Electric vehicles are few and far between in the desert at King of the Hammers, a multi-week off-road event that often feels more like Burning Man than motorsports. Almost any EV can be found in the Optima Oasis. Optima Oasis is an oasis of solar and hydrogen-powered chargers that battery companies have installed nowhere in the past two years.
King of the Hammers is held at the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area, the largest OHV space in the country. But once a year, a vast expanse of land about 100 miles from downtown Los Angeles transforms into a thriving metropolis where a makeshift city called “Hammertown” attracts tens of thousands of four-wheeler enthusiasts to the sand and rocks.
I went to check out the festival, specifically the EV-centric Unplugged Rally event.
Slow charging in King of the Hammers
Attendance this year peaked at over 100,000, but that wasn't enough when I went on KoH's first Sunday to watch the trophy truck race at top speed across the desert in an Audi Q8 e-tron. Range anxieties grew with a 135-mile (217 km) commute that included thousands of feet of vertical climbing to really test Audi's claimed 280 miles (450 km) all-electric range.
I arrived at the Optima Oasis with 78 miles (126 km) of range remaining and immediately plugged it into the Level 2 charger and let the Audi charge for the rest of the day. I've seen a few times that a charger connected to the KoH grid pumps out about 19km worth of electrons per hour on average. About 50 kilowatts of power is enough to get you home late in the evening, but not if you're out in four-wheel drive all day. The Optima is among the EV group expected later this week as part of its second unplugged rally. As the sun set and we were ready to head home, three huge tractor trailers equipped with solar and hydrogen units arrived to support EV owners for the main event at King of the Hammers.
The following Thursday, I returned to Johnson Valley in my Ford Bronco Raptor. The Ford Bronco Raptor may be the greatest vehicle ever built for the desert. Although it may not be the most fuel efficient or environmentally friendly vehicle. I had planned to watch the home-made Every Man Challenge and the main event on the second Saturday, the most hardcore Ultra4 race worth over $500,000. But first, I carefully dragged the gas can back into the Optima Oasis to join the growing group of EV enthusiasts roaming the charging station.
As more and more EVs arrive, the sun is starting to warm us, the cars, and the two giant solar panels. This was much more than I expected at an event that leans heavily towards the joys of internal combustion engines. I figured I would definitely need a faster charger than the one I used for the Audi. Many owners recharged their batteries, and Morrflate's team provided lessons on how to inflate tires for better traction, a more comfortable ride, and reduce the risk of punctures while off-road.
And Optima needed those lessons, too, because it chose a much more technical path than I expected. Especially considering that the entire group has bare-bones Kia and Toyota crossovers, some of which are wearing eco tires or are little more than all-seasons. However, Rivian R1T and R1S owners made up the majority, and most of these cars still rode factory Pirelli Scorpion All-Terrains. The Optima also allows plug-in hybrids in unplugged rallies. I found a few Jeep Wrangler 4x and Toyota Tundra hybrids, as well as a Cybertruck brought in for testing by Unplugged Performance.
I'm paranoid, so the weather forecast called for heavy rain, so before I left Optima's house, I packed up my recovery gear and threw a set of Maxtrax Lite recovery boards, a Yankum rope, and a couple of soft shackles into the back of my rented R1T. A base for trail runs. And it's not just for “soft-roader” hybrids. Because I'd never actually driven a Rivian before and didn't really know what to expect.