Cross-country drive Pittsburgh to California?

[Hamhock]

Hello all -

I am half-way through a 2-year lease on a 2014 Leaf S. Love it.

...but I'm stuck. I must move to CA in July.

Although it would be best to get someone to take over my lease, that's not likely to happen (anyone looking for a deal?).

So, I'd like to drive it. Does anyone know a route that uses level 2 or superchargers? Has this been done before in a Leaf?

Thank you,
Hamhock

 

[WetEV]

I must move to CA in July. So, I'd like to drive it.

First, do you have a lot of time, and want a real adventure?

If not, get your car shipped. Will be cheaper and easier.


If so, then start with Plugshare. Work out a list of spots to charge, roughly every 50 miles, less in hilly country.

Get an portable L2 adaptor (Evseupgrade, others) and a large selection of adaptors.

It's been done before, first by an EV1 roughly 15 years ago, and several times since.

 

[Randy]

Even if you were going to do the drive, how would 3,000 extra miles work out on your lease?

 

[Nubo]

Sure, people have driven cross-country in LEAFs. Not sure about Pittsburgh specifically.

The place to start, imho would be plugshare.com. At a casual glance it looks like you could reasonably get to Utah on I-70, and then either south to Las Vegas or North to Salt Lake before heading west. Map out your route and decide which charging networks you may need to join, get cards/fobs for. You'll definitely want a portable EVSE capable of L2 charging, and adapter cords, especially to be able to connect to 50-amp outlets at RV parks, for example.

Search this forum for other owners who've done cross-country trips. Particularly Tony Williams blazed the trail early on by driving from Canada to Mexico.

Always plan for alternates in case of broken equipment, etc...

It can be a fun adventure. Depends on your outlook and available time. I drove back and forth between San Francisco and Orange County, CA and enjoyed it. Other folks would go mad and feel deprived if they had to take 2 days each way. Having traveled several times between these points by bicycle, it feels more like a friggin' miracle to me than deprivation.

Good luck!

 

[Hamhock]

Even if you were going to do the drive, how would 3,000 extra miles work out on your lease?

I have plenty of room for the 3K miles in my lease. That is one of the few problems I don't have!

HH

 

[Hamhock]

Sure, people have driven cross-country in LEAFs. Not sure about Pittsburgh specifically.

The place to start, imho would be plugshare.com. At a casual glance it looks like you could reasonably get to Utah on I-70, and then either south to Las Vegas or North to Salt Lake before heading west. Map out your route and decide which charging networks you may need to join, get cards/fobs for. You'll definitely want a portable EVSE capable of L2 charging, and adapter cords, especially to be able to connect to 50-amp outlets at RV parks, for example.

Search this forum for other owners who've done cross-country trips. Particularly Tony Williams blazed the trail early on by driving from Canada to Mexico.

Good luck!

Thanks to all!

It would be an adventure and I would make sure I have 2-3 weeks to complete the trip.

Someone above mentioned it would be more expensive than shipping. Why did you say that? It seems to me that if I can charge mostly for free and if I camp (sometime "car camp"), then it would be very cheap. I have received quotes of $1-1.5K to ship the Leaf. Am I missing something?

I have started to review possiblilities using plugshare and I-70. Kansas seems to be a problem.

Also, do these (http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=28" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false actually allow me to charge from any 240V outlet. Do they work as quickly as stationary/permanent L2 chargers? That is, would it only take 3-4 hours to fully charge?

Thanks,
HH

 

[TonyWilliams]

VOLTS are your friends. You want as many as possible on a trip like this!

Assumption: you have 6.6kW charger and CHAdeMO capability.

You will need a combination of the following, in order or preference:

1) CHAdeMO charging (by far, the fastest)

2) RV parks with "50 amp" service (240 volts)

3) J1772 public EV charging (typically 208 volts)

******

I will rent you our JESLA and 40 foot JLong combo for the trip, together for one $75 price:

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/JESLA-Rental-JESLARent.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/JLONG-40-Amp-J1772-extension-cable-JL40A.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NOTE: JESLA WILL CHARGE YOUR CAR AT THE MAXIMUM RATE WITH 50 AMP RV SERVICE. EVSEUPGRADE WILL NOT.

*******

Please tell us what city you're going to in California.

