Charging Stations Are An Issue In Many Cities

[KevinRS]

The NAV on the model Y knows every tesla charger in the world, Plug share can locate most CCS style chargers.. This was a solvable problem... Not to say there are not still states without big charging presence... And NO we don't want to be any where near gas stations, electrical sparks and gasoline fumes don't mix. ,,,,, well they do but they mix badly.. plus they smell bad and most dont have room for 10 to 20 tesla chargers On the new tesla OS you can even have the nav call out optimum charging points as you go.. P

If there is enough gasoline vapor in the air across from the pumps where the chargers would be to ignite, there is a bigger issue. Aside from there should be no arcing at the chargers, that would mean at the pumps the concentration is so high you might pass out.
Most gas station fires are likely someone smoking right at the pump, or static electricity discharge right at the pump. Even then, low chances. Gas vapor only ignites at 1.4% to 7.6% concentration.

 

[Nojoe]

Right! Tesla does tell you where the charging stations are but where I live they are 45 miles or more apart. Then if you are running around busy trying to wait as long as you can, trying not to go out of your way more than once, you finally get there on a dead battery.


I love the EV's. But the reality is, At least where I live, The chargers are too few. Can I make it just charging at home. Yes, I can. But I would be much happier if I could stop at any gas station on the main roads and charge up. For now, that is not possible. I have to go out of my way to charge up just to make it home or where I need to go.

When you only have 1 charging spot, it is very time consuming going several miles out of your way and then having to back track to the house (after waiting to charge the ev).

If you can’t make a Tesla work for you then you most certainly can’t make any EV work for you. You should drive a gas car.

 

[ezjob]

What's with all of the hate!

All I said is we need more EV Charging stations where I live, and I get a bunch of hooligans making smart mouth comments.

Geeze people!!!

Take a nap already!

I'm done.

 

[sodamo]

If you can’t make a Tesla work for you then you most certainly can’t make any EV work for you. You should drive a gas car.

Too funny, Zero Tesla chargers here, but plenty of EV’s, gonna guess predominately Teslas. Guess they found way to make it work.

 

[pdxmotorhead]

Also, if you’re having to go 30-45 miles out of your way to the nearest charging spot, that entails that you’re more than 30 miles from home. That’s not what I would consider “just to use locally”.

Personally I have never in my life ~just wound up~ more than 30 miles from home when I’m not on a pre-planned road trip.

I have randomly ended up 100 to 200 miles from home many times in my life,, Heck I take my sports car out all the time with no plan and have ended up 2 states away (I live in Oregon) The same thing happens with my model Y, just Head north or east , heck I can be in Canada in 5-6 hours.. Just depends on if you like driving and exploring..

 

[pdxmotorhead]

Many gas stations are owned by franchisees, and they make little on the gas, most of their profit is from stuff you buy in the store. If they are actually looking to make money, chargers would be a good way. You are stuck there a bit while charging, you are likely go in, get some drinks, snacks, etc. even more than the 5 minutes or so to fill up a tank.
Many may have blinders on to the idea though.

Shell has bought out several charging companies in the last couple years to get thier locations.. Make sense to me,, They are putting massive rows of chargers at he Buckees locations as well..

 

[EV Trek]

I'm really wanting a Slate truck but after having a Tesla Model Y with the long range I'm worried about paying this much for an EV just to use locally.

I rode around all day one day in the Tesla and decided to go to Tupelo and shop there. Before I got to Tupelo I was worried about the battery dying.

I made it to the Chevy dealership which had a charging station but the plug didn't fit my Tesla. My adapter didn't fit either. Then I had to go all the way across town to the mall and charge. This was several miles away.

I honestly thought I wasn't going to make it to the charging station. I loved the car but sold it because I didn't want to be stranded and have to pay for a tow.

Charging stations need to be at GAS STATIONS so we can charge vehicles without having to drive 30 miles to the nearest charger.

Is there a movement to get EV charging stations scattered across all cities instead of just ONE place in town that's out of the way?

This is one reason many people won't buy an EV. I know you can charge at home and I did but sometimes when you are out driving from town to town you lose track of the battery range and then it's time to worry wondering if I'll make it to the charging station. Which, in my case is miles away.

