occ wrote:Wow! That's a pretty awesome (and daring) trip! Very good to know the LEAF can do that...I don't think I would have the guts...congrats and thanks for the report!
Thanks, occ, and everyone else, for your kind words. I felt like doing something awesome, and I guess this counts
drees wrote:Wow - so 7000+ ft of climbing and 98 miles all on a single charge! That has got to be a new record! How much did you have left when you got home - and what was your backup plan if you didn't make it to the top?
Kinda makes a 70 mile 4200 ft climb trip (net elevation gain of about 2000 ft) trip I've been thinking seem easy in comparison...
How did you generate that elevation chart?
This was the second time I tried something like this - the first one (
see here) wasn't quite as ambitious, but it helped me gain the confidence to try this. Really, I wasn't completely certain I'd make it all the way to the top - but I wasn't afraid of getting stranded either - if I had to turn around, it's all downhill for a long ways, and then I have a friend in Three Rivers who would let me charge at his house if needed. There was one thing I was afraid of - if it entered turtle mode and got so low it wouldn't start up again. So I determined to not let it get to turtle - or if it did, to stop immediately. There is no way to charge at the top - there is no electricity up there except for a few cabins that have solar panels!
I admit I was also nervous on the way back, after descending several miles and it still showed flashing dashes! But then it suddenly changed to a mileage number and kept growing.
The main thing is keeping your highway speed slow enough. If you go half as fast, you can go twice as far. For the elevation chart, I used Google Earth. I didn't carry a GPS, but I just plot the route using "directions from ... to ..." and then hit "edit ... show elevation profile".
I wonder if any other electric vehicles have made it in to Mineral King. Or am I the first?
ahagge wrote:Way cool trip! We camped by Mineral King (and hiked to Monarch Lakes) a few years ago...gorgeous spot. But that drive up is nasty with turns!
Yeah, Mineral King is one of my favorite spots, and I was hoping to be able to reach it in the LEAF. Well, it's possible, just barely. Yes, that is quite a gnarly road ... but I also find it fun to drive!
