[lonfrank]

Friends, get my cajun red next week. Here's my question: After break-in want to take trip in nov to w. Coast (live in houston area).
Can you stop @ a rv park & get a stage 2 charge??? Paying, not a problem. Please help. Thanks, lonfrank.

 

[NewsCoulomb]

Friends, get my cajun red next week. Here's my question: After break-in want to take trip in nov to w. Coast (live in houston area).
Can you stop @ a rv park & get a stage 2 charge??? Paying, not a problem. Please help. Thanks, lonfrank.

Yes, you can. However, you want to call ahead, let them know your intentions, and reserve/pay for the spot. The other option is KOA (Kampgrounds of America). They will function in much the same way as the RV parks.

The good news is, a decent amount of fast charging infrastructure should already be in place by the time you make your trip, so depending on your intentions and schedule, you could make some pretty long runs each day (assuming you have the DCFC option).

 

[Dimitrij]

I apologize if you already know this, but here it is:

https://www.plugshare.com/

You can click on the chargers that pop up on the map to get a lot of useful info, including the fees and what the owner's policies. You can leave your own comments, too, helping the rest of us .

I do not believe Level 2 stations are abundant at RV parks, but they almost certainly have NEMA 14-50 or similar outlets to plug RV's into, so you would have to carry your own portable EVSE with an appropriate plug.

 

[SparkE]

And read these posts about buying a "converter" to use Tesla destination chargers (NOT superchargers) to level-2 charge the Bolt. (For example, your hotel may have Tesla destination chargers, so you could wake up to a fully charged battery in the morning.)


https://bro05.blogspot.com/2018/06/best-value-charging-station-for-non.html

https://www.chevybolt.org/forum/82-charging-batteries/13490-anyone-tried-tesla-j1772-adapter.html

https://www.chevybolt.org/forum/82-charging-batteries/10922-i-have-one-these-works-great.html



https://www.chevybolt.org/forum/82-...ion-charging-opinions-long-time-ev-owner.html

 

[Vertiformed]

Friends, get my cajun red next week. Here's my question: After break-in want to take trip in nov to w. Coast (live in houston area).
Can you stop @ a rv park & get a stage 2 charge??? Paying, not a problem. Please help. Thanks, lonfrank.

You probably know this, but the trip you're contemplating isn't for the faint of heart. DC fast-charging infrastructure isn't great and has a lot of holes for interstate travel. Level-2 charging is slow — it takes four hours to add 100 miles.

If you stop to charge only at Level-2 chargers, your average speed will be about 20 mph. Ideally you only want to be charging on Level-2 chargers overnight so the time spent charging is time you wouldn't be driving anyway.

It looks like your best route is to head north to Oklahoma City, then through Kansas to Denver, then through Utah and Vegas. Even then it'll be a bit touch and go, with some rather slow fast chargers, few choices, and large gaps between chargers where you'll need to drive slowly to stretch your range (or overnight).

It can be done, especially with some planning, but I wouldn't make it my first major trip.

 

[GlenandhisBolt1!]

lonfrank mentioned taking this trip 'after break-in'. Page 201 of the owners manual mentions a 200 mile break-in period, which appears to be related to the brake pads.

BTW: a NEMA 14-50 receptacle is a 240V outlet, which is a Level 2 outlet.

 

[keeperchris]

Friends, get my cajun red next week. Here's my question: After break-in want to take trip in nov to w. Coast (live in houston area).
Can you stop @ a rv park & get a stage 2 charge??? Paying, not a problem. Please help. Thanks, lonfrank.

Frank, welcome to the Houston Bolt community.
Do use PlugShare to find your path. Unfortunately, the only current locations with a DCFC (Level 3) station on your way in Texas are in Austin or New Braunfels. **EDIT - there is a DCFC in Kerrville too, but still pretty barren after that until Tucson.**
After that, I hope you have some room to carry a few good books.
There is hope on the horizon. Electrify America has plans to install a robust DCFC network on I-10, I-20, I-40 and I-70 cross-country corridors. But you will have much better luck going to Jacksonville Florida than to California in the near future. https://www.electrifyamerica.com/locations
When you do take this trip, please do share a detailed travel log. I don't yet have the stomach to get more than a full battery west of Austin. I'd like to hear your story.

 

[Paul Gipe]

Friends, get my cajun red next week. Here's my question: After break-in want to take trip in nov to w. Coast (live in houston area).
Can you stop @ a rv park & get a stage 2 charge??? Paying, not a problem. Please help. Thanks, lonfrank.

