Tonopah to Panaca to Ely

[dsinnreich]

I am looking to do a road trip from Tonopah to Ely via Panaca with my LR M3. Have any of you done the Tonopah to Panaca trip? It looks doable from looking at PlugShare and abetterrouteplanner.com, but it's close (would get into Panaca w/ ~10% charge). If anyone has done that trip and has any tips and suggestions, they would be appreciated. It's the middle of nowhere, but that's the attraction!

I also plan on going back to Tahoe from Ely on Route 50. Again, looks like there are enough fast chargers to make it work, but would be great to hear from anyone that's done this trip.

Thanks!

 

[wws]

I can't speak for Tonopah-Panaca-Ely. But lots of folks have done US 50, including myself. It sounds like you have a CHAdeMO adapter, so shouldn't have a problem. All the new CCS/CHAdeMO sites along US 50 also have J1772 for L2 charging. As a backup, there are RV parks where you can do L2 charging via 14-50s.

I did it before most of the US 50 charging sites were installed. Supercharged in Wendover, and spent the night at the Ely KOA charging via 14-50. The next day drove to Cold Springs Station, using a 14-50 while we ate lunch. Then drove the rest of the way to Fallon. Charged in Fallon using the CHAdeMO at Fox Peak Station.

 

[1100MCM]

I am looking to do a road trip from Tonopah to Ely via Panaca with my LR M3. Have any of you done the Tonopah to Panaca trip? It looks doable from looking at PlugShare and abetterrouteplanner.com, but it's close (would get into Panaca w/ ~10% charge). If anyone has done that trip and has any tips and suggestions, they would be appreciated. It's the middle of nowhere, but that's the attraction!

I also plan on going back to Tahoe from Ely on Route 50. Again, looks like there are enough fast chargers to make it work, but would be great to hear from anyone that's done this trip.

Thanks!

Did the eastbound route on my M3P with 20s exactly a year ago. Topped up at Tonopah to about 93% or so and went south on ET Hwy to 93 and then on to Panaca. I arrived with about 12 percent or so and then topped up to about 90 percent which took a while on ChaDeMo (more than an hour but thankfully it was free). Then I went north but then split to Baker instead of Ely. It’s definitely doable in the summer as long as you don’t go crazy speeding. I was going about 5-10 over the limit. There’s plenty of open space to go crazy speedwise but I wouldn’t if you want to make it without being stranded.

I haven’t done the WB 50 from Ely since I went from Baker to Ely to Tonopah on the 6 instead on one charge starting at 95% and arriving at 5% at Tonopah.

 

[Spam2Yam]

Did the eastbound route on my M3P with 20s exactly a year ago. Topped up at Tonopah to about 93% or so and went south on ET Hwy to 93 and then on to Panaca. I arrived with about 12 percent or so and then topped up to about 90 percent which took a while on ChaDeMo (more than an hour but thankfully it was free). Then I went north but then split to Baker instead of Ely. It’s definitely doable in the summer as long as you don’t go crazy speeding. I was going about 5-10 over the limit. There’s plenty of open space to go crazy speedwise but I wouldn’t if you want to make it without being stranded.

I haven’t done the WB 50 from Ely since I went from Baker to Ely to Tonopah on the 6 instead on one charge starting at 95% and arriving at 5% at Tonopah.

I'm planning a trip in April with a LR MY, do you think it's doable from Tonopah SC to Baker, NV through Ely? It appears the elevation going down. So there would be time to Regen. Also ABRP says 230 miles and stay under 60mph. Max range for my car is 330 and I'd conserve the usage of any AC for that stretch.

Please let me know your thoughts.

 

[PLUS EV]

I'm planning a trip in April with a LR MY, do you think it's doable from Tonopah SC to Baker, NV through Ely? It appears the elevation going down. So there would be time to Regen. Also ABRP says 230 miles and stay under 60mph. Max range for my car is 330 and I'd conserve the usage of any AC for that stretch.

Please let me know your thoughts.

It's only a 700 ft drop so the benefit is negligible. Better than going uphill at least. I think it's doable, but you'll want to have a plan for killing 1.5 hours in Tonopah because you'll want to charge to 99% ish. You should also definitely check the weather. Extreme cold or a headwind (unlikely in this direction), or even a heavy sidewind could be a deal breaker. Weather in April shouldn't be too cold, but you probably want to do it during the day to take advantage of warmer temps. Also better to do the drive during daylight in case something goes wrong and you need to flag down help. It's very desolate territory out there.

Lastly, in case you've never done a drive like this before... speed is the number one thing you can control. I'd start off going 5-10mph under the speed limit and let your arrival percentage adjust. Once you see it get above 20% or so, you can speed up a little and watch it gradually drop. Eventually you will reach some type of equilibrium where it won't bounce around as much. I would target a 15% arrival percentage during the middle part of the drive. Then once you get closer, it's okay if it goes down to 10% or so.

 

[Spam2Yam]

Thanks for the great tip!! We are still debating as there snow there currently at Great Basin NP and from what I've read, its better to go after Memorial Day for warmer temps and all the roads are open at the NP.

Thanks again!!

 

[Tectonic]

I'm planning a trip in April with a LR MY, do you think it's doable from Tonopah SC to Baker, NV through Ely? It appears the elevation going down. So there would be time to Regen. Also ABRP says 230 miles and stay under 60mph. Max range for my car is 330 and I'd conserve the usage of any AC for that stretch.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Ely is only 169 miles from Tonopah, (go to Plugshare to see charging options in Ely), so that lowers your risk on this route considerably. If you're running low for whatever reason, stop in Ely for the extra you need to reach Baker.