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CHAdeMO Adapter Rental Website

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Folks,

I'm putting out a feeler to see if there would be any interest in a Model S CHAdeMO adapter rental service. I, personally, only have a very seldom (probably once a year) need for one, and really wasn't sure if I wanted to buy one.

So, I took the plunge and bought one and would like to share it with you. Here are a few questions to help me gauge interest and possible terms:


1. Would you be opposed to a fairly hefty deposit being charged to your card (via PayPal) until the adapter has been returned (would need to be enough to keep people on the waiting list from "buying" my adapter by not returning it--possibly $650).
2. Would a 1-week minimum be a good amount of time to make shipping it worth it?
3. Do you think most people would want this for weekend travel? So, I thought normally Weds-Weds time frame, but open to other days on request.
4. Would it be more appealing if it were dropped of by FedEx at your doorstep and then I took care of scheduling FedEx to retrieve it when you're finished?
5. If you were interested in something like this, what type of fee do you think would be fair, taking into consideration the cost of the adapter, shipping charges, website costs (used for booking and payment coordination)?

I'm not really looking to make money off of this (and may even lose some in the end). But, I thought this might be valuable to some. I fully understand that the need for this will probably also dwindle as the Supercharger network continues to be beefed up.

Let me know your thoughts.

(Also, let me know if you have an adapter you'd like to sell, as I might want to add a couple more more if there is a lot of interest in a service like this.)

Thanks,
Brian
 
Brian,
Great post, and glad to see I'm not the only person who thought of this. I had actually considered approaching my local Service Center with a similar idea (core charge that would be credited back once the unit was returned, less the actual rental fee). However, knowing how tightly buttoned up anything Tesla official is I knew it wasn't going to happen. And I don't have a large enough personal network locally to make it work (I didn't want to deal with the shipping aspect).

Like you, I have benefits I can see of using the adapter right now, but I've not made the financial dip quite yet. Living where I am (Cleveland, Ohio) there are basically NO CHAdeMO stations nearby. However, I plan to visit friends later this year in New Jersey, and since the I-80 connections (Supercharger) aren't yet setup, there would be a faster/better route to take with the adapter. Come the end of 2015, however, Tesla is saying the Supercharger stations will diminish that need.

And that is where I feel there MIGHT be a longer term problem for your plans. Short term there are definitely benefits, but if Tesla really does expand to the levels they are saying they will in the next 12-24 months I'd imagine less folks will need/want the adapter. However, it does give you a year or two chance to recoup your investment perhaps. I'd probably be willing to spend $20-50 for a rental (net cost), for a convenience of saving myself 1-2 hours travel time. (Bummer of course being that the stations that offer CHAdeME in Pennsylvania along my route also charge $$, only worsening the overall cost).

In summary, I think the concept is great and I personally might be a possible candidate (renter) if you decided to offer this service. Will be curious to see what you decide. Oh and I guess to keep things "clean" here are answers to your specific questions in PROPER format:

1- Not opposed to a "core charge" ... but of course doing this from a private party vs company, etc... but PayPal probably still has ways to make it safe/secure
2- Typically travels for me would be 1-week, but I think offering "By the week" rates would be my suggestion
3- I agree with the Weds/Weds option, that might keep things simplest
4- Door to door FedEx would be slick, but I'd imagine a drop off at a FedEx/Kinkos isn't too big a deal either
5- Again I'd think $50 per week, max ... at least, thats my "reasonable cost" thought!
 
Chademo adapter rental is a good idea. Tony Williams posted last year he planned to offer it, that was when the price was still $1000 I think. My suggestion would be a per day charge with a 3 or even 5 day minimum. I wouldn't specify weekends or Wed-Wed, just let people say what their start date and return date is. Offer to get it to them the day before their start date, for peace of mind. For example, we're going on a 10 day trip to Destin later this year and I would need a Chademo adapter each way at the Baytown supercharger gap. That wouldn't fit either a weekend or weekly paradigm. Setting up prepaid return (included in the rental price) by drop off at a FedEx location would be convenient.

I think $50/day is too high, based on my planned 10 day trip I would be better off buying one even though it's the only time this year I would use it and may never need one again.
 
Brian.. thats a great idea. I plan on doing that myself and have actually registered a domain as well. http://teslaaccessoriesrental.com ... Maybe we can collaborate using this one website? PM me if you want and we can discuss more. I also plan on making a tiered pricing, still working out the details. I will have 2 Chademo adapters to start off with ... 1 mine and 1 another local MS owners'.
 
Let me know if you want any development help.

Sean

Brian.. thats a great idea. I plan on doing that myself and have actually registered a domain as well. http://teslaaccessoriesrental.com ... Maybe we can collaborate using this one website? PM me if you want and we can discuss more. I also plan on making a tiered pricing, still working out the details. I will have 2 Chademo adapters to start off with ... 1 mine and 1 another local MS owners'.
 
