Oregon's Electric Highway

Velo1 said:

I just saw the segment on NBC's Nightly News (July 4) about Oregon's Electric Highway. EV charging stations already exist every 25 miles along a 200-mile stretch of I-5, with 35 more charging stations yet to come. For now a 30-minute charge is free. The story mentioned plans for similar stations along I-5 in WA and CA, with the goal to be able to drive an EV from Canada to Mexico. Great to see all the traction EV's are getting, and the comfort-level it will continue to grow.

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Unfortunately, all the Level 3 chargers are CHAdeMO which is, at least given the info I've currently seem, not compatible with Model S. I image that they're working on an adaptor or something.

That said, it is pretty cool that they put it in.

Most of the WA state segment is up and running already, but Oregon has us beat. They are ahead of the curve, having completed the first major segment and have done such a great job they are being granted more money for more QC's, all the way out to the coast! As for compatibility, I have been told there should be a CHAdeMO adapter possibly as soon as within a month for the S, I've been assured by multiple reps fresh from Freemont that it's definitely on the way and the S is otherwise able to accept a charge from a QC station ... hopefully Tesla reps have more reliable info than Nissan reps :~).

To get an idea of the existing network, check out this page: http://westcoastgreenhighway.com/electrichighways.htm

100thMonkey said:

Most of the WA state segment is up and running already, but Oregon has us beat. They are ahead of the curve, having completed the first major segment and have done such a great job they are being granted more money for more QC's, all the way out to the coast! As for compatibility, I have been told there should be a CHAdeMO adapter possibly as soon as within a month for the S, I've been assured by multiple reps fresh from Freemont that it's definitely on the way and the S is otherwise able to accept a charge from a QC station ... hopefully Tesla reps have more reliable info than Nissan reps :~).

To get an idea of the existing network, check out this page: http://westcoastgreenhighway.com/electrichighways.htm

Click to expand...

My wife and I were noticing the Safeway (with fuel station) at Murray Hill in Beaverton (suburb of Portland) has 3 EV charging stations in the parking lot, and that's way off the beaten path of I5. And I know much of the business district downtown is thoroughly covered. So I think the infrastructure is well underway.

Here's a link to my driving of the West Coast Electric Highway. I hope lots of Teslas will join us next year for BC2BC-2013, electric vehicles from Canada to Mexico.

My Nissan Leaf Forum View topic - Mexico to Canada via Electric Highway June 12-20, 2012

June 12, 2012, we start day one of a 9 day odyssey from Mexico to Canada in our 100% electric car, the Nissan LEAF. This car was designed and intended to be a short range, around town car, but with some basic charging station infrastructure, and a little luck, we will be able to drive this 73 mile (118km) US government rated (EPA) vehicle over 1600 miles (2500km) on the West Coast Electric Highway.

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June 20 Update:

Totals, Mexico to Canada: 8 days, 5 hours

Total miles for the trip: 1887

Miles per day average: 1887 / 8.2 = 230 miles per day

Maximum miles in one day: 375

Total gasoline burned: 0

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The final tally for Washington state:

June 20, 2012
Oregon / Washington border: 10:05 am
Washington / British Columbia border : 11:16pm

13+11 hours enroute

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The final tally for Oregon state:

June 19, 2012
Oregon / California border: 7:25am
Washington / Oregon border : 7:25pm

12+00 hours enroute

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The final tally for California state:

June 12 - June 18
Baja California / California USA : 6:16pm estimate
California USA / Oregon border : 7:30pm estimate

6 days, 1+14 hours enroute