EV Road Tripping: Bakersfield Bolt to Yosemite via US 395 and the "East Side"

[GRA]

I tend to use D on the highway, with the paddle when I need to slow down. But I love using L on local streets (e.g. with traffic lights) or stop-and-go traffic. Sometimes I end up switching back and forth as traffic patterns change. This is when I realize how narrow the Bolt is, since I usually bump into my wife's arm in the process.

Regarding torque steer, Chevy was very proud of their design - they put the motor in the center of the front axle to reduce torque steer. Of course there will always be some on FWD vehicles with a lot of torque. I also wish they had made the car AWD. I don't personally need it (never had a car with AWD, and that's never caused me trouble - just drive appropriately). However, it would make the car more appealing to the AWD-CUV crazed market. Hopefully a future Chevy EV will be a larger AWD CUV.

Two Future GM Electric CUVs To Use Bolt EV Platform, Launch By 2020

http://gmauthority.com/blog/2018/07...olt-ev-platform-launch-by-2020/#ixzz5QH8AyiDu

The only reason I want AWD is for convenience in conforming with California's snow chain requirements. Presumably owing to the fact that most Californians live at low altitude and only encounter snow on rare occasions when they drive up to the mountains to ski, the CHP and other authorities apply the lowest common denominator principle to chain controls, and often skip right from R0 (no controls) to R2 (chains or 4WD/AWD with snow tires required), bypassing R1 (chains or snow tires). R3 (chains required, no exceptions) is rare as roads are often closed before they get that far, and nobody minds putting them on in that situation because you know the pavement will be completely covered from the time you first put them on until you return to that or possibly some higher point on the way home.

As you may gain and lose altitude several times during these trips, much of the time when R2 is up it's for small patches of snow/ice with miles of bare pavement in between, giving you three choices: Keep your chains on and wear them and your tires out driving on bare pavement; install and remove chains several times a day, often at short intervals during the drive; ignore the controls and hope you get away with it. As fine amounts are based on how many control signs you have passed without chains, this last isn't recommended unless you're well off, and if you can afford to do that you can just as easily afford to pay extra for AWD and any extra gas you use. Only people who live in mountainous areas here really need 4/AWD in snow, often just to get up their street or driveway. The rest of us who have it do so because we ski often enough that options #1 and #2 are unappealing.

 

[plj]

Thanks Paul.

We were in a similar quandary, seeking to drive from near Sacramento to Mammoth Lakes and Tuolumne Meadows this summer. Coming from the north (as opposed to your trip from the south), we considered using our Bolt. However, 395 is a charger desert south of Lake Tahoe. We considered charging at https://www.plugshare.com/location/80925 (Level 2, a Tesla destination, with also a J1772), but to make it to Mammoth Lakes, we would really need a charger in Lee Vining (Mono Lake, Yosemite east portal). And preferably a Level 3.

I wish Los Angeles Department of Water and Power would install Level 3 chargers along 395. They generate hydropower along the east side. It might help their PR efforts with the east side, by encouraging tourism. (LA-DWP has a long-standing feud with the east side, started by them acquiring land and water for export to LA. Acquiring so much land and essentially all the water damaged the economy of the east side.) They talk of supporting EV in their service area...

 

[paulgipe]

Thanks Paul.

We were in a similar quandary, seeking to drive from near Sacramento to Mammoth Lakes and Tuolumne Meadows this summer. Coming from the north (as opposed to your trip from the south), we considered using our Bolt. However, 395 is a charger desert south of Lake Tahoe. We considered charging at https://www.plugshare.com/location/80925 (Level 2, a Tesla destination, with also a J1772), but to make it to Mammoth Lakes, we would really need a charger in Lee Vining (Mono Lake, Yosemite east portal). And preferably a Level 3.

I wish Los Angeles Department of Water and Power would install Level 3 chargers along 395. They generate hydropower along the east side. It might help their PR efforts with the east side, by encouraging tourism. (LA-DWP has a long-standing feud with the east side, started by them acquiring land and water for export to LA. Acquiring so much land and essentially all the water damaged the economy of the east side.) They talk of supporting EV in their service area...

Ron Freund reports that there's a L2 going in at Lee Vining that will be combined with solar. It's not on PlugShare yet so it must not be finished.

Up thread, or on another forum, I report that CalTrans District 9 says that the DCFC stations in the 30-30 program (3 for the East Side, including Bishop) are on hold. Sacramento CalTrans is naturally not returning my calls about why.

But yeah, a "charging desert" is right.

Paul

 

[GRA]

Ron Freund reports that there's a L2 going in at Lee Vining that will be combined with solar. It's not on PlugShare yet so it must not be finished.

