Duckman
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Recently drove from Phoenix to northwest Washington. Packing 800lbs +/-, including driver and passenger, 2 dogs lots of gear and luggage. Sure wish I had a tonneau cover but Rube Goldberg came to the rescue. A couple of those black plastic heavy duty bins with the yellow covers and 2 Yeti coolers worked for security and weather. Just padlocked everything with cables to the tie downs.
Did not want to take the Rivian GPS route on I-10 to LA and north on I-5. Had read lots of horror stories about the line ups at Quartzite charging stations.. Also hate the 3 hour trip around LA from Palm Springs to Grapevine which can take up to 8 hours.
With no way points on the Rivian planner I had to locate my own charge points and use intermediate destinations. Not a problem as I have taken my preferred route before in my Ridgeline. I found A Better Route Planner and Plugshare planning functions to be next to useless. Instead I mapped the route in 200mile +/- legs and used the EA and Chargepoint apps to find chargers.
My preferred route is US 93 from Phoenix to Kingman AZ and I-40 Kingman to Barstow. Overnight in Barstow then CA 58 to Bakersfield and I-5 north.
1st leg: It's 200 miles from my house in PHX to Kingman. I had done it before in the R1T no problem. But this time with the heavy load and concern about the elevation gain, I stopped 25 miles in to the trip at Anthem and topped off at the Walmart EA charger. No one there and everything working. Took it to 98 % and set off for Kingman. Just to be safe I put it in Conserve mode. Got to Kingman with 100 miles in the tank.
Pleasant surprise. The new RAN charging station was up and running! Plugged in and loaded 83 kwH. and it was FREE! Barely had enough time for lunch.
2nd leg: Set off for Barstow on I-40. Standard mode. Pit stop at Najah's High Desert Oasis. Did not need a charge, but WTF plugged in for 9 minutes while we did our thing. Added 21kwH. Got to Barstow with about 35% in the tank. RAN was about half a mile from the Holiday Inn. 40 minutes and another free 81kwH.
3rd leg: Second day on the road. Barstow to Harris Ranch on I-5 at Coalinga CA. 228 miles. Had to go over the Tehachapi Pass at about 4,000 feet. 40 miles downhill to Bakersfield and did not use a kw. Considered stopping in Bakersfield for a top off but the computer said I would get to Harris Ranch with 65 miles left. Just to be safe I switched to conserve mode. for the last 100 miles. Arrived at Harris Ranch with 85 miles anyway. Would have been 65 in Standard Mode. BTW, Harris Ranch is one of the best stops on I-5. We always stopped for lunch there back in the ICE age too. It is a main Tesla Super Charger station. Must be 50 or 60 of them. There are 4 or 5 EA chargers, all working. Nobody else at the EA's. Plugged in, walked the dogs and went in to the great restaurant for lunch. BTW, nice touch was windshield squeegees. Needed it too. Loaded 116kwH to 95%.
4th leg: Off to Davis CA to spend a few days with family. Uneventful drive. Forgot towrite it down, but I think we arrived with 30%. Davis is an EV enigma. College town and the hybrid (mostly Prius) and EV capital of the worls, well maybe CA, but that is the EV world. There are EV chargers everywhere. bad news, almost al are Level 2. No problem, there were 8 Chargepoint Level 2's at the hotel, so I just plugged in overnight. Bad news was usually half of them were ICED. I don't think anyone was tryiong to make a point, they were just parking closer to the lobby. When I mentioned to the desk clerk that there were 8 chargers and 5 cars and only mine was an EV he just shrugged and said not many people used them. Set charging to 70% every night while visiting. The last night went to 85% as I knew I only had to go 148 miles to Andersen.
5th leg: Andersen was the first EA clusterdoodle of the trip. Pulled in to the Safeway parking lot and 1st charger had a Mercedes. Could clearly see #4 not working. Went to the other side for #3 and hooked up to the 350 and got going with a very fast charge. Meanwhile, a Mach E pulled in to the other defunct charger. I told him it was kaput and he went to the other side and got going. Then a KIA pulled in and could not get any juice from the 2 defunct. Machines. She parked by onoe of them and waited. The Benz left and she got it and another Benz pulled in. I told him I was leaving in 5, so he waited and got my charger. Headed off in to the most anxiety part of the trip, the Siskiyou Mountains. I was dreading the long steep grade from Dunsmuir up to Black Butte and Weed.
It was only 188 miles to Grant's Pass, OR, but lots of uphill, especially at the OR border, so even though Grant's Pass looked possible, the computer and I both decided to top off in Yreka CA.
At Yreka the EA clusterdoodle happened again. 4 stations, only 2 working. We got lucky and pulled in to one of them. Loaded 21kwH and topped at 55% which was enough to get to GP. At GP, another defunct charger, but no problem for us as we got there first. 68kwH and 79% which was enough to get to our hotel in Springfield OR.
At Springfield we checked in to the hotel, walked and fed the dogs and drove the half mile to the Gateway Mall EA stations. EVerything working! and no one there. Plugged in and walked 100 yards to the Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. 48 minutes, 91 kwH and 88% and back to the hotel.
We had 2 extra charge stops on this leg due to the mountains. As near as I could tell, efficiency went from 2.1 on the flats to 1.3/1.4 in the mountains.
6th leg: Left Springfield in a light rain (of course). Computer told us to stop in Kelso WA, and we wanted to have a late breakfast so we did. Another EA cluster...... 4 chargers 2 working and one in use, but hey, no problem we just drove right up to the working one and plugged in. Followed shortly by 2 more cars that had to wait. We had a lot of charging karma on this trip.
Our next stop was going to be Bellingham WA. Decided we might not make it so pulled off at Northgate Mall. Thought we were going to an EZ, but surprise, it's an EVGo. No problem, I have Chargepoint and it works at EVGo, right? Not. Finally got it going with a visa card. Went in to the supermarket for the facilities and came out to find EVGo had stopped charging. We had about 20kwH and decided it was enough, so we headed out on the road again.
Next stop, Fred Meyer Kroger EA in Bellingham. We had enough to go the extra 25 miles past Bellingham to our house, but we did not have nema 14 in the new house yet and decided to top off until the scheduled electrician 2 days later. 85kwH and 84% and on the road again for the 25 miles home!
All in all, a pretty easy trip. We had lots of charging karma, the free RAN's, never having to wait for a plug, etc. This is a road trip we have been taking in a Honda Ridgeline for a
few years south in November and north in April. It was not much different this time except the extra stops in the mountains. The electrician showed up a couple of days after we got home and we now have home charging. Other than this road trip we never travel more than 100 miles and have never relied on highway charging.
We have had a Tesla M3 for 5 years. It lives in Phoenix where we already have nema 14. Before that we had a Model S from 2014 to 2018, so we are pretty familiar with EV's althugh this was our first long road trip.
Some thoughts. Rivian software is in the dark ages compared to Tesla. But from 2014 to today we experienced Tesla growing pains too. Even apple Car Play in the Ridgeline is better. But everyone knows that already and Rivian just has to get it together, and soon. As for the hardware, it was a really nice drive. I have made this trip in Ridgelines and a Tahoe. This was the best driving vehicle of them all. Speaking of Ridgelines, the R1T is very similar in size layout etc. I am used to this size truck. Rivian is the best one I have had.
Did not want to take the Rivian GPS route on I-10 to LA and north on I-5. Had read lots of horror stories about the line ups at Quartzite charging stations.. Also hate the 3 hour trip around LA from Palm Springs to Grapevine which can take up to 8 hours.
With no way points on the Rivian planner I had to locate my own charge points and use intermediate destinations. Not a problem as I have taken my preferred route before in my Ridgeline. I found A Better Route Planner and Plugshare planning functions to be next to useless. Instead I mapped the route in 200mile +/- legs and used the EA and Chargepoint apps to find chargers.
My preferred route is US 93 from Phoenix to Kingman AZ and I-40 Kingman to Barstow. Overnight in Barstow then CA 58 to Bakersfield and I-5 north.
1st leg: It's 200 miles from my house in PHX to Kingman. I had done it before in the R1T no problem. But this time with the heavy load and concern about the elevation gain, I stopped 25 miles in to the trip at Anthem and topped off at the Walmart EA charger. No one there and everything working. Took it to 98 % and set off for Kingman. Just to be safe I put it in Conserve mode. Got to Kingman with 100 miles in the tank.
Pleasant surprise. The new RAN charging station was up and running! Plugged in and loaded 83 kwH. and it was FREE! Barely had enough time for lunch.
2nd leg: Set off for Barstow on I-40. Standard mode. Pit stop at Najah's High Desert Oasis. Did not need a charge, but WTF plugged in for 9 minutes while we did our thing. Added 21kwH. Got to Barstow with about 35% in the tank. RAN was about half a mile from the Holiday Inn. 40 minutes and another free 81kwH.
3rd leg: Second day on the road. Barstow to Harris Ranch on I-5 at Coalinga CA. 228 miles. Had to go over the Tehachapi Pass at about 4,000 feet. 40 miles downhill to Bakersfield and did not use a kw. Considered stopping in Bakersfield for a top off but the computer said I would get to Harris Ranch with 65 miles left. Just to be safe I switched to conserve mode. for the last 100 miles. Arrived at Harris Ranch with 85 miles anyway. Would have been 65 in Standard Mode. BTW, Harris Ranch is one of the best stops on I-5. We always stopped for lunch there back in the ICE age too. It is a main Tesla Super Charger station. Must be 50 or 60 of them. There are 4 or 5 EA chargers, all working. Nobody else at the EA's. Plugged in, walked the dogs and went in to the great restaurant for lunch. BTW, nice touch was windshield squeegees. Needed it too. Loaded 116kwH to 95%.
4th leg: Off to Davis CA to spend a few days with family. Uneventful drive. Forgot towrite it down, but I think we arrived with 30%. Davis is an EV enigma. College town and the hybrid (mostly Prius) and EV capital of the worls, well maybe CA, but that is the EV world. There are EV chargers everywhere. bad news, almost al are Level 2. No problem, there were 8 Chargepoint Level 2's at the hotel, so I just plugged in overnight. Bad news was usually half of them were ICED. I don't think anyone was tryiong to make a point, they were just parking closer to the lobby. When I mentioned to the desk clerk that there were 8 chargers and 5 cars and only mine was an EV he just shrugged and said not many people used them. Set charging to 70% every night while visiting. The last night went to 85% as I knew I only had to go 148 miles to Andersen.
5th leg: Andersen was the first EA clusterdoodle of the trip. Pulled in to the Safeway parking lot and 1st charger had a Mercedes. Could clearly see #4 not working. Went to the other side for #3 and hooked up to the 350 and got going with a very fast charge. Meanwhile, a Mach E pulled in to the other defunct charger. I told him it was kaput and he went to the other side and got going. Then a KIA pulled in and could not get any juice from the 2 defunct. Machines. She parked by onoe of them and waited. The Benz left and she got it and another Benz pulled in. I told him I was leaving in 5, so he waited and got my charger. Headed off in to the most anxiety part of the trip, the Siskiyou Mountains. I was dreading the long steep grade from Dunsmuir up to Black Butte and Weed.
It was only 188 miles to Grant's Pass, OR, but lots of uphill, especially at the OR border, so even though Grant's Pass looked possible, the computer and I both decided to top off in Yreka CA.
At Yreka the EA clusterdoodle happened again. 4 stations, only 2 working. We got lucky and pulled in to one of them. Loaded 21kwH and topped at 55% which was enough to get to GP. At GP, another defunct charger, but no problem for us as we got there first. 68kwH and 79% which was enough to get to our hotel in Springfield OR.
At Springfield we checked in to the hotel, walked and fed the dogs and drove the half mile to the Gateway Mall EA stations. EVerything working! and no one there. Plugged in and walked 100 yards to the Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. 48 minutes, 91 kwH and 88% and back to the hotel.
We had 2 extra charge stops on this leg due to the mountains. As near as I could tell, efficiency went from 2.1 on the flats to 1.3/1.4 in the mountains.
6th leg: Left Springfield in a light rain (of course). Computer told us to stop in Kelso WA, and we wanted to have a late breakfast so we did. Another EA cluster...... 4 chargers 2 working and one in use, but hey, no problem we just drove right up to the working one and plugged in. Followed shortly by 2 more cars that had to wait. We had a lot of charging karma on this trip.
Our next stop was going to be Bellingham WA. Decided we might not make it so pulled off at Northgate Mall. Thought we were going to an EZ, but surprise, it's an EVGo. No problem, I have Chargepoint and it works at EVGo, right? Not. Finally got it going with a visa card. Went in to the supermarket for the facilities and came out to find EVGo had stopped charging. We had about 20kwH and decided it was enough, so we headed out on the road again.
Next stop, Fred Meyer Kroger EA in Bellingham. We had enough to go the extra 25 miles past Bellingham to our house, but we did not have nema 14 in the new house yet and decided to top off until the scheduled electrician 2 days later. 85kwH and 84% and on the road again for the 25 miles home!
All in all, a pretty easy trip. We had lots of charging karma, the free RAN's, never having to wait for a plug, etc. This is a road trip we have been taking in a Honda Ridgeline for a
few years south in November and north in April. It was not much different this time except the extra stops in the mountains. The electrician showed up a couple of days after we got home and we now have home charging. Other than this road trip we never travel more than 100 miles and have never relied on highway charging.
We have had a Tesla M3 for 5 years. It lives in Phoenix where we already have nema 14. Before that we had a Model S from 2014 to 2018, so we are pretty familiar with EV's althugh this was our first long road trip.
Some thoughts. Rivian software is in the dark ages compared to Tesla. But from 2014 to today we experienced Tesla growing pains too. Even apple Car Play in the Ridgeline is better. But everyone knows that already and Rivian just has to get it together, and soon. As for the hardware, it was a really nice drive. I have made this trip in Ridgelines and a Tahoe. This was the best driving vehicle of them all. Speaking of Ridgelines, the R1T is very similar in size layout etc. I am used to this size truck. Rivian is the best one I have had.
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