Charging in Mammoth Lakes, CA

[tylerdurden03]

@Glongo Does the ice rink posted in the photo above go by a different name? When i navigated to Ice Rink or Community Ice Rink, it took me to an outdoor ice rink behind Minaret Village Center, next to the library. There were no chargers in sight and that building was not there. Appreciate any help in directing me to the 1 plug that seems to work! Thanks.

You went to the old outdoor ice rink which is now pickleball courts. Look up La kings ice rink on old mammoth road and you’ll find the new facility which opened a few weeks ago.

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[tylerdurden03]

For mammoth once the Tesla network opens everyone who visits in a Rivian will be set. For now just charge up in bishop - the return drive from mammoth to bishop uses like 10% of a non max pack due to the downhill drive. It’s not as stressful as it might seem.

 

[DynamoLA]

FWIW you shouldn’t need to charge to 100%, it would be a waste of your time. I’d suggest 85-90%. When I was there last week I found it took my truck around 30% to get from Bishop to Mammoth Lakes and about 17% to get back to Bishop. You should expect to do at least 15-20% better than me unless you also have a camper on your R1S

No camper, but 3 adults, 3 kids and a whole lotta stuff! We’ll do lunch in Bishop (maybe Schatz?) and take our time. Thanks for the insight. My bigger concern is not the charging but the road conditions. Hopefully no huge storms come in.

 

[DynamoLA]

Made it to Mammoth yesterday and the R1S has performed like a champ in the 10 inches of fresh powder that fell last night and today. I did a 100% charge at the Bishop RAN and I wasn’t the only one doing it. Every single charger was in use!

 

[nvelazquez88]

Awesome! Heading up in a week with the new R1T for the first time. Looking forward to it, but unsure about the charging situation in-town. Seems like there has been some mixed results on PlugShare at the new ice rink park chargers.

If you happen to charge in town, let us know how it goes. Cheers.

 

[vcao]

Mammoth is like one of the most adventurous destinations for snow, bike, camp, and hike. I'm kind of disappointed there isn't a RAN here.

 

[DynamoLA]

I went by the ice rink today to see if I could charge. I used the first charger in the row (non-supercharger but Tesla branded). It didn’t need an adapter but it almost immediately turned my charge port red, at which point I disconnected not wanting to screw up the car. I only saw Teslas at this place so I still don’t know if a non-Tesla can charge. In any case we are heading down the hill tomorrow and i have enough juice to get to Bishop. But if anyone has any charging secrets at the ice rink I’m all ears.

 

[agame32]

Mammoth is like one of the most adventurous destinations for snow, bike, camp, and hike. I'm kind of disappointed there isn't a RAN here.

I’d love one in Mammoth too, but I’m guessing a thoughtful decision on RANs in Bishop and Lee Vining (pending) were deemed sufficient for adventuring in Mammoth.

More L2 charging options in Mammoth are probably more feasible and would help fill any gaps.

 

[Thisisjakea]

Maybe a petition is the way to go(Change.org): https://chng.it/y8c9268ztx

 

[shamoo]

Does charging up in Bishop give you enough range to get to Mammoth but also allow you to explore the area AND also come back?

 

[srnyoung]

The lack of EV DCFC in Mammoth must be the city not allowing permits. Given its tourism and almost all road access (private planes yes but no common commercial option), one would think that there should be plenty of EA/EVgo/ChargePoints readily available, but no....

This seems like the most likely reason.
Do you have a functional local newspaper or NPR station in town? Ask them about it? Or do a FOIA request about chargers. For a town that relies on SNOW, they sure don't seem much interested in taking a small step to reduce the town's emissions.

 

[Neo F]

Does charging up in Bishop give you enough range to get to Mammoth but also allow you to explore the area AND also come back?

Not really in cold weather and especially if you stay the night. Last winter after 5 trips I’ve decided to drive my old gas truck until they have public fast charging in Mammoth.

 

[jjswan33]

Does charging up in Bishop give you enough range to get to Mammoth but also allow you to explore the area AND also come back?

That depends on what explore means. If you plan on staying multiple days ideally you would want to charge. I ended up driving back and forth to Bishop twice during my last visit but I also probably used 20-25% of my battery during the trip heating my camper, cooking etc.

If you mean drive there... park and then return you can certainly make the trip.

Honestly though I think this problem solves itself in the next year with at least one of the SC locations there being V3.

 

[timmmmeh]

Awesome! Heading up in a week with the new R1T for the first time. Looking forward to it, but unsure about the charging situation in-town. Seems like there has been some mixed results on PlugShare at the new ice rink park chargers.

If you happen to charge in town, let us know how it goes. Cheers.

Did you try the Tesla charger by the ice rink?

 

[hayduke]

This seems like the most likely reason.
Do you have a functional local newspaper or NPR station in town? Ask them about it? Or do a FOIA request about chargers. For a town that relies on SNOW, they sure don't seem much interested in taking a small step to reduce the town's emissions.

As a local resident, I all but guarantee you that lack of permits is not a major factor here. The town is actually fairly builder-friendly. On the other hand, finding adequate land, (maybe possibly utility) interconnection, labor are all significant concerns. Tesla has two super charger stations open in town. I've speculated before that I think that is likely because Tesla has a decent government relations department and was able to successfully negotiate use of the town's park and ride (and now ice rink) at a time when Tesla and EV were more or less synonymous. Contrast that with a company that literally exists as a court-ordered punishment. Building permits are very straightforward here especially compared to coastal densely populated areas in California.

The other reason is likely to do with that Mammoth enjoys a captive tourist audience. Visitors from socal are unlikely to take their business elsewhere as there isn't a direct competitor with decent enough EV charging to draw tourists away.... I agree with your assessment that Alterra and to some degree local businesses seem somewhere between uninterested and vaguely hostile to EVs (and I would count among those the many HOA boards that control use of much of the residential parking infrastructure). I don't see this as significantly different from any other ski town, FWIW.

Lastly you mention a local newspaper. There are two, but that's another issue. This is (probably frankly) largely a tourist issue. I only know of 2 other locals in town with EVs (and I know a lot of people here) so EV charging is unfortunately not a big priority for the voting base. Two two people I know (as well as myself) just charge at home so a fast charger is not useful. A good portion of the town residents are working class, or transient (eg here for seasonal work), housing is extremely expensive and so I don't see much interest in EVs among locals. (This is sad/unfortunate, but just trying to paint a picture of why it's probably not a high priority for townspeople)

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