Number 33. That’s what I pulled when I showed up to the Zero Emissions Run Las Vegas staging area. Thirty-two cars got there before me, and I live five minutes away. Filipino time strikes again.
The Zero Emissions Run is an all-EV cruise organized by SoCal EVs. This year’s route ran from SoCal to Las Vegas with a second-day detour to Valley of Fire State Park. Cybertrucks, R1Ts, Mach-Es, a couple of Model S Plaids, and a Ford Lightning. Around 50 to 70 vehicles total by the time we hit the park.
The Lineup and the Drive Out
The staging area was a supercharger stop, and we pretty much took over the entire station. These were 72 kW stalls, slower than ideal, but we started at 83% so nobody was in a hurry. The Wicked-themed Cybertruck was there with a wrap that was legitimately impressive. The Halo-themed one drove down from up north with a Starlink mount on the roof. I still need to set that up on mine.
Ford Motor Company was the event sponsor this year, which was a good sign for the EV community. Their AV team members were there and mixed right in.
We made three charging stops on the way up: Eddie World, Baker, and Primm. None of them were strictly necessary for me, but the point of a group run is to stay with the group. At Eddie World I was sitting at 489 Wh/mile. OG Cyber Brian next to me was at 620-something. Neither of us was trying to set efficiency records.
At Primm, Jose already had his 270 awning deployed and had been there since the night before. That’s commitment.
Baker: The Charging Notes Worth Knowing
Baker is where the interesting conversations happened. The V3 250 kW stalls there are not compatible with non-Tesla vehicles, even with an adapter. Right next to them is an Electrify America station. It was full. The 2026 Rivian R1T with NACS still needed a CCS adapter at certain stalls, which caught some people off guard. NACS on a Rivian doesn’t automatically mean all Tesla hardware works. Worth knowing before you plan a trip around it.
Dominique showed up with his Model S Plaid on 315/30R22s in the rear and 305/30R22s up front. He upgraded with a rear sway bar from Unplug Performance and said the wider rubber actually handles better in corners than the factory Arachnids, even if the 21s give him slightly more range and a quicker 0-60. He’s planning to upgrade to the 2026 front and rear bumper next.
William had his Cybertruck on 18-inch Method wheels with Falken KO3s in 285/75R18. They clear the brakes and everything is fine at stock, low, and medium ride heights. At high and extended, they rub a little. His next set might step down from 75 to 70-series to get more clearance.
Las Vegas: Park MGM and Overnight
We stayed at Park MGM. It’s non-smoking throughout the entire property, including the casino floor, which is rare in Vegas and genuinely makes a difference after a long day. ChargePoint Level 2 stalls on the second floor. Not fast, but you don’t need fast chargers at a hotel.
Overnight numbers: started at 68% at 4:06 p.m., checked at 7:30 a.m. at 63%. About 15.5 hours, 5% loss, 5 Sentry Mode triggers. It rained that night, which gave the truck an accidental wash. The tonneau cover let some water in at the far edge, which is expected behavior at this point.
Valley of Fire
Day two started at Red Rock Casino for a morning meetup. About 60 to 65 miles each way to Valley of Fire, so roughly 120 to 130 miles round trip. We staged, charged to 83%, and headed out.
About 15 to 18 Cybertrucks made it out there. The park is state-run, not affected by any federal closures. We filled the main lot and overflowed into the secondary area. The red rock formations are worth seeing in person. Someone gave us the middle finger on the way in, which, fair enough.
No cell signal in the park. Starlink handled navigation on the way out, which was the first real use I got out of having it mounted. I had to pull my roof shade to get the mount positioned, but it worked.
The Numbers and What Broke
Trip total at Baker on the return: 457.8 miles, 238.6 kWh, 521.2 Wh/mile. Final leg put us at 513.9 Wh/mile for the run overall. I was not driving for efficiency. I was keeping pace with the convoy and enjoying it. The Falken WildPeak AT4s I have now versus the OEM tires add some road noise and some efficiency cost. Not scientific, but it’s the tradeoff.
Peak charge rate at Baker on the return: 258 kW. I thought the ceiling was 250, but it briefly cleared that. Still dropped below 200 kW by the time I was in the 40% range, same pattern I’ve seen before.
The Osmo Pocket was sitting on a cheap tripod at Baker while I was talking to people. Wind knocked it over and cracked the screen. I just had it repaired. That camera is my primary shooting tool for these trips, so losing the LCD screen mid-trip hurt. Finished the rest of the drive on phone footage.
Stopped at Hesperia on the way home, arrived at 17%. Worth it for the peace of mind. Arrived home tired but not stressed about range, which is the goal on any EV road trip.
For previous trip data from the Cybertruck’s first Vegas run with OEM tires, the comparison is in the video. The Zero Emissions Run is worth following if you want to join a future event.
If you’re picking up a Tesla or Rivian, use my referral links: Tesla and Rivian.
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