Because I rested in Batang for a day, I had a chance to explore this last small county town of 50,000 people on the 318 National Highway in western Sichuan.
Batang, formerly known as White Wolf State, was renamed to its current name from Ba'an after the founding of the country. The county town is at an altitude of 2580 meters, and most travelers on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway will stay here for a night, so the town is exceptionally quiet during the day and only becomes lively after 6 p.m.
The 318 passes through the county town, and the road sign directly indicates the direction of Lhasa. The houses on the roadside of the county town retain the Tibetan style of doors and windows, which look particularly beautiful in the sunshine.
On Zhongshan Square next to the Batang County Government stands a bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen, donated by Sun Yat-sen's granddaughter, which is the only statue in the Tibetan area.
A few steps to the west is the Cha Ma Ancient Road district, where ancient Batang was also an important post on the tea horse ancient road.
Not far from Batang, after crossing the Jinsha River Bridge, you officially enter Tibet. The bridge checks for information on the Tibetan E-Pass, the report of the entry into Tibet, and the 48-hour nucleic acid test. It is recommended to prepare in advance, especially for the 48-hour nucleic acid test, which cannot be expired. There were several car owners in front of me who had to turn around because their nucleic acid test had expired.
On the way, I noticed dozens of kilometers of blue iron frames erected on the roadside. Can you guess what they are for?
Up ahead is the Changdu Public Security Inspection Station, where all passengers get off the vehicle for the nucleic acid test, while the driver can do it in the car. I didn't have to wait long in line, and I was done in about 15 minutes.
Heading
Entering the Mangkang area, the beautiful scenery of high mountain grassland presents itself once again in front of you, accompanied by several continuous high mountains, including the 3900-meter Jubba Mountain, the 4400-meter Lahu Mountain, and the 5000-meter Eddha Mountain, the highest point of the Sichuan-Tibet Line.
Both Ideal ONE vehicles completed the entire journey effortlessly, with great acceleration at high altitudes. At this time, you can easily surpass various fuel-consuming SUVs.
Even my 2020 Ideal ONE, with only 11% battery power remaining, could reach the summit at an altitude of 5100 meters, and the power was sufficient. (The initial battery power was not high, and I deliberately used the fuel-saving mode, driving quite aggressively.)
The road down the mountain is winding and twisting, and at this time, the battery begins to recharge significantly, and the presence of kinetic energy recovery makes the drive more comfortable. You only need to brake while taking the turns.
Along the way down the mountain, I saw the beautiful grassland scenery on the side of the road and couldn’t resist stopping the car to take more memorable photos of my old ONE.
Upon seeing the distant Shilin Mountain, we reached the town of Zuogong. The town of Zuogong has an altitude of 3700 meters, which is not low, so some hotels claim to have an oxygen room. However, in actuality, it is not very useful, and there is a strong odor. The oxygen in the room that I booked for my friend shut off after only one hour.Actually, after experiencing the test of the previous several high mountains, my body has basically adapted. If I walk too fast or carry too much luggage, I can also recover by taking a few puffs of oxygen.
In the middle of Zogang County, there is a Yulong River. Most tourists now stay in the new city, where two hotels have destination charging piles. Pure electric vehicles can make plans in advance.
The Purple Palace Bohua where I stayed has two slow charging piles. The charging cost is not expensive, only 50 yuan for a full charge. The scenery outside the window is beautiful, but never spend an extra 200 yuan to book an oxygen room.
Finally, it’s the moment of energy consumption again. From Batang at an altitude of 2500 meters to Zogang at an altitude of 3760 meters, the altitude has risen by 1200 meters. We passed the 5100-meter Dongda Mountain on the way, with a total distance of about 260 kilometers. The energy consumption of the 2020 Ideal ONE is 8.6 according to the display, while that of the 2021 model is even higher, at 8.9.
This energy consumption is not bad, right?
I even feel like this article is a bit wordy. I will update about the journey from Zogang to Ranwu Lake tomorrow, which will be even more interesting.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.