bwilson4web
Well-known member
Serendipity, I found a nice solution to long distance trips. Planning a 700 mile trip from Huntsville AL to Stillwater OK wasn't working. The nominal gas range at 65 mph is ~80 miles (40 MPG.) Trying to map fuel stops using either MapQuest or Google Maps was turning into a nightmare. Then I realized the answer, 24 hour truck stops.
Enter into Google "<highway> truck stop <state>" and you'll quickly get a list of truck stops, most are 24 hour but check using their phone number. So far, they are running ~70 miles apart, well within the BMW i3-REx range.
First I'll make a spreadsheet with each truck stop details and address including the ones 'in between.' Then I will make a Google Map trip consisting of segments between each truck stop along the routes. Finally, export the route to my iPhone and the eventually the car.
In effect, the 'truck stops' are the islands or 'stepping stones in the creek.' My long distance trips will hop from stone-to-stone until we arrive. If we are able, we'll skip some of the shorter truck stop segments. But only if we have plenty of gas range left in the car.
The reason my first trip, 463 miles, worked is I knew the route. For years I had commuted between Huntsville AL and Washington DC and knew the route well with the exception of I-40. Once I reached Ashville, NC, no problem to Knoxville TN which was also downhill. But I suspected the I-40 segment to Ashville was well serviced and sure enough, there was no problem.
Bob Wilson
Enter into Google "<highway> truck stop <state>" and you'll quickly get a list of truck stops, most are 24 hour but check using their phone number. So far, they are running ~70 miles apart, well within the BMW i3-REx range.
First I'll make a spreadsheet with each truck stop details and address including the ones 'in between.' Then I will make a Google Map trip consisting of segments between each truck stop along the routes. Finally, export the route to my iPhone and the eventually the car.
In effect, the 'truck stops' are the islands or 'stepping stones in the creek.' My long distance trips will hop from stone-to-stone until we arrive. If we are able, we'll skip some of the shorter truck stop segments. But only if we have plenty of gas range left in the car.
The reason my first trip, 463 miles, worked is I knew the route. For years I had commuted between Huntsville AL and Washington DC and knew the route well with the exception of I-40. Once I reached Ashville, NC, no problem to Knoxville TN which was also downhill. But I suspected the I-40 segment to Ashville was well serviced and sure enough, there was no problem.
Bob Wilson