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Far West Texas Charging
- Thread starter charliepmayer
- Start date
There are only 25 sites with electricity in the park. They are reservable, and usually are all reserved very far in advance. If there is any chance you will need to rely on this, you'd better call.
RV Camping - Big Bend National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
tmoz
S85D, Y LR, ex Prius PiP
Yes indeed - they are available. I must have been looking when it was incorrectly thought that Tesla was going to discontinue this adapter. I would definitely get the adapter straight from Tesla, had I known they were just restocking. Probably cheaper than what I paid. I may just go get one anyway.
tmoz
S85D, Y LR, ex Prius PiP
tmoz
S85D, Y LR, ex Prius PiP
We ALL need to keep in mind that the breakers in RV parks are old and overworked. Compounding the problem (probably) is that they are being used as switches to turn power on and off several times a day, which possibly wears them out faster.
Good practice on any RV outlet is to start the amperage setting low and ramp up. They work by tripping when they overheat, so once you have overheated them they tend to be more sensitive. Yes the homemade TT-30 adapters should be manually limited to 24 Amps, but don't start there...
Great road trip as usual out to Big Bend, but I had to leave my car in the Chisos most of the weekend and we had to cram 4 people in a Tiburon to travel around since charging was too much trouble for getting around the park this trip. Here a few things I kept track of from my trip. For reference I have a LR RWD Model 3 which maxes out at 325 miles of range. Any mileage figures is based on my car.
I used up 170 miles of range to get to the Chisos Basin campgrounds from the Fort Stockton supercharger. On the way back I used up 146 miles of range to get back. This pretty much uses up the battery completely once you factor in overnight mileage losses. I charged to 317 miles at Fort Stockton. I also was pretty much driving the speed limit in chill mode the whole time and sometimes went 5 over. I had the A/C off cruising around the park from the Chisos to Rio Grande and back, but turned it on leaving the park.
The Rio Grande RV spots is the only place to charge in the park as stated other than using a 120v outlet if you are staying in the Chisos lodge. I did not see any other options around the park. Any other charging has to be done outside the park at other RV campgrounds. I stopped by the Rio Grande RV spots to charge for 3 hours and the employee let me slide on charging a few hours, but otherwise the day use fee is $35 and it was booked overnight so it unreliable unless you reserve a spot in advance. I cleaned up trash from in the bushes around the campgrounds while charging so that was my trade-off for a few hours of charging. If you want to drive around in the park, then this is the only option to charge and stay in the park as of now. Period. $35 a night.
Going from the Chisos campgrounds to the RV charger used up 4 miles of range since it was all downhill, and used 51 miles going back. I added 30 miles of range for my drive back after factoring there and back which was enough to get back to Fort Stockton.
Cruising around on autopilot in the park works great. I am guessing it may have some issues heading to Santa Elena Canyon on the roads, and I took over for the sharp turns in the Chisos, but on the main roads it works great. I did not get the recent NOA update before my trip. Autopilot is limited to the 45mph speed limit or 5 over in the areas I checked in the park. No biggie since you have to be the most efficient you can here.
I talked to quite a few people who work at the park about EV charging, the best option they said would be to fill out the comment form and request EV charging since it goes to the superintendent. Realistically this still may take forever, so the better option may be to contact the lodge and RV campground owners and request EV charging access. Having an hourly rate to charge would be ideal, or a day use EV charging pass. I sent an email to the lodge about it and filled out the comment form.
That is all the main points for now that I can think of. I did see another Tesla Model s 75D in the park and I know they spent one evening in the RV spot charging and passed me up on the way out. As of now, big Bend is one of the toughest places to take an EV. IT can be done, but you have to plan around it accordingly. Hopefully my friend in Terlingua sets up a Destination Charger soon, since that would make the trip much easier to deal with, but we still need more options out there that do not requires staying overnight in a campground outside of the park. Otherwise I will still go back as often as possible, but may hold off on the Chisos campgrounds next time.
I used up 170 miles of range to get to the Chisos Basin campgrounds from the Fort Stockton supercharger. On the way back I used up 146 miles of range to get back. This pretty much uses up the battery completely once you factor in overnight mileage losses. I charged to 317 miles at Fort Stockton. I also was pretty much driving the speed limit in chill mode the whole time and sometimes went 5 over. I had the A/C off cruising around the park from the Chisos to Rio Grande and back, but turned it on leaving the park.
