Getting Beyond the "TX Supercharger Triangle" & connecting with the coasts...

Hi Adam:

I also live in Austin, and recently made the trek to California and back in my S85. Gallup is the closest supercharger to the west, and a few of us have pioneered the route through Lubbock, Clovis, etc. You'll find we've posted useful information on places to charge at plugshare.com. If you do take that route, or any route for that matter, be sure to update the site with anything new you discover.

I don't recognize your names, so if either of you aren't on the Austin/San Antonio Tesla owners google group list, PM me for info.

There will be two high-amp level 2 charging stations in Fredericksburg any day now. I'll post the details when they're operational. The only other public high-amp level 2 charging is in Iraan, in West Texas, courtesy of a Roadster owner who lives part time there, part time in Austin. All the rest of the public level 2 charging in Texas is limited to 30A. If anyone knows differently please correct me.

Hi Adam,
First: congratulations on your new MS and welcome to TMC.

In addition to RV Parks, you may also have a chance to use State Parks as charging stops.
I have travelled East thru GA and South Carolina using mostly RV Parks, and I did charging stop at a beautiful State Park in Arkansas.
I always call ahead and request if the park would accept an EV, and confirm if they have available space to charge @ 50 A outlet.
I suggest a charging fee of $10 if they do not already have a set fee.

Feel free to PM me if you are looking at a specific travel route: I have Good Sam RV Travel Guide and KOA Directories as excellent travel resources into the Wild.

does anyone have any data about heading east, especially on the I-10 corridor?

Going north I've stayed at:

*Buckhorn RV Park, Sulphur, OK -- Nice facilities, electricity is a bit weak so dial it down about 5 amps.
Arbuckle Adventures, Davis OK -- Few facilities, manager is a bit creepy, but he didn't charge anything either. You might have to try a couple of spots to get a good plug.
Winfield Fairgrounds, Winfield, KS -- Honour system, many 50 amp plugs with very good electricity. Note that the address is not exactly correct. 200 E 9th Ave is not where the RV parking is, you have to go west on 9th avenue and cross the railroad tracks.
*Acorns Resort, Milford, KS. -- Great facilities. $15 for EVs. Don't let the stern warnings on the website put you off. They are very friendly. Good electricity. Cabins available.
*Milford State Park Campground, Milford KS -- Great facilities, good electricity, but they charge for both an RV plus a car even if you only have a car.

* Need reservations.

Heading East on I-20 I have stayed at:

Had a hotel reservation @ Hilton Garden Inn in Shreveport, thought they had a 14-50 outlet.
My mistake, as there is a Hilton Garden Inn in Bossier City (just down the road a bit), and they DO have the 14-50 outlet.
Had enough remaining range, actually stopped @
* Cinnamon Creek RV Park, Minden, LA -- 50 Amp outlets (318) 371-5111 (this was by back-up plan all along)

* Springridge RV Park/Mobile Home Estates, Clinton, MS (800) 513-0728, nice restaurant about 1/2 mile away (walk), also movies if that is your thing

* Nanabe Creek Campground, Meridian, LA (601) 485-4711 pool

* Oxford/Talledega/Dandy RV KOA, 20 Garrett Circle, Anniston, AL (800) 562-7605

* Marrietta, GA Tesla Service Center (shout out to all of them for their hospitality), great restaurant (desserts!!!) right down the road (walk)

* Beaver Run RV Park, Metter, GA, (912) 685-2594 quite, very nice place with its own lake, room and cabin available

* Point South/Yemassee KOA, Yemassee, GA, (800) 562-2948 very nice place: local wine tasting during some evenings, pizza, interesting combination of cottages and rail car/cabooses as Kabins, pool

* Charleston KOA, Ladson, SC (800) 562-5812 Kabin

Stayed at my friend's house in Charlotte, NC: charged overnight at a Whole Foods
Went up to Burlington, NC SpC and then to Durham, returned and charged again in Burlington

Return trip via I-40

* Asheville West KOA, Candler, NC (800) 562-9015 Kabin available

* Crossville/1-40 KOA, Crossville, TN(800) 562-0836 Kabin available

* Loretta Lynn's Ranch, Hurricane Mills, TN (931) 296-7700 stayed in a GREAT two-story Cabin

* Village Creek (State Park), Forrest City, AR (870) 238-9406 beautiful place to short hike and read a great book

* Little Rock North/Jct. I-40 KOA, North Little Rock, AR (800) 562-4598 Kabin available

* Mount Pleasant KOA, Mount Pleasant, TX (800) 562-5409, --could only charge at 23 to 26 miles/hr.

Once I-10 has Superchargers, that might be the best way to travel toward FL
Until then, the next best Option might be Hotels, RV and State Parks (w/ 14-50 outlets).
I will work up a list of those RV Parks off the I-10 corridor.

purplewalt said:

Once I-10 has Superchargers, that might be the best way to travel toward FL
Until then, the next best Option might be Hotels, RV and State Parks (w/ 14-50 outlets).
I will work up a list of those RV Parks off the I-10 corridor.

