Supercharger - Farmington, NM

[Berkut]

I'll have to watch more closely when I do my next supercharging down in Gallup and Farmington to see if I can manage 120 kW or so. Our battery is new enough that it should be capable of that speed, but I can't remember having ever seen it charge that fast... Any recommended food options near the Gallup supercharger?

I packed in my lunch when I traveled to Gallup, seeing how I've never been there before. I can tell you there isn't much near the supercharger at the Hampton Inn. As far as I could see, there was only hotels (Motel 6, Red Roof Inn,...) and gas stations (Alcon,...) in the nearby area. On the other side of the I-40 I saw more gas stations and repair shops, so no joy there either.

Gallup SC

S85 | Black | Dual Chargers & HPWC | Tech | Air | Sub Zero

 

[wycolo]

Shiprock Peak, NM to Farmington, NM SC:

Coming north from Gallup, NM SC take the road going west when you are just about due east of the Shiprock Peak itself. After several miles you will approach the ridge coming south from the Peak. Take this road in HIGH mode up as far as you want. I stopped when the peak became too big for my camera. Also it was getting dark.

Back on the highway it is 7 miles north to Shiprock City, then go east on US64 toward Farmington. When you are in Farmington and pass Walmart on your left, a ways further there is an oblique LEFT turn onto MAIN ST. Take this all the way thru Old Town and well into the Highway Strip beyond (headed toward Aztec, NM). On your right you will see OutBack Steakhouse with characteristic red lights trimming the roofline. Dive in here as the Hotel is behind. Back into the uphill slot as this is less tilty than the others. This SC is almost as 'urban impacted' as Aurora, IL, but from the west only. Unfortunately could not escape east to Aztec but had to retrace the long route back to Shiprock City. Big Plus: this entire route is incredibly smooth.

Turns out you can go north on 170 then east on Pinon Hills Blvd to bypass downtown. Gets you a bit east of the SC. Next time will try this variation.

This is another beautiful SC nestled in a unique setting. Cottonwood's many images of the construction phase are recalled fondly!
--

 

[Sousaphil]

Awesome shot! I got hit with a huge dust storm on the Gallup -> Farmington portion of my move from Scottsdale to Denver. I missed the nice scenery. I did stay at the TownPlace Suites and the front desk staff was quite pleased that the supercharger brought my business.

I'm surprised, but happy that this route was done before the I-40 route. It gave me the opportunity to see Four Corners and drive through Blanding and Moab, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

 

[dsm363]

Great photo. You should send that to Tesla too.

 

[Panoz]

I have relatives in Farmington, NM. I would make the trip from Colorado Springs, CO, however, and exactly half-way is Alamosa, CO. I've toyed with the idea of asking the Walgreens in Alamosa to install a high-power J1772 or a HPWC. I'm not sure how many trips I would take, however, so offering to pay $1,000 to $2,000 to put on in might not be worth it.

 

[cpa]

I have relatives in Farmington, NM. I would make the trip from Colorado Springs, CO, however, and exactly half-way is Alamosa, CO. I've toyed with the idea of asking the Walgreens in Alamosa to install a high-power J1772 or a HPWC. I'm not sure how many trips I would take, however, so offering to pay $1,000 to $2,000 to put on in might not be worth it.

Panoz,

Check with the sage Cottonwood here on this site. Woods High Mountain Distillery in Salida has a 70A charger that they run out the sliding door in front. You could stop there for lunch and charge for two hours and likely receive enough charge to make Farmington. I did a quick look-see at EVTRipplanner, and it is about 305 range miles from Colo Sprgs. to Farmington via Salida. There is also a 70A plug on Seventh Street about 50 yards north of highway 160 in Pagosa Springs.

 

[Cottonwood]

Panoz,

Check with the sage Cottonwood here on this site. Woods High Mountain Distillery in Salida has a 70A charger that they run out the sliding door in front. You could stop there for lunch and charge for two hours and likely receive enough charge to make Farmington. I did a quick look-see at EVTRipplanner, and it is about 305 range miles from Colo Sprgs. to Farmington via Salida. There is also a 70A plug on Seventh Street about 50 yards north of highway 160 in Pagosa Springs.

