My wife and I recently returned from a 1,500 mile road trip from Orange County, CA to Southern Utah and back in our PIP. A few notes and observations:
•I did not want to get a flat tire miles from a gas station or garage (already having the fun of a flat and no spare in metro LA). I checked with my local independent tire store–Ken’s Tires in Montebello- and he was able to locate a mini spare from a junked car that fit. Took about a week to locate. That, plus a cheap jack and lug wrench from Amazon, fit into a large shopping bag in the rear of the PIP. Cost, about $100. Luckily, never had to use, but will put in car for trips out of the city in the future.
•Plugging in.
Some hotels went out of their way to help. In Bryce Canyon, the desk clerk asked a worker to remove a secure cap so I could plug in over night. A casino guard suggested I park by a stairway in the parking structure–there was a plug nearby. Checking other lots, this seemed to be the rule. A good thing to know. I always asked either the desk clerk or security before plugging in. Never was turned down.
A cheap master lock for the plug handle gave me some sense of security. If someone had a problem, they could always unplug the other end, but that never happened.
About half of the nights, no juice available.
•I changed my driving method. Since I never knew if I could plug-in, I turned of EV unless I knew for sure I could recharge. Most of the driving, outside Vegas, was mountain. Coasting downhill as much as possible recharged. I usually never went below 5-6 miles EV left. It was fun watching the EV miles build up. Most speeds were below 50, so much driving was all electric, via the car’s computer. Highway 12, from Bryce to Boulder, UT was fun. Overall mileage was 51 for the trip. Not bad for so much up(with mpg below 25) and down driving.
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