# Can You Help Me Plan My Road Trip From Taos to Jackson Hole?



## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

As the title suggests, I'm planning a Rockies road trip, and would appreciate some local expertise. Normally, when I road trip, I have no defined destination or timeline, so planning is fairly unnecessary. This time I have to get my P3D from Taos( leaving early morning 2/11/21) to Jackson Hole (arriving by late afternoon 2/13/21). I'm hoping to drive a very scenic and (relatively) safe route through the mountains. Snow covered roads don't worry me, but ice covered roads do. Obviously, I want to avoid whiteout and avalanche conditions.

I sleep in the car, generally very near a supercharger. So generally, I think my Itinerary looks something like this:

Day 1-Leave Taos and arrive Grand Junction with a 1-2 hr destination charge around lunchtime.

Day 2-Leave Grand Junction and Arrive Rock Springs or Rawlins, WY with a similar lunchtime charge.

Day 3-Leave Rawlins or Rock Springs and arrive Jackson, WY with another lunchtime charge.

I know that this drive can be done in about 15 hrs plus charging stops. But I expect to take my time, travel non-interstates when possible and see the sights. I expect this drive to take me closer to 30 hours. I have previously traveled US 491 and Co 141 to Grand Junction, so I'd like to avoid that route. Similarly, I've previously driven US 89 in WY to jackson.

If any locals have ideas for non-interstate through travel including dining, charging, and overnight ideas; I'm listening.

And THANKS!!


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## tencate (Jan 11, 2018)

Where do you charge up in Taos? At a residence I presume? I always sorta use the rule of thumb "assume a 30% hit on range when it's cold and even in Los Alamos it's only 40s (F) during the day and 20s at night. That said your route looks workable, barring no snowstorms or having to keep your windscreen defrosted all the time. I've had to use PlugShare to find a Level 2 charger once or twice (unexpected, not planned) travelling back roads around here. Travelling back roads in the winter (between Northern NM and CO etc) takes a bit of care, even without snow. If I were planning, I might fire up the PlugShare App and see what chargers might be available in between your destinations just in case. Always good to know ahead of time and cold batteries, limited regeneration are pretty common for me this time of year.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

tencate said:


> Where do you charge up in Taos? At a residence I presume? I always sorta use the rule of thumb "assume a 30% hit on range when it's cold and even in Los Alamos it's only 40s (F) during the day and 20s at night. That said your route looks workable, barring no snowstorms or having to keep your windscreen defrosted all the time. I've had to use PlugShare to find a Level 2 charger once or twice (unexpected, not planned) travelling back roads around here. Travelling back roads in the winter (between Northern NM and CO etc) takes a bit of care, even without snow. If I were planning, I might fire up the PlugShare App and see what chargers might be available in between your destinations just in case. Always good to know ahead of time and cold batteries, limited regeneration are pretty common for me this time of year.


Thanks for the input. Yes, I'll absolutely have plugshare on hand as well as chargepoint , Chargehub, and Tesla.com. There are several options in Taos, Taos Mesa Brewing being option #1.


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## tencate (Jan 11, 2018)

Level 2 charging is more hit and miss in the wintertime around here and with COVID, many places that used to be open aren't and sometimes their chargers have been shut down as well.


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## Wilson (Jun 2, 2017)

I drove the Rock Springs - Jackson section on 191 in December and enjoyed it. Pinedale is a nice town and Wind River Brewing has level 2 charging out back and good food and beer.


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## DaveRuns (Jan 18, 2021)

FRC said:


> Thanks for the input. Yes, I'll absolutely have plugshare on hand as well as chargepoint , Chargehub, and Tesla.com. There are several options in Taos, Taos Mesa Brewing being option #1.


Perhaps a dumb question, but I'm relatively new to the EV world. Why would you need the ChargrPoint app AND the PlugShare app? Aren't the ChargePoint chargers listed on the PlugShare app?


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

DaveRuns said:


> Perhaps a dumb question, but I'm relatively new to the EV world. Why would you need the ChargrPoint app AND the PlugShare app? Aren't the ChargePoint chargers listed on the PlugShare app?


The Chargepoint app tells you the real-time status of of ChargePoint chargers - whether they are occupied or not. The app also allows you to use your phone to start charging as an alternative to needing a Chargepoint card. You can also then use it to join a waitlist if the station is currently occupied (and if that particular location has been configured to use waitlists). When it becomes available, only the next person on the waitlist will be permitted to use the station (with some timeout value for no-shows).

Plugshare just gives static information, but it's not limited to any particular network.


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