cwerdna wrote:GRA wrote:edatoakrun wrote:The CHADdeMO network finally seems to accelerating its crawl out of the Bay Area.
As reported at plugshare, Monterey and Bakersfield DCs now up and operational 24x7, and Visalia???
Putting it at CHOMP (Community Hospital Of the Monterey Peninsula) is a bit strange, as it's surrounded by a residential area and there's no services around there in walking distance (unless you want to eat hospital cafeteria/vending maching food), but it's a lot better than nothing. It is roughly at the junction between Monterey and Carmel and only a short distance on 68 off 1, so good for people traveling on 1 to/from Big Sur; put one there as well and they can probably make San Simeon. Now if we could only get a QC in Morgan Hill/Gilroy, (non-Tesla) BEV owners in the Bay Area might actually be able to _get_ to Monterey in a reasonable amount of time.
Very strange. I'd never heard of CHOMP until now.
Only reason I'm familiar with CHOMP is that I'm a Monterey/Carmel diver, and whenever there's a diving accident that's where people get taken (and are then often sent back down the hills to the recompression chamber run by the Pacific Grove Fire Department). Fortunately, although I've often driven past it on the way south to Carmel dive sites I've never had to take that ambulance ride myself, but know and know of people who have, some of which, unfortunately, have been one-way trips (in most of those cases the ambulance ride is pro forma, because only a doctor can pronounce. Typically those involve a diver who's had a heart attack or similar; only the DCS/embolism incidents tend to be survivable).
cwerdna wrote:
Agreed about wanting a CHAdeMO QC in Morgan Hill or Gilroy. Maybe there should be another at a midpoint between Morgan Hill/Gilroy and CHOMP.
Not really necessary if it's in Gilroy, as it's only 40 miles to downtown Monterey from there, and maybe another 3 or so to CHOMP if you stay on 1, but might be nice if in Morgan Hill. One in Salinas would be useful, for both people traveling 101 and (after cutting over to Monterey) Hwy 1.
cwerdna wrote:
For me, to make it to CHOMP, the fastest route is 1 hour, 9 min drive, 66.9 miles, almost all highway. If I get there and it's down...[ /quote]There are starting to be a moderate number of L2s around the area including there, so you're not totally SoL, just inconvenienced. Nice biking along 17-Mile Drive (bikes get in free) while you're waiting! But you don't have to it all via 101 to Prunedale then 156 to 1, or 17 to Santa Cruz to 1. There are some very pretty back roads on the west side of 101 between Aromas and Castroville; I often use them coming back on Sundays if 156 is backed up. My favorite is Castroville Blvd - San Miguel Canyon Rd. - Tarpey Rd. - San Juan Rd., and then either take that to the junction with 101 at the Red Barn (can't miss it), or else hang a left at Carpinteria Rd. through Aromas to Riverside Rd. (Hwy 129) to 101.
cwerdna wrote:
In the past, I'd kinda wanted to Leaf to Monterey or Carmel, but there was no CHAdeMO DC FC along the way and even the reasonably priced L2 choices (would take too long) around there weren't plentiful.
Given the CHAdeMO I see on Plugshare, Bakersfield and Visalia are a bit of head scratcher.
Looks like nothing's Leafable (by QC) at highway speeds of Bakersfield. The Visalia and Bakersfield QCs are 84.6 miles apart, almost all highway.
Given current BEV ranges they definitely need one in the Delano/Earlimart area. Of course, the best solution is to develop affordable BEVs that can reliably make it 100 miles or more at freeway speeds.