Vancouver to Alberta Trip Planning

[gpetti]

Hi gpetti,

I have Canmore altitude of 4,860ft and Golden 2,600ft, so a pretty good loss in a short distance. Nothing that I found near the Home Hardware in Golden. Overwaitea Grocery store. There was a restaurant in an old-style house that was probably somewhat fancy. There was a motel or two down the road so this could be an overnight charge if you're comfortable leaving your car in the Home Hardware lot unattended. You're trying to make it to Summerland?

I think I've eaten at the "restaurant in an old style house" once and it was pretty good though it probably wouldn't be appropriate for my usual arrival time which is mid morning.
I would like to make it to Summerland and from what I can tell Sun Country has a 100 amp charger in Sicamous which seems pretty achievable based on your information. I think the distance from there to Summerland is about 172.7 km so should be pretty easy to achieve.

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Here a a few photos of the chargers I used.....just because.

Any excuse to show that beautiful metallic blue car! How the heck did you keep it so clean? Tell the truth, you washed it before the Hope picture?

 

[Canuck]

Great pics. I showed them to my wife and we laughed about how far over you are in Hope. I did the same thing. To avoid door dings. If it weren't for a charger, I'd be at the far end of the lot, away from all the cars.

 

[Paul8810]

Thanks pairtrader! This will take all the guesswork out of my upcoming trip on the exact same route. I'll be doing the trip with my 10 yr old daughter, we will overnight at the Sicamous Best Western. Maybe I can convince them to relax the rules about the use of their charger.

 

[pairtrader]

I think I've eaten at the "restaurant in an old style house" once and it was pretty good though it probably wouldn't be appropriate for my usual arrival time which is mid morning.
I would like to make it to Summerland and from what I can tell Sun Country has a 100 amp charger in Sicamous which seems pretty achievable based on your information. I think the distance from there to Summerland is about 172.7 km so should be pretty easy to achieve.

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Any excuse to show that beautiful metallic blue car! How the heck did you keep it so clean? Tell the truth, you washed it before the Hope picture?

Are you planning to spend the night at the Sicamous Best Western? That is the one that told me I could not use it unless I was a guest. I called ahead and she was pretty clear that I couldn't use it even if I paid. It could be worth calling ahead and speaking with someone else. If it's like many of the hotels, you could probably plug in and get a charge before anyone notices, but nothing is certain.

The Hope photo is on the way out, so I had only been driving in clear conditions from Vancouver. Admittedly, I have washed my car more times in a month than I did in a year with my old car.

 

[gpetti]

Thanks pairtrader! This will take all the guesswork out of my upcoming trip on the exact same route. I'll be doing the trip with my 10 yr old daughter, we will overnight at the Sicamous Best Western. Maybe I can convince them to relax the rules about the use of their charger.

What rules? I'm interested in the merits of that charger.

Never mind, just read Pairtraders comments (I haven't read his full report yet).

 

[pairtrader]

I hope the photos are useful for you to see which chargers are likely/unlikely to be ICEd. There is no photo of the Canmore charger, but the building seems to be mostly vacant, although the parking lot had many cars in it during my daytime arrival. There are washrooms in the Canmore building if it is open. Highest risk is the Kamloops charger. It is even hidden and if I'm not mistaken, there may not even be an EV only sign. In Golden I was there when Home Hardware was closed both times, but the parking lot was huge and I doubt people spend hours in the store.

 

[DGates]

Thanks, this is great info!

I'm currently planning a trip from Vancouver out to Alberta with my wife and 5-year old son. I have a wedding to go to in Banff in early July and want to extend the trip also to Calgary and hopefully make it out to Drumheller to go to the Tyrell Dinosaur museum. I've certainly got some planning to do but I think it should be possible.

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I'm a bit worried about charging while in Calgary. Plugshare doesn't show very much. I guess in oil country they just don't have many chargers. We'll be there a few days and I know how spread out that city is, having lived there for several years when I was younger. Good to know the Ramada up by the airport will let us charge at least.

Anybody else have much experience with charging in Calgary? Any good spots that may not be on plugshare?

 

[Ugliest1]

Thanks very much for the detailed information, Pairtrader. I may have to add more charging time to part of my plans for my summer trip - ½ supercharger down the west coast and to the Great Lakes, but then back to Sun Country by Niagara Falls through eastern Canada, then to New York and back along the supercharger route, heading north back to Canada just south of Fargo. Once we hit BC we'll be taking #3 so different stops than yours. Unfortunately just as long stops I'm sure. I'll track the charging times etc like you have.

