Battery range loss going over the grapevine

[joebruin77]

Good to know the Rivian Adventure Network is not restricted to Rivians.

Just be aware that only some Rivian stations are open to non-Rivians, such as the one in Buttonwillow, CA. Other Rivian stations are still "Rivian-only".

Sponsored

 

[IgorKl]

There is another newer place to charge if you are heading southbound before you reach the grapevine - the Rivian Adventure Network DCFC in Buttonwillow, CA. There are 9 Rivian stations (along with a Tesla supercharger and 3 Chargepoint DCFC stations).

I charged my BMW iX at the Rivian station a few days ago with no issues.

Plus there is a Starbucks and Subway as well.

does this location open to public?

 

[joebruin77]

does this location open to public?

Yes, this location is open to non-Rivian owners. You just need to download the Rivian app and set up an account.

 

[IgorKl]

Yes, this location is open to non-Rivian owners. You just need to download the Rivian app and set up an account.

Full price or they have membership pricing too?

 

[joebruin77]

Full price or they have membership pricing too?

65 cents per kWh, which is 10 cents more per kWh than the price for Rivian owners .

 

[4sallypat]

I live in Visalia, but I work at Reedley College.

Either Tejon Ranch or Frazier park sound like good options. I'm pretty certain I can make the full trip down with one charge if I start at 100%, but the return trip is uncertain, since I don't know what the hotel charging situation will be.

Still, we often stop at Tejon for a snack or a restroom break, so topping off there makes sense.

You will be fine stopping anywhere for a quick top off charge and break. You may just end up paying nothing to charge if you use the free CA DOT CCS1 chargers at the rest stop in Lebec.

Just note that it's a pain when coming back northbound where the mirror rest stop does not have the same number of chargers.

Funny, I was doing some XC flight planning with my instructor and looking at flying into Reedley airport O32 since it's the closest to my farm. Reedley airport is a non towered class D which is weird as I usually practice at towered airports.

My CFI said it would be great practice but he said he prefers Harris Ranch airstrip (3O8) off the 5 freeway for a steakhouse lunch !

My farm happens to be across the street from POM Wonderful juice company's private airstrip!

Eventually when I get my PPL and IFR, I will be flying to the farm instead of the long 5 hour EV drive.

 

[Mr Card AMT]

You will be fine stopping anywhere for a quick top off charge and break. You may just end up paying nothing to charge if you use the free CA DOT CCS1 chargers at the rest stop in Lebec.

Just note that it's a pain when coming back northbound where the mirror rest stop does not have the same number of chargers.

Funny, I was doing some XC flight planning with my instructor and looking at flying into Reedley airport O32 since it's the closest to my farm. Reedley airport is a non towered class D which is weird as I usually practice at towered airports.

My CFI said it would be great practice but he said he prefers Harris Ranch airstrip (3O8) off the 5 freeway for a steakhouse lunch !

My farm happens to be across the street from POM Wonderful juice company's private airstrip!

Eventually when I get my PPL and IFR, I will be flying to the farm instead of the long 5 hour EV drive.

Nice! I usually fly out of Visalia, but Reedley is a nice little airport. If you want a good breakfast/lunch airport in the area, try the cafe at Woodlake airport. They have a good little restaurant there.

 

[mdolan92869]

Nice! I usually fly out of Visalia, but Reedley is a nice little airport. If you want a good breakfast/lunch airport in the area, try the cafe at Woodlake airport. They have a good little restaurant there.

Gotta agree with the Woodlake airport restaurant!

 

[Discwizard70]

Nice! I usually fly out of Visalia, but Reedley is a nice little airport. If you want a good breakfast/lunch airport in the area, try the cafe at Woodlake airport. They have a good little restaurant there.

Yes, it is good! Just an advisory though, eat and leave! The café/airport area is fine, but Woodlake is often called 'HOODlake' around here due to crime and meth there! My route through there about twice a month is always extra cautious! Many other fellow vendors report trouble. Not the worst CA town by far, but there is a lot of minor theft!

 

[MWJunior]

I live in central CA, but I'm planning a trip to the LA area. What kind of range penalty would I expect to see going south over the grapevine? Will the downhill side somewhat balance out the big climb, or should I expect a big loss in efficiency compared to what I would see on a level road? Based on the mileage only (about 170 miles), I should easily get to my destination without stopping. I'm wondering if the grapevine will make me need to stop and charge along the way.

TIA

I believe the range meter on the dash predicts range based on current driving conditions: when you're on an extended uphill drive, the gauge is predicting range based on on the grade and speed at that moment. As others have said, going downhill from the top of the Grapevine will appear to give you more range.
When I head to LA from Fresno, the gauge gets scary going up the Grapevine but stays the same (increasing and decreasing a bit) until I get to Magic Mountain (same range at Magic Mtn as at the top of Tejon Pass).
I would charge before getting to LA, though, as finding chargers there can be a pain, especially if you arrive nearly depleatede.

 

[Marcelus_Mach_E]

If I keep the cruise control at 72-75 I make it pretty comfortably from Fresno to magic mountain. I like doing that because the low battery really pulls in the elections. There are a few Tesla chargers to choose from in that area. If the bladder demands, it's very convenient to stop at the outlets and juice up at the Tesla chargers. 20-25 minutes easily gets you all the way to OC, with charge to spare.
I usually only gain 1 or 2 miles on the downhill but There's 10 to 15 miles where you're using none or negative juice

 

[devmach-e]

My issue with the Outlets at Tejon is that they cutoff access at 11pm. Found this out the hard-way the first time. That's why we now skip them and just the Frazier Mtn Park Superchargers.

 

[IgorKl]

My issue with the Outlets at Tejon is that they cutoff access at 11pm. Found this out the hard-way the first time. That's why we now skip them and just the Frazier Mtn Park Superchargers.

I bet that Frazier Mtn Park Superchargers will be the most popular stop when they have better amenities open next to them (7/11 with clean restrooms ).

 

[devmach-e]

I bet that Frazier Mtn Park Superchargers will be the most popular stop when they have better amenities open next to them (7/11 with clean restrooms ).

Yup! Looking forward to that.

 

[Brent@ANParts]

Definitely take it easy going up, any elevation can make a huge difference in range. When I go to Tucson (quarter mile higher than Phoenix) the range takes a real beating, sometimes 50% over the actual distance. Going back though I can usually shave 10-20 miles, but you definitely don't get it all back.

Sponsored