The Rio Grande RV spots is the only place to charge in the park as stated other than using a 120v outlet if you are staying in the Chisos lodge. I did not see any other options around the park. Any other charging has to be done outside the park at other RV campgrounds. I stopped by the Rio Grande RV spots to charge for 3 hours and the employee let me slide on charging a few hours, but otherwise the day use fee is $35 and it was booked overnight so it unreliable unless you reserve a spot in advance. I cleaned up trash from in the bushes around the campgrounds while charging so that was my trade-off for a few hours of charging. If you want to drive around in the park, then this is the only option to charge and stay in the park as of now. Period. $35 a night.
Going from the Chisos campgrounds to the RV charger used up 4 miles of range since it was all downhill, and used 51 miles going back. I added 30 miles of range for my drive back after factoring there and back which was enough to get back to Fort Stockton.
Cruising around on autopilot in the park works great. I am guessing it may have some issues heading to Santa Elena Canyon on the roads, and I took over for the sharp turns in the Chisos, but on the main roads it works great. I did not get the recent NOA update before my trip. Autopilot is limited to the 45mph speed limit or 5 over in the areas I checked in the park. No biggie since you have to be the most efficient you can here.
I talked to quite a few people who work at the park about EV charging, the best option they said would be to fill out the comment form and request EV charging since it goes to the superintendent. Realistically this still may take forever, so the better option may be to contact the lodge and RV campground owners and request EV charging access. Having an hourly rate to charge would be ideal, or a day use EV charging pass. I sent an email to the lodge about it and filled out the comment form.
That is all the main points for now that I can think of. I did see another Tesla Model s 75D in the park and I know they spent one evening in the RV spot charging and passed me up on the way out. As of now, big Bend is one of the toughest places to take an EV. IT can be done, but you have to plan around it accordingly. Hopefully my friend in Terlingua sets up a Destination Charger soon, since that would make the trip much easier to deal with, but we still need more options out there that do not requires staying overnight in a campground outside of the park. Otherwise I will still go back as often as possible, but may hold off on the Chisos campgrounds next time.
Anybody still interested in a rally in August?
Proposed itinerary below.
Lodging: Hotel Limpia, Paisano Hotel, Holland Hotel, El Cosmico, Cibolo Creek Ranch, Maverick Inn.
You pick. Don't think we can get enough people at a single hotel, but if we do we can get a group rate.
Drinks and dinner at Hotel Limpia on Friday, August 16
Breakfast buffet at the Blue Mountain Bistro on Saturday, August 17, 7:30-10:00
10:00 - Tour of the Fort Davis National Historic Site on Saturday, August 17
Saturday afternoon: on your own for scenic drives and other activities until dinner
8:00 - Cocktails and dinner at the Century Bar & Grill in the Holland Hotel - Alpine on Saturday, August 17
Sunday: on your own for scenic drives and other activities until dinner
5:00 - Cocktails and dinner at Jett's Grill in the Hotel Paisano - Marfa on Sunday, August 18
Proposed itinerary below.
Lodging: Hotel Limpia, Paisano Hotel, Holland Hotel, El Cosmico, Cibolo Creek Ranch, Maverick Inn.
You pick. Don't think we can get enough people at a single hotel, but if we do we can get a group rate.
Drinks and dinner at Hotel Limpia on Friday, August 16
Breakfast buffet at the Blue Mountain Bistro on Saturday, August 17, 7:30-10:00
10:00 - Tour of the Fort Davis National Historic Site on Saturday, August 17
Saturday afternoon: on your own for scenic drives and other activities until dinner
8:00 - Cocktails and dinner at the Century Bar & Grill in the Holland Hotel - Alpine on Saturday, August 17
Sunday: on your own for scenic drives and other activities until dinner
5:00 - Cocktails and dinner at Jett's Grill in the Hotel Paisano - Marfa on Sunday, August 18
ACExpress
Member
Thanks for posting. I just returned from Big Bend, and your post was helpful.
I was coming in from Dallas with a Model S 75D, and I charged to 221 miles at Fort Stockton. Driving somewhat conservatively, I arrived at Chisos Lodge with 48 miles of range. While staying at the lodge, I was hopeful I’d be able to plug into the 120v outlet over 2-3 days to give me enough charge to get back to Fort Stockton, but I couldn’t find anywhere around the Chisos Basin lodging area (visitors center, store, lodge, etc.) that would reach with my standard charging cable. I asked the front desk for an extension cord, but the one they were able to procure from maintenance was only 2 prong and not the NEMA 5-15. My car displayed “charging equipment failure” when plugged in.
