No supercharging in Bakersfield CA?

[jjrandorin]

What are "non-Tesla superchargers"?

When was your first shot date? You do NOT need to return to the same place or business for your 2nd shot. The Walgreens folks even told me that.

For kicks, i just tried booking on CVS (COVID Vaccine (COVID-19 Immunization Updates) | CVS Pharmacy) for a 2nd Pfizer dose, put in 04022021 (04/02/2021) for my a 1st shot date (was mine), Lake Forest, CA and it came up with a slots on 4/23 at 3 locations (2 in Orange, 1 in Laguna Beach). If I pick 4/24 or 4/25, there are 3 or 4 locations for those.

If I change it to Moderna, I'm given at least 3 locations at 3 of the suggested dates (4/30 thru 5/2). Pfizer vax should be at least 21 days after the 1st while Moderna's is 28+ days. See scheduling under the below for their recommendations.

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC

Information about the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and how to store, handle, and administer it.

www.cdc.gov

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine | CDC

Information about the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and how to store, handle, and administer it.

www.cdc.gov

Its pretty unlikely this OP looked for themselves to see if they could schedule it. Based on previous things they have posted, their parents bought the car, and also scheduled their vaccine shots. Their parents obviously decided for them that this location was best for some reason.

I may have to expand operation if I want this petting zoo business idea to pay for a Model X. I probably could convince my parents to buy me a Model X or Y, they are the ones who bought my Model 3.

So had to go to Bakersfield CA to get the COVID 19 shot at CVS. I live in Lake Forest CA / Orange County. My parents couldn't book anything nearby and the only option was Bakersfield. Probably because its out in the middle of nowhere and a little easier to get an appointment.

 

[cwerdna]

California State University, Bakersfield had been accepting walk-ins and non-eligible people for maybe a week way before 4/15 before they finally updated their site to say so around April 5th (Coronavirus).

And yeah, appointments were likely tough back in end of March. My hands were tied too since I wasn't eligible until my county opened up a few days ago. Fortunately, I got a leftover shot on 4/2. Took me about 3 afternoons of working calling tons of pharmacies to ask if their were vaccinating, whether they had a waitlist for ineligible people, etc..

Suggest the OP really check again for closer appointments for his 2nd shot rather than wasting a ton of time driving to/from Bakersfield and dealing w/potential charging ummm... challenges.

 

[jjrandorin]

I didn't know how to find it, and I wanted to ask again.

Let me help you with that part. Since you were the one who posted it in the first place, the easiest way to do that would be to click the search magnifying glass in the upper right of the form view.

Once there, look at the bottom of the search box where it says "by member". Since you are the member that posted it in the first place, you would start typing your user name in the box, then select it when it appears. Click the SEARCH button, and every post you made will appear.

 

[JetFalcon]

California State University, Bakersfield had been accepting walk-ins and non-eligible people for maybe a week way before 4/15 before they finally updated their site to say so around April 5th (Coronavirus).

And yeah, appointments were likely tough back in end of March. My hands were tied too since I wasn't eligible until my county opened up a few days ago. Fortunately, I got a leftover shot on 4/2. Took me about 3 afternoons of working calling tons of pharmacies to ask if their were vaccinating, whether they had a waitlist for ineligible people, etc..

Suggest the OP really check again for closer appointments for his 2nd shot rather than wasting a ton of time driving to/from Bakersfield and dealing w/potential charging ummm... challenges.

I already got it done.

I ended up charging to 100% before leaving home. Drove straight to CVS Bakersfield had about 20-30% left. Left CVS Bakersfield and charged once at Tejon Ranch Supercharger arriving at 10%. Used that time to eat at Chipotle and the Tesla was able to charge to 70% since the Chipotle line was long.

There was a short wait though for 24 spots, but was 2nd car in line and it took less than 5 min to get a spot.

I guess just charge to 100% if you're leaving from the OC area to Bakersfield. LA people probably could get leaving on 90%.

 

[secprotocol]

I grew up in Bakersfield and now moved to OC for my career. I frequently visit my parents there, it's just very interesting how there are no superchargers anywhere in Bakersfield. I gather it could be that, Bako is an oil town and EVs haven't been adopted as much in that city. Even my parents are giving me crap on buying a Tesla. There's something in the kern river water that the people are drinking or something.

 

[JetFalcon]

I grew up in Bakersfield and now moved to OC for my career. I frequently visit my parents there, it's just very interesting how there are no superchargers anywhere in Bakersfield. I gather it could be that, Bako is an oil town and EVs haven't been adopted as much in that city. Even my parents are giving me crap on buying a Tesla. There's something in the kern river water that the people are drinking or something.

I thought it make sense to put a few superchargers along the main freeways that pass through Bakersfield. Especially for LA area people who are commuting to national parks (Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon).

Valley Plaza Mall seems like a good place, its next to the freeway and has shopping / restaurants.

I was able to make it work only charging once, like on the way back to OC. But had to be sure I didn't do too much extra driving off the main path so I could reach the supercharger, which I did with 10% remaining, so good way to get most out of supercharging.

Tesla could make some kind of automated warning where you have a situation that needs you to return round trip back to a supercharger, that it warns you how far you can venture off until it says "you must turn back now or you run out of power". The only other time I had this situation was in Phoenix AZ, going out to Mesa AZ, where I had to be sure I had enough charge to make it back round trip to that supercharger.

 

[secprotocol]

I thought it make sense to put a few superchargers along the main freeways that pass through Bakersfield. Especially for LA area people who are commuting to national parks (Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon).

Valley Plaza Mall seems like a good place, its next to the freeway and has shopping / restaurants.

I was able to make it work only charging once, like on the way back to OC. But had to be sure I didn't do too much extra driving off the main path so I could reach the supercharger, which I did with 10% remaining, so good way to get most out of supercharging.

Tesla could make some kind of automated warning where you have a situation that needs you to return round trip back to a supercharger, that it warns you how far you can venture off until it says "you must turn back now or you run out of power". The only other time I had this situation was in Phoenix AZ, going out to Mesa AZ, where I had to be sure I had enough charge to make it back round trip to that supercharger.

View attachment 655235

Valley Plaza would be a good place. That's not where Tesla is saying they're installing the supercharger. I think the pin is somewhere in downtown. Given how many shootings at that mall and the surrounding area turning more ghetto by the day, not sure how many of these supercharger stalls won't be vandalized.

I'm actually going to Yosemite this weekend. ABRP is saying I charge right when I get down to Tejon Ranch and then head all the way to Traver, CA super charger and I should be able to make it to where the my cabin is inside the park. There's always Fish Camp I can stop by as well. I guess EV's can travel more efficiently during the Tejon Ranch -> Fresno, CA because of how flat the elevation is perhaps? Plus you can't really speed on the 99 like you can do on the 5.

 

[cwerdna]

I grew up in Bakersfield and now moved to OC for my career. I frequently visit my parents there, it's just very interesting how there are no superchargers anywhere in Bakersfield. I gather it could be that, Bako is an oil town and EVs haven't been adopted as much in that city. Even my parents are giving me crap on buying a Tesla. There's something in the kern river water that the people are drinking or something.

If it's a big problem, rather than wait for Tesla to install Superchargers, just buy or rent/borrow a CHAdeMO adapter. Per Plugshare, there's a decent amount of CHAdeMO on highway 99, even if you exclude (VW-owned) Electrify America who installs 1 CHAdeMO at each site coupled with usually 5 to 7 CCS. The most egregious I'd heard of was a site in WA w/1 CHAdeMO and 19 CCS!

Sure, it's not Supercharger speed but virtually all of them will be faster than anything you can get on J1772 or Destination Chargers.

 

[secprotocol]

If it's a big problem, rather than wait for Tesla to install Superchargers, just buy or rent/borrow a CHAdeMO adapter. Per Plugshare, there's a decent amount of CHAdeMO on highway 99, even if you exclude (VW-owned) Electrify America who installs 1 CHAdeMO at each site coupled with usually 5 to 7 CCS. The most egregious I'd heard of was a site in WA w/1 CHAdeMO and 19 CCS!

Sure, it's not Supercharger speed but virtually all of them will be faster than anything you can get on J1772 or Destination Chargers.

Oh it's not. I'm not complaining about it. I can always just charge at my parent's house. I just need to wire in a 14-50 into their panel, which should be a piece of cake. We're just in the topic of how there is not one supercharger in town where as, compared to Irvine or even OC in general, they seem to be popping up every other freeway exit.

 

[cpa]

Regarding a Supercharger in beautiful Bakersfield, I will submit a wild-ass guess: CalTrans is rerouting SR 58 off Rosedale Highway to the existing freeway that heads east over the Tehachapi Mountains. The Westside Parkway is already to freeway standards. Construction is ongoing to create an SR58/99 interchange.

It makes good sense to me for Tesla to build its planned Bakersfield Supercharger near this junction once construction is complete and there is an easy to reach location that can support upwards of 20 version 3 stalls. A large installation here will relieve some of the stress at the two locations on Interstate 5 (Buttonwillow and Bakersfield-West) for those Bay Area drivers heading to Vegas or Arizona. It will also free up Tejon Ranch for drivers on 99 to Fresno and beyond. It will take a lot of the angst off Mojave (six version 2 stalls that have been problematic over the years) especially once the planned Supercharger at the new Kramer Junction is completed.

But then, I am not part of the Supercharger team, and Tesla didn't ask.

 

[AMPd]

Tejon Ranch to Bakersfield is like 30 miles, why not charge there before getting to Bakersfield and then charge on the way home if needed. If a 60 mile stretch gave you enough range anxiety to use an ice car then you’re doing it wrong.

 

[pb2000]

Bakersfield looks like it is predominantly single detached housing with off street parking; if you live there and own a Tesla, you are charging it at home. All the roads leading out of town have superchargers, so why would they need one in town?

 

[cpa]

Bakersfield looks like it is predominantly single detached housing with off street parking; if you live there and own a Tesla, you are charging it at home. All the roads leading out of town have superchargers, so why would they need one in town?

Because it is a major junction between east-west traffic heading from the Bay Area or Central Coast to Vegas or Arizona (highway 58) and north-south traffic between Los Angeles/Orange/San Diego Counties and the Bay Area/Central Valley/Sacramento (highway 99, with Interstate 5 about 20 miles west.) I would guess that thousands of cars pass through Bakersfield going elsewhere on a daily basis; likely twice that during summer vacations and holiday seasons. In addition, many residents of the Valley head to Bakersfield for day trips or an overnight. It makes sense to charge before the return trip instead of trying to finesse a 240-mile trip by charging at home to near capacity.

Bakersfield proper will alleviate some congestion at the two locations just off Interstate 5 (Buttonwillow and Bakersfield-West) if travelers left home, charged at Firebaugh and continued on their way.

Besides, when people travel, they either rely upon Tesla's navigation system to tell them where to stop to charge, or they drive by the seat of their pants. Bakersfield is about two hours from my house. Perhaps that is a good place to stop to stretch or hit the bathroom before continuing onward. Maybe a 30-minute charge at Bakersfield can get me over the Grapevine and out of the LA area more easily than stopping at Tejon Ranch. Or maybe I am going to Arizona, and I don't want to stop in Mojave at its sketchy 6-stall version 2 Supercharger with zero things to do, so a nice charge at Bakersfield will let me make it across the desert to Needles.

In short, there are any number of reasons why a Supercharger in Bakersfield makes eminent sense!

 

[pb2000]

Superchargers are a limited resource right now and L1/L2 charging looks pretty easy to accomplish if Bakersfield is your destination. Coming up with a thousand reasons why you want one doesn't mean you need one.

 

[whisperingshad]

I went to Bakersfield a few weeks ago, there are 2 different supercharger spots, both of 5 though (and 20ish mins out of the way).

 

[captjoemcd]

Bakersfield looks like it is predominantly single detached housing with off street parking; if you live there and own a Tesla, you are charging it at home. All the roads leading out of town have superchargers, so why would they need one in town?

Exactly this.

FWIW, the Bakersfield Service Center has consistently had some of the highest sales in the country (#1 a couple months.. 70-90 cars for one salesperson who isn’t even here full time) as well as highest service center utilization rates. The SC is phenomenal in terms of service as well.

No one in Bakersfield needs a supercharger. The major highways don’t run through the middle town, and the superchargers on the 5 serve the north/south traffic between LA and the bay. The only time I supercharge is when going to LA (Santa Clarita) or the Bay (Harris Ranch).

if anyone needs to top off, I’ve got 2 wall chargers and live walking distance to CSUB (just not between 4pm and 9pm).

 

[cpa]

I must be dense.

Are you suggesting that I detour from Fresno to Interstate 5 in order to use the Superchargers along Interstate 5 before heading east through Bakersfield to Mojave on highway 58? This adds roughly 45 miles to my journey plus additional charging time along Interstate 5.

Are you suggesting that I stop at Traver and charge to 90% (from 75-90% takes about 25 minutes during the heat of summer; about 35 minutes during the cooler fall through mid-spring.)

Are you suggesting that I leave home at 100% and drive 50-55 MPH in order to reach Mojave? When my battery was new, I could reach Mojave without stopping by driving 62-65. With our battery capacity reduced, 62-65 will leave me short east of Tehachapi.

Are you suggesting that I head directly to Tejon Ranch and then back track through Arvin to return to highway 58? I did that in 2014 when there was no Supercharger in Mojave; that added an hour to my route.

What about those who live in Madera, Merced or Modesto?

 

[pb2000]

I just checked (twice to be sure), and it turns out the universe does in fact, not revolve around you.

 

[goyogi]

Coming in a few months. I was planning a trip in Q2 and wanted to stop IN Bakersfield for an extended break with my old P85 signature series 'slow' charging. Lo and behold I'll get to stop at a swanky new supercharger. I love how the universe DOES revolve around me! LOL!

Find Us | Tesla

Use the interactive Find Us map to locate Tesla charging stations, service centers, galleries and stores on the go.

www.tesla.com

 

[JetFalcon]

Coming in a few months. I was planning a trip in Q2 and wanted to stop IN Bakersfield for an extended break with my old P85 signature series 'slow' charging. Lo and behold I'll get to stop at a swanky new supercharger. I love how the universe DOES revolve around me! LOL!

Find Us | Tesla

Use the interactive Find Us map to locate Tesla charging stations, service centers, galleries and stores on the go.

www.tesla.com

I just went to Bakersfield today from Orange County. My arcade friends, we left OC and went to Lancaster, then charged in Mojave, got to Bakersfield. That part of CA isn't very supercharger friendly, almost like when I went to Phoenix AZ. You really need to plan out ahead and know how much local driving you can handle so you don't run out of power to say go to Tejon Ranch which is the only close supercharger south of Bakersfield.

It makes sense to at least have one supercharger in Bakersfield.