Lots of good suggestions on this thread. You may want to watch some of News Coulomb's youtube videos on his 500 mile trips. He has lots of good tips.


I'd add to the rest that PlugShare is your friend. Also consider working with a trip estimator. There are several mentioned on this forum including the Chevy app--assuming its working on your phone.



Paul

 

[GJETSON]

And read these posts about buying a "converter" to use Tesla destination chargers (NOT superchargers) to level-2 charge the Bolt. (For example, your hotel may have Tesla destination chargers, so you could wake up to a fully charged battery in the morning.)

Here in Virginia, most locations with a Tesla trickle charger, also has a Clipper Creek trickle charger, courtesy of Tesla. I can almost guarantee the Clipper Creek will be available, unless another Tesla shows up with their reverse adapter. Other than a rare Bolt, nobody is traveling with an EV in Virginia. The typical use for the JDapter or TeslaTap, in Virginia, will be spending the night in an upscale B&B or resort where they may only have a Tesla charger. But staying at those is out of my price range.

 

[redpoint5]

I'd skip that nonsense unless you find value in the adventure of extreme travel planning, with charging locations somewhat dictating your route. If you really get joy out of hunting for chargers and waiting for them to charge a vehicle, then do it. Otherwise I'd say trade your car with someone else for the trip. Maybe you'll make another EV convert out of the process.

 

[Packard V8]

want to take trip in nov to w. Coast (live in houston area).

I'd skip that nonsense unless you find value in the adventure of extreme travel planning, with charging locations somewhat dictating your route. If you really get joy out of hunting for chargers and waiting for them to charge a vehicle, then do it. Otherwise I'd say trade your car with someone else for the trip. Maybe you'll make another EV convert out of the process.

Seems we have a bell curve here with the few at one thin end who believe road tripping a BEV is the ultimate adventure. The few at the other thin end believe road tripping a BEV is just nonsense. In between are the great majority of BEV owners just going about day-to-day errands and commutes with a smile.

We're in SLC this week using our son's i3. We could live happily with it, but miss a few Bolt pluses, such as true one-pedal driving.

jack vines

 

[redpoint5]

Seems we have a bell curve here with the few at one thin end who believe road tripping a BEV is the ultimate adventure.

I consider it an interesting adventure too, but I'm not a single guy anymore, and don't have loads of vacation. Back in my single days I would consider doing it, but I wouldn't subject passengers to the inconvenience (time wasted is multiplied by the number of occupants).

While I come across as a critic of using EVs for long distance travel, I get the allure of the adventure. It's just that most people are looking for the practical travel option, not the academic-like trailblazing adventure. I get a kick out of calculating the time to charge a given amount into a battery, the gained range, and all that, I just don't have time for it.

My criticism is only meant to temper expectations. A person's perception of how well something goes has more to do with their expectations than the actual challenges encountered. For example, if someone expects a charge to take an hour, but instead it completes in 45 minutes, they will likely have a positive opinion about the experience.

 

[SparkE]

I just noticed, and am wondering ... why is this thread in the "Vendor deals" section?

 

[NewsCoulomb]

Seems we have a bell curve here with the few at one thin end who believe road tripping a BEV is the ultimate adventure. The few at the other thin end believe road tripping a BEV is just nonsense.

You are using the term "road tripping" for two mutually exclusive concepts, though. Many in the former group are actually talking about taking a trip in an EV, where the travel and way points are every bit (if not more) important than the destination.

The latter are, typically, referring to long-distance commuting. The trip is a nuisance. Something to get out of the way as quickly as possible. It's the final destination that they are interested in.

In the former case, even with today's infrastructure, EVs excel. You could drive a Mitsubishi MiEV anywhere in the country. It just might take you some time. But if you're stopping at an RV park here, a KOA there, none of that really matters. It's not that different than the folks who hop in an RV and start checking off the states they've visited.

In the latter case, the time you have to sacrifice is highly dependent on which EV and what infrastructure is available. On a typical 500 mile trip where charging infrastructure is in place, a Tesla Model 3 will costs you about 30 to 45 minutes more time than it would take in a Prius. A Chevy Bolt EV would take about an hour and a half longer than a Prius. My Volt would take roughly the same amount of time as the Prius. Heck, a properly driven (and programmed) i3 REX would probably have a similar time to a Prius. It's about picking the right tool for the job.

But, by using the same term (road tripping) to describe two very different concepts, it's easy to see how one group will say EVs are great at it and the other group will say that EVs are terrible at it.