BC2BC Mexico to Canada via Electric Highway June 12-20, 2012

[LEAFer]

Still looking for anything to plug in near Cambria, California

PlugShare.com shows LindaK in Morro Bay. That spot gets you closer than SLO.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Still looking for anything to plug in near Cambria, California

PlugShare.com shows LindaK in Morro Bay. That spot gets you closer than SLO.

Too far away from Big Sur. I've got a campground there, but now I'm thinking get a hotel in Cambria and use the Big Campground for just the charge.

 

[abasile]

Alas, while we were passing through Cambria in our LEAF, we physically checked for L2 at the Rabobank but didn't find any. As you may know, Morro Dunes RV Park has 50 amp service.

On our vacation we turned around and headed south toward home from just north of San Simeon. Next Spring we're hoping to drive the LEAF up the 1 all the way to Monterey or beyond. (Yes, charging stops and all, my family enjoyed our Central Coast trip.) Really looking forward to learning how you end up making this work!

 

[LEAFer]

Too far away from Big Sur. I've got a campground there, but now I'm thinking get a hotel in Cambria and use the Big Campground for just the charge.

Try

Best Western Plus Cavalier Oceanfront Resort
9415 Hearst Drive
San Simeon, CA 93452
(805) 927-4688

Ask if they have charging for EVs, and/or laundry facility (240V) near parking.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Too far away from Big Sur. I've got a campground there, but now I'm thinking get a hotel in Cambria and use the Big Campground for just the charge.

Try

Best Western Plus Cavalier Oceanfront Resort
9415 Hearst Drive
San Simeon, CA 93452
(805) 927-4688

Ask if they have charging for EVs, and/or laundry facility (240V) near parking.

$239 min per night, won't let me charge.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Alas, while we were passing through Cambria in our LEAF, we physically checked for L2 at the Rabobank but didn't find any. As you may know, Morro Dunes RV Park has 50 amp service.

Just talked to Stuart at Morro Dunes RV, and he's going to make sure I can plug in. It took several rounds of back and forth to convince them that I don't need the "car plug-in" like they have at Target in San Luis Obisbo (where I will charge also).

95 miles to Big Sur... It's going to be very, very close. Sure wish something would pop up in Cambria or San Simeon.

Morro Bay - RV Park, 1700 Embarcadero 805-772-2722

 

[abasile]

Just talked to Stuart at Morro Dunes RV, and he's going to make sure I can plug in. It took several rounds of back and forth to convince them that I don't need the "car plug-in" like they have at Target in San Luis Obisbo (where I will charge also).

We stayed there one night. It's nothing fancy, but clean enough, and across the road from the beach and close to Morro Rock and the town. They charged us the "tent site" rate, but let me park the LEAF at a different spot with 50 amps after I explained that we have a "50 amp" adapter.

Also, a warning: Don't use your LEAF's nav system to find Morro Dunes RV Park! You have to exit CA-1 at Atascadero, head toward the beach, and follow it to almost the end.

95 miles to Big Sur... It's going to be very, very close. Sure wish something would pop up in Cambria or San Simeon.

Maybe try contacting the Chamber of Commerce in each town, and mention that there's already been some "EV tourism" in the area.

 

[LEAFer]

$239 min per night, won't let me charge.

:shock: OUCH! ( never mind ... sorry )

95 miles: I think you'll be ok due to slower speeds, and as a fall-back ... there are plenty of campgrounds or other facilities that should at least have 120V. ( I had to use such "emergency" Plan-B twice ... once for about 90mins at a gas station on the way to bassman (before he was convinced the LEAF would work for him). )


Except I also just noticed a "problem" I was unaware of regarding the coastal Route 1:



OOOPS !

 

[GRA]

Alas, while we were passing through Cambria in our LEAF, we physically checked for L2 at the Rabobank but didn't find any. As you may know, Morro Dunes RV Park has 50 amp service.

Just talked to Stuart at Morro Dunes RV, and he's going to make sure I can plug in. It took several rounds of back and forth to convince them that I don't need the "car plug-in" like they have at Target in San Luis Obisbo (where I will charge also).

95 miles to Big Sur... It's going to be very, very close. Sure wish something would pop up in Cambria or San Simeon.

Morro Bay - RV Park, 1700 Embarcadero 805-772-2722

We stayed in San Simeon in one of the cheap motels on the east side of the highway back in March. $64 for three and two queen beds - I think it was the Motel 6, which is the furthest south. That was their off-season, so I'm sure the rates are more now - max. room rate was something like $200. We chose it because it had the biggest rooms and was the same price as the others, plus it had a cheap, all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at an on-site restaurant.

