Our 2024 Beaverton OR to Copperopolis CA (and back) Road Trip

[Doug&Julie]

Well gang...another year, another "Portland to NorCal" road trip in the books. While it's a very long drive, this one went A LOT smoother than last year, pretty much all thanks to our access to the Tesla Supercharging network. Not only did it give us another 20+ options for stopping to charge, the amount of confidence we had in the network meant that we could go further with each leg if we really wanted to without panicking. While I of course still planned ahead, this was the first time it really felt like a "normal" road trip, where we could just get in and go, and easily make changes on the fly. What a difference...

FWIW on our way down we used the official Ford / Tesla adapter, but on the way back we used the Lectron. Both worked perfectly, but Julie and I think we like the Lectron better.

I also want to note the reason I did plan ahead was mostly because I wanted to find Tesla locations that had (12) or more chargers. We all know that we take up two spots at a Tesla charger (unless its a V4), so I wanted to reduce the risk of being "that guy"...and I figured the larger locations would be best.

For the TL;DR on the numbers...Beaverton to Copperopolis driveway to driveway is 668 miles, so with the return trip and another 96 miles driving around NorCal, overall we drove 1,430 miles in four days. Both long trips took about 13 hours with charging stops and "bio-breaks". We made (7) stops for fast charging, as well as (2) charges at my brother's house in Copper. (6) of the fast charging stops were Tesla superchargers, while (1) was an EA location. In the interest of "science", we tried not to repeat any locations, with the one exception being Sutherlin, OR (it's just too damn ideal for many reasons). Our fast charging stops ranged from 20 minutes to 49 minutes, with the average being 31 minutes. We spent $167.69 on fast charging, so an average of $27.95 per stop. I did not pay my brother for using his electricity...but to be fair he gets it free from the sun, so... ?

Once out of Portland, it's pretty much a straight shot down I-5 until you get to Stockton, then a short jaunt on 4 over to Copperopolis. Heading south, our first charging stop is Sutherlin, OR. We previously stopped there for an EA location right by a Dairy Queen (of all things), but those gave us a bit of a headache on our 2023 trip. Thankfully, there's a new(ish) Tesla super location, with 51 glorious V3 superchargers...all mostly empty. We pulled up, plugged in, and got charging right away. We saw 158kw peak and good numbers the rest of the way. We hit the Starbucks right next door for some breakfast, and enjoyed a nice conversation with a curious Model S owner who wanted to know more about our Mach-E. We were having such a nice conversation, we totally blew past 80% and ended up charging to 87% before taking off. That'll do...

Our next stop was in Medford, OR. We could have gone a lot further, but since our first stop included breakfast and coffee, we needed a restroom stop anyway, so we hit a Fred Meyer (grocery store) that had new EA chargers. All were in working order, with (3) spots open when we pulled up. Plug-n-charge worked perfectly, and again we peaked over 150kw. Restroom and a stretch and we were quickly back on the road.

For our next stop we targeted Redding, CA. I picked this one because it had 44 chargers, although it was a little light on amenities as it was behind a hotel. At least we could use their restrooms...and air conditioning as it was 100 degrees there! Because of the heat, we didn't go all the way to 80% and bugged out around 70%...enough to get us to our final stop. Fun facts...there was only (1) other Tesla charging here, but (3) ICE vehicles parked in charging spots...

Our final stop on the way down was Dunnigan, CA. Here, I broke my "12 chargers or more" rule because a) it was a perfect distance to Copperopolis, meaning an 80% charge would be plenty of range to get us the rest of the way, but also b) it was just north of Sacramento, meaning we could have a restroom break and a good stretch before the highly populous / busy traffic leg of the trip. At this location everything went mostly well, although we tried backing into a very tight spot (not easy), only to have to shew away a Model 3 owner who was about to take "our" charger once we finally got in place. We were very tired, easily irritated, and for a minute I thought there was going to be a rumble! But it all worked out. The charge went well, but again with the heat we stopped on the low 70% range as that was plenty to get us "home".

Side note about Dunnigan, CA...and reason number c) for wanting to stop here...I was hoping these would be up and running for us, but alas they weren't. Maybe next time...

