Supercharger - Lone Pine, CA (LIVE 28 Jan 2015, multiple expansions, 16 V3 stalls)

[4SUPER9]

This is an interesting discussion. The 2015-16 season saw almost zero activity in Lone Pine, even though Mojave was launched. I was always hesitant to take my Model S up to Mammoth because charging there was always a bit of a hassle. With the Mammoth SC live, it is now relatively easy, and why we are seeing more traffic there.

I am not a fan of Inyokern at all. The gas station/mini-mart there is vile. In fact, the last time I visited there I refused to use their facility and walked into the desert to do my business. Besides, it does add an additional 8 miles to what is already a long journey given the need to charge. Regardless, this would be for the trip down, and not the trip up.

It is also a problem in that we need a really good charge at Lone Pine to make it up the hill, and why Inyokern does not make sense. From Lone Pine, it is only about 99 miles tp Mammoth, but uses a minimum of 150 RM. That is conservative, taking it really easy. I typically use closer to 170 RM, and occasionally, much more. Adding Bishop would be fantastic.

 

[McManX]

Once I came into lone pine with 2 in use but both left as I plugged in. But definitely slightly worried about model 3 filling this out. Hoping for bishop and lone pine expansion.

Never used Inyokern, seems out of the way. Have always gone Mojave > lone pine > mammoth on the way in and then directly to mojave on the way out (maybe a few min in lone pine if wind/driving fast)

 

[4SUPER9]

I just checked Mojave to Bishop on EVTripPlanner. Going at a speed of 1.2, one would need 226RM to make it. That does not take into consideration wind. However, adding Bishop would allow a quick charge in Mojave, and quick charge in LP and a quick charge in Bishop. More stops, but likely less time charging.

(@ecarfan , yes, I realize that this could go in the 395/Eastern Sierra thread, but here seems good too)

 

[McManX]

I just checked Mojave to Bishop on EVTripPlanner. Going at a speed of 1.2, one would need 226RM to make it. That does not take into consideration wind. However, adding Bishop would allow a quick charge in Mojave, and quick charge in LP and a quick charge in Bishop. More stops, but likely less time charging.

Yah it would at least shorten all the stops significantly. If it's really windy my stops in lone pine can be really long.

Mojave to bishop would probably be out of the question in an X90D without a quick lone pine stop or 100% in Mojave

 

[mspohr]

Yah it would at least shorten all the stops significantly. If it's really windy my stops in lone pine can be really long.

Mojave to bishop would probably be out of the question in an X90D without a quick lone pine stop or 100% in Mojave

It would probably be best to expand Lone Pine from 4 to 8 (or more) stations to accommodate peak traffic. I don't see this on the map for planned expansions. Bishop would be nice also but once the stations are established at appropriate intervals, I think it is better to expand them rather than establish new sites.

 

[TexasEV]

I just checked Mojave to Bishop on EVTripPlanner. Going at a speed of 1.2, one would need 226RM to make it. That does not take into consideration wind. However, adding Bishop would allow a quick charge in Mojave, and quick charge in LP and a quick charge in Bishop. More stops, but likely less time charging.

(@ecarfan , yes, I realize that this could go in the 395/Eastern Sierra thread, but here seems good too)

Do you really want to go 20% faster than the prevailing speed? That's what a speed factor of 1.2 means. Perhaps you thought it meant 1.2 x the speed limit?

 

[4SUPER9]

It would probably be best to expand Lone Pine from 4 to 8 (or more) stations to accommodate peak traffic. I don't see this on the map for planned expansions. Bishop would be nice also but once the stations are established at appropriate intervals, I think it is better to expand them rather than establish new sites.

You are probably correct on two fronts: for one, it is far easier to expand an existing site compared to building a new one, and secondly, Lone Pine is far more needed for the drive home than Bishop would be. Returning from Mammoth creates tremendous regen that makes a stop in Bishop fairly useless. I would likely only use Bishop on the way up.

 

[PLUS EV]

You are probably correct on two fronts: for one, it is far easier to expand an existing site compared to building a new one, and secondly, Lone Pine is far more needed for the drive home than Bishop would be. Returning from Mammoth creates tremendous regen that makes a stop in Bishop fairly useless. I would likely only use Bishop on the way up.

