What the electricity costs.

Arrive empty, leave at 80% measured here

The pack takes charge hardest when it is nearly flat. Rolling into Old Hickory on 1% pulled 221 kW, the fastest session recorded on this car. By 46% it had settled to 81 kW, and by 80% it was down to 55 kW.

The last 20% costs you a whole session measured here

At Florence, 32% to 79% took 22.3 minutes and added 33.7 kWh. The very next session, 79% to 95%, took 19.9 minutes and added 11.6 kWh. Nearly the same time on the clock for a third of the energy. Unless the next leg genuinely needs it, stopping at 80% and driving on is faster.

Price varies more than you expect measured here

Across the sites on this list the rate ran 25 cents a kWh to 56 cents, a 2.2 times spread, sometimes between two chargers a few miles apart. Checking the rate in the app before committing is worth real money on a full session.

You pay for more energy than you keep measured here

Reconciled against Tesla's own invoices, 8.82% of what gets billed never reaches the pack. Budget for the billed rate, not the dash figure.

Stall count is a queue risk, not a speed rating practice

A 500 kW site with 8 stalls can cost more waiting than a 325 kW site with 24. Percy Priest is the cheapest and fastest per stall on this list, and also the easiest to arrive at behind three other cars.

Precondition on the way in practice

Navigating to the Supercharger in the car rather than on your phone warms the pack before arrival, which protects the early high-power part of the curve. It is the single free thing that makes a session shorter.

Plan the stop around the taper, not the meal practice

A 20 minute session is a walk and a restroom. A 40 minute session is sit-down food. Match the stop to the charge you actually need, and the trip stops feeling like waiting.

Heat is a tax at both ends measured here

The Birmingham to Athens leg ran 307 Wh a mile against 256 on the way down, in 105 degree heat with the climate system working. Summer road trips need a wider margin than the range estimate suggests.

Brentwood, TN Old Hickory Boulevard

• 24 stalls
• 325 kW site
• 4.5 rating
• 9.8/10 safety
• 2 visits
• 40¢ best rate

Sits in a well-lit Target lot. Target, Panera Bread and Longhorn Steakhouse are all on foot.

Worth knowing. 24 stalls means it effectively never queues. This is the one to leave from on a road trip: arrive low, take the full 80%, and the first leg is free of stops.

Target's app will have your pickup order staged before the taper starts.

Nashville, TN Thompson Lane

• 24 stalls
• 325 kW site
• 4.8 rating
• 10.0/10 safety
• 3 visits
• 34¢ best rate

Restaurants, parks and green space within walking distance.

Worth knowing. Highest rated and a perfect 10 safety score of anywhere on this list, and 24 stalls. The default Nashville stop after dark.

Green space on foot makes this the best of the Nashville sites for actually walking, not just sitting.

Nashville, TN Percy Priest Drive

• 8 stalls
• 500 kW site
• 2 visits
• 25¢ best rate

Restrooms, a cafe, restaurants and lodging, open 24 hours.

Worth knowing. The cheapest electricity measured anywhere on this list at 25 cents a kWh, and a 500 kW site. Only 8 stalls, so it is worth checking availability before committing.

24 hour access plus lodging next door makes this the one to plan a late arrival around.

Brentwood, TN Moores Lane

• 8 stalls
• 325 kW site
• 3 visits
• 46¢ best rate

Wi-Fi and restrooms on site, shopping and dining within walking distance.

Worth knowing. The most expensive electricity measured on this list, twice hitting 56 cents a kWh. Convenient, but it is the wrong place to fill from empty if Old Hickory is an option.

On-site Wi-Fi makes this the one to take a call from.

Smyrna, TN Smyrna

• 250 kW site
• 1 visit
• 34¢ best rate

Highway-adjacent stop on the Murfreesboro run.

Worth knowing. A waypoint rather than a destination. Useful on the way south, not worth a detour.

Florence, AL Cox Creek Parkway

• 16 stalls
• 325 kW site
• 1 visit
• 32¢ best rate

Restrooms, restaurants, cafes and shopping on foot.

Worth knowing. 16 stalls and cheap at 32 cents. Taziki's Mediterranean is the closest good food, roughly half a mile on Cox Creek Parkway itself.

Sam's Place and Lil Capone's are both a few minutes out if you have a full session to burn.

Birmingham, AL U.S. 280

• 16 stalls
• 250 kW site
• 4.8 rating
• 10.0/10 safety
• 1 visit
• 42¢ best rate

Well-lit, near green space, shops and restaurants on foot.

Worth knowing. 4.8 rating and a perfect safety score, but the priciest stop of the road trip at 42 cents. Saigon Noodle House is the closest strong option, essentially across the road.

Surin 280 and Yum Yai Street Thai are both inside a 20 minute charge window.

Athens, AL Athens-Limestone

• 250 kW site
• 1 visit
• 36¢ best rate

Just off US-72, close to the Athens town square.

Worth knowing. The cheapest plug of the whole road trip at 37.8 cents effective, and the last one needed before home. Fill to 80% here and Nashville is comfortable.

The square is a short hop: Ro's Grille and LawLers Barbecue both sit near it, and 306 Barbecue is on US-72 itself.