So after a couple of days in and around Copperopolis, we headed home on a Wednesday morning. Interestingly, looking at ABRP it suggested we could make the trip in (2) stops (!!!!), but we thought better and planned out (3). With a 100% charge leaving my brother's, we easily made it to stop number one in Williams, CA. Here again, the (12) V3 cabinet location was practically empty, so we just picked a spot in some shade and got to charging. We stopped at a Starbucks to grab some breakfast on our way in, so we enjoyed the perfect morning weather with croissants and coffee. While there a Lightning owner happened by (not to charge) and stopped to ask how we could charge there. It turns out he has an L2 adapter, so I showed him our CCS adapters and explained the process. He seemed appreciative. But here again the friendly conversation distracted us from our target, so we ended up charging to 83% before taking off. We're okay with this...

For our next stop we were going to stretch it a bit...we arrived in Weed, CA with only 10% on the battery. But not only did this location have 16 chargers, they were all V4s, so we didn't have to worry about taking up too many spots! And if by some bizarre reason these didn't work or were all full, there was a new CCS option just one block away. But once again these were nearly empty, but for a couple of Teslas and another Mach-E! So we had a nice conversation with the other Mach-E owner...who is also a Tesla owner, but decided to take her small battery Select on her trip from Seattle to SoCal (!!!). She had a lot of questions as well, so we were able to share some knowledge (including my list of 12+ charge locations along the I-5 from PDX to SAC). The restrooms at the nearby gas stations were "for paying customers only", so we bought some snacks and drinks that we didn't really need. But other than that, the V4s are awesome, gave us good speed, and you gotta love a longer cable.

Our final stop was a repeat visit to Sutherlin, OR. Here again, it's a great location because with an 80% charge, we knew we could make it all the way home. Getting to Sutherlin, however, gave us a few tense moments. There are a number of "ups and downs" with significant elevation changes between Weed and Sutherlin. It makes for a beautiful drive, but can cause the Mach-E to panic a bit. Twice we saw the estimated range drop below the number of miles to go while climbing up these mountains. We considered bailing out early (we had options, remember), but pressed on with...confidence? We ended up arriving with 14% on the battery...no sweat! Since it was almost dinner time we hit the Dairy Queen...logically. Then we met a man who just bought a Toyota RAV4 Prime and was wondering if he could charge there. So we "shared some more knowledge" and helped him on his way. And once again our conversation meant we overshot our target, but just a little...we left with 82% on the battery.

Right about 7:00 PM we backed into our garage...thoroughly exhausted. Don't get me wrong, the Mach-E is a great road tripper and we love these trips. But man...13 hours in any car is too much for us. Still, for my family I'd do anything...and it was great to get away.

I'll just reiterate here that the difference in comfort level (confidence) with having the Tesla network available to us is a game changer, at least for us. Your milage may vary...as they say...but I believe things will only get better from here.

I shot a lot of video, so whenever I can find the time I'm hoping to post up another "Mach-E Files" episode on this trip. I'll check back in here if I do.

In the meantime...happy motoring!

?

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[Tampamike]

Nice write-up. Thanks. Quick question - the version 4’s - are they black trimmed instead of red-trimmed? Reason I ask is that I go by a Tesla site that looks like they are installing black-trimmed units.

 

[MillerPaints]

Thanks for sharing! We live about 40 miles from Copperopolis in Turlock CA so it was a fun read.

 

[Doug&Julie]

Nice write-up. Thanks. Quick question - the version 4’s - are they black trimmed instead of red-trimmed? Reason I ask is that I go by a Tesla site that looks like they are installing black-trimmed units.

Yes, solid white cabinets with black trim on the sides, compared to the V2 and V3s which are red and white and have an opening the center. I'd hope all new charging units from Tesla are going to be V4 from here on out.

Also to clarify, these are "V4 cabinets" and not true V4s...and by that I mean the electronics inside of them are still V3, where as a true V4 had updated charging power, etc. For our needs, these work perfectly groovy.

Also, I believe all V4s have a built-in "magic dock", although I didn't test this as we wanted to put our adapter to the test. Maybe next time I'll try the magic dock route....

