With only 35 percent battery left, it would be a gamble to try to reach the fast charging station in Anthem, so I returned to Cottonwood’s free charging station for dinner. Following the river, I passed through Cornville and ended my tour at Alcantara Vineyards in Cape Verde in the mid-afternoon. Despite the Polestar 2’s 11 kW on-board charger, the free juice supplied by the local utility company was likely only delivered at a speed of 6.6 kW, or may have been throttled to 3.3 kW because I was sharing a station with another EV.įueled by very average artisan sandwiches, I began my sightseeing and sampling in earnest, and headed out of town to the wineries nestled along the Page Springs Road. Charging during the short lunch break only increased my battery capacity to 60 percent. I arrived with 54 percent capacity-just as Google predicted-and found a spot nestled between a Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID.4. Photo: Liane Yvkoffįollowing your nose in Arizona’s wine region is hard to do with the battery only half full, but luckily I found a 240-volt charging station at the City Hall in downtown Cottonwood that didn’t appear in the navigation system. As I dodged swerving campers, I remarked at how well and sure-footed the sports hatch felt at near triple digit speeds as we reached an elevation of around 4,800 feet before settling down to 3,800 at the Southwest Wine Center, which was closed until the next day when tourists typically arrive.
I ignored concerns about battery conservation and effortlessly passed slow-moving tractor trailers and laboring cement trucks. The raw and ready power of the Polestar 2 made it dangerously easy to conquer the steep climb past Black Canyon City. With dual motors powered by a 78 kWh battery capable of producing up 476 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque, the Polestar 2 with the Performance Pack all-wheel-drive sports hatchback is ideal for tackling I-17, which snakes its way through the Black Hills mountain range surrounding Phoenix. Wide stretches of scrubland flanked by towering red ombre mesas are the grueling gateway to Arizona’s up-and-coming wine country. Related 7 long-range electric vehicles that let you go the distance Power player However, it’s a steep uphill climb to get there, which according to Google would leave me with only 46 percent battery capacity when I arrived, or 53 percent if I topped off at the only fast charging station along the way in nearby Anthem. My first stop on the Verde Valley wine trail was the Southwest Wine Center at the Yavapai Community College, which is only 100 miles from Phoenix. Also, it requires a lot more planning and fiddling with the navigation system than I’m used to. It had been several years since I visited Cottonwood, and I wanted to budget for unplanned stops and preserve my ability to take side roads that caught my eye. Photo: Liane Yvkoff The Polestar 2 as a long-range EV roadtripperĪlthough I was embarking on a round-trip route, I didn’t think to enter the itinerary in the navigation system that way. To find out how well the Polestar 2 is suited for traveling through the vast expanses of the Southwest, I headed north to the Verde Valley where fast charging stations are few and very far between. Harsh conditions are also compounded by a dearth of high-speed charging stations in rural areas when you’re traveling in an EV. While venturing beyond one’s stomping grounds shouldn’t be a big issue in many parts of the U.S., Arizona’s punishing weather and extreme topography increases a road trip’s complexity and requires at least a bit of planning. Arizona’s burgeoning wine region is a quick day trip from the Phoenix metropolitan area, but it’s not so easy in an all-electric vehicle-even one with a 270-mile range.
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