Use your super votes to help national parks!

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Recently, Tesla opened up Supercharging to more vehicles by adding support for General Motors vehicles. This means that a much larger number of electric car drivers can now participate in the Supercharger vote! When Tesla does this, it gives each user 5 votes to use on a map of potential future locations. While areas along major interstate highways and in major metro areas get a lot of votes, some rural stations don’t seem to get much love.

In this article, I’ll suggest some ways readers can vote for superchargers that would benefit electric vehicle travel in national parks, including the five locations I’ve chosen. I will also suggest some places that I will ask Tesla to include in the next round of voting!

National parks with a nearby location that you can vote for

One of my first hints was to look for markers on the Tesla map that are close to or on the way to national parks. They weren’t hard to find!

First, I voted for Gardiner, Montana, and Cody, Wyoming. These two stations are located near Yellowstone National Park and will place superchargers on three sides of the park. There’s already one in West Yellowstone, Montana, but unfortunately it’s not a V3, so non-Tesla vehicles can’t use it. Opening up two more routes into the park and helping Cody, Wyoming have something more than just a proxy charger would be great all around.

Another place that could use some shipping love is Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park. I know this will be a stressful place to get a charge (it gets almost 130 degrees during some summers), but getting a short charge out of the deep basin below sea level will be very helpful. No one wants to be stuck in Death Valley without air conditioning, right? I just hope Tesla puts a sunshade and maybe some gentlemen or big outdoor fans out there! An indoor charging station with AC power can also be useful for vehicles.

For my fourth vote, I chose Munising, Michigan. Although it’s not called a national park, nearby Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is just another type of national park, managed by the National Park Service. Having shipping nearby would greatly aid travelers there and to Isle Royale. You still have to go to Isle Royale by boat.

For my final vote, I chose Hot Springs, Arkansas. When I traveled to Hot Springs National Park earlier this year, I relied on Franklin Charge, which was great. But they only have two booths. During the busy season, there will be a need for more stalls in the area, so it makes sense to vote for this stall. If Tesla decides to go for it, I would definitely recommend Franklin first, as they are a great local small company and have original NACS ports!

With my votes exhausted, there were a number of contestants I would recommend considering if you don’t like any of the above. A supercharger in Ruidoso or Roswell, New Mexico would help drivers get to White Sands National Park. Pinetop Lakeside, Arizona (near Show Low) would be another great place to get more kiosks, as that would help with access to many NPS properties in the area. Taos, New Mexico would also be a great place, with conducive access to the Rio Grande Gorge (part of a national monument managed by the Bureau of Land Management) and Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.

Do you have some locations that you think would be better for EV drivers heading to national parks? Be sure to tell us about it in the comments or on social media.

My suggestions for the next round

On top of the ability to vote, Tesla also provides a link to a suggestion box that you can use to suggest locations for future voting rounds or simply to choose Tesla without voting (it’s not really democratic).

My biggest disappointment with the national parks is that it is still difficult to get to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon with an electric vehicle. Many unloaded EVs can get in and out of there via the ChargePoint station in Kanab, Utah, but EVs with less range and EVs towing other campers and trailers will still have difficulties, especially if they’re coming from the East or from Flagstaff! Therefore, I suggested that Tesla consider establishing a supercharging station in Jacob Lake, Arizona.

Nearby, a station in Cameron, Arizona, is also needed. This is good not only for getting to the North Rim from the South Rim or Flagstaff, but also for people trying to navigate between the Grand Canyon and other parks like Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. Tesla has a station in Kayenta, but adding a station in Cameron City or Toba and adding a station in Jacob Lake would round things out pretty much in the area.

Another place that could use some love is the road leading into Yellowstone National Park from the south. Jackson, Wyoming would be a great place to start, as this would also serve Grand Teton National Park. Afton, Wyoming would also be great, as it would enable people to get to Jackson from Bear Lake, Utah.

Another national park that could use an electric boost is Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado. Cortez, Colorado is in the middle of a major shipping dead zone. With people using electric cars (especially trucks) to tow and power campers, it would make a lot of sense to have a supercharger out there. So, I suggested that too.

Finally, the Blue Ridge Parkway could use a lot of love. It is difficult to suggest specific locations, but we have to keep in mind that the terrain the road passes means additional energy consumption, especially in the case of towing. When people struggle to get from attraction to attraction and campsite to campsite, it makes for a more stressful experience than it needs to be. Being able to bring power to unplugged campsites along the Parkway is great too!

Whether you agree with all of my suggestions for voting and suggesting more places, be sure to spread the word that voting is ongoing! Getting input from electric car drivers can help Tesla make it right for all of us.

Featured Image: Screenshot from Tesla’s Supercharger voting site.