 

[Deleted member 19354]

Well gang...another year, another "Portland to NorCal" road trip in the books. While it's a very long drive, this one went A LOT smoother than last year, pretty much all thanks to our access to the Tesla Supercharging network. Not only did it give us another 20+ options for stopping to charge, the amount of confidence we had in the network meant that we could go further with each leg if we really wanted to without panicking. While I of course still planned ahead, this was the first time it really felt like a "normal" road trip, where we could just get in and go, and easily make changes on the fly. What a difference...

FWIW on our way down we used the official Ford / Tesla adapter, but on the way back we used the Lectron. Both worked perfectly, but Julie and I think we like the Lectron better.

I also want to note the reason I did plan ahead was mostly because I wanted to find Tesla locations that had (12) or more chargers. We all know that we take up two spots at a Tesla charger (unless its a V4), so I wanted to reduce the risk of being "that guy"...and I figured the larger locations would be best.

For the TL;DR on the numbers...Beaverton to Copperopolis driveway to driveway is 668 miles, so with the return trip and another 96 miles driving around NorCal, overall we drove 1,430 miles in four days. Both long trips took about 13 hours with charging stops and "bio-breaks". We made (7) stops for fast charging, as well as (2) charges at my brother's house in Copper. (6) of the fast charging stops were Tesla superchargers, while (1) was an EA location. In the interest of "science", we tried not to repeat any locations, with the one exception being Sutherlin, OR (it's just too damn ideal for many reasons). Our fast charging stops ranged from 20 minutes to 49 minutes, with the average being 31 minutes. We spent $167.69 on fast charging, so an average of $27.95 per stop. I did not pay my brother for using his electricity...but to be fair he gets it free from the sun, so... ?

Once out of Portland, it's pretty much a straight shot down I-5 until you get to Stockton, then a short jaunt on 4 over to Copperopolis. Heading south, our first charging stop is Sutherlin, OR. We previously stopped there for an EA location right by a Dairy Queen (of all things), but those gave us a bit of a headache on our 2023 trip. Thankfully, there's a new(ish) Tesla super location, with 51 glorious V3 superchargers...all mostly empty. We pulled up, plugged in, and got charging right away. We saw 158kw peak and good numbers the rest of the way. We hit the Starbucks right next door for some breakfast, and enjoyed a nice conversation with a curious Model S owner who wanted to know more about our Mach-E. We were having such a nice conversation, we totally blew past 80% and ended up charging to 87% before taking off. That'll do...

Our next stop was in Medford, OR. We could have gone a lot further, but since our first stop included breakfast and coffee, we needed a restroom stop anyway, so we hit a Fred Meyer (grocery store) that had new EA chargers. All were in working order, with (3) spots open when we pulled up. Plug-n-charge worked perfectly, and again we peaked over 150kw. Restroom and a stretch and we were quickly back on the road.

For our next stop we targeted Redding, CA. I picked this one because it had 44 chargers, although it was a little light on amenities as it was behind a hotel. At least we could use their restrooms...and air conditioning as it was 100 degrees there! Because of the heat, we didn't go all the way to 80% and bugged out around 70%...enough to get us to our final stop. Fun facts...there was only (1) other Tesla charging here, but (3) ICE vehicles parked in charging spots...

Our final stop on the way down was Dunnigan, CA. Here, I broke my "12 chargers or more" rule because a) it was a perfect distance to Copperopolis, meaning an 80% charge would be plenty of range to get us the rest of the way, but also b) it was just north of Sacramento, meaning we could have a restroom break and a good stretch before the highly populous / busy traffic leg of the trip. At this location everything went mostly well, although we tried backing into a very tight spot (not easy), only to have to shew away a Model 3 owner who was about to take "our" charger once we finally got in place. We were very tired, easily irritated, and for a minute I thought there was going to be a rumble! But it all worked out. The charge went well, but again with the heat we stopped on the low 70% range as that was plenty to get us "home".

Side note about Dunnigan, CA...and reason number c) for wanting to stop here...I was hoping these would be up and running for us, but alas they weren't. Maybe next time...