Not everyone is using 395 solely to go to Mammoth though.

 

[JasonA-EV]

Not everyone is using 395 solely to go to Mammoth though.

I agree and have said earlier in this thread, I never or hardly go to Mammoth but head north to Lee Vinning and Bridgeport areas for fishing and camping.

Bishop is needed before the big climb to Lee Vinning.

 

[mspohr]

I agree and have said earlier in this thread, I never or hardly go to Mammoth but head north to Lee Vinning and Bridgeport areas for fishing and camping.

Bishop is needed before the big climb to Lee Vinning.

You can easily make it from Lone Pine to charge at Mammoth and then have plenty of charge to go to Bridgeport or Lee Vining. (I did this exact trip yesterday and charged in Gardnerville)

 

[JasonA-EV]

But not EVERYONE wants to go up the hill and back down to and from Mammoth the same way no one goes to Ridgecrest. Yeah sure it's there, but why?

I just want to stop in town, get some sushi and Schat's and head up 395. The time is now where there's going to have to be a SpC in every town, etc.

Just like gas stations.

 

[cpa]

Two years ago Tesla tried to get a SC built in Bishop, and the scuttlebutt was that there were no landlords willing to work with Tesla at that time. Hence, Mammoth Lakes popped up out of the blue once Bishop appeared to be a dry hole.

Maybe the landscape has changed in Bishop the past two years, and one will be planned in the next 12-24 months, or perhaps in Big Pine (although there is not nearly as much to do in Big Pine as in Bishop.)

 

[Tony8489]

The vast majority of the traffic up 395 is to Mammoth. If there were no supercharger IN Mammoth we might not own a Model S as we have taken it there 8x in our 14 months of ownership. We have driven north from Mammoth twice, once to Yosemite in June 2016 and once to North Tahoe March 2017. I understand the argument that these drives would be more convenient/flexible with SC in Bishop and/or Lee Vining, but my guess is that traffic volume doesn't justify the investment vs. other SC priorities.

I agree 100% that Lone Pine should be expanded to 8+ chargers sooner rather than later. I'm not sure how soon Model 3's will slam 395 since Model 3 is not a hatchback and the first sales will not have AWD. But by 2018-19 ski season there will need to be more SC capacity on 395 for sure.

The posters above are wrong about Inyokern being too far out of the way.
1) The diversion coming from LA is 4 miles not 8 because the approaches are from different directions, two sides of a triangle roughly 4 miles each side instead of staying on the 14 driving the third side of that triangle.
2) If you leave LA full charged, you will still be close to half charged at Mojave and you will get into the slower taper charging putting in enough juice to get to Lone Pine.
3) If you go to Inyokern you will be down to a third or less charge there and only have to charge up to half to get to Lone Pine. That charge is completely at the max charge rate of 100+kW and thus likely makes up the time of the 4 mile diversion and more vs. longer/slower charging in Mojave.

The diversion is much less than 4 miles coming up the 395 from OC or SD.

I have 3x skipped the Inyokern charge and driven from home in Glendale to Lone Pine in one shot. The requires nice weather and limiting TACC speed to 80mph on flats and downhills and 75mph on uphills. This used 270-273 miles of rated range to drive 204 miles.

One stop in Inyokern is the most efficient way to get home too. You can drive there from Mammoth with no speed issues other than avoiding CHP attention. After a meal you have plenty of charge to get home. Driving home from Mammoth at the end of a ski day this way is totally the same as that drive in a gas car.

 

[rallykeeper]

It would probably be best to expand Lone Pine from 4 to 8 (or more) stations to accommodate peak traffic. I don't see this on the map for planned expansions. Bishop would be nice also but once the stations are established at appropriate intervals, I think it is better to expand them rather than establish new sites.

Expansion is on the map for Lone Pine. Just zoom in and you can see the gray dot hiding behind the existing red dot.

(Same with Mojave).

 

[4SUPER9]

Since Mammoth had their first snow last week, I thought it was time to revive this thread.

The posters above are wrong about Inyokern being too far out of the way.
1) The diversion coming from LA is 4 miles not 8 because the approaches are from different directions, two sides of a triangle roughly 4 miles each side instead of staying on the 14 driving the third side of that triangle.

