All EV Rally, BC2BC-2013, 1500 miles from Canada to Mexico

[toasty]

Instead of a East Coast Version, how about a cross country version.

East/West I-10 or I-20+ I-40 or I-80

 

[TonyWilliams]

or East/West I-10 or I-20+ I-40 or I-80

?????

 

[toasty]

i wish i could rent a EV or Rav4 EV one way in WA, and drop it off in CA and join in too.

 

[TonyWilliams]

i wish i could rent a EV or Rav4 EV one way in WA, and drop it off in CA and join in too.

I am absolutely confident that if you are a true EV enthusiast, that you could fly into SEA and be somebody's navigator to SAN, and fly home from there.

Of course, you CAN rent a LEAF at Enterprise in San Diego and ship it to Seattle for the event. When you drop it off a week later with 2000 miles on it, you might get some scratched heads.

Alternately, you could do the same with a dealer who wants to sponsor the trip. They provide the car for the week-ish, and you make 'em proud.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Here's a rally guide to thumb through for ideas:

http://www.scca.com/documents/Rally%20Forms/Regional_RoadRally_%20Handbook_2009.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[KeiJidosha]

Just my 2c: The 6/29 sounds good ... with INDEPENDENCE DAY so close ... the rally can celebrate 7/4 !

This sounds like a blast. I started my web browsing tonight looking for SCCA road rallies suitable for our LEAF, and found this thread. If the rally starts 6/29, I am in.

Where do you live? I'm curious if we get more folks hauling cars in at the beginning, or the end of the event!

For me, I can drive home afterward without even a recharge.

Did you find the thread on the all-EV "ReFuel" Event at Laguna Seca on July 1, 2012? With any luck, we'll be able to work that in, too.

SPECIAL EVENT: Speed Ventures is hosting the REFUEL Alternative Vehicle Demonstration at MAZDA Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday June 30, 2013. We will have one or two regular car run groups available that day. The rest of the day will be made available for electric cars and motorcycles. Information and registration for REFUEL can be found at http://www.refuelraces.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Registration opens soon).

 

[TonyWilliams]

MAZDA Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday June 30, 2013. We will have one or two regular car run groups available that day. The rest of the day will be made available for electric cars and motorcycles. Information and registration for REFUEL can be found at http://www.refuelraces.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Registration opens soon).

Well, for some reason, I thought that was going to be the next weekend. Are you going to run the Honda?

I'd really like to participate. I wonder how many others would, though? It's slightly more than 1000 miles from Blaine, Washington to this event. There is just absolutely no way to get there in one day.

MMmmmmm.

 

[KeiJidosha]

MAZDA Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday June 30, 2013. We will have one or two regular car run groups available that day. The rest of the day will be made available for electric cars and motorcycles. Information and registration for REFUEL can be found at http://www.refuelraces.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Registration opens soon).

Well, for some reason, I thought that was going to be the next weekend. Are you going to run the Honda?

I'd really like to participate. I wonder how many others would, though? It's slightly more than 1000 miles from Blaine, Washington to this event. There is just absolutely no way to get there in one day.
MMmmmmm.

My conundrum as well. Will run the Honda if I can find a tire solution.

 

[TonyWilliams]

My conundrum as well. Will run the Honda if I can find a tire solution.

I don't even know what the best is for a 4100 pound car like the Rav4.

I suppose I'll just get a set of "real" race tires mounted on any wheel.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/the-nearly-10-g-nissan-leaf-getting-an-ev-to-grip-like-a-911-feature" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[TonyWilliams]

Well, logically, the fastest any LEAF could go 1000 miles is about 3-4 days.

Maybe we should launch BC2BC mid week, maybe Monday, June 25 ?

That gives everybody the weekend before (June 23-24) to trailer the cars into Washington and a gentleman's pace to Laguna Seca?

 

[BIGneutrino]

That gives everybody the weekend before (June 23-24) to trailer the cars into Washington and a gentleman's pace to Laguna Seca?[/quote]

One of the coolest things about this rally is the anxiety and requisite problem solving in driving the EV days on end with the constraints of time (and limited access to EVSEs). It's the 21st Century version of Brock Yates' run that made all of us fantasize of driving cross-country when we were kids.

