Has anyone gone from Orange County to Las Vegas?

[broteus7]

How many stops did it require? At 100%, my ER XLT says i have 300 miles of range. I don't think this will be possible considering I'll most likely be driving at 75 mph during Christmas. Any recommended stops? Was there a line at the EA stations? I do plan to have the A2Z adapter or the official one from Ford that gives supercharger access.

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[Avocadodude]

It was awhile ago, but did Carlsbad to Vegas. Pretty easy trip. Charged to 100% in Carlsbad, did about 15 minute charge in Barstow (driver needed a break ). Charged back to 80% in Baker, no lines. Charged in Baker on way back (80% again) and another 15 minutes in Murrieta on way back to have a little buffer in case of detours on the 15.

 

[Leighton Carter]

I've mapped a similar trip from LA to Vegas on ABRP app several times, both with and without Tesla Supercharger access. Two stops both ways factoring in at least 20% SOC on arrival in Vegas and Home.

 

[ChrisInVegas]

From the Cruise port to home in Vegas: 2 stops. Barstow and Baker.

When you get to Baker, you may think "Hey... I have plenty of charge to get to Vegas!" Don't listen to yourself. Stop and charge even if for a little bit. From Baker to almost the Nevada state line, it is uphill and sometimes windy. Charge for a few minutes, grab a drink, and enjoy the piece of mind.

Side note: Baker is a pretty nice stop. 12 stall EA station with shade. If you have the Tesla adapter, there are about 1,500 Tesla chargers there too.

But relax... easy drive. Enjoy!

 

[RTanton]

How many stops did it require? At 100%, my ER XLT says i have 300 miles of range. I don't think this will be possible considering I'll most likely be driving at 75 mph during Christmas. Any recommended stops? Was there a line at the EA stations? I do plan to have the A2Z adapter or the official one from Ford that gives supercharger access.

 

[RTanton]

We came back this way on a trip to Michigan and back (6000 total miles). Stop in Barstow (Walmart) was easy with plenty of chargers and no wait. Stop at Bakersfield was the best stop on our entire trip with a dozen EA chargers all under solar panels. Las Vegas was our worst stop on the entire trip! The EA had only 1 of 4 functional(Plug Share reported all good) with a long wait time. Checking Plug Share for alternates we found that all were either occupied or out of service. Do not plan to charge in Las Vegas.

 

[broteus7]

From the Cruise port to home in Vegas: 2 stops. Barstow and Baker.

When you get to Baker, you may think "Hey... I have plenty of charge to get to Vegas!" Don't listen to yourself. Stop and charge even if for a little bit. From Baker to almost the Nevada state line, it is uphill and sometimes windy. Charge for a few minutes, grab a drink, and enjoy the piece of mind.

Side note: Baker is a pretty nice stop. 12 stall EA station with shade. If you have the Tesla adapter, there are about 1,500 Tesla chargers there too.

But relax... easy drive. Enjoy!

How long did you charge both times? Did you just get it to 80% both times?

 

[ChrisInVegas]

How long did you charge both times? Did you just get it to 80% both times?

I want to say that both charges were pretty short actually. I can't recall my starting state of charge, but I typically go to about 80% when road tripping. I want to say ~20-25 minutes each stop.

 

[bg226]

I've done the trip from Anaheim to Vegas a handful of times and it only requires 1 stop. You can stop in either Barstow or Baker. Baker has more chargers available than the Walmart in Barstow has. But it is convenient to stop at Walmart to pick up anything you might need. The store at Barstow is super expensive and not worth buying anything in.

 

[broteus7]

I've done the trip from Anaheim to Vegas a handful of times and it only requires 1 stop. You can stop in either Barstow or Baker. Baker has more chargers available than the Walmart in Barstow has. But it is convenient to stop at Walmart to pick up anything you might need. The store at Barstow is super expensive and not worth buying anything in.

Have you done it in the winter at all?

 

[bg226]

Have you done it in the winter at all?

I think closest to winter was October and March.

 

[On the Road with Ralph]

Seriously? I've made the trip between Riverside (CA) and Las Vegas so many times in my Pro SR that I've lost count. In fact, it was the first "long" trip I took in my Lightning after taking delivery 14 months and 31,000+ miles ago.

I've taken several different routes, including one from my desert home north of Palm Springs, through the Mojave National Preserve, to Vegas without a charging stop. And, again, I'm driving a standard range Pro. I've also driven to LV and back in all seasons of the year; the difference in range between winter (which at worst might be in the low 30s) and summer is literally imperceptible. Frankly, it never occurred to me to think about it.