I have no idea if they could set you up to charge, although presumably if you had a room on the non-ocean side (where the parking is) you could run a cord out the window. Can't hurt to call them all (the ones on Castillo Drive) and see what they say.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Ok, I sent this email to the Cambria Chamber of Commerce:



I'm driving through your lovely hamlet on Thursday, June 14, with my Nissan LEAF 100% electric car. I'm looking for approximately one hour of time at a sympathetic merchant's electrical outlet. I will be happy to pay to use that outlet. I can accept any voltage, however I prefer 240 volts like used on clothes dryers, air conditioners or RV parks.

I want to be clear, since this seems to confuse folks, that I do NOT need or want a site dedicated to electric cars. Obviously, none are available in your town, hence my request.

 

[abasile]

Ok, I sent this email to the Cambria Chamber of Commerce

You might also try calling during regular business hours, and talk to a live person.

For posterity, it could be worth mentioning that the California coast between San Diego and San Francisco has enough EV charging infrastructure to drive everywhere except the most-beautiful Big Sur area. Filling in that gap would not only support pure EV tourism, but would also be attractive to Volt and Plug-in Prius owners visiting the area. Maybe Cambria could eventually follow Solvang's lead and install some L2 units.

 

[Nubo]

Ok, I sent this email to the Cambria Chamber of Commerce:



I'm driving through your lovely hamlet on Thursday, June 14, with my Nissan LEAF 100% electric car. I'm looking for approximately one hour of time at a sympathetic merchant's electrical outlet. I will be happy to pay to use that outlet. I can accept any voltage, however I prefer 240 volts like used on clothes dryers, air conditioners or RV parks.

I want to be clear, since this seems to confuse folks, that I do NOT need or want a site dedicated to electric cars. Obviously, none are available in your town, hence my request.

You might want to inquire at Lucia Lodge

http://www.lucialodge.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Given their history they might welcome the idea. In fact it would be the perfect site for a DC station at some point, imho.

 

[TonyWilliams]

You might want to inquire at Lucia Lodge

http://www.lucialodge.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Given their history they might welcome the idea. In fact it would be the perfect site for a DC station at some point, imho.

I just called, and things are looking good. They have a 120v plug. Thanks for the tip.

Tony

 

[Boomer23]

Tony, have you tried the Ragged Point Inn? It is a large and modernized inn along Route 1 North of San Simeon. They list themselves as 20 miles north of San Simeon. I haven't mapped it yet.

http://www.raggedpointinn.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[ElectricVehicle]

Ok, I sent this email to the Cambria Chamber of Commerce:

I'm driving through your lovely hamlet on Thursday, June 14, with my Nissan LEAF 100% electric car. I'm looking for approximately one hour of time at a sympathetic merchant's electrical outlet. I will be happy to pay to use that outlet. I can accept any voltage, however I prefer 240 volts like used on clothes dryers, air conditioners or RV parks.

I want to be clear, since this seems to confuse folks, that I do NOT need or want a site dedicated to electric cars. Obviously, none are available in your town, hence my request.

You may also want to check out auto repair shops, as they may have 240V outlets. I've also seen auto lifts with L6-20 outlets on them. I don't know if that's because those shops work with LEAFs or L6-20 outlets are common on car lifts. Welding or metal fabrication / machine shops are likely to have 240V outlets. Think of other businesses that might have a handy 240V outlet. If you're talking to the chamber of commerce at Cambria, they may have some outdoor outlets in public spaces, parks or city buildings that they might let you plug into by prior arrangement, especially if this is more of a public event or meeting instead of just an inddividual getting electricity from the city which runs into issues with the city having issues accepting payment or the issues of giving something to an individual...

For 20A breaker box brands, buying one of each brand from Home Depot is probably a good start, at least for residential boxes. If it's really obscure, HD won't carry it, and if it's fairly common HD will probably stock it. Oooh, I take that back, HD has too many breakers!! So a selection from their stock...
Square D Homeline
Square D QO
Eaton Cutler-Hammer
Murray
GE Q-Line?
Siemens?
Connecticut Electric?
Others...
For 240V, I think you want two single pole breakers so you have maximum flexibility in placing them in a box, as a double pole requires two adjacent free slots. For cost and space, if you know where you will be adding breakers to panels, you could call them and ask them to photograph teh panel and send it to you so you can idnetify and purchase only the breakers you need.

I see your list already includes the Quick220.

Adapters - one for 6-15 might be good in addition to the common ones, then you can use a 6-15 or 6-20 240V outlet.

 

[ElectricVehicle]

Just digested most of this thread ...

J1772 extension
http://modularevpower.com/Sales_J1772_to_NEMA_14-50_Adapters.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Get the 50 Amp version of the Modular EV Power J1772 to NEMA 14-50 adapter.
http://modularevpower.com/Sales_J1772_to_NEMA_14-50_Adapters.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Order it now and check on delivery time, or borrow someone's.

This will solve several scenarios for you:
J1772 extension - use NEMA 14-50P to L6-20R and then your L6-20 extensions to the EVSEUpgrade L6-20P to J1772 connector.
J1772 sharing to charge two LEAFs is you need to share a charger using a NEMA 14-50P to two L6-20R and then two EVSEUpgrade L6-20P to J1772 connector.
High power charging using your portable DCQC from J1772.
Use 240V 30A from common charging stations that support 30A.
Use 240V 50A from high power J1772 charging stations. If you upgrade the NEMA 14-50 output connector on the adapter, you can go up to 70A.

I use the http://modularevpower.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; adapter every night with my EVSEUpgrade as a J1772 extension to charge my LEAF outside the garage. My Blink is in the front of the garage and the cable won't reach outside the garage door, so I use the extension.

You may want to pack a couple 3 phase adpaters, like an L21-30.

Ask http://www.solarliving.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; about a high current 240v drop to use your portable QC, they should be able to do something.

AeroVironment KeyFOBs needed for some of the the DC Fast Chargers are currently backordered, with lead times of weeks, if you don't already have one, maybe you should have a plan to borrow one from someone that already has one and has verified that it works.

 

[ElectricVehicle]

What's the single phase max power of your portable DCFC you're taking with you?

What's the three phase max power of your portable DCFC you're taking with you?

 

[ElectricVehicle]

There are a few 240V 70A High power J1772 stations in CA. These can be quite useful for the portable DCFC, providing over 60 MPHC (Miles of range Per Hour of Charging). Here's the list. The format here is a little raw to keep it similar to the EvChargerMaps listing format. Be aware that the last report from some of these sites may be over 6 months old. Also check these sites in http://www.recargo.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . PlugShare doesn't indicate all the J1772 sites capable of more than 30A.


Location Name Address ZIP_ID

Atascadero (San Luis Obispo County)
• Rabobank Atascadero Branch 6950 El Camino Real 93422_1 240V 70A J1772 http://www.evchargermaps.com/?SiteID=93422_1&Want=SPI%20LPI%20AVC%20OC&Zoom=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Davis (Yolo County)
• 4th and G Plaza public parking garage 4th and G Streets (entrance on 4th St..) 95616_2 208V 70A J1772 http://www.evchargermaps.com/?SiteID=95616_2&Want=SPI%20LPI%20AVC%20OC&Zoom=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Goleta (Santa Barbara County)
• Rabobank Goleta Branch 5956 Calle Real 93117_3 240V 70A J1772 http://www.evchargermaps.com/?SiteID=93117_3&Want=SPI%20LPI%20AVC%20OC&Zoom=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Salinas (Monterey County)
• Rabobank Salinas Branch 1285 N. Davis Rd. 93907_3 208V 70A J1772 http://www.evchargermaps.com/?SiteID=93907_3&Want=SPI%20LPI%20AVC%20OC&Zoom=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo County)
• Marsh St Parking Structure, Lower Level 881 Marsh St 93401_4 208V 70A J1772 http://www.evchargermaps.com/?SiteID=93401_4&Want=SPI%20LPI%20AVC%20OC&Zoom=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Santa Maria (Santa Barbara County)
• Rabobank Santa Maria Branch 1554 S. Broadway 93454_2 208V 70A J1772 http://www.evchargermaps.com/?SiteID=93454_2&Want=SPI%20LPI%20AVC%20OC&Zoom=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[TonyWilliams]

Lots of good info. I did not know which were 70amp service in California. I'll guess that a key Tesla owner works/owns Rabobank.

I already have my AeroVironment fob for Oregon and Washington. I do not have the 350green card yet. Also, I have Blink (3) and Chargepoint.

My charger, should it be ready, and I can physically carry it, can handle 200-900 volts, up to 50kW. AC or DC, single or three phase. Edit: I do not know the max amp load.

At my house, I'll probably put a 120 amp breaker and run it at 240v mono phase, 100 amps (24kW). I just need a switching box that disconnects both 50 amp service air conditioners, and the other EVSE during this charge, the electric dryer and any future electric hot water heater. Actually, given those parameters, I can probably go to two 80 amp breakers, and run 128 amps (30.7kW). I have 220 amp service to the house. Max would be shutting everything off and running 176 amps (42.2kW).

Any ideas on a good switching box would be helpful.

 

[ElectricVehicle]

Why do you want to charge that fast at home? Testing purposes?