Maybe we can find a Fourth of July event to hit during the rally (to have that large event draw that the Laguna Seca event has)...Tony mentioned this possibility earlier.

 

[KeiJidosha]

.

 

[leec]

Well, logically, the fastest any LEAF could go 1000 miles is about 3-4 days.

Maybe we should launch BC2BC mid week, maybe Monday, June 25 ?

That gives everybody the weekend before (June 23-24) to trailer the cars into Washington and a gentleman's pace to Laguna Seca?

With two drivers and a steady 60 miles an hour between 30 minute charges, a LEAF could do 1000 miles in 25 hours. This would of course require CHAdeMO along the entire route, which is unlikely by June.

Anyway, I'd rather start on the weekend; I have little interest in a half-day at the track especially when the opportunity cost is participation in the (first ever?) multi-vehicle electric rally along the length of the West Coast.

If the starting day is going to shift or dissolve into a start distributed across multiple days, please let me know so that I may change or cancel the ($300+) reservation of the day-use area at the Peace Arch Park on the 29th. I'll also send out another notice to the EAA chapters in Vancouver, Seattle and Portland so that people don't show up to a non-event.

 

[BIGneutrino]

I am going to focus my money on the rally part of this event. I used to autocross, and changing out wheels & tires was needed. I wouldn't think for a moment of taking my LEAF on a track without switching out the tires. This makes the logistics of rallying/road tripping AND racing not realistic, in my opinion.

 

[leec]

We should also consider that for other people who might attend the send-off, having it on the 29th would be much better for attendance. Even in the summer, people have to work. If this is meant to be an exhibition of electric vehicles, a well attended start and finish seem much more important than a race which happens to be along the route.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Anyway, I'd rather start on the weekend; I have little interest in a half-day at the track especially when the opportunity cost is participation in the (first ever?) multi-vehicle electric rally along the length of the West Coast.

If the starting day is going to shift or dissolve into a start distributed across multiple days, please let me know so that I may change or cancel the ($300+) reservation of the day-use area at the Peace Arch Park on the 29th. I'll also send out another notice to the EAA chapters in Vancouver, Seattle and Portland so that people don't show up to a non-event.

Well, actually I'd rather it start on the weekend, too, hence the dilemma.

I also wouldn't suggest that ANYBODY in the rally be required to spend any time at a track. It was suggested in another post that this would require track tires... not true. I ran it last year with the crappy stock Ecopia's.

There has been ZERO talk or even suggestion of a multi-day start. Where did that come from? (Edit: I'm told it was deleted) Before you start sending out emails for "non-events", let me first suggest that there's going to be an event, however the details are far from finalized.

 

[hill]

I'll be riding BC to BC next spring on my bicycle, southbound. But I think it's going to take more than 8 days.

World record from West coast to East is 7 days . . . . what . . . . are you slackin' ??

 

[leec]

The ranger with whom I spoke upon reserving the Peace Arch Park said that it books out months in advance of Summer due to weddings and such-like. I'll hold the reservation for that date as I have until 29 days prior to cancel for a nominal fee. I guess I was taken in by the title of this thread into thinking that was the final date and the details to be worked out were things like the course and rules.

 

[TonyWilliams]

The ranger with whom I spoke upon reserving the Peace Arch Park said that it books out months in advance of Summer due to weddings and such-like. I'll hold the reservation for that date as I have until 29 days prior to cancel for a nominal fee. I guess I was taken in by the title of this thread into thinking that was the final date and the details to be worked out were things like the course and rules.

It probably is the final date. I'm just drooling over racing again at Laguna Seca, and didn't know that date until after I announced June 29.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Here is the "north California" section that will prove challenging for our LEAF competitors. The big fat arrows are suggested locations for generators / chargers.

Both Ashland, Oregon and Calistoga, California have DC CHAdeMO fast chargers: