LA to SF Bay Area in a BEV

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diggity

New member
Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
4
Hi Folks,

First time poster here. I am picking up a 2015 i3 in LA this weekend and am planning to drive it home to San Jose area. I am trying to figure out a few things, namely, whether to take 101 or 99? Or, is the whole thing just a bad idea and I should have it shipped up in a flatbed for $500? I plan to do this all in a day - say leave the dealer with the car around 10:00 am and hope to get home by 10 pm. Is this a pipe dream? Any input is appreciated as I am having a tough time finding anyone who has done this.
 
Got a smartphone ? Get the plugshare app. It will show the charging stations along the way and you can pick your best route.
I haven't looked at the map but off hand I'd say it was doable. Good luck !
 
After looking at the map it appears that 99 has more fast charging options. You should look carefully at the section from LA to Bakersfield. Check the mileage and make sure you have enough range to make it.
 
Thanks, guys! Yes, I have the plugshare app and was planning on taking 99, but saw another post where someone said to "avoid 99 like the plague". I'm just wondering if flat bedding this car up here would be a better idea. I don't want the trip to take 14 hours with charging and driving. Has anyone on this forum made this trip on a non-REX?
 
I will take the flatbed for now. Wait till you are more familiar with the car before taking such a long trip.
 
The hassle with long-distance travel in a BEV is that first, there aren't a lot of CCS units around (although CA has a lot of them in the USA), but second, there's no guarantee that they are all working, or even if they are, whether they're not already in use when you get there! This isn't an issue with an ICE, because there are often lots of choices for gas stations and even if all of the pumps are in use, the most people stay is maybe 10-minutes, so your overall wait is not long. Note also that not all CCS units are created equal, just like not all EVSE's are. The i3 can handle up to 50Kw CCS unit, but some of them out there are barely half of that.

Certainly, you can drive the thing long distances, and if you're lucky, you'll make it without any untoward delays, but it's not a sure thing.
 
Thanks - yeah that was a thought too. HWY 99 has a lot of DC stations, so I think my only hurdle is making it through the Grapevine. It's my understanding that the i3 will only charge up to 90% full via DC.
 
Well, it will charge to 100% using CCS, but that last 10% will be about the same charge rate as using an EVSE. Plus, if you're paying for it, it's my understanding they charge by time, not Kw, so it starts to get expensive to get that last bit.
 
That was probably me that admonished "avoid 99 like the plague". If you like the smell of diesel in the morning then you'll love 99, getting stuck behind agricultural semis taking up 1½ lanes, clapped-out pickups maxing out at 45, endless on&off-ramps, and of course the searing heat and the worst air this side of Beijing. Plus you have to cross the central valley eventually to get over to San Jose. OTOH 101 avoids the Grapevine and though the charging stations are fewer they are sufficient, plus it is altogether a nicer route, cooler, and probably shorter.
Which leads me to my familiar all-caps rant: WHY NO EV CHARGING STATIONS ON I-5?!! Why have all those stations over on 99, where the EVs aren't? Should have laid them all along I-5 from Mexico to Canada, and then later brought them into the, um, challenged communities along 99.
 
Well, I made the trip! For others doing this, I will say that it took about 12 hours. With planned out charge stations to hit, it wasn't that bad at all (although I did get down to 1% battery a few times). But, I took 99 (you are right, Ian - not the best, but better than getting stuck on I-5) and it was a fairly easy trip. The Grapevine was my only concern. So, I stopped right before in McCarthy, filled up, threw the car on Eco Pro + mode and used that to go up the hill. At the top of the Grapevine, I put the car back in comfort, turned on the A/C (it was hot) and coasted down and made it to Bakersfield with about 15 miles left. Overall, it was a fine experience and much easier than I thought it would be.
 
diggity said:
Well, I made the trip! For others doing this, I will say that it took about 12 hours. With planned out charge stations to hit, it wasn't that bad at all (although I did get down to 1% battery a few times). But, I took 99 (you are right, Ian - not the best, but better than getting stuck on I-5) and it was a fairly easy trip. The Grapevine was my only concern. So, I stopped right before in McCarthy, filled up, threw the car on Eco Pro + mode and used that to go up the hill. At the top of the Grapevine, I put the car back in comfort, turned on the A/C (it was hot) and coasted down and made it to Bakersfield with about 15 miles left. Overall, it was a fine experience and much easier than I thought it would be.

Congrats to you, good job! :eek:
 
This is the first I’ve read about a BEV making the trek. It would have been interesting to hear more details or more stories like this one.
 
Haven’t bought my i3 yet, do you need to add additive to the gas for lucbrication? Engine have own oil reservoir?
Do you need smog check every two like regular car.?.
Thanks
 
wsc168 said:
Haven’t bought my i3 yet, do you need to add additive to the gas for lucbrication? Engine have own oil reservoir?
The range-extender engine is a 4-stroke motorcycle engine, so it's not necessary to mix lubrication oil with its gasoline fuel. It has its own oil reservoir like all 4-stroke engines.

wsc168 said:
Do you need smog check every two like regular car.?
Probably depends on your jurisdiction, but it can be started for emissions testing, if required.
 
FWIW, don't go to the test station for a smog check if the battery is full...there must be some room for the produced electricity to go in order to be able to turn it on. It's good to let it run at least 10-minutes once started to fully warm up.
 
Hi all, looking at possibly doing LA to SF this March in a 2018 i3s bev. Think much will have changed by then? I am a fan of the 101 route but do have a work related reason to possibly swing through Bakersfield if it is better for some reason...
 
Hmm looks like the stretch from SLO to Salinas may not be doable with both chargers there pretty much permanently under repair... unless I spend the night in there somewhere.
 
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