Let’s say that you suddenly had a high-tech, all-electric pickup truck at your command and no nearby 10 year olds to help you figure out how the gizmos work? Where would you go on your maiden voyage?
For me, that’s a no-brainer. I’m going to the Banana Stand. Why? Because that’s where the money is. And trust me, when the payments start, I’m going to need it.
Where Bananas Are Our Business
If you type “Banana Stand” into Google Maps you get a hit on Balboa Island. It’s about 17 miles from where we currently live and it seemed like a perfectly good trip for test-driving the truck and figuring out how to use the charging network.
It’s been at least 40 years since I was anywhere near Balboa Island. I had dim memories of the Fun Zone and a place called “Banana Rolla-Rama” that I imagined was the inspiration for the Banana Stand in the TV series Arrested Development.
But I had a slip-up when I tried to chart my route using Ford’s navigation. Let’s call it “user error,” but we had duplicate FordPass accounts and I wasn’t able to get the Trip Planner set up correctly. So I found a route to a free J1772 charger in the general vicinity of the Banana Stand using a combination of FordPass and Apple CarPlay.
Turns out this particular charger was an employee-only setup behind the iconic Crab Cooker seafood store. I would have known this if I’d checked with PlugShare, the app I used religiously when I had my BMW i3. PlugShare draws on insights from its community to list the charger as “restricted.”
It’s One Banana. What Could It Cost? $10?
I eventually found a ChargePoint station in a park some two miles from my destination. A brisk walk and a ferry ride took me to my destination, Dad’s Original Frozen Banana. And I got my answer to what one banana costs – turns out it’s $5. That’s a $1.25 savings over the other Original Frozen Banana just two doors down.
As it turns out, neither of these Balboa Island banana stands is the true original banana stand. That honor belongs to Bob Teller’s “The Original Banana Rolla Rama” which was once located in the Fun Zone over on the peninsula.
…except for the fact that before Bob Teller there was Dick Phillips’ original banana stand. Suddenly I understood the gag in Arrested Development where the sign reads “Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana.” There is no Original Banana Stand. It’s just turtles all the way down.
I’ve Made a Huge Mistake
When I got back to the truck I found that two hours on the charger netted me a cool 30 miles of range. Almost enough to pay for my 34 mile round trip. It cost me $5.60, which is about $3 less than if I’d driven my gas-thirsty Jeep.
I’ll need to make a few more trips to know for sure, but I’m thinking that it’s a mistake to always try and hunt down an EV charger near your destination. This rankles my “kill two birds with one stone” way of thinking but I think it’s going to be less hassle to separate the business of charging from the pleasure of exploring.
Fifteen minutes on a 150 kWh charger mid-way to my destination would have gained me about 100 miles of range, which seems more worthwhile even if I have to kill time while the truck juices up. I could have parked closer to the ferry, spent more time rambling on the island, and come away with an extra 70 miles of range in my pocket.
Unlimited Juice? This Party is Going to Be Off the Hook!
Several days and a couple of Master Resets after visiting the Banana Stand, I think I have the Ford navigation and Trip Planning figured out.
Ford provides its users with a plethora of training materials. What they don’t give you is an “Open Me First” experience, where you are guided through the setup experience in the most sensible way possible.
So I’ve been plinking around on a variety of Ford tutorials which have been rolling in via text or email over the past couple of days. I’ve got the truck Activated, connected services set up, the WiFi hotspot turned on.
I’ve got some free BlueCruise miles and a handful of other trial offers. I’ve even got a credit for 250 kWh of “free” electricity, which I think is about 500 miles. That’s about enough to take a trip up to Big Sur and try out some of their “original” banana strudel.
See Also
For other small adventures around Southern California see the notes at the bottom of 2024: the Year of Microadventure
