Visiting Carmel-by-the-Sea

 I love to visit Carmel-by-the-Sea.  The weather is never hot, there is world-class food all around you, art galleries, wine-tasting rooms, distinctive clothing, imaginative toys, and charming architecture all around.  The beach is a short walk from the center of town.  And the best bet is to park in the city lot just south of the main street where they have installed a handful of level-2 EV charging stations.  From there, it’s a short walk to the various attractions in town.

The level-2 chargers are important to the journey.  Carmel-by-the-Sea is 75 miles from my home, making for a 150-mile round-trip.  Under the best of conditions, my BMW i3 can travel 150 miles without spending much time on the freeway and staying on level land.  But I don’t like to drive anywhere without a safety margin of 20 miles of extra range.  So, a visit to Carmel necessitates a charging stop.  (Most newer cars can drive there and back on a single charge because of their larger battery packs.)  When I get to Carmel, I can plug in, enjoy the town for two or three hours, then come back to my car charged up with an additional 45 to 75 miles of range and enjoy a comfortable return home (free of anxiety).

The level-2 chargers are a short walk to downtown attractions.

For this trip, the level-2 chargers are preferable to DC-fast-chargers.  With the level-2 chargers, I plug in and take my time taking in Carmel.  I want to spend more than two hours there and charging for that long satisfies my charging needs.  I could also have used a DC-fast-charger on my way home, but that would have meant a 15- to 25-minute stop in a place where I had little interest in dwelling.  Plus, I would have had to stay within a short walk of the car while it charged, limiting my ability to explore or dine.  Level-2 chargers have a real need in places like Carmel, where you are likely to enjoy spending a few hours in one spot.  (DC-fast-chargers make the most sense along busy travel corridors like along the interstate freeways.)  Now, if we could only get a few level-2 chargers installed near hiking locations like in our national parks.