Exactly, take a look at the locations below. They should make your trip work. Also, the Tesla navigator will not take you that way, but driving from Pagosa to Farmington, via Ignacio and Indian Route 110 is about the same travel time, fewer rated miles, and much prettier. See Colorado Springs, CO to Farmington, NM - Google Maps for details.

• Woods High Mountain Distillery | Salida, CO | Electric Car Charging Station | PlugShare This location is in downtown Salida with multiple choices for food, drink, shopping, and nice walks.
• Incredible Pagosa | Pagosa Springs, CO | Electric Car Charging Station | PlugShare This location is a 10 minute or so walk from the Hot Springs and a few restaurants.

 

[Panoz]

Thanks, everyone, for the non-SuperCharger location. I'm not an owner (yet), but I have a travel question if any of you do similar trips...I would've thought the trip, even with the charging points mentioned, impossible.

The reason: 1) there's a HUGE mountain (Wolf Creek Pass) between Alamosa/Pagosa Springs and Farmington. I would exhibit extreme range anxiety going over a mountain, so some partial charge in cold weather would make me nervous.
2) the chargers mentioned (again, thanks again), have only one "spot". There's no guarantee that if I get there, there won't be a car using the charger for 3 hours.

So what do you do with my issues? Sit and wait for someone taking a nap to move their car? How would you know how much range to charge for given mountainous terrain and cold weather?

 

[ZBB]

I'm sure Cottonwood can pass on some of his driving tips.

I've driven part of that route (went from Santa Fe to Vail via Alamosa years ago -- before the Tesla...), but I'm not familiar with the Farmington-Alamosa section. But I'd be surprised if one or both chargers were taken.

But there are other charging options. Take a look through Plugshare and play around with the Allstays campground map -- they have a filter showing only campgrounds with 50A outlets ( Campgrounds in Colorado with 50 Amp Sites ). Charging will be slower than on a HAL2 charger, but can still get you some miles to help alleviate range anxiety.

Once you get your car, you will soon learn how to take trips in it. My first couple of trips were off the Supercharger highway and took some planning. I planned out a few backup charging locations -- especially on the climb from Phoenix up to Flagstaff (~5k net elevation gain, although 9k up and 4k down...), which is tough to do in a 60. But we were OK -- and drove the speed limit until it was clear we had plenty of range to make it. But that route now has a Supercharger ~1/3 of the way from Phoenix to Flagstaff, so its a piece of cake with a short Supercharging stop!

 

[Cottonwood]

Thanks, everyone, for the non-SuperCharger location. I'm not an owner (yet), but I have a travel question if any of you do similar trips...I would've thought the trip, even with the charging points mentioned, impossible.

The reason: 1) there's a HUGE mountain (Wolf Creek Pass) between Alamosa/Pagosa Springs and Farmington. I would exhibit extreme range anxiety going over a mountain, so some partial charge in cold weather would make me nervous.
2) the chargers mentioned (again, thanks again), have only one "spot". There's no guarantee that if I get there, there won't be a car using the charger for 3 hours.

So what do you do with my issues? Sit and wait for someone taking a nap to move their car? How would you know how much range to charge for given mountainous terrain and cold weather?

There is a simple relationship between potential energy going up and down hills and rated miles in the battery; it is 6 rated miles per 1,000 feet. As long as you drive reasonably and use regenerative braking for most of the descents instead of the friction brakes (leave regen in normal), then you get most of what you put in going back down. EV Trip Planner does a great job at calculating all of this. You can put in temps, load, etc and it gives good estimates.

These J1772 chargers are so little used that the chances of seeing another EV are tiny. I have used them a lot and talk to the owners ofter. I know of no reported conflicts at these sites, ever. That said, I do call ahead and make sure there are no known problems at the site before I travel.

I drive Pagosa to Boulder and back a lot, and use these J1772's often. They work well. BTW, I this route crosses the divide 3 times (Wolf Creek, Fremont, and Eisenhower Tunnel), in addition to Poncha Pass. It's a lot of vertical and the Tesla does great. With some care, I have done these roads in the winter many times, occasionally in blizzard conditions. It just takes more rated miles (energy) and planning.

 

[Panoz]

Thanks!

Thanks - I feel better that someone has done a route like this in a Tesla...