How long ago was that? Here in my small town in Tennessee when I got my first EV in 2021 there were no DC fast chargers, today we have 14, and twice that many level 2 chargers. The charging infrastructure is rapidly increasing.
On a side note in my Equinox EV I have never had a problem finding a Tesla Supercharger that was nearby when I needed one. I usually start looking at 20% charge which in my car is still over 70 miles. And I love to travel the backroads of Tennessee and North Carolina. Not a hot bed for EVs.
In 2 years an 41,000 miles it’s never been a problem. Even in my Bolt I never came close to running out of charge. You just have to be a smart EV driver.

 

[pdxmotorhead]

If there is enough gasoline vapor in the air across from the pumps where the chargers would be to ignite, there is a bigger issue. Aside from there should be no arcing at the chargers, that would mean at the pumps the concentration is so high you might pass out.
Most gas station fires are likely someone smoking right at the pump, or static electricity discharge right at the pump. Even then, low chances. Gas vapor only ignites at 1.4% to 7.6% concentration.

One of the biggest benefits I get from my Tesla is not having to breath gas fumes.. I have zero interest in sitting at gas stations I prefer charge locations at malls where there are good restaurants and other stuff to do.. I've done multiple trips around the west racking up 2 to 6 thousand miles per trip and have yet to do more than think ahead to make sure I'm charged to at least 90%, that puts me at 5+ hours or nearly 325 miles of driving.. I have also just reserved a spot with electricity at a campground and used the RV large plug to charge if I wanted to take a nap. (I carry the Tesla portable in the car and have the 6 plug interface kit for it.. 110 to 220V various amps.

 

[Cubicle23]

I spent many years as a long distance bicycle tourist. Group trips are well planned and usually have a plan B if you cannot reach the days planned destination. Travelling solo ( or double) there is a community called Warm Showers, it is a network of folks who will offer either inside accommodations or access to facilities and a camping spot.
Maybe we need to create a similar network for Slate owners. If someone is up here in Northern Maine and needs a place to charge, I would be fine with offering that.

 

[GrizzlysGhost]

I spent many years as a long distance bicycle tourist. Group trips are well planned and usually have a plan B if you cannot reach the days planned destination. Travelling solo ( or double) there is a community called Warm Showers, it is a network of folks who will offer either inside accommodations or access to facilities and a camping spot.
Maybe we need to create a similar network for Slate owners. If someone is up here in Northern Maine and needs a place to charge, I would be fine with offering that.

Reminds me of all the places here in NW Montana (and all of Northern Tier really) that have outlets in the parking lots for block heaters. Might not be the best solution for plugging in to recharge off a 110 receptacle, but maybe better than nothing?

 

[GaRailroader]

I spent many years as a long distance bicycle tourist. Group trips are well planned and usually have a plan B if you cannot reach the days planned destination. Travelling solo ( or double) there is a community called Warm Showers, it is a network of folks who will offer either inside accommodations or access to facilities and a camping spot.
Maybe we need to create a similar network for Slate owners. If someone is up here in Northern Maine and needs a place to charge, I would be fine with offering that.

That was the original purpose of PlugShare.com was a catalog of places for early EV adopters to get a charge. As the infrastructure has grown it is now more of a database of all public charging.

 

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

What's with all of the hate!

All I said is we need more EV Charging stations where I live, and I get a bunch of hooligans making smart mouth comments.

Geeze people!!!

Take a nap already!

I'm done.

Haha. Enthusiasts easily get defensive. Yeah, need more charge stations for sure. Especially if makers are going to sell small-battery utility trucks like Slate. My likely Slate will not be my road-tripper.

 

[EV Trek]

Haha. Enthusiasts easily get defensive. Yeah, need more charge stations for sure. Especially if makers are going to sell small-battery utility trucks like Slate. My likely Slate will not be my road-tripper.

The thing is with walmart starting to add charging stations the areas where charging cannot be found will be getting fewer and fewer. They stated in their announcement that 90% of the country are within 10 miles of a walmart and they intend to blanket the country with chargers. And there are other providers expanding into installing chargers at convenience stores.
My suggestion is don’t buy based on what you see today, because the charging landscape is evolving.

 

[The Weatherman]

Just went to Manchester, KY with my wife’s Kia EV6 to assist a CPO complete their NEVI certification. Due to open next week. So yes the charging landscape is changing fast.

It should not be a consideration for whether to go EV or not from here on out.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

How much does it cost to install & maintain a charging station? Seems like low ongoing expenses (no attendant like at a gas station) would lead to a quicker payback and revenue.