So after a couple of days in and around Copperopolis, we headed home on a Wednesday morning. Interestingly, looking at ABRP it suggested we could make the trip in (2) stops (!!!!), but we thought better and planned out (3). With a 100% charge leaving my brother's, we easily made it to stop number one in Williams, CA. Here again, the (12) V3 cabinet location was practically empty, so we just picked a spot in some shade and got to charging. We stopped at a Starbucks to grab some breakfast on our way in, so we enjoyed the perfect morning weather with croissants and coffee. While there a Lightning owner happened by (not to charge) and stopped to ask how we could charge there. It turns out he has an L2 adapter, so I showed him our CCS adapters and explained the process. He seemed appreciative. But here again the friendly conversation distracted us from our target, so we ended up charging to 83% before taking off. We're okay with this...

For our next stop we were going to stretch it a bit...we arrived in Weed, CA with only 10% on the battery. But not only did this location have 16 chargers, they were all V4s, so we didn't have to worry about taking up too many spots! And if by some bizarre reason these didn't work or were all full, there was a new CCS option just one block away. But once again these were nearly empty, but for a couple of Teslas and another Mach-E! So we had a nice conversation with the other Mach-E owner...who is also a Tesla owner, but decided to take her small battery Select on her trip from Seattle to SoCal (!!!). She had a lot of questions as well, so we were able to share some knowledge (including my list of 12+ charge locations along the I-5 from PDX to SAC). The restrooms at the nearby gas stations were "for paying customers only", so we bought some snacks and drinks that we didn't really need. But other than that, the V4s are awesome, gave us good speed, and you gotta love a longer cable.

Our final stop was a repeat visit to Sutherlin, OR. Here again, it's a great location because with an 80% charge, we knew we could make it all the way home. Getting to Sutherlin, however, gave us a few tense moments. There are a number of "ups and downs" with significant elevation changes between Weed and Sutherlin. It makes for a beautiful drive, but can cause the Mach-E to panic a bit. Twice we saw the estimated range drop below the number of miles to go while climbing up these mountains. We considered bailing out early (we had options, remember), but pressed on with...confidence? We ended up arriving with 14% on the battery...no sweat! Since it was almost dinner time we hit the Dairy Queen...logically. Then we met a man who just bought a Toyota RAV4 Prime and was wondering if he could charge there. So we "shared some more knowledge" and helped him on his way. And once again our conversation meant we overshot our target, but just a little...we left with 82% on the battery.

Right about 7:00 PM we backed into our garage...thoroughly exhausted. Don't get me wrong, the Mach-E is a great road tripper and we love these trips. But man...13 hours in any car is too much for us. Still, for my family I'd do anything...and it was great to get away.

I'll just reiterate here that the difference in comfort level (confidence) with having the Tesla network available to us is a game changer, at least for us. Your milage may vary...as they say...but I believe things will only get better from here.

I shot a lot of video, so whenever I can find the time I'm hoping to post up another "Mach-E Files" episode on this trip. I'll check back in here if I do.

In the meantime...happy motoring!

?

Sounds like a good time! Yes one out of Woodburn is a smooth ride for sure!

 

[Tampamike]

Yes, solid white cabinets with black trim on the sides, compared to the V2 and V3s which are red and white and have an opening the center. I'd hope all new charging units from Tesla are going to be V4 from here on out.

Also to clarify, these are "V4 cabinets" and not true V4s...and by that I mean the electronics inside of them are still V3, where as a true V4 had updated charging power, etc. For our needs, these work perfectly groovy.

Also, I believe all V4s have a built-in "magic dock", although I didn't test this as we wanted to put our adapter to the test. Maybe next time I'll try the magic dock route....

Ok, how do you know this? How would anyone know the difference between a “version 4 cabinet” and a true version 4?

 

[markboris]

Hey Doug, when I saw Copperopolis, I thought wow, that is in my neck of the woods. I'm 21 miles east from there (towards Yosemite). I figured you were going to have to charge at the 12 station Tesla Superchargers that is behind the hotel in town there but then read you charged at your brothers. Great write up and glad you made it safely over and back.

 

[Doug&Julie]

Ok, how do you know this? How would anyone know the difference between a “version 4 cabinet” and a true version 4?

