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Does this mean driving for fun days are over?

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Main Forum' started by N79PT, Mar 11, 2024.

  1. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I'm finding that at the places I can recharge, it hasn't been do-or-die for much of anyone. It may be at some of the oversubscribed Tesla stations, but I can't use them. The CCS/SAE and CHAdeMO stands I've encountered were very lightly used, but I can't use them either.

    I can use only J1772s or wall outlets. The free J1772s, typically 3.5 to 7 kW, get swamped by everybody. The pay outlets, which I happily used when within walking distance, where barely used. All the hotels without J1772s had been asked about wall outlets by previous customers. Most happily pointed out to them, though mentioned that truck engine block heaters might need to share (none did this trip). A couple places had multiple outlets, but only in places that would block traffic or have traffic running over cords. (For one of them, on a rest day, we found a 10-cord pay station along a nice riverfront walking trail, so recharged while getting needed non-ski exercise.) One had just a single potentially usable outlet, but declared itas reserved for the manager. Another was marked on PlugShare as having engine block heater outlets that were allowed for EVs too, but had since been padlocked and staff would not unlock even for a paying lodging customer.

    My home ski hill (Stevens Pass) has 4 J1772 outlets, though only 3 worked the first time my PHEV visited (repaired quickly). Of the 9 vehicles (6 brands) I knew to have used it that day (directly seen, or disclosed by "Charging History" on the website), only a single Nissan Leaf might possibly have been short-enough range to need some refill to get home. But I talked to him the following week, and found that he lived within round-trip range, so like all the rest of us, was just taking advantage of the 'free' fuel. That day, I was only able to get a 15-minute charge (at 3.5kW, due to power sharing on this station's setup) when one vehicle left just as we started packing up to leave. This past week, I was finally able to plug in on arrival and get a full charge. Moved it at lunchtime, but the station was never filled on that low-turnout weekday, the first such not-filled day since I'd been watching.

    Plenty more Teslas and Rivians and Ioniqs park elsewhere in that same lot, making no attempt to use these power stations.

    On this ski road trip, there were several days where I did manage the day's round trip between lodging and ski parking without gasoline. Or could have if I had played it a bit different.
     
    #41 fuzzy1, Apr 1, 2024
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2024
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  2. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    ^ I should have added that on this 22 day ski tour in our PHEV, we found enough plug-in availability to use the equivalent of 17 full battery charges: 10 from wall outlets at lodgings, 7 from real J1772 charging stations. It was actually plugged in more times than that, but some for just partial charges fitting the available time of activities near the stations.

    A few more charges could have been acquired if we were more open to substantial changes in our early evening activity.
     
    #42 fuzzy1, Apr 1, 2024
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2024
  3. sylvaing

    sylvaing Active Member

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    What was your mpg during that trip?