Going via Mohave SC to avoid Grapevine section of I5

[miimura]

(Moderator note: this discussion was split from the Tejon Supercharger thread because it is not specific to Tejon but is primarily about using the Mojave SC to avoid the Grapevine section of I5. A very reasonable discussion and I thank @miimura for suggesting the route)

If you are coming up or down 5, then Buttonwillow or Bakersfield are no doubt the preferred option, with good, but not great food options. If you are coming from the Sierra, or say, Fresno, then it is far more direct to come down 99 to Tejon and avoid crossing over to 5 on slower roads with stoplights, etc. That is why we have been surprised to find Bakersfield and Buttonwillow no more than half full in recent trips, but Tejon always with a waiting line. The wait to charge at Tejon last night was annoying, but not bad for a holiday weekend, compared to waiting more than 2 hours to get from the SCs to Laval Road. Once there, she starting moving slowly but dependably onto and then down 5. She did arrive in Palm Springs at 3 in the morning after a very quick charge at Cabazon. It is hard to know what the best charging strategy is coming back.

If traffic on the Grapevine section of I-5 is really that bad, then why not go through Mojave? I've never driven that way, but avoiding most of the LA basin and the Grapevine sounds appealing to me.

 

[PLUS EV]

If traffic on the Grapevine section of I-5 is really that bad, then why not go through Mojave? I've never driven that way, but avoiding most of the LA basin and the Grapevine sounds appealing to me.

+1

Any time traveling through a huge metro area such as LA, you should map it out on google. I'm sure google would have sent her through Mojave. Unfortunately you need to do this on your phone or on a computer as the Navigation software in the Tesla is crap.

I've often hit these ridiculous slowdowns going through the Grapevine late at night, usually due to construction. Sounds like this one must have been the holiday weekend as I don't think they would be foolish enough to do a construction project at that time.

Also, even though I don't drive that route any more these days just from reading this forum it seems obvious to avoid the Tejon supercharger at all costs. I do sometimes laugh at all these threads with people complaining about specific superchargers in CA when there are so many other ones to choose from. Obviously I hope the situation improves and I hope they will build more superchargers everywhere, but in the mean time, use your brain and use the forum to find one that isn't a total clusterfuck. This may involve slightly altering your route but so be it.

 

[shs1]

The previous weekend we drove to San Diego and we did go through Mohave based on my constant monitoring of the various routes on Google Maps (laptop) while she drove. Coming from the North, if one wants to go via Mojave one needs to cut over from the Bakersfield SC or Buttonwillow through Bakersfield on 58, which is a real pain in terms of stop and go traffic, but we did it. While that route did “work” it means driving extra miles which means extra time Supercharging e.g an additional stop to charge.


While I was not along on this last Palm Springs trips, I do "navigate" for her from my chair at home, again monitoring the various routes. Google suggested that going through the LA area would be OK relative to Mojave and certainly more direct and therefore one less charging stop. What Google Maps didn't pick up was the 2 hours spent on McCarthy Dr just to get back onto 5 going south after charging at Tejon. By the time she got to LA traffic was flowing just fine!


We really don’t know the full cause of the delay on McCarthy Dr. At one point she heard and saw emergency vehicles, but never figured out what had happened.

 

[Tam]

...the delay on McCarthy Dr....

It sounded like it might have been smoother traffic flow to avoid the stagnant Dennis McCarthy Dr.

It meant to detour away from CA-99 to Supercharge at Buttonwillow or Bakersfield and get back on the road quickly via Mojave at the end of a holiday.

Tejon Pass/Grapevine is even worse in winter icy temporary road closures and you might have to wait for a whole night until daylight for the road re-opening.

Mojave does get ice and snow too but not as bad because its elevation is not as high and it's usually open when Tejon Pass/Grapevine is temporarily closed during winter.

The trick is you've got to divert to Mojave first before approaching Tejon Pass/Grapevine. If you missed the detour, you'll be stuck there in Tejon Pass/Grapevine if there's a temporarily winter closure.

 

[PLUS EV]

The previous weekend we drove to San Diego and we did go through Mohave based on my constant monitoring of the various routes on Google Maps (laptop) while she drove. Coming from the North, if one wants to go via Mojave one needs to cut over from the Bakersfield SC or Buttonwillow through Bakersfield on 58, which is a real pain in terms of stop and go traffic, but we did it. While that route did “work” it means driving extra miles which means extra time Supercharging e.g an additional stop to charge.


While I was not along on this last Palm Springs trips, I do "navigate" for her from my chair at home, again monitoring the various routes. Google suggested that going through the LA area would be OK relative to Mojave and certainly more direct and therefore one less charging stop. What Google Maps didn't pick up was the 2 hours spent on McCarthy Dr just to get back onto 5 going south after charging at Tejon. By the time she got to LA traffic was flowing just fine!


