Ashland Oregon to Redding CA, Where to charge?

[Luft]

I want to go from Ashland, Oregon to Redding California in my LEAF. Does anyone know of reliable charging opportunities along the way?

 

[padamson1]

I want to go from Ashland, Oregon to Redding California in my LEAF. Does anyone know of reliable charging opportunities along the way?

That's a tough ride because there just aren't too many stops with facilities between those two places. Given the topology you'll need a charge at Yreka because I doubt you'd make it to Weed, and then somewhere around Dunsmuir. Problem is on the way back to Ashland, Dunsmuir is too far away for the climb from Redding, so you'll need something in Lakehead or Salt Creek.

Looks like the Comfort Inn at Yreka is the only station between Ashland & Redding, there is a Plugshare member with with a home charger (but that's not a desirable solution) and he/she is north of Dunsmuir.

I think you'll need to wait till California gets their Electric Highway online in the north country....

 

[Luft]

I want to go from Ashland, Oregon to Redding California in my LEAF. Does anyone know of reliable charging opportunities along the way?

That's a tough ride because there just aren't too many stops with facilities between those two places. Given the topology you'll need a charge at Yreka because I doubt you'd make it to Weed, and then somewhere around Dunsmuir. Problem is on the way back to Ashland, Dunsmuir is too far away for the climb from Redding, so you'll need something in Lakehead or Salt Creek.

Looks like the Comfort Inn at Yreka is the only station between Ashland & Redding, there is a Plugshare member with with a home charger (but that's not a desirable solution) and he/she is north of Dunsmuir.

I think you'll need to wait till California gets their Electric Highway online in the north country....

Bummer.

How is California's Electric Highway going? I hope it's doing better than it is in Washington State.

 

[LakeLeaf]

Ashland OR? Shouldn't you be asking:

To charge, or not to charge--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep, to run out of charge.

 

[padamson1]

Ashland OR? Shouldn't you be asking:

To charge, or not to charge--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep, to run out of charge.

Great quote choice. Yup just start driving your LEAF south from Ashland, charge up in Yreka (momentarily dodging death), if you drive conservatively you could avoid death and make it to Redding but it will be close. However the LEAF will most certainly end up like Hamlet on the way back north to the home of the Shakespeare festival...probably somewhere around Weed, CA if you stay at 55mph

 

[GRA]

Ashland OR? Shouldn't you be asking:

To charge, or not to charge--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep, to run out of charge.

Or perhaps something from Richard III?

KING RICHARD III
A charge! a charge! my kingdom for a charge!

CATESBY
Withdraw, my lord; I'll help you to a charge.

KING RICHARD III
Slave, I have set my life upon a cast,
And I will stand the hazard of the die:
I think there be six Blinks in the field;
Five have I found non-operational to-day instead of working.
A Charge! a charge! my kingdom for a charge!

Exeunt

or maybe Henry V:

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit; and, upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry! England and Saint George!'


or Midsummer Night's Dream:

I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.

 

[edatoakrun]

AFAIK, your only sources of L2 charging on this section of I-5, not only to Redding, but all the way to Sacramento/Vacaville, would be a portable EVSE, like Ingineer's.

I believe that the only public charge stations, at Yreka (and Orland, South of Redding) are Tesla only.

Recargo and other sites do show some RV parks that welcome BEV charging, and there are lots of others, who probably will be happy to sell you some kWh, if you ask in advance.

The blink units in Redding have never been dependable, in the six months since installed, and are now shown as out of order, on the Blink map.

The good news is that Crown Nissan Redding's 2 L2s are available 24 hours, though, during business hours you may have to ask them to move the employee's vehicles ICE-ing them, which they will cheerfully do, as they did for me yesterday.

Remember, driving north on this route will require significantly more kWh than driving South, and different charge locations, due to altitude changes. Also, expect low speed driving on I-5 to be difficult, due to heavy Truck traffic, always significantly exceeding the 55 mph truck speed limit, in the right lane.

If you do decide to give it a try, please report the details, as I'm thinking about trying the same drive myself.