There is a simple relationship between potential energy going up and down hills and rated miles in the battery; it is 6 rated miles per 1,000 feet. As long as you drive reasonably and use regenerative braking for most of the descents instead of the friction brakes (leave regen in normal), then you get most of what you put in going back down. EV Trip Planner does a great job at calculating all of this. You can put in temps, load, etc and it gives good estimates.

These J1772 chargers are so little used that the chances of seeing another EV are tiny. I have used them a lot and talk to the owners ofter. I know of no reported conflicts at these sites, ever. That said, I do call ahead and make sure there are no known problems at the site before I travel.

I drive Pagosa to Boulder and back a lot, and use these J1772's often. They work well. BTW, I this route crosses the divide 3 times (Wolf Creek, Fremont, and Eisenhower Tunnel), in addition to Poncha Pass. It's a lot of vertical and the Tesla does great. With some care, I have done these roads in the winter many times, occasionally in blizzard conditions. It just takes more rated miles (energy) and planning.

 

[ThortsMD]

Has anyone driven from Albuquerque to Farmington over 550? Is it doable?

 

[Cottonwood]

Has anyone driven from Albuquerque to Farmington over 550? Is it doable?

I have not done that route, but I have found that EVTripPlanner is very accurate. It says an 85 under standard conditions only needs 178 rated miles. Seems very doable in an 85.

EV Trip Planner

 

[bluefuego]

Has anyone driven from Albuquerque to Farmington over 550? Is it doable?

I did last summer. It is a great route - finally caught a glimpse of Shiprock too! No problems with range. I left from around Lomas and Juan Tabo with a full range charge. I must have driven fairly conservatively as the pic I have of my trip computer right before I plugged in shows that I drove 192 miles and had 89 miles of rated range left. My last 30 miles were 252 Wh/mi! The only problem that I had was with the nav trying to route my up 537 and over on US 64; fortunately I was smarter than the nav. I did look up a couple of RV parks in Bloomfield as a backup - but I did not need to utilize them.

As always, start off driving conservatively and pick up speed as your confidence and range estimates improve. Enjoy your drive!

 

[ThortsMD]

Thanks, bluefuego. I think I will do that route. Nice to see a trailblazer has already accomplished it.

I did last summer. It is a great route - finally caught a glimpse of Shiprock too! No problems with range. I left from around Lomas and Juan Tabo with a full range charge. I must have driven fairly conservatively as the pic I have of my trip computer right before I plugged in shows that I drove 192 miles and had 89 miles of rated range left. My last 30 miles were 252 Wh/mi! The only problem that I had was with the nav trying to route my up 537 and over on US 64; fortunately I was smarter than the nav. I did look up a couple of RV parks in Bloomfield as a backup - but I did not need to utilize them.

As always, start off driving conservatively and pick up speed as your confidence and range estimates improve. Enjoy your drive!

 

[bluefuego]

Thanks, bluefuego. I think I will do that route. Nice to see a trailblazer has already accomplished it.

ThortsMD, not sure if you have already taken your trip or where you are going after Farmington... but thought I would let you know that after Farmington, I skipped straight to Moab instead of going through Blanding as that route is also only 190 miles (I was headed back to STL and then went on to Grand Junction to head east on 70).

 

[ThortsMD]

I will be heading to Moab, but haven't decided if I will skip Blanding (I want to hit as many SCs as I reasonably can!). Thanks for the tip, though.

ThortsMD, not sure if you have already taken your trip or where you are going after Farmington... but thought I would let you know that after Farmington, I skipped straight to Moab instead of going through Blanding as that route is also only 190 miles (I was headed back to STL and then went on to Grand Junction to head east on 70).

 

[nh-srt8]

Anybody else notice that Farmington is no longer listed on the Tesla 2020 supercharger map?

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Anybody else notice that Farmington is no longer listed on the Tesla 2020 supercharger map?

They must be moving it to Maine.

https://www.tesla.com/findus/location/supercharger/farmingtonsupercharger

I'm guessing somebody did an update instead of an insert.

 

[tmoz]

Find Us is ridiculous. Which there was more of a connection to reality on the ground, and it would be nice if they rated the priorities of the various stations.