Getting to Yuma (from NorCal w/JdeMO)

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n3ckf

Well-known member
Joined
May 13, 2013
Messages
366
Location
Volcano, CA
Now that i'm JDEMO-ized, i think i can get to southern califronia reasonablye ok (It seems like taking highway 99 is the ticket, since there are gaps of CHaDemo charging on I-5).

However i cant figure out how to get to Yuma. There seems to be ONE RV park between San Diego and Yuma on I-8 which will rent you a 14-50 outlet. (so if i took my 40amp charger *with me* i could use that, which is not terrible) to charge my car with an extension cord, which i have).

Any other techniques anyone has used? Have any of you Socal people ever gotten to Yuma from the California side?

(I want to go for the Yuma hamfest in a couple weeks).
 
n3ckf said:
Now that i'm JDEMO-ized, i think i can get to southern califronia reasonablye ok (It seems like taking highway 99 is the ticket, since there are gaps of CHaDemo charging on I-5).
I have driven it more than once and I prefer the 101 over the 99 currently.
There is still a gap where you have to use L2 (40 amp) in Atascadero (free at rabobank) next to tesla superchargers.
I once was travelling on a sunday and because of circumstances, I was outside the window of certain nissan dealers along the 99 which close the chademo chargers when the dealership is closed. Plus the charger on the north side of the grapevine is "non dependable" to say the least.

NG [TM]

However i cant figure out how to get to Yuma. There seems to be ONE RV park between San Diego and Yuma on I-8 which will rent you a 14-50 outlet. (so if i took my 40amp charger *with me* i could use that, which is not terrible) to charge my car with an extension cord, which i have).

Any other techniques anyone has used? Have any of you Socal people ever gotten to Yuma from the California side?

(I want to go for the Yuma hamfest in a couple weeks).
Sorry, never been that way.
 
fromport said:
There is still a gap where you have to use L2 (40 amp) in Atascadero (free at rabobank) next to tesla superchargers.

How much charge (how many bars) do you need to have when leaving Arastradero to make it to the CHAdeMO in SLO, and how long do you spend on L2 @ Rabobank?
 
tgreene said:
fromport said:
There is still a gap where you have to use L2 (40 amp) in Atascadero (free at rabobank) next to tesla superchargers.

How much charge (how many bars) do you need to have when leaving Arastradero to make it to the CHAdeMO in SLO, and how long do you spend on L2 @ Rabobank?

I recently moved, so I can't find my notepad with all my info.
I do know I spend 4 hours charging, and drove 50-55 to the next QC and made with more than 20 miles (about 20%) left in my battery pack
 
I actually live in SLO and the L3 charger is close by my house. It's about 20 miles from the Rabobank L2 charging station to the L3 charger. There is one hill climb up the backside of Cuesta grade which is not as bad as the SLO side so three bars of charge would like be enough to make it if driving conservatively. Four bars would be preferred.

When going south from the SF Bay Area I charge at the Salinas L3 charger at Blanco and Main and then I drive 50 mph on my speedometer to get back to SLO. I have two bars left when I get home. The ambient temp is usually in the mid to low 40's.
 
I live in San Diego and I travel to the Yuma area many times a year. I have never driven my Rav though because I can't justify the four hour stop in El Centro area for an L2 charge to get to Yuma. It gets kinda hot there in the summer and I usually like to move through as fast as possible. In a perfect world, there would be a DCFC at the In-N-Out / Panda Express location on 4th, so you could grab a bite while charging and be done in 30 minutes or so.
 
There are lots and lots of campgrounds with 50 amp service between San Diego and Yuma. Just take your JESLA with you and don't forget your lunch!!!

Both routes from Northern California to San Diego are possible with a JdeMO equipped RAV4 EV:

1) The CA-99 route south requires no special driving skills, but you have to put up with two Nissan dealers; one in Visalia and one in Bakersfield, both of which are critical for the success of your trip. In addition, both of these locations use the Nissan charger, which in hot weather can easily fail. That shouldn't be a problem now. The reduced (half) power mode on the JdeMO was specifically developed for these locations in hot weather.

2) The US-101 route requires that you travel at 50mph, increasing to 55 mph maximum if possible without the heater (air-conditioning will be OK in the summer) for that one 127 miles between Salinas and San Luis Obispo. Otherwise, it's quite easy with all the charging locations in any critical areas having more than one charger. No Nissan dealers!

I will be driving today from Sacramento to San Luis Obispo, then on to San Diego. I will probably drive CA-99 until Fresno, then 140 miles to San Luis Obispo with a stop at an RV park in between.

There are lots of good apps to find RV parks with 50 amp service; I use AllStays.

Unless you're going to stay all night at a hotel, I do not recommend using J1772 locations enroute. They are typically limited to both 208 volt and 30 amp (6.2kW), however your RAV4 EV can except 240 V at 40 A (9.6kW) which is available at at every RV park with "50 amp" service and a JESLA.

Always call ahead to RV Parks to make sure you can fit in and how much it will cost. Never ask for 240 V, as they likely have no idea what that is... just call it 50 amp service!
 
Well i ordered a Jesla last night in fact so that i can keep it in the car. (my only 40 amp charger is the Leviton and although i have the "plug-in" version in my garage in the mountains, its too big to carry around, the Jesla seems very portable).

So if i do this, i'll definately have that with me if i get it in time.
 
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