Up thread, or on another forum, I report that CalTrans District 9 says that the DCFC stations in the 30-30 program (3 for the East Side, including Bishop) are on hold. Sacramento CalTrans is naturally not returning my calls about why.

But yeah, a "charging desert" is right.

Paul

Paul, the most recent thing I remember about these was your 5/30 post on MNL about the awards not happening until early this month, and completions allowed as late as June 2019: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=25946 and then this post from July here (and ISTR reading it on MNL): https://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8172. Is 'on hold' subsequent to that?

BTW, do you know whether the L2 in Lee Vining will be at at the deli, or down in town? I'd talked to the owner's daughter at the deli some years back about getting some QCs or at least L2s there, but as the deli itself is only open from April to about October or November, it's not an ideal choice for QCs (the gas dispensers work year-round, but the walk down to town in winter to eat can be snowy/icy, and there's no sidewalks or paved shoulders, not that there would be a lot of traffic that time of year on the road itself). Parking at the deli is always limited during the season, but last time I was there they'd removed the trapeze across the access road, so maybe they could put some chargers there.

 

[paulgipe]

Ron Freund reports that there's a L2 going in at Lee Vining that will be combined with solar. It's not on PlugShare yet so it must not be finished.

Up thread, or on another forum, I report that CalTrans District 9 says that the DCFC stations in the 30-30 program (3 for the East Side, including Bishop) are on hold. Sacramento CalTrans is naturally not returning my calls about why.

But yeah, a "charging desert" is right.

Paul

Paul, the most recent thing I remember about these was your 5/30 post on MNL about the awards not happening until early this month, and completions allowed as late as June 2019: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=25946 and then this post from July here (and ISTR reading it on MNL): https://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8172. Is 'on hold' subsequent to that?

BTW, do you know whether the L2 in Lee Vining will be at at the deli, or down in town? I'd talked to the owner's daughter at the deli some years back about getting some QCs or at least L2s there, but as the deli itself is only open from April to about October or November, it's not an ideal choice for QCs (the gas dispensers work year-round, but the walk down to town in winter to eat can be snowy/icy, and there's no sidewalks or paved shoulders, not that there would be a lot of traffic that time of year on the road itself). Parking at the deli is always limited during the season, but last time I was there they'd removed the trapeze across the access road, so maybe they could put some chargers there.

Yes, my comment about 30-30 being on hold is current and updates previous posts. I can't get confirmation from Sacramento. I enlisted Ron Freund with the Electric Vehicle Association to look into this for me. Still no word from Sacramento. However, Ron mentioned an L2 "in the middle of town" (Lee Vining) so not at the Mobil station. You might contact him for further details.

BTW. If you haven't seen it yet, the EVA has begun a Change.org petition for public L2s in Mammoth. Maybe I should make a post about this.

https://www.change.org/p/town-of-mammoth-lakes-demand-electric-vehicle-charging-infrastructure-in-mammoth-lakes?recruiter=838306516&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

Paul

 

[GRA]

Paul, the most recent thing I remember about these was your 5/30 post on MNL about the awards not happening until early this month, and completions allowed as late as June 2019: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=25946 and then this post from July here (and ISTR reading it on MNL): https://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8172. Is 'on hold' subsequent to that?

BTW, do you know whether the L2 in Lee Vining will be at at the deli, or down in town? I'd talked to the owner's daughter at the deli some years back about getting some QCs or at least L2s there, but as the deli itself is only open from April to about October or November, it's not an ideal choice for QCs (the gas dispensers work year-round, but the walk down to town in winter to eat can be snowy/icy, and there's no sidewalks or paved shoulders, not that there would be a lot of traffic that time of year on the road itself). Parking at the deli is always limited during the season, but last time I was there they'd removed the trapeze across the access road, so maybe they could put some chargers there.

Yes, my comment about 30-30 being on hold is current and updates previous posts. I can't get confirmation from Sacramento. I enlisted Ron Freund with the Electric Vehicle Association to look into this for me. Still no word from Sacramento. However, Ron mentioned an L2 "in the middle of town" (Lee Vining) so not at the Mobil station. You might contact him for further details.

BTW. If you haven't seen it yet, the EVA has begun a Change.org petition for public L2s in Mammoth. Maybe I should make a post about this.

https://www.change.org/p/town-of-mammoth-lakes-demand-electric-vehicle-charging-infrastructure-in-mammoth-lakes?recruiter=838306516&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition

Paul

Thanks for the info. I saw the post about Mammoth on MNL, and have signed it.