Driving To California Next Week? Baker Will Be Powerless For A Bit
Electricity. It’s something we are all bound to take for granted. But when it’s not there you start to realize how much we depend on that juice. A planned power outage in and around the rest stop community of Baker, California, nestled between Las Vegas and SoCal, will have more than just electric car owners scrambling.
The Nevada Department of Transportation is sounding the alarm on planned upgrades of the power infrastructure by Southern California Edison that will leave a 90 mile stretch of Interstate 15 without power.
Everything from Halloran Summit Road to Rasor Road and of course the community of Baker will be left without power for long stretches.
- Tuesday, December 5th at 10pm until Wednesday, December 6th at 10am
- Wednesday, December 6th at 10pm until Thursday, December 7th at 10am
The main reason for the outage is to work on the lines and make sure the system will work long in the future. But this will be a bigger challenge than you might think (for the unprepared at least).
More than electric car owners will be affected by Baker power outages
You hear “power outage” and you immediately think “electric car owners are in deep trouble”. Turns out, it’s all car owners.
Gas stations need electricity to power the pumps. No power, no gas. No gas, no drive. Convenience stores won’t be able to check you out. Jack In The Box won’t be able to give you that snack.
While digital signs will warn motorists of the oncoming outage well in advance of the outage, it could still catch people off guard.
If you are planning on driving to Southern California from Las Vegas, you can stop at any of the following locations to top off your gas and get a last snack:
- Terrible’s gas station in Jean, Nevada
- Several locations in Primm, Nevada – the last Tesla-brand electric vehicle chargers.
- If you are dependent on other charging networks, know that Electrify America chargers in Baker will be affected. Your last chance for J-1772 charging is at Green Valley Grocery near M Resort… and that is a slow 6.5kW. The fastest charger available is the Electrify America chargers at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets South. Your best bet is to leave the house with a full charge.
- Last Stop: Shell on Cima Road. The outage begins on the next exit and lasts 90 miles.