Trip to Des Moines, IA and Quad Cities, IL

[elecblue]

I will be traveling to Des Moines, IA for business on 3/12 and 3/13. I will be staying downtown, but there aren't really any good charging options. There is a public library a few miles away but the librarian noted that they have been having problems with the chargers that only work intermittently. There is a charger at a convenience store about 4 miles from the hotel but I would rather not leave my Model S in the parking lot there overnight. Local RV parks are generally closed for the winter at this time.

Does anyone know where I can get a good 220V charge overnight in Des Moines?

Also, the trip is 320 miles each way, so I'll be going through the Quad cities and will need to find a place to charge as well. Does anyone know a good place or an RV park that will be open at that time? If possible I would like to get a 14-50 outlet and would need it for about 4 hours on the way to Des Moines and 4 hours on the way back.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to send me a personal message.

Thanks!

 

[tzejohn]

I will be taking a road trip through the Quad cities at the end of March, and I have made my reservation at the KOA Quad cities for an overnight Kabin stay. they are charging me for the Kabin and for a separate RV charging spot.

Rock Island / Quad Cities KOA | Camping in Illinois | KOA Campgrounds

 

[Iowa2]

I went to Rock Island for a concert a month ago and looked around for charging stations. There are a few J1772 ones in the parking ramps and they appear to be located such that they are not so convenient that they would be occupied by an ICE. But they are not located very close to any place you would want to stay. I was also told by the hotel that the airport has several charging stations. I will offer my place as having a 14-50 outlet but it is out of your way and probably doesn't make a lot of sense to come to. I live in Marion Iowa and if that does work for you let me know as the outlet is inside my garage. What I have found to be the easiest places to find and are usually located near enough to places you would want to wait are the Nissan dealers. Iowa City has a Nissan dealer which is not too far away from Interstate 80. Iowa City is about halfway between Quad Cities and Des Moines.

 

[elecblue]

Iowa2 - thanks for the offer. Marion is a bit away from Des Moines, so I'll try to get something to work in town. There is a Chevy dealer (Urbandale) that says I can park the car at their location overnight and use one of their J1772 plugs. I'll keep everyone posted on how this goes.

 

[kmssIL]

Tagging on to this pretty old thread because I have a trip coming up to eastern Iowa (north of the Quad Cities) in April. Our best route is from the northern suburbs of Chicago via I-294, then I-88 to Highway 30 through Clinton, Iowa. For anyone who lives in or has driven through the area, your charging advice would be greatly appreciated, please. For example, pre-Tesla we would stop at the tollway oasis at DeKalb, but it appears that it has not yet been outfitted with EV charging capabilities. We may not need it (we have an MS85), but are you aware of any charging options in the DeKalb area or elsewhere along I-88 toward Iowa, or is Aurora the nearest feasible choice? Also, given that our destination offers only 120v charging capacity, I am researching charging alternatives in Clinton, Eldridge, and Davenport, Iowa - preferably in locations that offer some diversion like shopping, nice outdoor space, restaurant options, etc. I can see several choices according to http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_locations.html, but welcome real-world input about location and other considerations, please. Thank you in advance.

 

[rsquared99]

Sorry for bringing back this thread after nearly a year and a half. I am planning a trip from Arizona to Burlington, Iowa for a 4th of July family get together. I'll follow the supercharger network until I get to Albert Lea, MN. Then my plan was to drive to Des Moines for charging. I've found a Newton KOA site about 30 miles east of Des Moines that has 50 amp service. My other option is to follow the SC network to Bloomington, IL and then drive to Burlington from there. I hate the thought of 6 to 7 hours in the middle of the day at a camp site, so before I do any more planning on which route I should take, has anything opened up as far as charging around Des Moines that isn't reflected in either the chargepoint or the KOA campsite web sites? I see reference to J1772 charging in Des Moines (Urbandale), but althought it doesn't say, I suspect this is 30 amp charging rather than 50 amp. Thanks for any help someone may provide.

 

[Cottonwood]

Sorry for bringing back this thread after nearly a year and a half. I am planning a trip from Arizona to Burlington, Iowa for a 4th of July family get together. I'll follow the supercharger network until I get to Albert Lea, MN. Then my plan was to drive to Des Moines for charging. I've found a Newton KOA site about 30 miles east of Des Moines that has 50 amp service. My other option is to follow the SC network to Bloomington, IL and then drive to Burlington from there. I hate the thought of 6 to 7 hours in the middle of the day at a camp site, so before I do any more planning on which route I should take, has anything opened up as far as charging around Des Moines that isn't reflected in either the chargepoint or the KOA campsite web sites? I see reference to J1772 charging in Des Moines (Urbandale), but althought it doesn't say, I suspect this is 30 amp charging rather than 50 amp. Thanks for any help someone may provide.

Good Luck!

Just remember to keep your numbers straight. A 30 Amp J1772, Level 2 EVSE usually provides 30 or 32 Amps to the car from a 40 Amp circuit breaker. A 50 Amp RV outlet has a 50 Amp breaker and can only supply 40 Amps to the car. Also remember, many sites offer 208 Volts rather than 240 Volts; 208 gives you 13% less power than 240 for the same current; power is Amps times Volts.

Do you have dual chargers so you can take advantage of an 80 Amp HPWC on a 100 Amp breaker. That is Holy Grail when off of the Supercharger Highway. 80 Amp HPWC's are often available at Tesla owner homes, Service Centers, and Showrooms.

Rockford to Rock Island is only 123 miles. I'd stay on the Supercharger Highway if I were you. It's a lot more fun driving as fast as you want and not worrying about charge time...