At each charger, I'm planning to look at the next leg's distance, then charge to 150% of the EV Trip Planner's Rated Miles estimate. My sense of L2 chargers is that the charging time will be pretty well the same whether you charge to 150 km or try to minimize charging stops by going to 80-90% each time - it's not like supercharger travelling where half the battery is filled and you can make it to the next one before you can finish a leisurely cup of coffee. About the only saving you would get by minimizing stops is the 10-15 minutes of slush time around the transition from "highway driving" to/from "charging". However charging to a full 100%, that last bit will be even longer and you would wipe out any possible time savings.

I base all this on my home charging - it remains constant at 48-49 amps (47km/hr) throughput up to 80-90% (might slow a bit close to 90, can't remember). At this point I don't have enough experience with L2 road tripping to be totally confident in the above bold statement - is this consistent with how your trip went?

 

[pairtrader]

If you're near St. Albert and looking for a charge, stop by for a coffee. We have a Sun Country CS90 at our office.
View attachment 47397

I'll be making the Vancouver - Edmonton trip the beginning of May

Thanks Zapped, I will keep this in mind for next time. I actually grew up in St.Albert (1980-2000) and spend some time there during my visits to Edmonton. Let me know if you need any advice about charging in Vancouver while you're here. I am using public chargers exclusively until I move in September, so I'm quickly learning the trade secrets.

 

[Zapped]

pairtrader: Great write up and photos.
As far as 21" tires and pot holes go, I replaced 2 rims (1 bent, 1 cracked) and tires last spring ( same pot hole ). Sounds like putting on 19" wheels is the right thing to do.

BTW, the Sun Country charger at our office was "blocked" ("In Use") today by a Volt. Apparently they didn't tell anyone they were there and must have gone for a walk..... not that it mattered and that's what the charger is there for. Having a charger available is my only concern on a road trip but I see you didn't have any issues.

I'll be stopping in Vancouver on my way back to Edmonton from California this Wednesday. My wife is skipping out on the first half of the trip and meeting me in Seattle for the rest of the way.
I see there are a number of chargers in downtown Vancouver close to where we are staying at the Sheraton Wall Center. Let me know if you have any recommendations.

 

[pairtrader]

I'll be stopping in Vancouver on my way back to Edmonton from California this Wednesday. My wife is skipping out on the first half of the trip and meeting me in Seattle for the rest of the way.
I see there are a number of chargers in downtown Vancouver close to where we are staying at the Sheraton Wall Center. Let me know if you have any recommendations.

One of my favorite charge points is pretty close to your hotel. Your hotel is on Burrard and Nelson. Just walk down Nelson for about 10 minutes and there are two Chargepoint chargers at Yaletown Park (Nelson & Mainland St). They charge at 31km/hr, but the great thing is that the parking is FREE and UNLIMITED (as long as you're charging, but likely not enforced). It is a great location right in Yaletown. Lots of restaurants within a block or two. If you have the Chargepoint App, you can check if they are available before heading down there. I have seen other EVs parked there, but I would be surprised if you couldn't get one of the spots. It is very safe and I've left my car there overnight a couple of times when I was near empty.

The new Vancouver store has an owners open house May 2nd and is open to the public May 3rd. You're missing it by a day or two! It is a short walk from your hotel at Burrard and Robson.

 

[Zapped]

Thanks for the info.
Unfortunately I won't be at the Vancouver opening event.
With passenger on board I'll have to make it a leisurely 3 day - 2 hotel nights (Kelowna & Banff) trip back to Edmonton for Monday.

 

[Morristhecat]

Thanks for the summary @pairtrader. I will be using that route sometime soon as I have relatives in Edmonton. I may wait until the supercharger though, as I think my kids would drive me nuts if they have to wait too long for charging.

 

[pairtrader]

I just spoke with SunCountry and discovered a couple of things. First, there is another CS100 charger in Sicamous. It is "District of Sicamous" at 446 Main Street. It is not on the SunCountry website, nor on Plugshare, but should be added soon as I'm told it is currently operational. Please check those sites before you rely on it!