Here, however, are a few helpful tips:

The Electrify America (EA) stations vary greatly in quality along the route. Hesparia (Walmart) is decent. Baker is one of the best EA locations; because it is a "flagship" site it is well maintained. The EA stations in LV itself are disappointing - older and slower chargers that are frequently out of service. This leads to lines of vehicles waiting to charge. As for Barstow (Walmart), it has good equipment and a fair number of dispensers, but being at the intersection of I-40 and I-15, it is heavily used. I encountered a long line of waiting EVs on the day after Christmas.

There are numerous Tesla Supercharger locations all along I-15; if you have an adapter, there are plenty of recharging options.

I've discovered free DCFC chargers at the Fountainbleau Hotel on The Strip in Vegas. They are in the parking garage (a little difficult to find) but they are free and fast (up to 180 kW) in a clean and well lit setting (more than I can say for the EA chargers at Caesar's Palace).

Another respondent to this thread mentioned the uphill grade between Baker and the Nevada state line. Yeah, take that seriously; don't pass Baker thinking you have plenty of charge. Similar note for the Cajon Pass between San Bernardino and the High Desert. Conversely, going down the Cajon Pass will actually recharge your vehicle.

Bottom line: You'd have to make some profoundly stupid decisions to screw up a trip from OC to Las Vegas.

 

[CRAIGC540]

From the Cruise port to home in Vegas: 2 stops. Barstow and Baker.

When you get to Baker, you may think "Hey... I have plenty of charge to get to Vegas!" Don't listen to yourself. Stop and charge even if for a little bit. From Baker to almost the Nevada state line, it is uphill and sometimes windy. Charge for a few minutes, grab a drink, and enjoy the piece of mind.

Side note: Baker is a pretty nice stop. 12 stall EA station with shade. If you have the Tesla adapter, there are about 1,500 Tesla chargers there too.

But relax... easy drive. Enjoy!

I know the old Tesla chargers are V2 which do not work with Ford adapter, There are new V3 chargers just behind the V2 but they are not listed for adapter use. I've been told Tesla doesn't want the confusion. But I wonder if the adapter will work even if not listed?

 

[broteus7]

Seriously? I've made the trip between Riverside (CA) and Las Vegas so many times in my Pro SR that I've lost count. In fact, it was the first "long" trip I took in my Lightning after taking delivery 14 months and 31,000+ miles ago.

I've taken several different routes, including one from my desert home north of Palm Springs, through the Mojave National Preserve, to Vegas without a charging stop. And, again, I'm driving a standard range Pro. I've also driven to LV and back in all seasons of the year; the difference in range between winter (which at worst might be in the low 30s) and summer is literally imperceptible. Frankly, it never occurred to me to think about it.

Here, however, are a few helpful tips:

The Electrify America (EA) stations vary greatly in quality along the route. Hesparia (Walmart) is decent. Baker is one of the best EA locations; because it is a "flagship" site it is well maintained. The EA stations in LV itself are disappointing - older and slower chargers that are frequently out of service. This leads to lines of vehicles waiting to charge. As for Barstow (Walmart), it has good equipment and a fair number of dispensers, but being at the intersection of I-40 and I-15, it is heavily used. I encountered a long line of waiting EVs on the day after Christmas.

There are numerous Tesla Supercharger locations all along I-15; if you have an adapter, there are plenty of recharging options.

I've discovered free DCFC chargers at the Fountainbleau Hotel on The Strip in Vegas. They are in the parking garage (a little difficult to find) but they are free and fast (up to 180 kW) in a clean and well lit setting (more than I can say for the EA chargers at Caesar's Palace).

Another respondent to this thread mentioned the uphill grade between Baker and the Nevada state line. Yeah, take that seriously; don't pass Baker thinking you have plenty of charge. Similar note for the Cajon Pass between San Bernardino and the High Desert. Conversely, going down the Cajon Pass will actually recharge your vehicle.

Bottom line: You'd have to make some profoundly stupid decisions to screw up a trip from OC to Las Vegas.

Charging to 80% at Baker should be enough then?

 

[On the Road with Ralph]

Yeah, if you depart Irvine at 90%+ charge, one stop in Baker with a recharge to 80%-85% would probably do it, and leave you with a little range for local travel in LV. But let me note that your original post mentioned driving at 75 mph; if you insist on that speed - especially on the steep climbs at the Cajon Pass and at the Halloran Pass north of Baker - you are going to burn through your electrons pretty fast. The Lightning has all the aerodynamic qualities of a brick; parasitic drag basically doubles between 60 mph and 80 mph. If you combine that with 4000 feet of elevation change, don't be surprised if you arrive in Baker with <15% SOC.

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