile on FSD (Supervised)
Brentwood to Florence, 2026-09-04. 120.4 of 120.4 miles. Not 97%, not 99%. All of it.
126.5 mi
Longest single FSD (Supervised) distance
Florence to Birmingham, 2026-09-04, 97% of a 130.6 mile leg.
98.5%
Best road-trip share
432.7 of 439.2 highway miles across four legs and two states.
4
Consecutive legs at 97% or better
Every long leg of the trip, Brentwood to Florence to Birmingham to Athens and back.
68.1 mph
Fastest average on FSD (Supervised)
Athens to Franklin, 85.2 miles, 98% on FSD (Supervised).
The hundred mile mark fell on the first leg. FSD (Supervised) share is reported by the car per drive; these are the maxima across every recorded drive, not a highlight reel.
What happens next
Want to follow the next project?
Everything here started as a what-if and ended as a record. The crew hears the day the next one opens.