{Seattle/PacNW} 3 Pass Blast: a DCFC "mini-rally" ~250 miles

with the recent launch of a few DCFC's in the Seattle area,
a member of Seattle Nissan LEAF Owners group on Facebook (LINK: FB/groups/seattlenissanleaf) set off with 100% from Issaquah, up to Snoqualmie Pass @ 3,022' on a reconnaissance drive. after a successful charge, he continued on to Suncadia Resort to another new DCFC.
... neither of the two were confirmed to be LIVE, so he chanced it! :mrgreen: :shock:

further discussion prompted the idea to trace a popular loop:
:arrow: 3 Pass Blast: Stevens, Blewett, and Snoqualmie

the route includes 5 DCFC charging stations along the ~250 mile drive:
Seattle > Sultan > Skykomish > Leavenworth > Suncadia (Cle Elum) > Snoqualmie Pass > Seattle
additional DCFC in Lake City/Seattle, one could even throw in the DCFC in Wenatchee to extend the drive to ~300

...
the clockwise route is favored due to the climbs and proximity of DCFC's
but the drive could also be completed in the counter-clockwise direction.

a few drivers are looking at this Sunday 12/8 (one in an i-MiEV)
and others are going Saturday 12/15
full route: http://goo.gl/maps/uFh0b" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

thisguyfel said:

Leavenworth > Suncadia (Cle Elum)

Click to expand...

This looks a bit tight, especially for the IMiev, and especially if there is marginal road conditions.

Good luck, and make sure you understand when to turn around. Don't forget the warm clothing!

Hi, i-MiEV driver here. I'm sensitive to the fact that this is close to the range limit of my car. I've got a set of traction tires fitted which will further cut into my range. I presume the turnaround point here will be naturally determined: if I run out of energy on the way up the hill I'll turn around and regen on the way back down, saving the 2kWh reserve for heating.

A couple of weeks ago I confirmed that Suncadia, Cle Elum was operational and posted the info on PlugShare.
A couple of days ago, I posted that the Snoqualmie Pass unit was operational:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=620&p=247633#p247633

Also, last summer I did much of this route and reported it here:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=9946&p=226115#p226115
One thing I noticed was extra charge at the Pass tops. I recommend pre-heating at the DCQC stations, running up hill with the heat off, then down hill with it cranked on 90 F (thus consuming some of that extra regen energy). I had to switch between N, D and ECO to keep around the speed limit. Rarely used the brakes. Should be pretty easy with the Leaf unless there is a lot of slush on the roads.

Reddy