We really don’t know the full cause of the delay on McCarthy Dr. At one point she heard and saw emergency vehicles, but never figured out what had happened.

Not trying to beat a dead horse, but Bakersfield to Palm Springs is 216 miles via Palmdale and 218 miles via the Grapevine.

 

[shs1]

@PLUS EV, Starting at the Bakersfield SC, and going to Palm Springs does seem to be a wash in terms of mileage. If one starts in Fresno and you need to get out to the Superchargers on 5, then going back east to Mojave does not only adds a few miles to Palm Springs, but one also ends up driving on slower roads based our experience the previous week when we drove via Mojave to San Diego. And if going to San Diego then Mojave definitely adds more miles. Which route will be faster and which roads will be slower obviously depends on the timing of the trip. Using 5 on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend was obviously not wise.

 

[PLUS EV]

I agree that it would rarely be wise to go through Mojave if San Diego was your southern destination. Was only talking about the Palm Springs trip. And I usually wouldn't recommend going from I-5 through Mojave to get to Palm Springs. But unless you have an old 60 or something like that, you should be able to get from the Fresno Supercharger to the Mojave Supercharger without having to bother with I-5 (if you are going to Palm Springs or points eastward).

 

[shs1]

According to EVTripplanner Fresno to Mojave with a speed factor of 1.1 is 251 rated miles. That is 100% charge for our 2013 85 with 97K miles on it. Yes you could make it if one drove very carefully, but we would generally rather play it a bit safer, in terms of range/buffer that is. Our experience with the Mojave route the previous weekend was that it was also very slow as it took us 11 hours to get to San Diego with heavy traffic delays getting to and through Bakersfield and then from Palmdale to San Bernardino/Riverside. So that route is no magic bullet.

 

[ecarfan]

According to EVTripplanner Fresno to Mojave with a speed factor of 1.1 is 251 rated miles. That is 100% charge for our 2013 85 with 97K miles on it. Yes you could make it if one drove very carefully, but we would generally rather play it a bit safer, in terms of range/buffer

I agree. If you ran into significant headwinds going out of the Central Valley towards Tejon you would have a very hard time reaching the Mohave SC even if you slowed down quite a bit.

 

[siucity]

Can the spelling of Mojave in the title be corrected?

 

[ecarfan]

Can the spelling of Mojave in the title be corrected?

It sure can.

 

[Az_Rael]

According to EVTripplanner Fresno to Mojave with a speed factor of 1.1 is 251 rated miles. That is 100% charge for our 2013 85 with 97K miles on it. Yes you could make it if one drove very carefully, but we would generally rather play it a bit safer, in terms of range/buffer that is. Our experience with the Mojave route the previous weekend was that it was also very slow as it took us 11 hours to get to San Diego with heavy traffic delays getting to and through Bakersfield and then from Palmdale to San Bernardino/Riverside. So that route is no magic bullet.

Pro tips from a local for anyone considering this route:


Option 1: you can cut over to 50th East by exiting the 14 at D, jogging down to Avenue E, then it's a straight shot all the way to 50th.

Option 2: take the 14 all the way to Angeles Forest exit. Then double back to Pearblossom hwy/Avenue T, which takes you out to 50th with only a few lights.


Never cut across via Palmdale Blvd or Avenue S despite what your GPS says. Lots and lots of lights and slow traffic

 

[Vern Padgett]

Can the spelling of Mojave in the title be corrected?

"Could" not "can" ... (subjunctive)

 

[Vern Padgett]

... as the Navigation software in the Tesla is crap. ... Obviously I hope the situation improves and ... they ... build more superchargers everywhere, but in the mean time, use your brain and use the forum to find one that isn't a total clusterfuck. This may involve slightly altering your route but so be it.

Not in agreement that the Navigation soflware in Tesla Model S is crap. We've had some issue with it, sure, but "crap"?

 

[cpa]

"Could" not "can" ... (subjunctive)

Vern, in my six-plus decades of life here in these United States, I do not know of one native American English speaker who even understands or has heard of the subjunctive mood unless they also speak other languages that have strict rules to conjugate verbs to differentiate between reality and supposition/desire/what-if.

You could be the mood moderator, as it were!

 

[Vern Padgett]

Vern, in my six-plus decades of life here in these United States, I do not know of one native American English speaker who even understands or has heard of the subjunctive mood unless they also speak other languages that have strict rules to conjugate verbs to differentiate between reality and supposition/desire/what-if.

You could be the mood moderator, as it were!

Thanks!
Maybe I'd had one more beer than I might have had by that point in the evening ....
Auf deutsch sagt Man ,,Wenn ich reich wäre, dann würde ich mehr Autos haben".
Or something like that.