Re: USA Today acticle from last week on Gas Prices in Lee Vining

'Excruciating': This working-class California county has the most expensive gas in the nation
Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY
May 18, 2022·7

LEE VINING, Calif. – About five hours north of Los Angeles and five hours east of San Francisco lies California's Mono County, a picturesque region known for its towering, snow-capped mountains and close proximity to Yosemite National Park.

It's also known for gas prices that are so high, AAA headquarters in Florida uses it to comfort other people complaining about their fuel costs.

“I always say, ‘Thank God you don’t live in Mono County,” said AAA spokesman Andy Gross.

The average price for a gallon of regular gas in the county topped $6.75 this week, the highest county average nationwide, with some stations charging as much as $7.19 in mid May.


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/excruciating-working-class-california-county-164739709.html#:~:text=Residents%20in%20picturesque%20California%20county,the%20nation's%20highest%20gas%20prices.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/2022 12:26PM by KenS.

Time to buy an electric car.
By the way, there are several public chargers in Lee Vining.

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The Other Tom
By the way, there are several public chargers in Lee Vining.

Plugshare lists only two J1772 (a/k/a "slow" ) charge ports--are there additional ports not yet listed on Plugshare? The closest fast chargers to Lee Vining I can find are Mammoth Lakes (Tesla), Bridgeport (CCS), or Bishop (Tesla and CCS).

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basilbop

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The Other Tom
By the way, there are several public chargers in Lee Vining.

Plugshare lists only two J1772 (a/k/a "slow" ) charge ports--are there additional ports not yet listed on Plugshare? The closest fast chargers to Lee Vining I can find are Mammoth Lakes (Tesla), Bridgeport (CCS), or Bishop (Tesla and CCS).

Thank you for using plugshare! (Tip: activate the 14-50, wall, and home location filters).
Yeah, the two L2 chargers are the only ones I see in Lee Vining, but I've seen youtube videos of people traveling from Reno to S. California in an EV. There are plenty of chargers along the way to facilitate that drive. And people have driven EVs into Yosemite Valley as well, which has chargers.

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The Other Tom
Yeah, the two L2 chargers are the only ones I see in Lee Vining, but I've seen youtube videos of people traveling from Reno to S. California in an EV. There are plenty of chargers along the way to facilitate that drive. And people have driven EVs into Yosemite Valley as well, which has chargers.

395 has good fast-charging coverage between Reno and So Cal--just not near Lee Vining, which is unfortunate for those who need a bump-charge to get up the hill to Tioga Pass. For Teslas: Reno, Topaz Lake, Mammoth, Bishop (Mercado Mexico, yum!), Lone Pine, Inyokern/Ridgecrest (Classic Burgers, also yum!), and Mojave. For CCS (e.g. all other EVs except Leafs): Reno, Carson City, Gardnerville, Bridgeport, Bishop, Division Creek Rest Area (free?), Coso Junction, Inyokern/Ridgecrest (maybe? Rivian?), and Mojave.

Yosemite Valley has several free Rivian-installed L2 chargers (and there's one in El Portal near the gas station--unfortunately not a place you want to hang out for an extended L2 charge...), and there are nearby fast chargers to the west: Tesla: Groveland, Fish Camp (Tenaya Lodge, but public), Oakhurst, and (soon?!) El Portal. CCS: Groveland, Buck Meadows, Oakhurst, and Rush Creek Lodge (public). Per Plugshare, it looks like Rush Creek has a loaner adapter for Teslas.

Kings Canyon/Sequoia is currently much more of a challenge--there's not much east of Clovis/Fresno/Visalia outside of a few wall outlets and RV parks.

Looks like you've researched it pretty well. You must have an EV? Which one?

In the "Spring Summer 2022" edition of the Yosemite Conservancy Magazine:

EV Charging Stations in Yosemite
by Ryan Kelly

... Fast forward to 2015 when the first electric vehicle (EV) charging station was installed at The Ahwahnee hotel. In 2021, a grant from the California Energy Commision and a private donor allowed the park to install Level 2 EV charging stations at the Yosemite Valley Lodge, Tuolumne Meadows, and El Portal. Now, thanks to our partnership with Yosemite Hospitality, EV manufacturer Rivian, and Adopt a Charger, visitiors can plug into any of the 15 free EV charginng stations in the park.

Through the collaboration between Rivian and Adopt a Charger, Rivian is providing financial support, design, installation, and maintenance for the stations.

This year, the project is expanding to new locations, including Curry Village and Wawona, which will increase the plug count to 64. These Level 2 chargers use J1772 plugs, which are compatible with all EV manufacturers, but visitors are encouraged to travel with their adapter kits to ensure compatibility.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/18/2022 02:49PM by KenS.

Rivian has been aggressive in adding chargers in "out of the way" places, like national parks and rec areas.
I watched "A Long Way Up" a few years ago which is a documentary about two friends (one being Ewan McGregor aka Obi Wan Kenobi) that rode electric motorcycles from the tip of South America to LA. Rivian supplied two EV trucks (hand built, the first ones off the line) as support vehicles and chargers along the way. Impressive!
BTW, I highly recommend watching "A Long Way Up".