Supercharger - Fish Camp, CA (8 V2 stalls)

[cpa]

Yeah, but the Valley is closed. And the air here in Fresno is really, really bad.

Personally, I would place any Yosemite Valley plans on hold indefinitely. Maybe so far as to wait until 2019. It is going to be a colossal mess once the Valley reopens, and we do not know how soon the firefighters will have the fire extinguished and it is safe.

 

[ucmndd]

^^ What he said. I'm in the Oakhurst area and the air here is straight-up toxic. I can't recommend in good faith that anyone come here right now, for basically any reason. You can't get into the park, and you won't want to do anything at the Tenaya except sit in your room to avoid (some of) the smoke.

 

[Owner]

Yeah, but the Valley is closed. And the air here in Fresno is really, really bad.

Personally, I would place any Yosemite Valley plans on hold indefinitely. Maybe so far as to wait until 2019. It is going to be a colossal mess once the Valley reopens, and we do not know how soon the firefighters will have the fire extinguished and it is safe.

And sadly even once the fire is out, it will take a while for the air to clear enough to be particularly pleasant to be out hiking around.

My annual trip to Tioga pass (in a Tesla of course) is probably not happening.

the "good side" is that maybe a few more folks will "believe" in global warming....

 

[rainforest]

How busy is the fish camp supercharger in late June when I plan my road trip?

 

[cpa]

We have no way of knowing five and one-half months from now just how busy this spot will be. There are tens of thousands of Model 3s on the road now out west versus one year ago.

Historically this location does not get much use because SR41 is the only access to and from Fresno and Yosemite. But 2019 may be a different story, particularly on heavy travel days from Friday afternoons through early Monday morning. Just guessing, but mid-week will probably not be much of a crunch--but do not hold me to it.

If you are coming from the north, I would assume that you would enter the park from SR120 and Crane Flat. If you plan to depart via the south and SR41, I would suggest doing a near range charge in the Valley at the Majestic (nee Ahwahnee) Hotel at the HPWC. The drive to Fresno from the Valley floor starts out uphill, but at Chinquapin it is all downhill to Fresno. Besides, the speed limits are slow on Wawona Road, and once you leave the park, it is serpentine and slow going until just north of Oakhurst.

My wife and I had brunch at the Tenaya Lodge a couple years' back. We charged to 90% in our S85 at the Supercharger there. When we arrived home, the battery was at 75%. Fifteen percent usage for about a 55-mile drive.

Of course, if your travel plans are different, like returning from Southern California via Yosemite, Fish Camp is a must stop. Too much uphill to be able to make it from the Fresno Supercharger to the Valley effortlessly. But Fish Camp to the Valley and then leaving via either Crane Flat and SR120 west to Groveland, or Tioga Road and SR120 east to Topaz Lake or Mammoth would be pretty easy with a near-full charge at Fish Camp.

 

[bxr140]

And...does it really matter how busy it might be? There’s certainly value in leaving real time charging options open (here vs there, destination charging, etc), but planning a vacation around the potential of a crowded charger is, IMHO, an unproductive approach.

Other than high population density areas, the busy-ness of superchargers basically scales proportionally. If it’s a holiday, chargers will be more busy. As more Teslas are sold, chargers will be more busy. As more superchargers are installed, they will get less busy.

 

[ecarfan]

How busy is the fish camp supercharger in late June when I plan my road trip?

No way to know. Just do the trip. Maybe you will have to wait a bit for a stall. Maybe not. So what?

I’ve used this Supercharger in winter and summer. Very happy it is available!

 

[rainforest]

And...does it really matter how busy it might be? There’s certainly value in leaving real time charging options open (here vs there, destination charging, etc), but planning a vacation around the potential of a crowded charger is, IMHO, an unproductive approach.

Other than high population density areas, the busy-ness of superchargers basically scales proportionally. If it’s a holiday, chargers will be more busy. As more Teslas are sold, chargers will be more busy. As more superchargers are installed, they will get less busy.

I’ve got a 60D. Does this tell you enough?

I’m nervous as it is, though I love the car. There aren’t too many destination chargers near there, so this supercharger will be my lifeline.

 

[bxr140]

I’ve got a 60D. Does this tell you enough?

I have 4 years and 100k miles on a 60 before-there-was-a-D. Does that tell you enough?

The point is: you're either going to have to wait for a charge at Fish Camp or you're not, and that shouldn't influence your decision to take a trip to the Sierras. You're either going to have to go out of your way to find a charge or you're not, and that shouldn't influence your decision to take a trip to the Sierras.

There aren’t too many destination chargers near there, so this supercharger will be my lifeline.

There are a number of chargers in Oakhurst, a couple at Evergreen Lodge off 120, a few in Mariposa, etc.

 

[rainforest]

I have 4 years and 100k miles on a 60 before-there-was-a-D. Does that tell you enough?

The point is: you're either going to have to wait for a charge at Fish Camp or you're not, and that shouldn't influence your decision to take a trip to the Sierras. You're either going to have to go out of your way to find a charge or you're not, and that shouldn't influence your decision to take a trip to the Sierras.



There are a number of chargers in Oakhurst, a couple at Evergreen Lodge off 120, a few in Mariposa, etc.

I’m nervous as hell about running out of juice, though I’ve done one major road trip before from Vancouver to Calgary without issue. ICE owners think it is such a hassle driving an EV on a road trip, but in some weird way, I find it to be an adventure.... to drive from Vancouver to Yosemite without using one drop of gas.

I guess I’m just afraid of those supercharger lines I keep seeing on reddit. Maybe those are isolated and only happen during thanksgiving and July 4.

