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charging up the road

Thursday,  06/26/14  10:22 PM

I'm on my way to Lake Tahoe to compete in the Alta Alpina Double Century, and doing it in an electric car...  This trip would be completely impossible without Tesla superchargers.  They are located about 200 miles apart on I-5 and California 101, and charge the car in about an hour.  So you can stop, plug in, eat, shop*, or do whatever, and an hour later you're on your way again. 

* Tesla seem to have most of their superchargers located in the parking lots of outlet malls, which are located between big cities, and have big parking lots, and ... give you something to do while charging.

That works great if you stick to the main highways, but what if you want to visit Yosemite?  Two things happen; first, you have to carefully figure in the effect of going up and down hills in your range calculations, and second, you are going to find yourself in a campsite, plugged into an RV hookup.  There you will charge at about 40mph, so it will take a long time to charge completely.  Or you can hop from charge to charge, out of boredom and a desire to see more.

Yosemite is simply awesome.  If you've never been there, it's a must-see.  The beauty and scale of the rock formations and meadows and waterfalls is breathtaking.

The National Park is celebrating its 150-year anniversary, which is amazing; imagine visiting it on horseback!

Onward ... tomorrow is a day of relaxation in Hope Valley, south of Lake Tahoe, and Saturday I'm riding.  Stay tuned!