Perhaps you are correct. When I first calculated this using EVTripplanner, I calculated an additional 8 miles by doing exactly this triangle method. Now when I calculate it, it added only 5 miles.

2) If you leave LA full charged, you will still be close to half charged at Mojave and you will get into the slower taper charging putting in enough juice to get to Lone Pine.
3) If you go to Inyokern you will be down to a third or less charge there and only have to charge up to half to get to Lone Pine. That charge is completely at the max charge rate of 100+kW and thus likely makes up the time of the 4 mile diversion and more vs. longer/slower charging in Mojave.

Now this is an excellent point. I would add 5 miles by skipping Mojave and going to Inyokern, but get a much faster charge by arriving at a lower state. OTOH, the benefit of stopping at Mojave is that I typically need to charge for 15-20 minutes to make it to Lone Pine. I use this time to do my stocking up at the Stater Bros for the condo/rental for the trip. I cannot make use of that time while charging in Inyokern, and I need to stock up regardless. The Vons in Mammoth can get pretty crowded and not fun at all. Even when taking the ICE I try to shop before mammoth, typically in the Vons in Bishop (an EXCELLENT place for a supercharger).

One stop in Inyokern is the most efficient way to get home too. You can drive there from Mammoth with no speed issues other than avoiding CHP attention. After a meal you have plenty of charge to get home.

Again, this is definitely more efficient, as trying to skip Lone Pine and make Mojave can be a nail biter. Where do you get a meal near the charger in Inyokern? I guess I could pick up a favorite sandwich at Schatt's (Mule Kick) and eat it there. As I side note, I refuse to wait in that silly line for sandwiches at Schatt's. All their popular sandwiches are in the display case are fresh and ready to go. A tiny bit of customization is not worth the extra 30 minutes.

Expansion is on the map for Lone Pine. Just zoom in and you can see the gray dot hiding behind the existing red dot.

(Same with Mojave).

I see a grey dot for Mojave, but I cannot see one for Lone Pine. 4 stalls will not do the trick at all this next season. There is a ton of available space to expand. Like I said up-thread, I ran into a pretty good crowd at Lone Pine, and don't want to risk that again. There is no indication that there will be fewer Teslas on the road next season! Even a short wait is annoying on this trip for me and my kids. It's long enough with charging as is. On top of that, the ICE is so much faster. I can make it up to Mammoth, spend the weekend shuffling aroune, and make it back to Bishop on a single tank. To me, the Tesla is so worth it, but not so much for my kids.

 

[abasile]

With this thread revived, I'm reminded of a nice discovery that we made this past summer in Lone Pine.

If you walk due north from the Lone Pine Superchargers, behind the museum and through the vacant land behind the motel next door, there's a city-owned (I think) skateboard park right before you get to McDonalds. For those with kids, or for those who still enjoy jumping on a skateboard every so often, this can be a fun place to visit. I'll have to admit that I enjoyed a few drop-ins myself! For us, the only challenge was getting everyone to leave when the car was done charging...

 

[brucet999]

Where do you get a meal near the charger in Inyokern? .

There is a burger joint 50 yards from the superchargers and a small food market immediately adjacent to the SC with all sorts of bottled cold drinks and a limited supply of groceries as well as a meat counter. Both places have restrooms.

 

[4SUPER9]

I went into that market once about 2 years ago. I felt like I needed a bath after walking out. I know the guy working the counter needed one far more.

 

[PLUS EV]

I went into that market once about 2 years ago. I felt like I needed a bath after walking out. I know the guy working the counter needed one far more.

Yeah the Inyokern location is definitely a little rough around the edges lol.

 

[Tony8489]

Bernardino's Mexican in Invokern is decent. That's where we have had the 2 dinner stops in Inyokern. We have not tried the other two places (burger and BBQ I think?) yet. But we now really like the Thai place in Mojave, will sometimes stop 10+ minutes in Lone Pine if that's what's necessary to make it there. We can make Mammoth - Mojave if leaving Mammoth 100% charged. But realistically the car is full charged the previous night and by the time we drive it up to the Mill on the last ski day it's not a great idea to try to make Mojave without a stop. The one time we tried we had to limp the last 10 miles into Mojave at 40mph and arrived with ONE rated mile.