Tesla Road Trip in California

Starting from our San Francisco pickup location, here are the most popular routes:

• Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) — San Francisco → Half Moon Bay → Santa Cruz → Monterey → Big Sur → San Luis Obispo. 250 miles of the most beautiful coastline in the world. Superchargers in Monterey and SLO.
• Napa Valley Wine Country — Cross the Golden Gate Bridge and head north to Napa and Sonoma. Visit dozens of wineries along the Silverado Trail. Round trip: ~120 miles.
• Lake Tahoe — Take I-80 east through Sacramento to the Sierra Nevada. 200 miles each way with Superchargers in Sacramento, Auburn, and Truckee. Perfect for skiing or summer hiking.
• Yosemite National Park — 170 miles east via Highway 120. Superchargers in Manteca and Groveland. Arrive at one of the world's most spectacular natural wonders.
• Los Angeles via US-101 — 380 miles through the Central Coast with Superchargers every 60-80 miles. The classic California road trip.

Skeptical about road-tripping in an electric car? Here's why the Tesla Model 3 is actually better than a gas car for long drives:

• Enhanced Autopilot — on highways, the car practically drives itself. Lane keeping and adaptive cruise control make hours of highway driving relaxing instead of exhausting
• Built-in navigation routing — tell the car where you're going, and it automatically plans Supercharger stops along the way
• Supercharger breaks — 15-20 minute stops every 2-3 hours is actually better for you than driving 6 hours straight. Stretch, grab a coffee, and the car is ready to go
• Savings on fuel — Supercharging costs about $10-15 per charge vs. $60-80 for a tank of gas. A SF-to-LA trip costs about $25 in electricity vs. $100+ in gas
• Quiet cabin — no engine drone on long drives. The double-pane glass keeps the cabin whisper-quiet at highway speeds

Make the most of your Tesla road trip with these practical tips:

• Trunk space: 23 cubic feet of cargo space fits 2-3 large suitcases plus bags in the sub-trunk. No engine in front means there's also a front trunk (frunk) for extra storage
• Charging strategy: Charge to 80-90% at each Supercharger stop. Going from 80% to 100% is slow—it's faster to make an extra short stop
• Climate control: Pre-condition the car from the Tesla app before you get in. The car will heat or cool the cabin while still plugged in
• Entertainment: The 15-inch screen has Spotify, Netflix, YouTube, and games. Perfect for Supercharger stop entertainment
• Navigation: Use the car's built-in navigation for the best route planning. It accounts for elevation, weather, and real-time traffic

Tesla's Supercharger network covers every major California route. Here are station counts along popular corridors from San Francisco:

• SF → LA (US-101): 8+ Supercharger stations along the route
• SF → LA (I-5): 6+ Supercharger stations, faster route
• SF → Lake Tahoe: 4 Supercharger stations via I-80
• SF → Yosemite: 3 Supercharger stations via Highway 120
• SF → Napa/Sonoma: 2 Supercharger stations (though you won't need them for this short trip)
• SF → San Diego: 12+ Supercharger stations the full length of California