Moab Trip in Two Weeks, Charging Options Look…Dismal

[Marchin_MTB]

Heading to Moab from the Eastern Slope for some MTB and hiking fun. Looking around on plug share it seems like most (non-Tesla) chargers are either inoperable or at a hotel and for hotel guests only. The free DC ChargePoint at Rocky Mountain Power is reported to be on the fritz which is a bummer.

ABRP tells me I can get there with 50% SOC if I’m careful, and this may be enough for four days of adventures but I’m not sure it will also get me back out to Grand Junction, Bollard, or Green River when the trip is over.

I may resort to throwing an extension cord out the AirBnB window but would rather avoid it if possible.

I really wish those Rivian L2 chargers weren’t for underCanvas guests only or that they had a restaurant so I could camp there for a few hours and increase my margin.

any advice from others who have EV’d to an around Moab would be much appreciated!

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[Northish]

any advice from others who have EV’d to an around Moab would be much appreciated!

We're on our way to Moab right now from WI, hoping to hit Golden, CO tonight. Lots of chargers offline or under repair, and busy chargers. We'll be mountain biking Moab and doing the White Rim Trail. Our plan has shifted to staying at Under Canvas and the Green River campground for electric hookups with the Moab charger seeming down.

If I remember I can come back here and let you know if we made it, or ended up stranded somewhere

 

[manitou202]

I can't believe Moab wasn't top of the list for Rivian DC fast chargers.

Green River has an EA charger. It's a little past the turn off to Moab (if coming from the east) but only 50 miles away. My recommendation would be to top off there and then use a couple of the Level 2 chargers in the Moab area if needed. Keep in mind the 14-50 outlets at some of the camp grounds. Using your mobile charger is just as good as the Level 2 chargers in the area. Many camp grounds will allow you to pay a fee and use a 14-50 outlet.

 

[crashmtb]

isnt Rivian supposed to provide some trip planning services, similar to what other companies do as part of roadside assistance?

call them(no, seriously). They’ve done lots of testing/trips to Moab.

 

[moosehead]

Call UC and see if you can tip them for a top off? Gotta believe their camp manager will be flexible.

 

[Jabbahop]

I wrote an email to Vivian a while ago about the poor state of charging on the Eastern side of Utah and AZ. Instead of duplicating adding duplicate fast chargers on already served routes by other providers (seems to be most of the installs already have cast chargers by EA and others nearby) they should first be populating those adventure areas where are little or no chargers.

 

[zipzag]

I think you need to find an overnight motel where you can charge on 240V. The vehicle is too inefficient for 120V charging to be meaningful.

I can't believe Moab wasn't top of the list for Rivian DC fast chargers.

......

As I recall Moab was one of Tesla's earliest installs in a remote area.

I wrote an email to Vivian a while ago about the poor state of charging on the Eastern side of Utah and AZ. Instead of duplicating adding duplicate fast chargers on already served routes by other providers (seems to be most of the installs already have cast chargers by EA and others nearby) they should first be populating those adventure areas where are little or no chargers.

The waypoint charging they are installing shows that Rivian is not particularly knowledgable when it comes to actual "adventure travel" by EV

 

[Andystroh]

We are staying at a campground in Moab on our next trip for this reason. Would prefer to dispersed camp but with that (already pretty slow) DC fast charger down it makes it challenging. Previously I've used the level 2 in town to work for the day and charge but that is down too. I haven't confirmed, but coming from Grand Junction, ABRP says taking the 128 scenic byway is only a few minutes slower and saves like 10% battery over the highway (where there are pretty fast speeds).

 

[Bristlecone]

Heading to Moab from the Eastern Slope for some MTB and hiking fun. Looking around on plug share it seems like most (non-Tesla) chargers are either inoperable or at a hotel and for hotel guests only. The free DC ChargePoint at Rocky Mountain Power is reported to be on the fritz which is a bummer.

ABRP tells me I can get there with 50% SOC if I’m careful, and this may be enough for four days of adventures but I’m not sure it will also get me back out to Grand Junction, Bollard, or Green River when the trip is over.

I may resort to throwing an extension cord out the AirBnB window but would rather avoid it if possible.

I really wish those Rivian L2 chargers weren’t for underCanvas guests only or that they had a restaurant so I could camp there for a few hours and increase my margin.

any advice from others who have EV’d to an around Moab would be much appreciated!

I did a trip to Moab last fall in my Volvo electric. Stayed at the Gonzo Inn and charged overnight there. Not a great option, as the Gonzo had just two chargers, but it worked.

 

[Denver_Paulie]

Per Plugshare, there are two hotels that have Tesla destination chargers. Get yourself a TeslaTap and charging problems solved.

Stay there the first night you roll into town and the last night as you get ready to leave then you can charge over night.

Good luck.

 

[Marchin_MTB]

Thanks everyone for the helpful suggestions. I’ll let you know how things go.

Edit: we booked the trip a while before we knew we would have the R1T so we are staying at a place that does not offer charging

For those charging at campsites, do you recommend any adapters or do most places offer the 14-50?

 

[manitou202]

The most common plugs at campsites are Nema 14-30 and Nema 14-50. I believe the 14-30 is slightly different. So it might be worth getting a 14-30 to 14-50 adapter. I would also get the TeslaTap mentioned above. Those work great for Level 2 Tesla chargers.

14-30 to 14-50 Adapter

 

[mmdavis174]

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/603777404739549476?source_impression_id=p3_1663601793_cZVKXek8cd2OOZ3p

I stayed here over the summer. It has a level 2 Chargepoint in the garage which made the trip totally stress free with the R1T. Highly recommend (I have no affiliation or anything, just enjoyed the place and thought I'd pass it on).

 

[JeremyP]

The most common plugs at campsites are Nema 14-30 and Nema 14-50. I believe the 14-30 is slightly different. So it might be worth getting a 14-30 to 14-50 adapter. I would also get the TeslaTap mentioned above. Those work great for Level 2 Tesla chargers.

14-30 to 14-50 Adapter

A lot of campground electrical pedestals will have a TT-30 (120 volt, 30 amp) outlet at a minimum, or also a 14-50 (240 volt, 50 amp) outlet at higher power (and usually higher cost) sites. If you want to use the TT-30 outlet you will need an ev specific adapter like this:

Parkworld 885378 EV Adapter Cord NEMA TT-30P to 14-50R (ONLY for EV or Tesla use, NOT for RV ) (1.5FT) https://a.co/3CmTvLV

 

[zipzag]

Some private RV parks/campgrounds are starting to not allow vehicle charging.

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