How do I find fast Roadster charging along I-5 ?

[S-2000 Roadster]

I made the mistake of thinking that I can drive from Seattle to Los Angeles in 2024 with the same success as I did way back in 2011. What took two days in 2011 in this Roadster, and two days in 2023 in a gasser, is probably going to take four days in 2024 thanks to slow chargers that only provide 30A.

How can I plan the rest of my trip from Sacramento to Los Angeles, along I-5, without suffering the dog-slow 20 mph public charging stations that seem to be 90% of the installations?

I got lucky in Portland. One garage has several Tesla NACS chargers (the silver/gray ones). The first ran at 48A, but shut off after a few hours with a fault. I moved to another stall and actually got 70A for the remainder of my charge! This means my CAN SR was charging my Roadster as fast as the original Roadster charger.

Since then, it's random. Some Tesla gray chargers are 40A, some 48A, never another 70A, and many just fault. How can I tell a DC-only NACS from the AC-capable NACS?

More importantly, how can I find fast chargers without driving to every one?

A Better Routeplanner (ABRP) - which was purportedly purchased by Rivian - literally doesn't work until you enter your EV model, and they do not have the Tesla Roadster classic, so this app is a no-go.

PlugShare is fairly good - in the sense that you can filter by power / rate, connector, and other things - but the accuracy of the database is very poor.

ChargePoint has no filters for charge power / rate, so you have to click on chargers one-by-one on the map to learn that they're only 6 kW, and then when you back out you have to start over. I had hoped that ChargePoint would have better data on their own network than PlugShare - and they do - but the lack of search filtering makes it useless.

 

[eHorses]

Bummer, but it would seem like a fun trip to travel down the coast with the top off. Have you consider charging at campgrounds with RV hookups? You can use a mobile OG roadster 220v or a current mobile 220v NACS with the Can Sr? Good luck and Happy Travels!

 

[IslandRoadster]

PlugShare is fairly good - in the sense that you can filter by power / rate, connector, and other things - but the accuracy of the database is very poor.

I've always had good luck with Plugshare. You can filter by connector, as there are a few Roadster connectors still such as the one in Centralia, WA, at the Burgerville. Full 80 amps and great burgers and ice cream sandwiches! You can also filter by power amount delivered, but there your luck might be a bit more spotty as station owners don't always accurately enter that information. There used to be a Roadster charger North of Seattle on the way to BC, but I'm not sure of the status of that one. I think @CM_007 / @Medlock&Sons was responsible for the installation of those two chargers when he was at Tesla years back.

 

[S-2000 Roadster]

Thanks for the reminder! I did pack my NEMA 14-50 cable, so I could charge at 40A. A decade ago, Roadster owners complained that RV sites often had tripped circuit breakers, and nobody to reset them. I should get more familiar with campgrounds, and perhaps just change in the day when someone is there.