You need the following apps:

A) PlugShare

B) AllStays RV parks, using the filter for "50 amp service"

 

[Sondy132001]

Sure, people have driven cross-country in LEAFs. Not sure about Pittsburgh specifically.

The place to start, imho would be plugshare.com. At a casual glance it looks like you could reasonably get to Utah on I-70, and then either south to Las Vegas or North to Salt Lake before heading west. Map out your route and decide which charging networks you may need to join, get cards/fobs for. You'll definitely want a portable EVSE capable of L2 charging, and adapter cords, especially to be able to connect to 50-amp outlets at RV parks, for example.

Search this forum for other owners who've done cross-country trips. Particularly Tony Williams blazed the trail early on by driving from Canada to Mexico.

Good luck!

Thanks to all!

It would be an adventure and I would make sure I have 2-3 weeks to complete the trip.

Someone above mentioned it would be more expensive than shipping. Why did you say that? It seems to me that if I can charge mostly for free and if I camp (sometime "car camp"), then it would be very cheap. I have received quotes of $1-1.5K to ship the Leaf. Am I missing something?

I have started to review possiblilities using plugshare and I-70. Kansas seems to be a problem.

Also, do these (http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=28" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false actually allow me to charge from any 240V outlet. Do they work as quickly as stationary/permanent L2 chargers? That is, would it only take 3-4 hours to fully charge?

Thanks,
HH

I keep hearing this and I have yet to charge for "Free" even at my house it's not free.

S

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I wish you the best of luck with your potential adventure. I always love hearing about these trips, if you feel inclined to share your experiences.

I looked at driving my Leaf downstate once, and quickly gave up due to lack of time. And that's only 500 miles round-trip. The difference is that I only had a 3-day weekend to work with, zero CHAdeMO, and a limited 3.3kW on board charger.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I keep hearing this and I have yet to charge for "Free" even at my house it's not free.

S

http://insideevs.com/over-63-of-public-charging-stations-in-u-s-are-free/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are lots of free public chargers across the US. In fact, you can set a filter in plugshare so that you only view the free chargers.

 

[abasile]

While some of your charging may be free, you should also be prepared to pay significantly more than the retail price of gasoline in other cases. Suppose you stop at an RV park and pay $10 to completely fill your battery, giving you a charge good for up to 80 EPA-rated miles. That's not terrible, but if you only add 40 miles and still have to pay $10, your "fueling" costs may add up. Cost-wise, shipping the car would be sensible. But if you want to do the trip and can spare the time, and don't mind spending a bit extra, then it might be a great adventure.

 

[Sondy132001]

I keep hearing this and I have yet to charge for "Free" even at my house it's not free.

S

http://insideevs.com/over-63-of-public-charging-stations-in-u-s-are-free/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are lots of free public chargers across the US. In fact, you can set a filter in plugshare so that you only view the free chargers.

I added myself to the Plugshare forum as a residential for people to use my plug/trickle charger and I am guessing since I bought used, I am not eligible for the Nissan No Charge to Charge, and I did check for free charging in my area and nothing, unless I want to go to someone's house !

 

[rogersleaf]

Thanks to all!

It would be an adventure and I would make sure I have 2-3 weeks to complete the trip.

Someone above mentioned it would be more expensive than shipping. Why did you say that? It seems to me that if I can charge mostly for free and if I camp (sometime "car camp"), then it would be very cheap. I have received quotes of $1-1.5K to ship the Leaf. Am I missing something?

I have started to review possiblilities using plugshare and I-70. Kansas seems to be a problem.

Also, do these (http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=28" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false actually allow me to charge from any 240V outlet. Do they work as quickly as stationary/permanent L2 chargers? That is, would it only take 3-4 hours to fully charge?

Thanks,
HH

I joke with my brother about driving the LEAF from Akron to his home in central Colorado. Sure, where there is a will there is a way... If there is enough time, and equipment, and most of all patience.

Personally would not try it without a portable generator, and maybe a small clamshell trailer or a receiver hitch mounted cargo platform to carry the generator & fuel outside the car. In most cases it won't be needed, but there are stretches where an extra 20-30 miles boost will be needed or help provide confidence when stretching the practical range of the car. Worst case, pull into a Walmart and fire up the generator to load enough range to reach the next L2 on your route.

