Trip from Phoenix to Tucson? Possible? EV charging available?

[JeffT]

Greetings all,

I just purchased a used Leaf L and would like to take a trip to Tucson AZ this weekend. Using a variety of websites that show charge stations, some lead to a roads with nothing there. I experienced this over the weekend to tracking down listed stations that don't exist.

I've created a Blink account, and added Plugshare and Chargepoint apps to my phone.

Are there actual working EV charging stations in Casa Grande or Picacho Peak for example? I see charging station in the Phoenix area and the Tucson area but nothing in between. My concern is to be stranded somewhere on the I-10 with no working charging stations around. :shock:

Please respond with info asap.

Thank You!

 

[Oilpan4]

This seems normal for the south west.
I have no public j1772 or chademo chargers within range of my leaf also.

 

[JeffT]

That is a bummer. Casa Grande would be a perfect location just south of Phoenix, west of Tucson and east of Yuma/San Diego. Plus a few years back they added a whole extensive Mall complex near the connection of I-10 and 8 (going west to San Diego) in Casa Grande. That is a lost opportunity for business there. I'd stop and grab a bite or see a movie if they had something setup.

I've found quite a few working EV charging stations around Phoenix; including one near where I work. Some free and some that charge.

I was wondering, do RV parks have 220-V hook ups available? If so, I'd bring my own charger and plug it in there.

 

[GerryAZ]

Greetings all,

I just purchased a used Leaf L and would like to take a trip to Tucson AZ this weekend. Using a variety of websites that show charge stations, some lead to a roads with nothing there. I experienced this over the weekend to tracking down listed stations that don't exist.

I've created a Blink account, and added Plugshare and Chargepoint apps to my phone.

Are there actual working EV charging stations in Casa Grande or Picacho Peak for example? I see charging station in the Phoenix area and the Tucson area but nothing in between. My concern is to be stranded somewhere on the I-10 with no working charging stations around. :shock:

Please respond with info asap.

Thank You!

Plug Share shows a couple of DCQC units in Casa Grande. I do not recommend making the trip with a 24 or 30 kWh LEAF because you will be in trouble if those stations are not in service. There are stations in Phoenix and Tucson so a longer range LEAF should be able to make the trip. There used to be a station in Picacho Peak, but I think it has been removed.

 

[JeffT]

Thank you for the response! My Leaf is a 2016 L with 27K miles. It max charges at 93 miles, but i lose some with the AC on. My destination is 88 miles away cause I'm in the East Valley. I could recharge it in Phoenix en route. Then I'd be about 70+ miles away. Going to Marana not central Tucson. I would attempt this very early in the morning to avoid using the AC but it still seems risky.

 

[GerryAZ]

There are charging stations in Chandler that would get you a little closer, but don't attempt it unless you confirm that there is charging available in Marana. I just checked PlugShare and see 2 locations in Casa Grande, but problems have been reported recently so I would not depend upon them.

 

[JeffT]

Yeah... unfortunately it does seem like there aren't reliable stations between the two cities. Bummer.

I have a co-worker who has a Tesla. She can go 300 + miles on a charge. :mrgreen:

I'd take half of that distance at this point. :?

I went to a charge station near the old Sears and Harkins theater in Chandler where the south 101 ends at the 202 today after work. There were traffic cones blocking the entrance and exit. I walked over to this Blink station. It displayed something like $9.95 just to start and some amount per second. My car was more than half charged so I didn't even bother. It didn't seem to matter that I signed up on the blink app and added my CC and other info.

 

[JeffT]

Was just looking at this site: https://www.electrifyamerica.com/locate-charger

It lists this:

Walmart 1218 - Casa Grande, AZ
1741 E. Florence null Casa Grande, AZ 85122

3 CCS 1 CCS-CHAdeMO

$1 SESSION FEE

POWER Cost


1 - 150 kW - $0.89 / min.


1 - 350 kW - $0.89 / min.


1 - 50 kW - $0.21 / min.


1 - 7 kW - $0.03 / min.


$0.40 / min. idle fee applied after a 10 minute grace period.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This at least gives the illusion that something is setup and functioning there.

 

[GerryAZ]

The Blink membership plan I have is $6.99 per session, regardless of charging time and energy (nonmember price is $9.99 as you saw on the display). EVgo has a couple of different membership plans to consider if you plan to use their units. It generally costs me a little more to charge at EVgo than at Blink stations with the membership plans I have and the EVgo stations usually shut off after 30 minutes so I prefer Blink. There are no Electrify America stations in areas I frequently visit.

 

[dsh]

https://www.plugshare.com/location/11856

https://tucson.com/business/local/tucson-tech-rapid-charge-facility-for-electric-cars-opens-on/article_10379d7b-6f88-5a6f-9f3a-517925d19d5b.amp.html

 

[TheLostPetrol]

Plugshare also shows an EVgo CHAdeMO (and CCS) at The Promenade shopping center in Casa Grande. A Leaf checked in on 2019-07-14.

 

[JeffT]

Plugshare also shows an EVgo CHAdeMO (and CCS) at The Promenade shopping center in Casa Grande. A Leaf checked in on 2019-07-14.

Thank You! I have a friend who lives in Casa Grande and she's going there tonight or tomorrow to confirm that it's operational and take a few pictures for me. With your message and her verification this looks more hopeful than it did last weekend!