Unfortunately I headed to Rio Grande Village on my last afternoon and needed to charge for 7-8 hours to have enough to get back to Chisos and then Fort Stockton. No cell service in Rio Grande Village, and it was predictably scorching hot. Probably the low light of the trip. It only took me 2 rated miles to go the 26 miles from Chisos to Rio Grande Village but took about 55 miles going back. It did afford me the pleasure of seeing my last 30 miles wh/mi go into the negative.
I am not positive had I brought a proper extension cord that it would’ve worked at Chisos, but I will make sure I have one in the car going forward. Outside of the bad charging situation in the area, it was a pretty easy trip from and to Dallas.
Yeah. I didn't end up charging from the big bend lodge, but most outlets are kind of far away since the rooms are up a small hill. Its just one reason to always keep an extension cord in your trunk. Otherwise you will need to charge in Big bend no matter what in any Tesla leaving from Fort Stockton unless you have the new maxed out range 100D. Hopefully Terlingua base camp installs a Destination charger in the near future, but it may be best to stay outside of the park unless you book the RV spot in the park.
Also, This extension cord has worked fine for me and was the best value I found offhand.
Southwire 80 ft. 12/3 SJTW Outdoor Heavy-Duty Extension Cord with Power Light Plug, Teal/Orange-67705501 - The Home Depot
Also, This extension cord has worked fine for me and was the best value I found offhand.
Southwire 80 ft. 12/3 SJTW Outdoor Heavy-Duty Extension Cord with Power Light Plug, Teal/Orange-67705501 - The Home Depot
I'll be going to the venues on post #230 next month. Hope some of you can join me.
Can't be the Century Bar at 8 on Sat night, sorry. (I recommend dining in the courtyard if the weather is good - interesting old hotel.)
Was delighted to see a white early-model S and a silver 3 in Fort Davis this week.
Can't be the Century Bar at 8 on Sat night, sorry. (I recommend dining in the courtyard if the weather is good - interesting old hotel.)
Was delighted to see a white early-model S and a silver 3 in Fort Davis this week.
Thanks for all the info here. I’m planning to take my Model S 100D from Austin to Big Bend. This is my only car, so switching to ICE isn’t an option.
Based on your advice, I’m going to get a an extension cord at Home Depot. I don’t have time to get the TT-30 adapter from Tesla. It’s on backorder. I looked into reserving an RV site in the park, sine only someone as crazy as me would go there in August, but as your posts warned, they’re all booked.
Here’s my list of destination chargers in the region:
El Cosmico - Marfa, TX
Stable Performance Cars - Alpine, TX
Canyons RV Park- Sanderson, TX
Hotel Limpia - Ft Davis, TX
Any others I’ve missed?
Based on your advice, I’m going to get a an extension cord at Home Depot. I don’t have time to get the TT-30 adapter from Tesla. It’s on backorder. I looked into reserving an RV site in the park, sine only someone as crazy as me would go there in August, but as your posts warned, they’re all booked.
Here’s my list of destination chargers in the region:
El Cosmico - Marfa, TX
Stable Performance Cars - Alpine, TX
Canyons RV Park- Sanderson, TX
Hotel Limpia - Ft Davis, TX
Any others I’ve missed?
AFAIK, Tesla doesn't make a TT-30 adapter, so it must be something else that is back ordered.
There are also several RV parks in Terlingua that you can use -- I'm sure there are some in other towns peripheral to the park. Most parks have 50 amp NEMA 14-50 plugs. Some do only have TT-30 available, which is pretty worthless unless you are leaving the car on the outlet for 24 hours or more.
TMC Bubba
Member
Check out this TT-30 adapter at Home Depot. Also available on Amazon.
AC WORKS EVSE Charging Adapter RV TT-30P 30 Amp Plug to 50 Amp Electric Vehicle Adapter for Tesla Model S-EVTT30MS - The Home Depot
Again, a TT-30 outlet is only 120 volts, and will only add 9 miles of range per hour of charging. I have an adapter and use it occasionally, but don't plan to charge for a few hours and then do a lot of driving. It has its place in the charging scheme, but not really a valid option except in certain circumstances. Twice as good as a regular wall outlet.
Cibolo Creek Ranch informed me that their 2 HPWCs were operational.
Have not been able to personally verify. Please call first. Kinda remote.
Spectacular place with appropriate pricing. Worth it I think. Bucket list place.
Fun to compare: spend one night at Chinati Hot Springs and the next night at CCR.
Have not been able to personally verify. Please call first. Kinda remote.
Spectacular place with appropriate pricing. Worth it I think. Bucket list place.
Fun to compare: spend one night at Chinati Hot Springs and the next night at CCR.
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