Randy3 said:
I'd love to see a few strategically placed QC units along highway 99 as well as I-5. Highway 99 drives a little slower, has more interesting stopping places, and fewer elevation changes than I-5. If you only make these trips once or twice a year, and you're not in a hurry, the LEAF can already do the job.
And I think that's where the vast majority of them should be in the San Joaquin Valley, rather than I-5. The only places they're needed now along I-5 south of Sacramento are at Stockton, Tracy, Santa Nella, Harris Ranch, Kettleman City, Lost Hills and maybe Buttonwillow, plus Wheeler Ridge (just S. of the I-5/S.R. 99 junction). These are for primarily east-west traffic from the coast to the valley/Sierra and vice versa, not north-south, which all but Teslas don't have the practical range to do.
On S.R. 99, OTOH, south of Sacramento there should be QCs at Elk Grove, Lodi, Stockton, Manteca, Modesto, Turlock, Merced, Fairmead, Madera, Fresno, Kingsburg, Visalia, Tulare, Earlimart, Famoso and Bakersfield. In addition to most of these being at cities, they're all at a junction with principal highways or through roads.
After 99 (and SR.1, U.S. 50, 97, 101, at least parts of 395 etc., and the Interstates), we should parallel 99 to the east with QCs more or less along S.R. 49 where it crosses principal highways, i.e. Placerville, Jackson, Angels Camp, Jamestown or Sonora, Oakdale and Groveland, Mariposa, Oakhurst. Plus suitable locations along main highways running east to Sequoia/Kings Canyon from Fresno south. Do the same with principal highways running east from I-5 to Lassen, as well in the ones in SoCal running to Anza-Borrego, Joshua Tree, East Mojave etc., and up into the San Gabriels etc. That will give us a useful network suitable for extending the practical range of BEVs _today_, while allowing room for future growth when long-distance interstate cruising will be practical for BEVs.