If every goes as planned, I'll be heading down to Tucson early Saturday morning and returning sometime on Sunday. I'm taking a 220v & a 110 V charger with me to charge up over night on Saturday where I'm staying.

 

[SageBrush]

-
Thank You! I have a friend who lives in Casa Grande and she's going there tonight or tomorrow to confirm that it's operational

-
Exactly how I feel about CHAdeMO in the USA.

I *might* trust CHAdeMO in Canada

 

[powersurge]

You should not buy a Leaf and expect to drive it out of your city. You need to get used to it first.

If you get stuck, it is your own naive fault...

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Driving the Leaf (or any electric) is very doable for cross country driving, its still a bit like flying a small plane. You need to plan ahead and know where the landing strips are to refuel.

It is way better then 2013 when I bought my first Leaf, but not quite yet at the gas station at every highway exit stage.

 

[Evoforce]

As of recent, almost every Electrify America charging station in AZ is having trouble. If you plan on using one of those you can call their customer service and also use their app. Quite often though, they do not list when their stations aren't working through their app. It does look like the EA station in in Casa Grande at Walmart is showing as working.

Also you could contact EVgo as they have one in the area too. The Chevron station in Casa Grande no longer has any working Blink chargers. Nissan has their proving grounds nearby with a Chademo but I have never tried it or found out if it is open for public use.

The Chademo at Picacho Peak no longer works but Level 2 does since last checked. Hopefully when you are in Tucson, you can charge at a friends house. Chademo has been a challenge to find working in the Metro Area and Tucson, as well as on route to either locales. Some days it is do-able, others it is not... IMO until they start shading their equipment from the heat, they will continue to experience regular outages. I want them to shade customers in the process too!

 

[JeffT]

Well… despite all the helpful warnings, I’m a bit of a risk-taker and adventurer at heart. I jumped in the car and drove from the east valley to Casa Grande early this morning. Arrived at the station several lights down on the west side of Florence ave with 49% of my charge remaining.

Here is a view. https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipNBON_2TKyWyBhi3i01ANdFLCDp9-4z0iYnEzfP

The thing I learned was even though they take VIsa, they don't accept a CC that uses a pin; like a Visa Debit. I have to admit, this was a time of anxiety when my CC kept being declined. I then called the Electrify America number 833-632-2778. I spoke to Paris who was very helpful in helping me resolve this situation. She could remotely reset the station I was at until we got everything working. I signed up with their app and added $10 into the new account. It was really quick! I was able to charge to 98% in about 15 minutes.

Then took off and headed for Tucson: One eye on the road and one eye on the remaining miles... watching them click away as I traveled towards Tucson.

Eventually arrived to my destination with 14 miles remaining. Phew. :shock:

Unfortunately, the 220V wall outlet didn't match the 2 adapters I brought with me. I could order one but it wouldn't arrive until Monday. :roll:
So... I've been doing the slow 110 V charge since this morning. There are a few nearby J-1772 nearby Cortaro RD Tucson, so I may add a chunk of charge there while we are out having dinner and then finish any charging tonight. Tomorrow will be the reverse process. Hopefully, everything works returning back.

 

[JeffT]

Update. Last night went to the charging station near Kohls on Cortaro Rd near the I-10 in Tucson. They had 4 stations. These are ChargePoint and the cost was $1.25/hr for 2 hours. I went to Kohls and then to a Mexican restaurant (had some tasty steak fajitas) while this charged. A Tesla was charging there too.

When I returned, it had increased the charge to ~70mi. Drove it back to where I was staying then plugged in the 110 V and left it charging overnight.

This morning it was fully charged. Departed Tucson and arrived to Casa Grande (50 miles away) with 25 miles remaining on the charge; that was 11 additional miles remaining than when I was traveling towards Tucson the day before. I realized that traveling east yesterday I had strong headwinds the entire way. Traveling west the winds were mild.

It took 25 minutes to charge. We had pastries and tea with us and walked nearby to the Taco Bell and ate breakfast. They didn’t mind us hanging out there at all and were curious about the charge station and the car. I showed one of the girls there the app that told us the percentage of charge completed, which refreshed every 15 seconds. Using this we knew exactly when the car was done. Went out disconnected and we were on our way again. The total charge with tax was $4.19.

Arriving home afterwards, we had driven exactly 193.3 miles during this 2-day journey.

The reason I am writing this narrative is to show that it is very doable to travel between these two cities. The Electrify America app shows which stations are available. Paris from EA had told me last night that Electrify America has a new charging station coming to Tempe AZ too. Checking the APP today, it will be at 5000 S. Arizona Mills Circle, in Tempe. That will be very convenient since it will have a CHAdeMO there, along with CCS and J1772.

In addition, if we want the EV networks/station to grow/expand, we can be advocates for this occurring. I had several people at each stop come up curious asking questions. Mostly they were about the cost and availability of these types of stations along with distance on a charge. They were encouraged by the information and cost.

As everyone may realize that for now, the CHAdeMO is what we need everywhere because it is so much faster getting a full charge in one quick session. Electrify America was relatively easy; especially the second time around going there with the app readily available. Plus, they have a call center to assist if you run into difficulties.

Anyway, I added in a few more pictures to the album linked above in the previous post. If you have any questions, please post them and I’ll respond asap. :ugeek: