Supercharger - Buttonwillow, CA (10 V2 stalls)

[PLUS EV]

Only having to cross the street to use Gas Station restroom is nothing. Try the Baton Rouge Supercharger in the wee hours of a weekend (twice for us now). Everything closed. Finally found a Motel a few blocks away that allowed us to use their restroom. On our 52 hour I-10 west trek from Saturday noon Jacksonville Supercharger to Monday afternoon arrival home in San Diego I made sure to bring a plastic container that I could use, then empty in the bushes. Worked great when no restrooms are available at the Supercharger. Unfortunately my wife had to wait until we could drive somewhere for her to use.

I had the same issue at Baton Rouge. Walked to the gas station and they had what looked to be a permanent OUT OF ORDER sign on the bathroom and wouldn't budge when I protested. There was also enough security activity in the parking lot to prevent me from peeing in the bushes, so pretty much the worst of both worlds.

Buttonwillow is fine at night. You're alone but nothing else is going on there. I'm a night owl and have stopped in there quite a few times late at night even in my ICE days.

 

[israndy]

Buttonwillow was always my go-to place all these decades driving to and from LA. A perfect divide of North to South. Recently, on my first trip down Hwy 5 to LA in the Model 3, I was pleased to see nothing has changed except the side of town I go to for my fill up. Makes me happy I got the Long Range Model 3 (not that I had a choice).

Just wish I still had my bladder from my younger days. Always teased my sister when she wanted to stop before Buttonwillow, not so funny anymore. Especially bad coming in to SF if I am not going to reach home and have to top up in Dublin, there are no restrooms after the store closes. Looking forward to Livermore charger being better equipped.

-Randy

 

[TM3KT]

I stopped at Buttonwillow earlier today hoping to charge enough to get to Gustine however the charger was fluctuating between 55-73 kW even with my battery at a pretty low SOC (~25%). Note: There were only 2 other Teslas at the Supercharger. I tried charging on 2 different chargers and got the same result. Because of the reduced speed, I ended up only staying long enough to get to Harris Ranch (where I got 140+ kW).

 

[Marcia L]

We are planning a maiden trip end of March, picking up a travel trailer near Las Vegas then heading through Death Valley and ultimately will end up at Hearst San Simeon State Park where we will stay for a number of days before heading back to Tucson. So: looks like this SC and the one in Bakersfield are very close together so we should be able to make either one. Which one of those would be better: thinking better in terms of no waiting, space to park a 26' trailer if we have to unhook to charge our MX?

 

[PLUS EV]

We are planning a maiden trip end of March, picking up a travel trailer near Las Vegas then heading through Death Valley and ultimately will end up at Hearst San Simeon State Park where we will stay for a number of days before heading back to Tucson. So: looks like this SC and the one in Bakersfield are very close together so we should be able to make either one. Which one of those would be better: thinking better in terms of no waiting, space to park a 26' trailer if we have to unhook to charge our MX?

Bakersfield has a pull-in stall so I would try to use that one first. It might leave your trailer dangling in the aisle but there is a lot of space there so shouldn't be too much of an issue. There is plenty of space for unhitching at both superchargers and I don't think getting a stall should be a problem unless you are travelling at a super busy time. For that matter, if it is a Sunday afternoon, you can expect to get stuck at Kramer Junction for like an hour as all the CA people head home after staying in Vegas for the weekend. It's truly maddening lol.

Buttonwillow has a crowded Starbucks and Subway. Bakersfield has a gas station, IHOP (under construction last time I was there but should be open now), and Jack in the Box.

Lastly, I once drove Highway 58 out to the coast from there and it was fairly hilly and windy. Fun drive when not towing, but might not be GREAT when towing. Google says Highway 46 is about a half hour faster anyway. I've never driven it but it looks less windy on the map. Also, Kettleman City is only a 15 minute detour from this route, so that is an option as well. It's a 40-stall supercharger, so it should be easy to plug in without unhitching. And the Tesla lounge is cool!

 

[TwistedGray]

Refuel went fast

 

[Geeen Go]

Bakersfield has a pull-in stall so I would try to use that one first. It might leave your trailer dangling in the aisle but there is a lot of space there so shouldn't be too much of an issue. There is plenty of space for unhitching at both superchargers and I don't think getting a stall should be a problem unless you are travelling at a super busy time. For that matter, if it is a Sunday afternoon, you can expect to get stuck at Kramer Junction for like an hour as all the CA people head home after staying in Vegas for the weekend. It's truly maddening lol.

Buttonwillow has a crowded Starbucks and Subway. Bakersfield has a gas station, IHOP (under construction last time I was there but should be open now), and Jack in the Box.

Lastly, I once drove Highway 58 out to the coast from there and it was fairly hilly and windy. Fun drive when not towing, but might not be GREAT when towing. Google says Highway 46 is about a half hour faster anyway. I've never driven it but it looks less windy on the map. Also, Kettleman City is only a 15 minute detour from this route, so that is an option as well. It's a 40-stall supercharger, so it should be easy to plug in without unhitching. And the Tesla lounge is cool!

Drove by 06-04-2022 and it looked like they are putting in 8 more stalls, one being a pull through. I don’t see this improvement listed anywhere

 

[PLUS EV]

Drove by 06-04-2022 and it looked like they are putting in 8 more stalls, one being a pull through. I don’t see this improvement listed anywhere

Wow, you bumped an old post lol. I'm happy to report that I went through Kramer Junction within the last year and there was some type of overpass or something now so it's no longer a stoplight that gets bogged down every Friday and Sunday as it had for the last couple decades (at least!).

 

[AMPd]

Wow, you bumped an old post lol. I'm happy to report that I went through Kramer Junction within the last year and there was some type of overpass or something now so it's no longer a stoplight that gets bogged down every Friday and Sunday as it had for the last couple decades (at least!).

Yeah that small stretch of two lane road has been replaced by an actual freeway.
I heard the plan is to extend i40 to the 101 by way of highway 58

 

[cpa]

Yeah that small stretch of two lane road has been replaced by an actual freeway.
I heard the plan is to extend i40 to the 101 by way of highway 58

I believe that you are misinformed.

I40 was never intended to terminate further west, either at Interstate 5 or US101. The interstate mileage that was authorized by Congress under Eisenhower did not include this segment. The two or three additional bills that became law in the 60s and 70s did not address this additional mileage, either. What limited available mileage that is still available has been appropriated for other interstate highways. Funding has not been provided for construction for many years.

Moreover, there are still significant portions of SR58 that are not to interstate standards: West of Boron near California City, west of Keene towards the junction with SR227, Stockdale Highway west of the expected realignment of SR58 over the Westside Expressway once it connects to 58 at the junction with SR99. That just gets you to Interstate 5. West of there the Carrizo Plain and the coastal range to Santa Margarita is just a serpentine two-lane highway through difficult terrain with very low traffic counts.

To my knowledge, the last interstate highway that received additional mileage to extend its terminus was Interstate 70. The original allocation of mileage determined its western terminus at Interstate 25 in Denver. It stayed that way for many years because the government felt that US6 across the Rockies was adequate for passenger cars while Interstate 25's connections with Interstate 80 in Cheyenne and with Interstates 10 and 40 in New Mexico were sufficient for truck traffic to and from the Pacific Coast. Colorado and Utah (with California and Oregon in support) lobbied and horse-traded until enough mileage had been allocated to extend Interstate 70 to its present-day terminus at Cove Fort, Utah, at Interstate 15. They gave up on extending Interstate 70 across the Great Basin to terminate at Interstate 80 east of Reno. The traffic counts just did not justify building another 500 miles or so through the desert to accommodate maybe 2,000 vehicles per day.

Not sure where you received your information, but to my thinking it is apocryphal.

 

[AMPd]

I believe that you are misinformed.

I40 was never intended to terminate further west, either at Interstate 5 or US101. The interstate mileage that was authorized by Congress under Eisenhower did not include this segment. The two or three additional bills that became law in the 60s and 70s did not address this additional mileage, either. What limited available mileage that is still available has been appropriated for other interstate highways. Funding has not been provided for construction for many years.

Moreover, there are still significant portions of SR58 that are not to interstate standards: West of Boron near California City, west of Keene towards the junction with SR227, Stockdale Highway west of the expected realignment of SR58 over the Westside Expressway once it connects to 58 at the junction with SR99. That just gets you to Interstate 5. West of there the Carrizo Plain and the coastal range to Santa Margarita is just a serpentine two-lane highway through difficult terrain with very low traffic counts.

To my knowledge, the last interstate highway that received additional mileage to extend its terminus was Interstate 70. The original allocation of mileage determined its western terminus at Interstate 25 in Denver. It stayed that way for many years because the government felt that US6 across the Rockies was adequate for passenger cars while Interstate 25's connections with Interstate 80 in Cheyenne and with Interstates 10 and 40 in New Mexico were sufficient for truck traffic to and from the Pacific Coast. Colorado and Utah (with California and Oregon in support) lobbied and horse-traded until enough mileage had been allocated to extend Interstate 70 to its present-day terminus at Cove Fort, Utah, at Interstate 15. They gave up on extending Interstate 70 across the Great Basin to terminate at Interstate 80 east of Reno. The traffic counts just did not justify building another 500 miles or so through the desert to accommodate maybe 2,000 vehicles per day.

Not sure where you received your information, but to my thinking it is apocryphal.

I know many sections of 58 are not at interstate standards, that’s why upgrades are currently in progress. Not sure if you noticed all the construction that’s been going on near Bakersfield.

I’m not sure why that’s such an unimaginable idea considering i8 is being built between Vegas and Phoenix.
I69 was recently extended in Indiana.

Maybe what I heard is incorrect or maybe it’s just still in planning stages

 

[1100MCM]

Drove by 06-04-2022 and it looked like they are putting in 8 more stalls, one being a pull through. I don’t see this improvement listed anywhere

It would be nice to see some pictures. The NW corner of the lot has some hints of construction and my source tells me a 750 kVA transformer will be there or is there already. As far as I know that was for Rivian chargers but it very well could be 8 Tesla V3s. Pictures of any Tesla branded equipment onsite would sure have cleared up these doubts.

 

[cpa]

I see this every six weeks when I drive to Bakersfield. That construction is funded by a local sales-tax add-on and some SB1 money. It will bypass Rosedale Highway (the current alignment of SR58) and connect with the Westside Expressway for about an 8-mile stretch before that peters out onto Stockdale Highway for another 8 miles before Interstate 5. SR58 trailblazer shields, but not reassurance shields, have appeared on the Westside Expressway the past six months or so. Post mile paddles are not installed as yet.

This putative idea of extending Interstate 40 further west will be classified as non-chargeable, meaning that the state and local governments will foot the bill.

Interstate 11 is the highway south of Vegas, not Interstate 8, which is fully built between San Diego and Casa Grande, Arizona. I-11 is signed from north of Henderson to just across the Arizona line south of Hoover Dam.

There is a lot of talk regarding Interstate 11, but there has not been any mileage appropriated to the best of my knowledge. Until Congress approves mileage and funds construction, there won't be any significant expansion of Interstate 11. Similarly, Interstate 69 is a hodge-podge of stop and start segments. I am still waiting for Interstates 69W, 69C, and 69E to join somewhere in Texas. Likely both of these routes are "non-chargeable" highway miles, so are paid for locally instead of federally. Arizona, Nevada, and Texas are not states that will want to tax their residents in order to build hundreds of miles of non-chargeable interstate highway.

The cost to construct Interstates these days is astronomical. Eminent domain proceedings can drag out and be expensive to acquire the necessary real estate.

I just do not see significant expansion of the Interstate highway system, as you suggest, ever. There may be bits and pieces to fill needs. The money just is not there, and modest improvements to the existing roadways by adding lanes and the occasional controlled junctions with major highways will be much less expensive in rural areas.

 

[AMPd]

I see this every six weeks when I drive to Bakersfield. That construction is funded by a local sales-tax add-on and some SB1 money. It will bypass Rosedale Highway (the current alignment of SR58) and connect with the Westside Expressway for about an 8-mile stretch before that peters out onto Stockdale Highway for another 8 miles before Interstate 5. SR58 trailblazer shields, but not reassurance shields, have appeared on the Westside Expressway the past six months or so. Post mile paddles are not installed as yet.

This putative idea of extending Interstate 40 further west will be classified as non-chargeable, meaning that the state and local governments will foot the bill.

Interstate 11 is the highway south of Vegas, not Interstate 8, which is fully built between San Diego and Casa Grande, Arizona. I-11 is signed from north of Henderson to just across the Arizona line south of Hoover Dam.

There is a lot of talk regarding Interstate 11, but there has not been any mileage appropriated to the best of my knowledge. Until Congress approves mileage and funds construction, there won't be any significant expansion of Interstate 11. Similarly, Interstate 69 is a hodge-podge of stop and start segments. I am still waiting for Interstates 69W, 69C, and 69E to join somewhere in Texas. Likely both of these routes are "non-chargeable" highway miles, so are paid for locally instead of federally. Arizona, Nevada, and Texas are not states that will want to tax their residents in order to build hundreds of miles of non-chargeable interstate highway.

The cost to construct Interstates these days is astronomical. Eminent domain proceedings can drag out and be expensive to acquire the necessary real estate.

I just do not see significant expansion of the Interstate highway system, as you suggest, ever. There may be bits and pieces to fill needs. The money just is not there, and modest improvements to the existing roadways by adding lanes and the occasional controlled junctions with major highways will be much less expensive in rural areas.

Oops I meant 11
There is significant construction between kingman az and Phoenix. They even have signs on highway 93 saying it’s a future interstate 11.

Also I said I heard that was the plan, not sure why the hostility, but I don’t have any concrete evidence of it being the case so it’s pointless to argue.

 

[xilex]

Does the Starbucks location here let you use its restroom with no hassle? Thanks.

 

[KJD]

Does the Starbucks location here let you use its restroom with no hassle? Thanks.

Anytime I go into a Starbucks to use the restroom, I always manage to buy something on the way out. Just seems like the right thing to do, to say Thanks.

 

[1100MCM]

Just cross the street to the big travel center (with the Taco Bell adjacent to it). Bathrooms are wide open and no one will even remotely question you If you are buying something.

 

[PLUS EV]

Anytime I go into a Starbucks to use the restroom, I always manage to buy something on the way out. Just seems like the right thing to do, to say Thanks.

I mean it's not like it's some mom and pop local business, but I'm sure Howard Schultz appreciates your patronage!