 

[GRA]

AFAIK, your only sources of L2 charging on this section of I-5, not only to Redding, but all the way to Sacramento/Vacaville, would be a portable EVSE, like Ingineer's.

I believe that the only public charge stations, at Yreka (and Orland, South of Redding) are Tesla only.

Recargo and other sites do show some RV parks that welcome BEV charging, and there are lots of others, who probably will be happy to sell you some kWh, if you ask in advance.

The blink units in Redding have never been dependable, in the six months since installed, and are now shown as out of order, on the Blink map.

The good news is that Crown Nissan Redding's 2 L2s are available 24 hours, though, during business hours you may have to ask them to move the employee's vehicles ICE-ing them, which they will cheerfully do, as they did for me yesterday.

Remember, driving north on this route will require significantly more kWh than driving South, and different charge locations, due to altitude changes. Also, expect low speed driving on I-5 to be difficult, due to heavy Truck traffic, always significantly exceeding the 55 mph truck speed limit, in the right lane.

If you do decide to give it a try, please report the details, as I'm thinking about trying the same drive myself.

Playing around by eye some while back, I figured that north of Redding you'd need/want chargers for a Leaf on I-5 around Lakehead, Castella (Dunsmuir might be a bit far when northbound), Mt. Shasta City, Weed (if you're heading off to K-Falls), and Yreka (either smack in the middle, or one at each of the two state highways that head west, north and south of town). South of Redding, I'd think they need to be at Red Bluff, Corning (maybe), Orland, Willows, Williams and Dunnigan. I haven't been up that way for some years and certainly haven't driven a Leaf there, so do you think this list is reasonable, or see any spots that should be added/subtracted? BTW, rather than using Dunsmuir and Weed, I put the L3 in Mt. Shasta City and Weed, because I'm a climber and a lot of people going to or coming off the mountain stop in town for food, so it seemed like the best place for an L3. I assume there'd also be one eventually in McCloud, for those heading east.

 

[edatoakrun]

South of Redding, I'd think they need to be at Red Bluff, Corning (maybe), Orland, Willows, Williams and Dunnigan. I haven't been up that way for some years and certainly haven't driven a Leaf there, so do you think this list is reasonable, or see any spots that should be added/subtracted? ....

Actually, south of Redding looks easier to me, as old highway 99 (with lots of RV parks) is still there as a frontage road, offering a lower speed alternative to I-5, almost all the way. But I've never been on more than 20 miles of that road, in any vehicle, as I-5 was completed before I got my learner's permit in '75.

I expect it would be a lot easier to drive on L2 recharges (On L2, the slower you drive, the sooner you'll get there) on this section, than to the north of Redding, where there are only a few small fragments of old 99 left.

 

[GRA]

South of Redding, I'd think they need to be at Red Bluff, Corning (maybe), Orland, Willows, Williams and Dunnigan. I haven't been up that way for some years and certainly haven't driven a Leaf there, so do you think this list is reasonable, or see any spots that should be added/subtracted? ....

Actually, south of Redding looks easier to me, as old highway 99 (with lots of RV parks) is still there as a frontage road, offering a lower speed alternative to I-5, almost all the way. But I've never been on more than 20 miles of that road, in any vehicle, as I-5 was completed before I got my learner's permit in '75.

I expect it would be a lot easier to drive on L2 recharges (On L2, the slower you drive, the sooner you'll get there) on this section, than to the north of Redding, where there are only a few small fragments of old 99 left.

Was looking at sites again last night (hey, I enjoy playing with paper maps, okay?) and got to wondering: would you rather have single L3s (presumably with a nearby L2) more closely spaced, or else dual L3s at greater intervals? I think I'd prefer fewer locations with dual L3s, because if there were just single L3s I'd probably stop at each and every one in case the next one was out of order, possibly leaving me stranded (or at least waiting for L2). With dual installations (separate, each with two or more charging connectors to allow waiting cars to connect and their owners to eat or whatever instead of standing around waiting for an open spot), you wouldn't be up the creek if one was on the er, Blink. What's your take?

Going with dual units, locations might look like this:

Yreka, Mt. Shasta, O'Brien, Red Bluff, Willows, (Williams probably), Dunnigan (or Arbuckle and skip Williams).