Poll: Supercharger 2x Distance or RV Park charging?

[Owner]

I was highly leaning towards the RV route, but after spending a couple of hours this evening doing research I'm leaning towards the supercharger route.

I called one RV park and they sort of said "what?...then no"

I did find several EV friendly RV parks on the route and have something kind of mapped out. But one person told me I pretty much need to have the dates in mind because they get busy! She said they would reserve me a spot if I knew the exact date, which I still don't know at this point.

that's the big advantage of superchargers, your not competing with someone who is there for several days waiting for them to move.

If it was just one RV park, that would be fine but with this kind of distance and several very empty spots, I'm looking at four or five.

 

[CHGolferJim]

How long before there is an "EV Friendly RV Parks" app. Not long, I bet.

 

[dsm363]

How long before there is an "EV Friendly RV Parks" app. Not long, I bet.

Allstays RV app kind of does that already. You just have to filter by '50 Amp service' to find what you need.

 

[Cottonwood]

Allstays RV app kind of does that already. You just have to filter by '50 Amp service' to find what you need.

Just because an RV Park has 50-Amp service, does not mean it is EV friendly. Most RV Parks are friendly, but I have had a few "not so friendly" interactions...

 

[slipdrive]

Haven't yet done much with RV parks, (except one very friendly one on the west side of Rocky Mountain Natl Park), but am investigating possibilities for this summer. At least until some more SC's appear...
The "cabins" are intriguing, but I wonder if it is only the big RV spots with the 50 amp service. Personally I will be calling and trying to confirm things in advance. Maybe the Parks will start to get a clue and someone can then launch an "EV FriendlyFifties" iPhone app or something. The one park owner I interacted with was awesome, and said if he thought there was a need, he'd gladly put an outlet in his parking lot, and avoid the campsite altogether....

 

[dsm363]

Just because an RV Park has 50-Amp service, does not mean it is EV friendly. Most RV Parks are friendly, but I have had a few "not so friendly" interactions...

Good point. I simply use that app to find them then I call or check Plug Share. At this point you'd want to call anyway even if an RV friendly app said it was ok in case they changed their mind.

 

[jerry33]

The "cabins" are intriguing, but I wonder if it is only the big RV spots with the 50 amp service.

The one RV Park I have used with a cabin has you park the car in the big RV spot, not by the cabin. They charge $15 for a car to charge overnight--not a bad rate (of course the cabin is extra).

 

[RiverBrick]

Saving 700 miles will probably mean keeping your vehicle under warranty for an additional week or two. It could make a difference or not.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

Superchargers, all the way.

Life is all about experiences. What do you want your experience to be? Lots of driving in your wonderful electric car and seeing new sights, or sitting in an RV park for hours on end?

 

[Owner]

My experience now in doing the research on rv parks is that it is kind of a confusing. Plugshare does list a few RVparks that folks have used successfully but only a few. Those are probably the friendly ones. I did buy the Allstays RV app for the phone for the filter but also an easy way to call. Its also complicated as often no one returns your call for about 24 hours. And then do you need a reservation or not? Can you predict when you are going to get there? It is just complicated.

I have backpacked and occasionally car camped in National Parks but I am not familiar with rv parks.

RV parks I think for one mid way charge - a series I'm not up for it at this point particularly for the long path between St. Louis and Denver.

Hopefully when the country is covered by superchargers this will be less of a point. But I think smart rv park owners will try to figure this out and maybe get on plugshare. Or just have one dedicated line in perhaps a less desirable spot in their lot for EV charging.

Fortunately, I got a free extended warranty (read my blog post about "normal tire wear") so the extra mileage is not an issue.

I also want to see some wildlife in South Dakota that were hiding during 32 degree weather and 55 mph gusts.

Car is now at the Atlanta service center getting charged for the night, and then venturing for a few days "beyond the network"...wish me luck.

 

[cpa]

I will be traversing part of the west in a couple of weeks and have looked into partial charging at RV parks for a couple of hours. Most modern and decent locations have email. I have sent out several to various parks, and most have been quite accommodating in allowing me to charge during the day for 2-3 hours. I suggest dropping one or two along your proposed route to see if they will permit some charging.