Traveling with Dogs

[jgblair]

Our Windstar minivan that we use for trips between the North Bay (West Sonoma County) and Orange County just died. We elected to buy out our lease on our RAV4-EV and equip it with a JdeMo (on order from Tony) instead of repairing the van. We have two German Shepherds and a black Lab along with our usual stuff for a 5-day trip to fit in the car. My wife also would like to protect the inside of "her" nice clean RAV from the drooling and shedding (German Shepherds!) dogs. I need advice from others who have done this:

-How do you protect the insides? I have seen some pads that cover the floor, but not that wrap up the sides. Also does dog hair stick to the ceiling from dogs walking around? I saw a Tesla Model S owner who cut some industrial carpet to make a full wrap for the inside that apparently goes in and out easily.

-What do you use to fit a couple of bags plus dog food/toys/beds etc in? The rear "well" is already full of emergency supplies plus charging extension cables, charger, medical bag (volunteer fireman - I like to be prepared) etc. I know there is some room under the 2nd row seats when folded. I have also thought about putting flat things like dog food bags, hanging suitcases, etc that are about 6" high then laying a thin piece of plywood for a flat surface and the dog beds on top. Anyone else done something like this?

-Roof boxes?

-Any other suggestions? We usually take Hwy 101 to 580 to I-5. With a couple of short rest stops for dogs and people and a gas (ick!) stop for the Windstar, it takes about 9 hours. We usually have to stop in Duarte before heading down to Newport Beach. We now stop in Buttonwillow for an overnight stay in a Motel 6 (no charge for dogs). That makes it about 5-6 hour drive and then 3+/- more the next day. There are no J1772 chargers around Buttonwillow that I can find for the overnight fill up and the CHAdeMo coverage on I-5 is still weak as I understand it. Our next trip will not be for a couple of months as we wait for the JdeMo. Is there a chance for new chargers along I-5 during that time or do we need to plan alternate routes?


Thanks


John
John Blair

 

[TonyWilliams]

I would only take 101 to LA, then 405 to Orange County. The few chargers that they have on the 5 freeway are extremely slow and there's only one of them per stop. If one breaks, you're just screwed.

On the 101 route, every single site has two CHAdeMO chargers, plus there are lots of other options with RV parks with your JESLA or by using J1772.

I strongly recommend an overnight in Paso Robles at one of the many hotels that have J1772 charging.

 

[jgblair]

Thanks Tony. That route looks workable even if it is longer. Any idea when more of the CHAdeMo chargers will be added to the I-5 route to make it workable as well?

John
John Blair

 

[TonyWilliams]

Thanks Tony. That route looks workable even if it is longer. Any idea when more of the CHAdeMo chargers will be added to the I-5 route to make it workable as well?

John
John Blair

The CHAdeMO chargers along the 5 freeway were contracted by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to be low powered.

When they eventually have a whole string of chargers down the 5 freeway, your charge time will be doubled.

 

[miimura]

Santa Nella, Coalinga, and Lost Hills already have 25kW CHAdeMO chargers installed since Tony made that map. When Wheeler Ridge is installed, the route will be basically complete. However, this series of chargers is not ideal at all due to their low power and relatively high price. I would rather drive 101. Grants have been issued to overlay 50kW chargers along US-101, I-5, and CA-99, but we don't know when those might be installed. It took more than two years to get these medium-fast chargers installed.

 

[jgblair]

Thanks for your suggestion. I see what you mean about 1/2 the charge rate and a higher price of 59¢ per Kwhr when the EVgo units are 10¢ per minute (plus monthly $15 charge). That works out to about 12¢/Kwhr or thereabouts (~25 Kwhr in 30 minutes = 0.833 Kwhr/minute = .10/.833).

In my case, according to Mapquest, my trip from West Sonoma County to Glendora (to drop someone off) to Newport Beach is about 45 minutes shorter via I-5 than Hwy 101. Also since I travel with 2-3 dogs, the most economical place I have found to spend the night is Motel 6. They allow multiple large dogs and don't charge extra for them. I can stay in the Buttonwillow Motel 6 off of I-5 for $30 per night while the Motel 6 in Paso Robles is $130 per night. So even if the charging is much more expensive and longer, I-5 has those advantages for me. If there was a J-1772 (or even a 240 outlet) in Buttonwillow within walking distance of the Motel 6, I could do an extended overnight charge and save time and money and not have to stop in Lost Hills along the way. I believe that Buttonwillow is 20 miles farther and thus 20 miles closer to the Castaic Lake RV Park and already up the steepest park of the Tejon Pass.

Since I don't have my JdeMo yet, I have not used a CHAdeMo charger, I am not sure how it all works. If it takes longer than 30 minutes you have to start a second session (assuming no one is waiting) and pay a second session charge (if there is a session charge in addition to either a time or Kwhr charge)?

 

[miimura]

I haven't used those stations on I-5 yet either. However, if you load the card with more than $10, then you might be able to charge for more than 30 minutes without incurring another session fee. I believe the NRG stations all stop after 30 minutes regardless of how much charge your car can take.

I would recommend taking 101 because you will have less charging time due to most of the route having faster chargers and you can make it all the way to Newport in less than 14 hours, thus avoiding a hotel stay en-route. I don't know where you are in Sonoma County, but I did a quick calculation of mileage and charging from Jenner.

 

[TonyWilliams]

If you don't want to stop in Paso Robles King city is actually significantly better if you find overnight charging:

Motel 6
3 Broadway Cir
King City, CA 93930

It's a 1.3 mile walk to a J1772 station (ChargePoint):

117 N 2nd St
King City, CA, 93930

Always have a Plan B, and in King City, your Plan B is the motel that has a NEMA 14-50 electrical outlet. Use your JESLA there to charge within five hours or less.



Ciudad del Rey Motel & Trailer Park
50620 Mesa Verde Road
King City, CA 93930

http://api.plugshare.com/view/location/5872