This is a nice idea, thanks for posting. There's a lot of Tesla stuff I could picture sharing either regionally or by shipping. Jack-point jack stands for tire rotation come to mind as well as roof rails.
Another option might be to have Tesla (or local Tesla owners?) work with CHAdeMO facility folks to install a Model S adaptor on site. After all, what's the point of having a public CHAdeMO charger if a large portion of the EV drivers can't use it? I was picturing a Tesla adaptor that is securely fixed (bike cable?) to the CHAdeMO unit.
 
With the way the supercharger network is expanding and the availability of destination chargers and public chargepoints, I don't see this service being very useful. My 2c

That's not true. Superchargers are targeted at highway, long distance travel, usually easy access right off the highway.

Most Chademo stations are not serving the same purpose.
They're typically not near major highway exits, but near heavy shopping districts. This type of service would complement the Supercharger network IMO.
 
With the way the supercharger network is expanding and the availability of destination chargers and public chargepoints, I don't see this service being very useful. My 2c
It's useful for trips involving routes that aren't sufficiently covered by superchargers. For example, the trip I mentioned above where I will need Chademo for my 60 at the Baytown, TX gap on I-10. @tiblot, that one is near a major highway exit, as are many others in the Houston metro area. It wouldn't take many people finding this service useful for it this to be worthwhile.
 
At the current price ($450) I don't see a rental service getting much demand. I think the majority of Model S owners will just buy one 'just in case'. At that price it's kind of a no brainer. There will be few people that don't buy it and even fewer occasion where those few people go on a road trip and think about renting one. Whoever runs that rental service has a lot of work to do and makes very little money so it's more of a charity job than anything.

If anything, companies that run large CHAdeMO networks like nrg/eVgo or Blink should make a deal with Tesla. They could sell the adapter with a credit to their network to get more Tesla owners using their chargers. Maybe they did already. Maybe they offered Tesla some money to make the adapter and subsidies them hence the price drop from $1000 to $450.

But frankly, I don't see success in a rental service. The price is low enough for people to buy it anyways to be on the safe side.
 
At the current price ($450) I don't see a rental service getting much demand. I think the majority of Model S owners will just buy one 'just in case'. At that price it's kind of a no brainer. There will be few people that don't buy it and even fewer occasion where those few people go on a road trip and think about renting one. Whoever runs that rental service has a lot of work to do and makes very little money so it's more of a charity job than anything.

If anything, companies that run large CHAdeMO networks like nrg/eVgo or Blink should make a deal with Tesla. They could sell the adapter with a credit to their network to get more Tesla owners using their chargers. Maybe they did already. Maybe they offered Tesla some money to make the adapter and subsidies them hence the price drop from $1000 to $450.

But frankly, I don't see success in a rental service. The price is low enough for people to buy it anyways to be on the safe side.
I couldn't disagree more. I don't consider the price of $450 to be low for something I may need rarely for a trip through or to an area where I may need a Chademo charge. My 14-50 installation in the garage cost less than that, and I use that every day. I can't imagine the majority of Model S owners buying one "just in case". Maybe in a few areas where Chademo is common, like the pacific northwest or Tennessee, a majority of owners may buy one, but if 10% of owners elsewhere buy one I would be surprised.
 
Yeah - many of the stations with CHAdeMO out there may simply buy an adapter and "provide" it as a tethered service at the point of CHAdeMO charging. Why drag around an adapter when a charging company who charges fees for usage knows that they can attract more users if they are "Tesla ready". 50A charging isn't all that bad - what, about 100+ miles per charging hour. The PNW is one area rich with CHAdeMO. Same for Europe. Not a whole lot on the eastern edge of the USA.

But then there's this: Exxon Mobil Corporation Entering The EV Game With Charging Facilities

Also, I doubt that Nissan even wants to see a Tesla roll up to their at-dealership CHAdeMO chargers which is too bad.
 
I do believe majority of owners wouldn't be using it on day to day basis and only on routes where there aren't superchargers. I am making the site initially for CHAdeMO adapters only but probably add other things down the road. Hence, teslaaccessoriesrental.com. Also, I am not planning on making much, if any, profit from this.
 
I bought it just in case. At $450, it really was a no brainer to buy. There are very few CHAdeMO chargers in the DC area (BTW, the Nissan dealers here don't want Tesla cars charging). But it may be useful when traveling. After spending $100K+ for the car, whats $450 for the adapter. That was my attitude. For the same reason, I have a spare UMC for when traveling, along with all the adapters for the UMC.
 
I thimk the idea of the "tesla accessories rental" is good, and it seems like it would be a good thing to have regionally under the umbrella of Tesla owners groups.

Actually if a local user group had put together a trip package. NEAM 14-50 Extension cord, adapters for dryer/welding outlets and CHADEMO that people could borrow for vacation trips that would be good. Of course I have everything except the later...