To be fair, I don't know for sure...but I'm guessing as I've read that true V4 chargers aren't making it into production yet. But to better answer your question, we'd have to read the power rating on the side of the charger (or maybe the power units that are usually just off to the side of all the chargers). I don't think there are any visual cues otherwise...

 

[Doug&Julie]

Hey Doug, when I saw Copperopolis, I thought wow, that is in my neck of the woods. I'm 21 miles east from there (towards Yosemite). I figured you were going to have to charge at the 12 station Tesla Superchargers that is behind the hotel in town there but then read you charged at your brothers. Great write up and glad you made it safely over and back.

Hey! I think we've chatted before...maybe about how dangerous 4 is? My Aunt used to live in Sonora (she's now moved to Palm Desert). For sure we were all around you this week...we hit Groveland one day, then Murphys another day.

Yeah, I thought we might be using the station in the Copperopolis town center, but just didn't need it. Ironically my brother charged his Model 3 there once to get a quick shot before we headed up to Murphys...probably had to because I was using his charger at home. ?

 

[markboris]

Hey! I think we've chatted before...maybe about how dangerous 4 is? My Aunt used to live in Sonora (she's now moved to Palm Desert). For sure we were all around you this week...we hit Groveland one day, then Murphys another day.

Yeah, I thought we might be using the station in the Copperopolis town center, but just didn't need it. Ironically my brother charged his Model 3 there once to get a quick shot before we headed up to Murphys...probably had to because I was using his charger at home. ?

Yes you're right we did talk before about HWY 4. My memory is shot. Anyway, we have 8 new Superchargers here in Sonora all with the 10' cord so no need to take up two spots. Yes I was in Groveland this last weekend at the Rush Creek Lodge with some friends hanging out by the pool after Hetch Hetchy hike. Did you see the Rivian Charging Outpost in Groveland? First one in the country. Next time you are in the area let me know. ?

 

[Doug&Julie]

Yes you're right we did talk before about HWY 4. My memory is shot. Anyway, we have 8 new Superchargers here in Sonora all with the 10' cord so no need to take up two spots. Yes I was in Groveland this last weekend at the Rush Creek Lodge with some friends handing out by the pool after Hetch Hetchy hike. Did you see the Rivian Charging Outpost in Groveland? First one in the country. Next time you are in the area let me know. ?

Very cool! Yes, we actually did go check out that Rivian charging outpost. We even stopped in and bought a hat. Wonder how silly I'll look driving the Mach-E in a Rivian hat?

We try to get down there once or twice a year. I'll have to try to remember to send a heads up before next time.

Cheers!

 

[markboris]

Very cool! Yes, we actually did go check out that Rivian charging outpost. We even stopped in and bought a hat. Wonder how silly I'll look driving the Mach-E in a Rivian hat?

We try to get down there once or twice a year. I'll have to try to remember to send a heads up before next time.

Cheers!

Thanks and please do next time. ?

 

[ARK]

Great write-up, thanks for sharing. I drove from Spokane, WA to Los Angeles, CA in an EV last year and passed through central Oregon. If you haven't done that drive before, highly recommend you guys experience it if you drive down to NorCal again. You would drive east out of Portland on the 84 until The Dalles, then south on the 197 through Maupin, the 97 through Bend and Klamath Falls, and finally rejoining the 5 in your normal route in Weed, CA. Extraordinarily scenic.

 

[Fremont Kid]

Saw the opposite - Teslas charging at CCS chargers when in Fremont, CA. Plenty of Tesla chargers around that provided more kW but, there they were. Good for goose and gander as long as the adapters work.

 

[Doug&Julie]

Great write-up, thanks for sharing. I drove from Spokane, WA to Los Angeles, CA in an EV last year and passed through central Oregon. If you haven't done that drive before, highly recommend you guys experience it if you drive down to NorCal again. You would drive east out of Portland on the 84 until The Dalles, then south on the 197 through Maupin, the 97 through Bend and Klamath Falls, and finally rejoining the 5 in your normal route in Weed, CA. Extraordinarily scenic.

Very cool! Our first road trip with the Mach-E was from Portland to Bend and on to Copperopolis in 2022. You are right, just gorgeous through central and southern Oregon and Northern California. I hope we can do it again before too long...maybe add a stopover at Crater Lake!

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