Second, they have plans for Level 3 chargers, which understandably would be a paid service. I started a thread to collect feedback for them. Please provide your input. SunCountry Level 3 Chargers - Input please

 

[Zapped]

One of my favorite charge points is pretty close to your hotel. Your hotel is on Burrard and Nelson. Just walk down Nelson for about 10 minutes and there are two Chargepoint chargers at Yaletown Park (Nelson & Mainland St). They charge at 31km/hr, but the great thing is that the parking is FREE and UNLIMITED (as long as you're charging, but likely not enforced). It is a great location right in Yaletown. Lots of restaurants within a block or two. If you have the Chargepoint App, you can check if they are available before heading down there. I have seen other EVs parked there, but I would be surprised if you couldn't get one of the spots. It is very safe and I've left my car there overnight a couple of times when I was near empty......

Thanks again for the great tip. Drove up from the Burlington Supercharger with 200 km to spare and charged at NELSON & MAINLINE this evening. Took the Aguabus water taxis to Granville Island from Yaletown, my wife and I had a nice dinner / evening out and added 180 km. There was no charge to my -ChargePoin+ account and I noticed PlugShare says it's curbside parking and free to charge. A SMART car occupied the second charger.

BTW, drove by the TESLA store location, all windows covered and no indication it's a TESLA store yet. Should be a good surprise opening for most.

 

[pairtrader]

Thanks again for the great tip. Drove up from the Burlington Supercharger with 200 km to spare and charged at NELSON & MAINLINE this evening. Took the Aguabus water taxis to Granville Island from Yaletown, my wife and I had a nice dinner / evening out and added 180 km. There was no charge to my -ChargePoin+ account and I noticed PlugShare says it's curbside parking and free to charge. A SMART car occupied the second charger.

BTW, drove by the TESLA store location, all windows covered and no indication it's a TESLA store yet. Should be a good surprise opening for most.

I'm glad it worked out. FWIW, I have yet to pay at a Chargepoint charger in the Vancouver area. They are all free as far as I know. I got 350kWh out of them in my first month

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After my drive from Vancouver to Edmonton and back, and realizing that my air mattress idea wasn't adequate, I'm now giving this a try. 4"x24"x40" extra firm foam with 2"x24"x72" soft foam on top. Cost me $150 Canadian. I kept the extra piece in case I want to upgrade to a double. Not a travel style for everyone, but I love that it's possible.

 

[Canuck]

That will make for some comfortable sleeps while charging! It's look like you're parked in Kits which is where I grew up back in the 70's when it was all hippies.

 

[pairtrader]

It's look like you're parked in Kits which is where I grew up back in the 70's when it was all hippies.

You're right, it's Kits. As you know, it's still a great area! My Tesla is relegated to street parking since the price of a property with a garage is in the stratosphere.

 

[Zapped]

Well my timing couldn't be worse. Just leaving Vancouver for Edmonton and 150-250mm of snow forecast for Banff just about the time I'll be there.
Hopefully the snow plows are keeping the roads clear, otherwise it will not be much fun with my 21" summer tires.
I'll have to make sure I keep the car charged with a good buffer for some expected range losses.

Should have stayed an extra day or 2 for the Vancouver opening and reception.

 

[pairtrader]

Well my timing couldn't be worse. Just leaving Vancouver for Edmonton and 150-250mm of snow forecast for Banff just about the time I'll be there.
Hopefully the snow plows are keeping the roads clear, otherwise it will not be much fun with my 21" summer tires.
I'll have to make sure I keep the car charged with a good buffer for some expected range losses.

Should have stayed an extra day or 2 for the Vancouver opening and reception.

I'm told there is a CS100 charger in Sicamous that is not on Plugshare or sunCountry websites. Email below:

We are located in Downtown Sicamous @ the District Hall Offices @446 Main Street. As well as the District offices, this building also houses, the Okanagan Regional Library, Tourist Information Center and Sicamous Museum. We are located next door to Askew`s groceries and the Credit Union.

The High Power Electric Vehicle charging station is located on the Finlayson Street side of the building, mounted on the NE Library wall. I tried to take a photo for you, but it is too bright at this time. I will try again first thing in the morning.

Below are the coordinates (extracted from Bing Maps). I have also attached a kml file which can be opened with many mapping applications as well as Google Earth.
50.836985°
-118.982533°