http://www.utsandiego.com/sponsored/2013/oct/15/sdge-father-son-road-trip-electric-vehicle/ Father, son road trip goes all electric by SDG&E Oct. 15, 2013
[image http://media.utsandiego.com/img/photos/2013/10/16/Randy_Trip_ChargerOnline_t940.jpg Randy Schimka, pictured on the right, with son Brandon, during their road trip. Joe schimka ] Father and son bonding events can range from a Padres or Chargers contest to a game of catch but for SDG&E employee Randy Schimka and his 16-year-old son, Brandon, a weeklong vacation from work and school took them down a unique path that few have trodden. The pair left San Diego on a seven-day, 850-mile round-trip drive to San Luis Obispo. Under normal circumstances, the journey would not have been noteworthy or very remarkable. What made this father and son trip unique was that during the entire trip the two never stopped for gasoline. This feat was made possible because they drove in Schimka’s red, all-electric Nissan Leaf, a car that can traverse a maximum of 80 to 100 miles before needing a charge. Schimka had mapped out multiple charging location opportunities along the way, and their strategy was to make short frequent stops to recharge the car while they did sightseeing, ate meals, and walked around. Along the way, they also planned an overnight stay in an Oxnard hotel that had a handy charging unit installed. The trip was very rewarding to take the ‘roads less traveled’ and get a glimpse of California that’s often missed by zooming exclusively down the interstate highways,” Schimka said. “We never felt like we were waiting excessively since we were busy walking around and checking out the local sights.” Schimka and his son also took time to visit Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, Morro Bay and See Canyon. One of the highlights of the trip was the Thursday evening farmer’s market in San Luis Obispo. During all those charging stops there was only one location in Solvang that required a $1.25 per hour fee. The rest were free with the more notable units located at a Target store in San Luis Obispo, Rabobanks community banking locations in Goleta, Santa Maria and Atascadero and a fast charger in Cypress that delivered 10 times the charging power in 10 percent of the time, delivering an 80 percent charge in just 30 minutes. The trip demonstrated that car owners can use California’s growing network of charging stations to fuel adequately without worrying about the range of their cars. As many of these charging stations offer free electricity for charging, Schimka and his son made the whole trip without having to pay for expensive gas, which is yet another benefit of the clean vehicles. Trips like the Schimkas’ will become even easier as the range of electric vehicles grows with the development of efficient car batteries and more community charging stations. Schimka’s dedication to bringing the cost savings and environmental benefits of electric vehicles to the broader community started with the launch of the Nissan Leaf. Schimka connected with this innovative car on a personal level because of his training in electrical engineering from San Diego State University and his desire to do something beneficial for the planet. Schimka was the tenth person in the U.S. to own a Leaf and now works as a manager with SDG&E’s clean transportation team, where the most rewarding aspect of his job is helping other customers connect with the many benefits of EVs. With more customers buying EVs and public charging stations sprouting throughout the region to support the “green” transportation trend, trips like the Schimkas’ could become common place in California’s future. [© 2013 The San Diego Union-Tribune] For all EVLN posts use: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date Here are today's archive-only EV posts: EVLN: Yates plans full-power e-plane climb, fights e-gremlin attacks EVLN: Custom Skin Personalizes Your GE WattStation EVSE EVLN: €21,710 derziesel.com German off-road e-wheelchair (video) EVLN: iMiev taxi solution for Bakersfield air pollution (video) EVLN: Sharing Scion iQ EVs lets employees leave their car @home + EVLN: Fiat 500e EV, Fun to Drive, Fun to Look At, But Efficient Too {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Father-son-roadtrip-enjoys-free-EVSE-while-the-getting-is-good-tp4665814.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