 

[PLUS EV]

I’m nervous as hell about running out of juice, though I’ve done one major road trip before from Vancouver to Calgary without issue. ICE owners think it is such a hassle driving an EV on a road trip, but in some weird way, I find it to be an adventure.... to drive from Vancouver to Yosemite without using one drop of gas.

I guess I’m just afraid of those supercharger lines I keep seeing on reddit. Maybe those are isolated and only happen during thanksgiving and July 4.

With few exceptions they are happening in the Bay Area, LA and SD and almost nowhere else. So I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[cpa]

I’ve got a 60D. Does this tell you enough?

I’m nervous as it is, though I love the car. There aren’t too many destination chargers near there, so this supercharger will be my lifeline.

Don't forget the destination charger at the Ahwahnee/Majestic.

Even with a 60 you might be able to make it to the Fresno Supercharger (southbound) from the Valley floor without stopping at Fish Camp. Just keep your eye on your remaining range once you exit the park. I would be astonished to see your car use more than 30% for the trek down the hill to the Fresno Supercharger.

There is also a 30A charger at the Chevron Station just south of Coarsegold where the access road is to Chukchansi Casino if you get the nervous Nellies!

What I have done in unusual circumstances is to dial in my destination from my charging spot to see the trip graph fall off the table to below zero. I can interpolate the results to see how much to charge and to see if I need to make an interim stop. You might try this from the Valley floor to determine how much to charge in the Valley and whether or not to stop in Fish Camp.

 

[bxr140]

I’m nervous as hell about running out of juice...

I guess I’m just afraid of those supercharger lines I keep seeing on reddit.

Those two statements are two different things.

Running out of juice is definitely something you need to plan around with a 60. BTDT. You’re not going to have a problem running out of juice, especially in the summer and especially considering the state of the supercharger network in 2019. But...its worth mapping your routes all the same.


You’ll quickly release that worrying about potential supercharger lines is about as mentally valuable as worrying about supermarket lines. Seriously, you might get stuffed up for 10 minutes, so don't let that ruin the potential joy of a road trip. As someone who frequently supercharges between the Bay Area and LA, I've been stuck in lines at least a dozen times. Never have I waited more than 15 minutes for a stall, usually it’s on the order of 2-5 minutes. And that’s [mostly] only been at the bad egg superchargers that make their rounds on reddit.

Events like the once-in-a-never-again eclipse and Tejongate are beyond six sigma anomalies.

 

[ecarfan]

I guess I’m just afraid of those supercharger lines I keep seeing on reddit.

Few people post on reddit “Check out this photo of me charging and there were no lines!” That’s boring, because it’s normal. But if someone has to wait in line, they post about it.

Posts on reddit about a Supercharger line are an extremely skewed dataset.

 

[ucmndd]

I live about 20 minutes from this supercharger. I've used it many times, both peak season and off. Never seen more than two cars there. Of course that may change this year with the Model 3 crush, but I really don't see this station being a bottleneck whatsoever.

There is ample destination charging in the area, both within Yosemite and the gateway towns.

Also, for christ's sake pay the $2k and unlock/uncork that poor 60D to a 75.

 

[rainforest]

I live about 20 minutes from this supercharger. I've used it many times, both peak season and off. Never seen more than two cars there. Of course that may change this year with the Model 3 crush, but I really don't see this station being a bottleneck whatsoever.

There is ample destination charging in the area, both within Yosemite and the gateway towns.

Also, for christ's sake pay the $2k and unlock/uncork that poor 60D to a 75.

It’s $6000 in Canada.

 

[ucmndd]

It’s $6000 in Canada.

Dang, that sure does change things a bit.

At any rate, sounds like an amazing road trip. Don’t worry about this supercharger - just drive!

 

[listy]

For planning purposes, consider the destination charger at the Majestic Hotel (Ahwahnee Hotel - Wikipedia) as bonus charging, as it can become very very full. I was there yesterday and there were 5 teslas awaiting charging. They also have a j1772. Suggest maximizing charge at Groveland or Fishcamp.

Highly recommend visiting Yosemite right now as the waterfalls are very full in the spring - bring a rain poncho if you plan viewing close up. Normally in an ICE car I drive through Mariposa, the Groveland route was a really great surprise for me with its beautiful views.

I did a day trip in a friends 100 D Model X, charged at Pleasanton to 250 miles. Stopped to charge in Groveland - with the intention of not charging in Yosemite Valley. We spent the day at Yosemite (did not charge). Returned to charge in Groveland in the evening, and charged enough for home... but we got hungry by Manteca and ate/charged there.

 

[Owner]

For planning purposes, consider the destination charger at the Majestic Hotel (Ahwahnee Hotel - Wikipedia) as bonus charging, as it can become very very full. I was there yesterday and there were 5 teslas awaiting charging. They also have a j1772. Suggest maximizing charge at Groveland or Fishcamp.
.

Seems a bit odd this time of year as both Glacier Point and Tioga Pass are closed. No need to top off charge in Yosemite.

But thanks for the warning!

 

[HandleX]

Stayed at The Majestic for a night mid April. We were able to charge on the J1772 as the Tesla charger was taken. It definitley was luck to be able to charge. I only stayed on the charger for a couple of hours because we stopped at Groveland beforehand. Saw a Chrysler Pacifica charging later.

We went up to the snow and yup, there is a lot of it. The late opening of Tioga and Glacier Point is understandable. We went back home via Fish Camp. We were the only ones charging.

Drove through Los Banos for the first time via 152. Yes that was a mistake, but I did see a white Model X towing a camper in Los Banos. Looked like it might have been @ecarfan I gave them a thumbs up and they replied with the same.