It's a New 'Electric' Era

The Electric Era charging site in Yreka opened early, so I decided to thread the needle between two waves of an atmospheric river and go visit. Electric Era's sites are some of the best new charging locations on the road, though they are primarily designed for small, efficient EVs making quick freeway stops when traveling.

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[MidwestCharge]

The convenience of reliably swiping/tapping a credit card is something that every network needs. Loved watching this video!

[caddyzig]

I love it when you point out the broken gas pumps. 😀 Looks like it was a beautiful drive.

[anthonyc]

ElectricEra continues to impress me! Their station at the Seven Feathers Truck & Travel Center in Southern Oregon looks especially stellar. The speed at which they can install and energize a station is absolutely astounding.

[Jaymac]

Thanks Eric, your efforts to produce these videos are really appreciated !

[MarkTrain-wn]

Like when you zoomed in on the broke gas

[Jaymac]

BTW - I had the same experience with the BP Pulse card reader at the Gateway exit in Springfield, Oregon a couple months ago. I downloaded the app and then hooked up and charged. I agree 100 % with “ app fatigue. “

[georgepelton]

I agree with Eric, having signs that indicate there are EV chargers at the next exit is HUGE. This will not only aid mainstream drivers that switch to EV to find where to charge. It will also signal to mainstream gas car drivers that there are EV chargers at exits they pass on their typical road trips. That will make considering an EV for their next vehicle an option. IMO, this will be a big help to EV adoption.

[kelviskelvis]

Eric I agree that the next wave of EV sales are going to be Americans who just jump in and drive on road trips and do not or forget to plan their stopping points (like bio-breaks) and have a "gasser" mindset and will take advantage of EV road signage along the way.

[milesfong]

To bad Grandma's is closed. I ate there twenty plus years ago. From Oakland it would take an additional 1.5 hours in my EUV to Yreka. Another great video.

[dlhorne]

Every time I hear that triple horn chirp, I am thankful they allow it to be turned off! 😅

Every charging station should have a credit card reader! Make the app optional for your frequent customers to get more functionality, stats, cheaper rates, etc. Folks on a holiday road trip or who need a quick emergency top off don't need an additional pain point to use your service!

[jervin]

Not having an app/account for every charge system, novel concept. It's also how I feel about Streaming services for entertainment.

[skepticalmechanic]

No need to wait in line for the bathroom when there was a Starbucks right across the parking lot.. 😑

[chrisw]

The unreliability of Gas Pumps is out of hand, what if you run out of fuel on a road trip?! Unacceptable

[davidgardner]

Thank you for a great video. I watched a lot of your videos before buying a brand new Bolt EUV exactly a year ago. I absolutely loved that car. Sadly three weeks ago I was hit by a drunk driver in an older Suburban. He totaled my car. I only had 14k on it. It was such a great car. I ended up buying a '23 Model 3. I was considering buying another Bolt, but the Model 3 is so much better for longer road trips for charging.

[robertstillmaker]

Thanks Eric. I've been on 2 trips in northern California this year once in May and again in September. It's nice to see the number of chargers spaced nicely along the Freeway as you climb towards the Oregon border. It's good to have more options as you climb into the mountains.

[kenssto]

Great road trip.. always enjoy seeing your adventures...
I Have a Bolt EV too love the car... use it 99% for Rideshare.. 200+ miles per day.
But Road tripping is a PAIN.. I did a 2500 mile road trip right after I bought the car. about 50% of the time 50% of the chargers did not work or had some issue used EA almost exclusively, and it actually cost more money than my previous car, which was a 14 year old Prius. About $210 in gas for the Prius, and it was about $260 in the Bolt EV.. Plus an additional 15 HOURS of time spent charging, plus the 40 hours of actual driving.
Love my Bolt EV I really do.. but Road tripping it is a pain and expensive.
I could have done your entire road trip in this video, and never stopped at ALL.. and it would have cost me about $30 in gas. TOTAL.

I realize California is on a different planet for fuel prices.. $4.45/gallon !! God. We are under $3.0/ gallon

[tpalmer]

Just got around to watching this, well done. You’re like a kid at Christmas at the Yerba stop but I gotta say that’s a great location.

[thenetworkarchitectchannel]

@7:55, I am thinking independent owner / operators of free standing restaurants and c-stores will be doing setups just like that more and more. Not too expensive, but good return on investment.

[SteveBirkett]

This combustion thing is not ready for prime time ☠️

[BradC]

Eric what are your thoughts between the Altel like you used at the 76 station in Yrecka versus the Alpitronic dispensers? Thanks for the video. ⚡🧑‍🎄