Trans-Labrador Highway

[Tectonic]

It appears that as of summer 2022, the Trans-Labrador Highway is now completely paved:

Trans-Labrador Highway Paving Completed Marking Historic Day in the Big Land - News Releases

A significant accomplishment in transportation infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador will be achieved today (July 5) as paving of the Trans-Labrador Highway is completed. The completion allows residents, tourists, and commercial traffic to travel on more than 1,100 kilometres of paved...

www.gov.nl.ca

Meanwhile, CCS/CHAdeMO chargers have recently been installed in:
Labrador City (coming soon): Walmart | PlugShare
Churchill Falls (open): Donald Gordon Centre | PlugShare
and
Happy Valley-Goose Bay (open): Royal Inn & Suites | PlugShare

This seems to make it straightforward to reach Goose Bay in an EV. However, it's another ~613 km to reach the next location shown on Plugshare, a hotel and RV park in L'Anse au Claire (Northern Light Inn RV Park | PlugShare), which is near where the ferry connects from Blanc Sablon, Quebec to St Barbe, NL.

Has anyone figured out how to bridge that 613 km? Or are there any plans for additional charging infrastructure along this stretch? Even the village of Port Hope Simpson (charging options unknown) is ~405 km from Goose Bay - likely doable in longer range Teslas, but still somewhat daunting given the lack of infrastructure in between.

 

[richardbl]

@Tectonic

I have not found anyone doing that trip and your post is the only one I have found about someone looking to do the trip. I'd like to do it too, go up through the St Lawrence Ferry and back through Labrador/Quebec Route 389.

I am considering doing the trip this summer. You are right, Trans Labrador HWY is now fully paved. For the stretch from Happy Valley Goose Bay to Port Hope, while long, should be feasible at lower speed (80km/hr). I am assuming that you could find lodging there that would allow you to charge, but you would probably have to call in advance.

I am also worried about 2 gravel stretches in QC Route 389, north of Manic 5 (one of 60km and another of 100km). QC is doing a lot of upgrades to that road lately, including paving and realigning. One such realignment around Fire Lake to Fermont, is going to cut the total distance to cover by ~20km.

QC Route 389 Improvement Plan (only in French): Route 389 – Amélioration de la route – Transports et Mobilité durable Québec

 

[richardbl]

There is also a weekly ferry where you can do Happy Valley Goose Bay to Cartwright, which would allow you to skip that charging desert, but you have to be there at the right time plus it is not cheap or fast.

 

[Tectonic]

For the stretch from Happy Valley Goose Bay to Port Hope, while long, should be feasible at lower speed (80km/hr). I am assuming that you could find lodging there that would allow you to charge, but you would probably have to call in advance.

I'm guessing you're right - please report back if you find a place to charge in Port Hope Simpson!

Based on Plugshare checkins, it appears that user "Allan" made the trip in the opposite direction a couple of years ago in a Model S, checking in at L'Anse au Clair on Sept 15, 2021 (Northern Light Inn RV Park | L'Anse-au-Clair, NL | EV Station) and in Goose Bay on Sept 17 (YMCA | Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL | EV Station). I tried messaging him in plugshare a couple of times to ask for info, but the app always gave an error, not sure why...

 

[richardbl]

I'm guessing you're right - please report back if you find a place to charge in Port Hope Simpson!

Based on Plugshare checkins, it appears that user "Allan" made the trip in the opposite direction a couple of years ago in a Model S, checking in at L'Anse au Clair on Sept 15, 2021 (Northern Light Inn RV Park | L'Anse-au-Clair, NL | EV Station) and in Goose Bay on Sept 17 (YMCA | Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL | EV Station). I tried messaging him in plugshare a couple of times to ask for info, but the app always gave an error, not sure why...

We'll have to see if I can convince my fiancée to go for it, haha! I have a Model 3 SR so I would be looking at doing some hypermiling (50-80km/hr) so keep my consumption well under 100Wh/hr. Based on previous articles/experiments, it would be possible during nice weather.

Tesla Model 3 travels 606 miles on a single charge in new hypermiling record.

Definitely, with a Model S or LR Model 3, you would be in a much better position do to it. Again, I would be most worried about the gravel sections when you get back into Quebec on the western side/return section of the trip. I am hoping to see a few more stations pop up this year.

 

[Smytty]

You could always give it a go. If you run out of juice, get someone in a pickup to tow you for a while and let the regen charge the battery.