As for the evseupgrade questions...Yes, it will allow for 240V charging up to 20 amps (4800 watts) and is adjustable slower if needed. Assuming your LEAF has a 6600 watt charger, peak delivery is slightly less/slower than the LEAF can absorb (~3/4 the speed) but adds only marginally to overall charging time (maybe an extra hour). It works well, highly recommend one and investing in a collection of adapters for various common 240V outlets. My own kit includes a 5 gal bucket with a snap lid to store the adapters and a 50' 240V extension cord. The lip of the bucket is notched so the evse and cord connections can be protected inside the bucket if raining.

 

[tcherniaev]

If your choose I-70, your biggest stretch with no options to charge is Green River to Salina (in Utah). That is 107 miles. The only way to make it work is to stop at Ivie Creek rest area 75 miles from Green River and use 110 Volt plug to charge for 5+ hours to make it to Salina. It you set cruise control to 62 mph, no AC, then you may only need 2-3 hours at Ivie Creek rest area.

Another long stretch with no options is Mesquite to North Las Vegas. It's about 80 miles. You could stop in Glendale or Crystal to use their 110 Volt outlet for a bit. 1-2 hours should do it.

The rest of the trip can be done with charing at RV parks using 240 V. Good luck.

 

[bwatl]

Shipping is going to be the best option by far. You can try swap-a-lease (and one other one that I don't recall at the moment) if you want to transfer the lease.

 

[sub3marathonman]

What I found when planning a 1600 mile round trip was that many of the chargers at the Nissan dealers weren't available on Sunday, or later at night, so I couldn't do it.

In addition, there was a 100+ mile stretch that would have been doable very late at night going much slower than any traffic that might be out, but the backup plan to stop in a little town was thwarted when they never responded to my request to use an outlet, such as at their city hall or police station, and pay for the electricity.

 

[KickinLeaf]

Take it from someone with experience, I did an almost 1400 mile trip in a FitEV almost two years ago. It was fun, but I didn't get any sleep for 3 straight days due to range anxiety, it was like a drug that kept me awake. Yes, I could not fall asleep, and drove almost 1400 miles straight, minus time charging. It's definitely doable, but as you see the most recent post at the top of my blog, it got old quickly and I spent all the $$ I saved on fuel renting a truck to trailer the car home. I was proving something to myself that it could be done. Would I ever do it again, hell no.

If you decide to go for it, you will never want to wait more than an hour to charge your car ever again.

Enjoy!

http://fitev.tumblr.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Take it from someone with experience, I did an almost 1400 mile trip in a FitEV almost two years ago. It was fun, but I didn't get any sleep for 3 straight days due to range anxiety, it was like a drug that kept me awake. Yes, I could not fall asleep, and drove almost 1400 miles straight, minus time charging. It's definitely doable, but as you see the most recent post at the top of my blog, it got old quickly and I spent all the $$ I saved on fuel renting a truck to trailer the car home. I was proving something to myself that it could be done. Would I ever do it again, hell no.

If you decide to go for it, you will never want to wait more than an hour to charge your car ever again.

Enjoy!

http://fitev.tumblr.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Range anxiety? You? And you and Cote gave me such a hard time!

 

[chuck101]

You should watch this video. It is long, but it shows the drama of driving just over 400 miles round trip in a leaf. I think by mile 500 or so of your trip to CA, you will pulling your hair out.
Note the tone at the beginning and then at the end and the hours it took vs. a gasoline car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx1_g5SZ6Ng" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Can you do it? Probably. Will it suck? Absolutely. Either shipping it, or a uhaul pulling a flat bed car trailer with your leaf on it sounds like the way to go.

 

[chuck101]

Take it from someone with experience, I did an almost 1400 mile trip in a FitEV almost two years ago. It was fun, but I didn't get any sleep for 3 straight days due to range anxiety, it was like a drug that kept me awake. Yes, I could not fall asleep, and drove almost 1400 miles straight, minus time charging. It's definitely doable, but as you see the most recent post at the top of my blog, it got old quickly and I spent all the $$ I saved on fuel renting a truck to trailer the car home. I was proving something to myself that it could be done. Would I ever do it again, hell no.

If you decide to go for it, you will never want to wait more than an hour to charge your car ever again.

Enjoy!

http://fitev.tumblr.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Where did you get those electric scooters? Those look pretty cool. How were they to ride? Will they carry a 220lb dude?