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thanks for the research!
I live in Jacksonville FL and my son is in Dallas and I would love to be able to make the drive but without the ability to supercharge the trip isn't feasible for me.

I want to find the RV parks that have a "park unit" for rent. RVing without the RV, and for reduced fuel costs!
A thread in the SW/Mountains section of TMC has me thinking of a Grand Canyon trip - my wife & I have never been. Funny if the Tesla makes this easier to do. I didn't think of it as an RV when I ordered it, LOL!

you may find this site useful
RV Parky | RV Parks Campgrounds Directory, Reviews, Photos

SW2Fiddler said:

I want to find the RV parks that have a "park unit" for rent. RVing without the RV, and for reduced fuel costs!
A thread in the SW/Mountains section of TMC has me thinking of a Grand Canyon trip - my wife & I have never been. Funny if the Tesla makes this easier to do. I didn't think of it as an RV when I ordered it, LOL!

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A lot of KOAs (not all) have Kabins you can stay in.
Windows, doors, walls, bunk beds, a small desk, a porch, a cooking area outside.
Either bring your own linens, or use a sleeping bag.

OR
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/16248-Tent-Camping-in-a-Model-S/page3, #27



dmetcalf has it figured out!
Sleep in air-conditioned comfort.... :biggrin:

apvbguy said:

you may find this site useful
RV Parky | RV Parks Campgrounds Directory, Reviews, Photos

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That's a great site. Thanks.

I just completed a drive from Austin to Ocala, FL comfortably over the course of four days in an S85. I've updated plugshare.com with info on all the charging stations. Since Tesla doesn't seem to be in a hurry to connect Texas to the rest of the country, you might find this useful...

Day 1: Austin to Columbus supercharger, to Huntsville supercharger. Waited for 98% charge in Huntsville, and then drove to Frog City RV on I-10 west of Lafayette. That was a comfortable distance, and Frog City only charged $20 for overnight. There's a fairly decent Super-8 right next door. I did a range charge for the next day.

Day 2: Drove to Whole Foods in New Orleans and charged there for about three hours while I walked around the waterfront and French quarter. The Chargepoint station isn't well wired, so the car immediately drops the current and you only get 4kW, which means that the energy gained just made up for the increase in distance to get into town (vs. continuing directly towards Mobile). I had intended to get to the RV park just across the bridge east of Mobile, but couldn't confirm an open 50A, so I stopped short in Theodore, Alabama at an RV park with very poor wiring and not near any hotels or other services. This was the only real failure of the trip. To avoid this problem I'd ensure a place to charge east of Mobile before departing in the morning.

Day 3: Drove to Foley, Alabama and charged at Benson's Appliance for about 1.5 hours. They have an actual Tesla HPWC, but being 200V it will only do 8kW in my car (single charger). But, its a cool little town with a train museum and park walkway. Well worth a visit. After this stop I continued on to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola and was lucky enough to arrive just before the Blue Angels did a practice session. Alas, if you've not got a DoD connection you can't use the nearby on-base RV campground to charge. If you are DoD you can easily spend four or more hours exploring the place and getting a good range boost. After the museum I continued on to the KOA west of Tallahassee, and paid full price for both a 50A site AND a cabin. It was expensive, but it worked well and was comfortable.

Day 4: It's only about 220 miles to Ocala, but I decided to go to St. Augustine for a supercharger fix, and I was hoping the weather would be good. It wasn't, and with a headwind I got there with 15 rated miles left. To do that I had to slow to 60 MPH in a 70 MPH zone for about 100 miles. After supercharging it was an easy run into Ocala. My friend, however, didn't have a 240V outlet, so the supercharger detour proved fortuitous since it meant I got to Ocala with more than half a charge. The only game in Ocala according to Plugshare is at the college, which is an option. But, once you're at St. Augustine you're on the supercharger highway and life is good.

leafarmer said:

I've updated plugshare.com with info on all the charging stations.

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Thanks for doing this. If everyone who's taken a trip and had success using RV parks would document it on plugshare, this would be easy.

leafarmer said:

I just completed a drive from Austin to Ocala, FL comfortably over the course of four days in an S85.

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I am impressed; paddling off of the Texas Supercharger Island in both directions!!!

Last time we saw each other was in Flagstaff last month. Enjoy the East Coast Superchargers.

cgiGuy said:

Thanks for doing this. If everyone who's taken a trip and had success using RV parks would document it on plugshare, this would be easy.

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There are many RV parks documented in the RV Park App (rvparking.com). Not really any need for a secondary app.

jerry33 said:

There are many RV parks documented in the RV Park App (rvparking.com). Not really any need for a secondary app.

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RVParking is great, but it does not have any info on pricing and availability of EV charging. Just because they have a 50A outlet does not mean you can charge there. Always call ahead.

PlugShare can be useful if EV drivers post prices and photos.

GSP

GSP said:

RVParking is great, but it does not have any info on pricing and availability of EV charging. Just because they have a 50A outlet does not mean you can charge there. Always call ahead.

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That's certainly true, but you'd do that in any case.