According to MapQuest, I would need to travel 174 miles from Bethesda to the NJ supercharger.  That seems to be too far for my comfort zone in the 60kw Tesla (I like to have extra miles for speed and any elevation changes or hills).  So, I planned to drive to Newark, Delaware to charge on the way to NJ.  I left Bethesda at 11am with the car at 206 range.

The problem of paying tolls had daunted me in Pennsylvania, and now I discovered that Maryland tolls were higher than I thought.  I paid $4 at one toll booth, and the next one was $8!!  I asked when and how much the next toll would be.  They told me there would be one in Delaware for $4 coming up in 20 miles.  I had 3 dollar bills and quarters ready to pay it.

Another issue was speed limits.  It seems that in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey, everyone goes at least 10mph over the speed limits.  I did my best to follow the limits, but at times, it seemed safer to maintain with the traffic flow rather than become the slow driver that everyone is annoyed at and has to whip around. This is why my choice to get off the toll roads was often more appealing.  I would be able to drive at a safer pace without the same ire forming in the drivers around me.  Also, the slower pace is WAY better for extending the range of a Tesla.

I listened to a radio program about Proverbs chapter 31, verse 10 as I crossed into Delaware at 12:40pm. The sign simply said: “Welcome To Delaware.”.  (The period was included on the sign).  It was 85 degrees and I had 18,809 on the odometer.  I realized that I had 118 miles of range, so maybe I should recheck the map to see if I could actually get to the NJ charger without a stop in Newark, DE.  It turns out that the Supercharger is on the SOUTH bound side of I-95, so I would have to exit and re-enter the Delaware turnpike and then turn around again!  I shuddered to think of the toll consequences of this since I was using only quarters now.

At 1pm I pulled into the rest stop just before exit 3 (which would get me to the Newark, DE charger).  It took only 10 minutes for me to determine that it was 74 miles to the NJ supercharger and I still had 112 miles of range. (I had already traveled 102 miles and had only used 94 of the range). So I decided to skip the Delaware supercharger and head to NJ.   I also decided to stay off the NJ turnpike and take a toll free route so I could slow down to extend my range (and save money!).

I crossed the Delaware River at 1:15pm and entered NJ at 1:17pm  with 101 range. The sign said, “Welcome to New Jersey”.  As I drove through South Jersey,  I saw marshy areas,  water covered with lily pads, more of the lush greens, and many trees along the highway. I arrived in Hamilton at the Supercharger behind the Barnes and Noble Bookstore by 2:30pm with 45 miles of range remaining!  The odometer read 18,889 and it was 83 degrees.   Frugal Tesla