Stopped in Novato to get some gogo juice.
Been charging for under 10 minutes, 48 miles. All done. Under $5
Been charging for under 10 minutes, 48 miles. All done. Under $5
Charging to get home
- Thread starter JeffKeryk
- Start date
Is this super charger? Not bad at all
JHZR2
Staff member
35 min remaining is a non starter when one could fill a gas tank in less than 5 and have full range in a HEV.
48 miles in 10 mins for $5 isn’t anything to write home about either. When we supercharged a rental, it was more per mile than driving our odyssey. That mileage and cost isn’t much better. 48 miles is less than one gallon of gas in my accord hybrid for $3.Xs whatever the price of gas is here today.
So I’m not seeing the point relative to economy of time or operation…
48 miles in 10 mins for $5 isn’t anything to write home about either. When we supercharged a rental, it was more per mile than driving our odyssey. That mileage and cost isn’t much better. 48 miles is less than one gallon of gas in my accord hybrid for $3.Xs whatever the price of gas is here today.
So I’m not seeing the point relative to economy of time or operation…
The intent of supercharging (or any mobile charge) is to charge enough to reach your final destination for the day.....whether that is a hotel or your home.
It is mentality change when it comes to "refueling" an EV. The goal is not to fill up, the goal is to fill enough to get to your next (or final) destination. That is the best use of time.
JHZR2
Staff member
It still is horribly slow and inconvenient any time I’ve done it. including with preconditioned batteries in the middle of the night at a 250kW site.
A hotel has every likelyhood to be just as bad, if not slower. To get home, ok, but if you’re really busy, it’s still not practical.
Dont get me wrong, I can see use cases where one can make it work. But there are a whole lot of others where it won’t work well.
and the results shown by OP are tNOTHING to write home about, unfortunately.
So, there's "Road Tax" on the electricity, PLUS an additional fee when you register the vehicle? As Lewis Black would say, "Something is ASKEW" 
honestly curious, what happens when it is 98 degrees out and you get caught in a nasty traffic jam? Do you sit in your EV and run the AC and pray that you will make it home or do you turn everything off and roll down the windows so that you can assure you make it home?
JHZR2
Staff member
I would hope there is one or the other…So, there's "Road Tax" on the electricity, PLUS an additional fee when you register the vehicle? As Lewis Black would say, "Something is ASKEW"
JHZR2
Staff member
Probably the same as if you were low on gas and sitting in traffic.
Not really a possible scenario if you use the vehicle's in-car route planning software.
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
There will be ample warning that one is about ready to run out, along with suggestions for where to charge. At least with a Tesla.
But for the owner who charges at home most of the time, it will probably never get to that point, even if charging to 80% with a 50 mile one-way commute.
Tesla's Supercharging is recommended for road trips and not as a primary method of charging. Charging at that high a rate tends to stress batteries. But then again - there are some with older Teslas who received free charging or got it with some promotional deal. Or Tesla's loaner program where Supercharging is free. I went on a road trip in a loaner. Set it to 100% although I don't think it ever got to 100% during the entire trip. The idea was to get from point to point and I don't think I was ever more than 50 miles away from where I could reach a Tesla charger.
I would hope so too. I only say this because stories are "trickling" out about the high cost of electric charging of automobiles. I realize that there is profit to be made, but these charges seem WAY more than the cost of electricity alone.
Just doesn't seem to work in the real world.
That may only be true if you live in la la land. In a big East coast city at peak traffic time the next super charger may be an hour traffic jam away.
I've certainly seen that, and I was never particularly comfortable on a road trip just letting it get down to less than 20%. One consideration for me was whether I'd be in an area with several charging options or just one.
The rate is often variable with time of use. They generally want to encourage users to charge at the least busy times, but for someone on a road trip charging at the peak rate might not be avoidable. But for someone on a road trip it might make sense to wake up early and maybe get breakfast while it's charging.
Sometimes it can be free. Tesla's Destination Charging program is primarily for businesses hoping to attract customers where the charging is at no cost to the user. However, it's impossible to predict how many will be used and there needs to be a backup plan if they're not available.
I'm not seeing it either so I'm in good company.
Unforeseen traffic jams happen all the time. It’s not only a possible scenario, it’s a very likely one.
Leave my house, heading to Richmond, Google says 96 minutes to destination. Hit the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel just after an accident, Google, updating just after I’ve experienced the slowdown, says 126 minutes due to a 30 minute slow down.
I’ve seen pop-up traffic delay for an hour or more. The in car route planning software cannot predict the future any better than anyone else, and there are no chargers on a bridge or in a tunnel.
You cut it close with an EV, in those circumstances, and you had better turn off the air conditioning, or you will not make it. Frankly, I can’t think of anything worse than sitting in 95° heat with 90+ percent humidity, stuck in the Hampton roads Bridge Tunnel, having to shut off the AC because you don’t have the juice.
“Charging just enough to get home” is foolish in many locations. Including mine.
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For those who haven't charged a Tesla, 69 kW is actually rather slow. Maybe what an "Urban Supercharger" can do or if the battery is cold and/or fairly well charged.