So there’s been some media stuff about Tesla chargers going down or getting long lines in this extreme cold we’re having.
The factors there are complicated and mostly this is impacting people without charging at-home. As it happens, I’m now making a daily commute - just started in fact! And I’d like to report that my car is having no issues at all in this weather, and I haven’t even plugged it in to charge in a few days.
*I apologize for using that term but it’s true.
More AC charging everywhere is what we need - relying on DC chargers for your daily needs is just not good for lots of reasons.
That said, they need to be designed better so that this isn’t an issue.
@TechConnectify@mas.to a couple of weeks ago a big highway in southern Sweden was backed up for 30km. Some bevs and ice vehicles failed miserably but that was not because of the propulsion but lack of fuel.
If you have a short drive home you might not fuel up before doing that and let’s be honest, who plans on being stuck and snowed in for 24 hours.
Spoiler alert, some fud-spreading people say bevs are crap because of this
@TechConnectify@mas.to businesses need much more incentives to offer at work charging. As someone who lives in a condo, and has little to no chance of ever getting the building to put in a charger, I can see how this is going to be a huge issue. While we absolutely need a nationwide charging network of charging stations, it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
@TechConnectify@mas.to this perplexed me too and initially I thought these people stuck at chargers had their battery unexpectedly depleted while at work or something. But apparently owning an EV without a place to charge at home is a thing some people are doing?
@paultiarks@social.lol Yes, a surprising number of folks are doing this. I frankly don’t understand it but at the same time, it’s a way to make demand happen for more charging in more places I guess.
I essentially don’t use public charging at all unless I have a surprise need to make a longer trip. That has happened three times in two years for me - otherwise I’m only ever plugging in at home.
@paultiarks@social.lol I’m still firmly in the camp of “more basic L2 AC charging in more places” but it’s also true that for folks like myself, I just… never need that.
It’s mainly renters and folks who use street parking who need it, which presents quite the chicken-and-egg problem. So honestly, good on the folks making it work without at-home charging. I just hope they understood the experience they’re signing up for and don’t become loudly upset.
@TechConnectify@mas.to I’m going EV in March and yeah, the “full tank every day” is like…a huge draw to making the switch. If I couldn’t charge at home I wouldn’t even consider it
@TechConnectify@mas.to @paultiarks@social.lol
Think about it from the standpoint of someone coming from exclusively ICE cars. Needing to refuel away from home is what they’re used to, so not being able to charge at home is normal for them. They may find the wider range of places that offer chargers- many employers have dedicated EV charging spaces now, for instance- to be nice, even if they don’t have the full convenience of charging at home.
@TechConnectify@mas.to @paultiarks@social.lol A very large segment of Tesla drivers are Rideshare, who probably don’t have the means to install a Level 2 charger where they live.
I don’t own an EV yet, but it seems likely I will in the near future. My ability to use it for trips depends on charging infrastructure.
@TechConnectify@mas.to I’m tired of the FUD. My mom seems to think that every EV is going to burst into flames…
@TechConnectify@mas.to agree, I manage to charge 37kWh in 8 hours on 240V 12A (at home)
during off peak which costs next to nothing
@TechConnectify@mas.to I think we need to both home charging and work place charging. The 8-9 hours we spend at the work place is also perfect time to AC charge our cars. It has other bottlenecks (not enough power provisioned by utilities, managing the queue of cars for small number of EVSE, etc.) but they are solvable problems.
@alexhung@sfba.social Absolutely! That’s what I mean by more AC charging everywhere.
@TechConnectify@mas.to The NACS plug does both, but high-power charging isn’t necessary for most people, especially if we can make public chargers so ubiquitous you can charge a bit as you run errands (or charge at work). Fast charging isn’t great for batteries anyway.
As I write this, I think governments should do much more to encourage workplace charging. That has to be easier and cheaper to set up than individual home charging, particularly for renters.
@TechConnectify@mas.to @JetForMe@geekstodon.com The problem there is that the NACS plug doesn’t do the 3rd option that Combo/CCS 2 does: 3-phase AC for that sort of medium power charging while shopping for a bit.
@mark@social.cool110.xyz @JetForMe@geekstodon.com Sure, but there are 50kW DC chargers out there. Heck, there’s really no reason you couldn’t have a 25 kW DC charger.
I’d argue it doesn’t make sense to equip every EV with a more expensive onboard charger which can handle large AC inputs - most people truly don’t need that ever.
The need for medium-speed charging is, frankly, rare in the grand scheme. And it’s much more sensible to fill that need with DC chargers in places where they’re appropriate.
@TechConnectify@mas.to My local Costco has just installed 3 new 24 kW CCS chargers to replace janky level 2 Semaconnect crappy ones. Truly wonderful! $2.50 Canadian per hour, my IONIQ 5 AWD gains 30% charge in the time it takes to shop through the store. Way better than level 2!
@TechConnectify@mas.to The problem with AC chargers is that you need to be on them for a lot longer. Here in Europe, the general trend is additional time based fees if you are connected for more than say 4 hours, to encourage people to move. The 4h limit is not nearly enough time to fill up most batteries, and basically prevents overnight charging.