America's loneliest road has finally gone electric

Detour Life

Sep 4

a 300-mile stretch of road across the Nevada desert known as The Loneliest Road in America is not a place you’d want to run out of juice.

Petrol stations are few and far between, and until now, not many EV drivers would dare to drive it for fear of being stranded as there were no rapid chargers. That’s changed with the completion of new fast chargers in the remote towns of Baker, Austin and Eureka, meaning that that the longest stretch between speedy plugs is now around 80 miles.

Highway 50 stretches nearly 3,000 miles from Sacramento, California to Ocean City, Maryland and in total it boasts some 1,200 chargers across its length. The boost on its most remote section is part of US President Joe Biden’s grand plan to electrify America. Biden has allocated a whopping $5bn to installing fast chargers every 50 miles along the country’s major highways.

Pretty soon any Great American Road Trip will be accessible to every driver, whether they’re in a gas guzzler or a battery car.

You may also enjoy

Detour #277: Discovering A Poem in Stone on America’s First Scenic Highway, Washington-Oregon, USA

How could one resist a road dubbed “a poem in stone” or “the king of roads”?

Detour #275: Driving into the Jaws of Martha’s Vineyard, USA

Terror took hold of the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard in 1975 when Jaws hit cinemas. Detour tracks the infamous shark sightings and movie locations on a road trip around the Massachusetts island.

Detour #273: Winding Through the Wild West on the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, USA

Jamie Hearne takes his mobile home to where the buffalo still roam on a road trip through Wyoming.

Carchitecture for your Coffee Table

Carchitecture USA – American Houses with Horsepower is a celebration of the historic link between architecture and the automobile.

Detour #272: Florida Car Culture, USA

From the awesome oval at Daytona to the Art Deco excess of Miami Florida is a must-visit destination for any auto enthusiast.

Detour #256: Seeking Sunset at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, USA

Ask a local and they will say you have not seen the Grand Canyon unless see it from the North Rim – and there is one very special road that can take you to the best view of all, bar none. Especially if you drive it when the sun goes down.

California 33 Named Road of the Year 2024

Detour favourite California 33 has been crowned Road of the Year 2024 by Hagerty in its first annual award highlighting the best routes for drivers in the USA.

Detour #252: Braving the Beartooth Highway, Montana/Wyoming, USA

The greater the effort, the sweeter the reward. It’s a phrase that couldn’t be more true of braving the Beartooth Highway.

Detour #243: Jurassic Parking on the Dinosaur Trail, Nevada, USA

There are few places in the world that offer a more staggering contrast than this two-and-a-half-hour drive, which begins in Las Vegas and ends up in the land of the dinosaurs.

Detour Pit Stop #117: Alice's Restaurant, Woodside, California, USA

Surrounded by Nor-Cal nature and just a scenic drive from San Francisco, this famous restaurant sits at the heart of Bay Area car culture.

Detour #240: Lombard Street, San Francisco, USA

Driving down Lombard Street is a unique and somewhat unnerving driving challenge, even though it has a recommended 5mph speed limit.

Detour 234: Feel the need for speed on the Silver State Classic, Nevada, USA

Nevada’s State Highway 318 is the fastest public road in America where drivers regularly top 200 mph.

Bugatti owners take a billionaire's road trip across the American West

In one of the grandest of grand tours imaginable a brigade of Bugattis just road tripped through Utah and Colorado.

Five drives that will make you fall for New England in the Fall

New England’s forests explode into a riot of colour as the days grow shorter. For leaf peepers there’s no better time to take to the road and enjoy the rich reds, abundant oranges and yellows of the canopy.

Detour #226: Blown by the wind across The Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA

Ben Barry explores California’s desert wilderness with a Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato… and the wrong soundtrack

Detour Pit Stop #111: Pops 66 Soda Ranch, Oklahoma, USA

Driving can be thirsty work, but this sensational service station on Route 66 will satisfy even the most dehydrated driver.

Detour #223: The real best bit from Basic Instinct, Highway 1, California, USA

Ben Barry retraces the route of one of Hollywood’s most nail-biting car chases, underwear intact.

America's loneliest road has finally gone electric

A 300-mile stretch of road across the Nevada desert known as The Loneliest Road in America is not a place you’d want to run out of juice.

Lamborghini takes over Telluride to celebrate 60 years

A convoy of 40 Lamborghini supercars cruised through Colorado as part of the Italian legend’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

Detour #215: Colorado's Independence Pass will leave you breathless, USA

You’ve heard of Sleepless in Seattle, but for Anthony Ingram it was breathless in Colorado when he took on the Independence Pass.

Detour #214: Lost Vegas, USA – Sometimes the Detours that you don't plan are the very best

It’s rare to get lost in the days of satellite navigation, but if you do stray from your planned path it can be an unexpected joy.

How to road trip across America in perfect weather

Preparing for a continent-crossing road trip just got a bit easier. Thanks to the calculations of a climate scientist it’s now possible to drive across the USA without getting too hot or too cool.

Detour #210: From Sea to Shining Sea: Across America in a bonkers British sports car

Eccentric automotive adventurer Ben Coombs crossed the USA from New York to San Francisco in his topless TVR.

The Mille Miglia is motoring into Miami

As it closes in on its centenary, the legendary Mille Miglia is adding Florida to its rally roster.

Detour #206: Seven National Parks and one great road, Route 89, USA

Route 66 might be immortalised in song but a drive on Route 89 will sear itself into your memory for its scenic beauty.

Route 66 to be restored for its 100th anniversary

The Mother Road is to get some much-needed love, a century after it was first built.

Detour #201: The King of Road Trips, Mississippi-Tennessee, USA

It’s 70 years since Elvis first walked into a recording studio and time for the King of all road trips. Thankyouverymuch.

Detour #189: Monument Valley, USA

Monument Valley is surely the ultimate backdrop to any great American driving adventure.

America's most dangerous roads

The riskiest road trips in the USA have been revealed by the American Automobile Association, and they’re not all the hair-raising hairpin-strewn mountain roads you might imagine.

Detour #182: Drive free in Yosemite

Take an epic drive in the Sierra Nevada mountains, passing by ancient forests, Old West Towns, tumbling waterfalls and tranquil lakes…

USANevadaElectric carEV

Nik Berg https://detour-roadtrips.com

America's loneliest road has finally gone electric

a 300-mile stretch of road across the Nevada desert known as The Loneliest Road in America is not a place you’d want to run out of juice.

Detour #223: The real best bit from Basic Instinct, Highway 1, California, USA

Detour #222: The Best of Snowdonia on Four, Three and Two Wheels, Wales, UK