June 15, 2022 - BC2BC - 2022
10th Anniversary from Mexico to Canada
I’m going to Canada! From Mexico!! Driving a brand new Nissan LEAF!!!
Update from Tony Williams 6/21/2022 1:30pm PST:
Current location: https://glympse.com/0Y0C-5WK5
Tony Williams will driving over 1600 miles (2575 km), just like he did 10 years ago.
This trip will be conducted June 18-21, 2022, during the 10th anniversary of the original All Electric Vehicle Rally from Baja California, Mexico to British Columbia, Canada. We called that original trip simply “BC2BC”.
That first journey was June 12-20, 2012. Originally, it was just a brand new 2012 Nissan LEAF, then just two weeks old, and with my then 10 year old daughter, Kendal. It was the first time an Electric Vehicle (EV) was driven between the two countries, and the first electric vehicle.
I’m going to Canada! From Mexico!! Driving a brand new Nissan LEAF! Over 1600 miles (2575 km). Just like I did 10 years ago.
This trip will be conducted June 18-22, 2022, during the 10th anniversary of the original All Electric Vehicle Rally from Baja California, Mexico to British Columbia, Canada. We called that original trip simply “BC2BC”.
That first journey was June 12-20, 2012. Originally, it was just a brand new 2012 Nissan LEAF, then just two weeks old, and my then 10 year old daughter, Kendal.
This year, it will be just me, solo, with another brand new Nissan LEAF. Some of you are likely asking why I wouldn’t want to crush the time record, from the original time set by me 10 years ago of 9 days, by using the most capable electric car, with the most cable electric recharging infrastructure? For the record, in 2022, that’s not a Nissan LEAF, nor is it the Nissan LEAF charging infrastructure.
In June of 2012, my choices for an all-electric powered car were the Tesla Roadster (very expensive, quirky, rare, and not a mass market vehicle), the Nissan LEAF, the very rare Coda, or the Mitsubishi iMeiv. The Tesla Model S did not yet exist, the Tesla Supercharger network did not exist, and there really wasn’t much fast charging infrastructure available even for the Nissan LEAF.
5 years ago, Alex Bessinger drove my 2014 Toyota RAV4 EV (this car uses a Tesla drivetrain) from our shop in San Diego county to near the Canadian border in about 45 hours. Not a true BC2BC, but substantially the same.
How fast could this trip be done if it were a “Cannonball Run” type event? First, I would suggest that the entire trip be driven on both the shortest route and fastest route, Interstate 5, which is only 1383 miles (2226 km). Assuming an average speed of 66 mph (106 km per hour) that includes all recharging time, the journey could be driven in about 21 hours.
Last year, a Tesla Model S crossed the USA, from east to west, in 42 hours and 17 minutes, which over the course of 2800 miles (4500 km) from the Red Ball Garage in New York City to the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach, California is an average speed of 66 miles per hour.
If the Cannonball Run is considered a marathon, then the BC2BC event might be a half marathon. But, neither in 2012, nor in 2022 will any speed or time record be set with a Nissan LEAF. The drive is simply “accomplished”.
I will be driving the exact same route that I took in 2012, starting at the California / Mexico border in San Ysidro, California on the early morning of Saturday, June 18, 2022. It’s not the shortest route, nor the fastest route. It was the route I needed to drive in 2012 just to accomplish the goal. I expect my 2022 drive, including recharging events, hotel stays, social meetups, picture taking opportunities, etc, to be about 80 hours over a 4 day period.
I should arrive at the QC Charge Electric Vehicle Super Center in Vista, California at 9 am that Saturday morning, June 18, 2022. Hopefully, I will see some of you there!
Then, it’s up the California coast of the Pacific Ocean through Los Angeles, Malibu, Santa Barbara, and of course, scenic Big Sur, for my first overnight in the Monterey and Watsonville area.
Sunday, June 19, will be mostly spent in San Jose, California, where myself and my company staff will be meeting with Electric Vehicle owners from the area. A few of them will be folks that my daughter and I met ten years ago, when I gave a talk to the membership of the Electric Auto Association of Silicon Valley during the course of the original BC2BC.
Then, it’s a drive through San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge. Hopefully, I’ll arrive late that Sunday evening at the historic Benbow Inn in Garberville, California. We recharged there, while eating dinner, in 2012.
I was only stopped by police once in 2012, and that was just north of Garberville at 2am, for driving too slow. Even though I impressed upon the California Highway Patrol officer that I wasn’t drunk, he had me do a roadside sobriety test. My daughter took a picture from inside the car. I’m convinced that he had never heard of a Nissan LEAF, and I’m equally confident that he never would after seeing our 75 mile range car.
On Monday night, June 20, 2022, I should arrive in the Eugene, Oregon area, and the following day, I should arrive at the Canadian border at the Peace Arch State Park in Blaine, Washington state on evening of Tuesday night, June 21, 2022. Or maybe June 22… depending on how long I decide to “smell the roses” along the way.
I think that I’d like to walk across the border to Canada, if it’s not too late, and I can meet the COVID era entry requirements for Canada!
We will post a link for tracking my progress in real time using the Bluelane app.
Here’s the planned route with Google Maps:
https://goo.gl/maps/LtXCWiRiRNtBNi4g9
Don’t be bashful about saying hi at one of the many stops I’ll be making along the way!
https://insideevs.com/news/592141/nissan-leaf-drive-mexico-canada/
Update 6/21/2022 9:03am PST
Today, on this longest daylight day of the year, Tuesday, June 21, 2022 is the final day of four days of “BC2BC - 2022”, 1600 miles from Mexico to Canada in an electric car. I plan to be in the Seattle area at approximately 6 PM. Obviously, rush-hour and many other factors can drastically affect that time.
Tuesday, June 21, 2022 6pm (subject to change)Whole Foods Seattle
2210 Westlake Ave, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
https://www.plugshare.com/location/312243
10 years ago, InsideEVs news outlet ran a short story about my drive from Mexico to Canada in an electric car. I was the first person to do that, and I was also the first person to cross the state of Washington in one day in an electric car. The entire trip took 9 days, from June 12-20, 2012.
I also drove electric car from coast to coast in 2015.
That 2012 drive across Washington state was made possible by publicly funded infrastructure provided by the Washington Department of Transportation, with a grant from the US government. It was called the “West Coast Electric Highway”. In addition, the fantastically low cost of electricity in Washington state that just happens to be from renewable sources, like hydro and wind, makes electric cars a fantastic tool for personal travel. It’s hard to imagine that many people enjoy paying $4, $5, $6 and even $7 a gallon for gasoline so that they can commute to work. An electric car can reduce that cost to $.03-$.04 per mile, all without tailpipe emissions, while using green and renewable energy.
Tony Williams
San Diego, California USA
Here are also some videos from BC2BC 2012