Charging Anxiety Log

[kcveins]

Where in the US can you charge at more than 10Kw/Hour?

If you live/travel in CA: Salinas, Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Goleta, Barstow, Coalinga, Orland, Yreka, Davis, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Fremont, and every Tesla Store, which adds: San Jose, Newport Beach, Santa Monica

For the rest of the country: Miami Beach (not just yet), Lone Tree, Seattle, White Plains, Portland, Oak Brook, Houston, Bellevue, Dania Beach, New York, Chicago, Wash DC, and Scottsdale. I think Boston is getting a store, too.

Unless I've missed an installation or two, that's the complete list of where your second charger can be utilized. The only likely public additions will be new Tesla stores. Everything else is sub-50 amp or quick charging, with no indications of that changing any time in the next few years at least. If you won't be traveling through those cities, you won't be using your second charger.

As for the cost of an HPC at home, don't forget to count the added installation charges for larger breakers and thicker wires, not to mention possible main panel upgrades.


Now, if you live along a common road trip route and want to host fellow Tesla owners stopping by, well that's the best reason I've yet heard. Whoever does that first should start a sticky thread for people to post their available HPCs and location, assuming they're not just going to list it in the public databases.

The rest of you should stop being fearful and stop rationalizing. Roadster owners, please add your experiences to this thread.

How would you be able to use the charger at the Tesla stores? The one in Oak Brook is in the middle of the mall - no way to get your car to it unless you ran over shoppers

[NigelM]

Does your Thanksgiving travel take you up or down the CA coast or along Hwy 5? Does it take you by any existing or planned or likely Tesla store?




You'd be way better off with 2 UMCs each delivering 40 amps than a single HPC whose cable you'd have to swap in the middle of every night. That would be a nightmare.




BMW is talking about EVs with the typical smallish battery for city dwellers, or with a gas engine to boost performance/range (i3 and i8) - but certainly nothing that can take advantage of more than 10Kw/hour charging.




Why does faster charging on your S enable your daughter to drive the G any sooner? Both charge overnight at 40 amps with 2 chargers.

The thread started life with the aim of reducing charging anxiety, but it's starting to sound like convincing people they shouldn't get twin chargers. Just my 2c worth.

[JakeP]

This has definitely been an eye-opening thread. I will be using this car as a work vehicle, but I have no daily commute. I either work from my home office, or I drive to a nearby city (say, Pittsburgh to Philly, Pittsburgh to Indianapolis, Pittsburgh to Ithaca, NY), often exceeding the range of the 85kWh. While I appreciate the Roadster owners' reassurance that range anxiety is something easily outgrown, with a travel profile like my own, I will definitely be needing mid-trip charging on a more frequent basis than semi-annual roadtrips. I am hoping the Supercharger announcement in September will effectively eliminate this concern, assuming I can Supercharge a couple dozen times a year without destroying the battery.

I am currently having the garage wired for 100A, and installing an HPC. I will probably get the Twin Chargers on the off chance that future stations may support higher amperage, just as a hedge on future capability (+1 to ModelS1079 for the "Who would ever need more than 1GB of RAM?" comment), as this is a car I foresee owning for longer than my usual term, due to the (anticipated) reduced maintenance demands associated with the drivetrain, and the battery swap-out potential. While I fully realize that this is unnecessary at home, and there aren't *currently* any stations where I can really use it, it would be a shame to come across a 70A charger "in the wild" on one of my routes, and not be able to take advantage of a shortened charge time. Perhaps a reasonably likely example of this could be Tesla opening a store in Columbus, OH with an HPC available, but no Supercharger.

In the meantime, I live right at the intersection of I-79 and I-76, a pair of major N-S and E-W thoroughfares, and am the lone pin on the Model S map in this area. If the Supercharger network doesn't eliminate the need for this, I will happily post the availability of my HPC for other Tesla owners passing by, and I hope that other Tesla owners along my travel routes do the same!

[Jaff]

I have an HPC for my Roadster and will be installing the same for the Model S...for me, it's just a matter of convenience...for example, last weekend, I drove home from the cottage (250 kms), was at home for an hour, then left to attend a concert in Toronto...sure I saved "only" a couple of hours by being able to charge at 70 amp, but, this is important to me (not being inconvienenced by additional charge time waiting)...I have also had to have a fast charge to extend range when plans change...using up 50-60% of the battery during the business day, then being offered Blue Jay tickets for the evening and having to leave (essentially) now...I know these times are the exeption to the rule, but as I said before...convenience.

It will also keep my garage looking neater, and will make charging the Model S easier for my wife who is new to EV charging.

Also, as Bonnie previously stated, 70 amp will be available to those fellow EVers to help get them back on the road (so I'm taking one for the team so to speak)

My advice to folks would be if the cost of the connector and installation is onerous, then install a nema 14-50...if cost is not a consideration, then...

[Lloyd]

Where in the US can you charge at more than 10Kw/Hour?

If you live/travel in CA: Salinas, Atascadero, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Goleta, Barstow, Coalinga, Orland, Yreka, Davis, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Fremont, and every Tesla Store, which adds: San Jose, Newport Beach, Santa Monica

San Luis Obispo, Now has 4! My office, Marsh Street Garage, Air quality Management district (next month), My home

[mnx]

I think for me the only reason to get the HPC would be to give a charge to visiting EVers. If that's the case, is it better to put the HPC in my home or contribute to a public charge station elsewhere as others have done? (FWIW, I live fairly close to the highway (~3km) and am a short walk from a few local businesses, including a great Thai restaurant)

[teslasguy]

I discussed the HPC/twin charger issue at length with my config
Specialist. He said that it is easy to add the 2nd charger at a later date. However there will be an installation charge and that price hasn't yet been determined. I'm skipping the HPC and
Second charger and instead installing a
100 amp subpanel in the garage and a 50 amp NEMA 14-50 outlet. That gives
me more options for the future. Maybe a
Second EV and a second 14-50 NEMA outlet?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dsm363]

If you can come up with a usage scenario that requires a HPC, if it makes you feel more comfortable, feel it futureproofs the car or you simply think it looks better get the HPC. It really is more useful on the road than at home for most people. I think what most of the Roadster owners are saying is that don't feel you must get the HPC and twin chargers if you can't think of a scenario where you'd need it.

[bolosky]

I've had my Roadster for 3 years now. I've got a 14-50 in my garage, and I don't think that I've ever wished I'd had more power there. This might be a little less true with an S because it's less efficient so you'll get fewer miles/hour of charging for given power, but I doubt it.

Where high power is really helpful is out on the road. Naturally, nearly all public chargers are 30A, which are all but useless. To add insult to injury, they're also nearly all 208 V as opposed to the 240V you get from residential circuits.

[smorgasbord]

The thread started life with the aim of reducing charging anxiety, but it's starting to sound like convincing people they shouldn't get twin chargers. Just my 2c worth.

My singular purpose remains to help people who have never owned an EV understand the real reasons to get twin chargers and HPCs, and to recognize those reasons that aren't appropriate. Although EVs are still an "early adopter" purchase, Tesla is marketing Model S to "early majority" people, and my view is that some are dealing with this by maxing out on options that may not actually help.

Roadster owners are the best existing real world example we could look to, and so I suggested that they post their >10kW charging uses here so that everyone could learn from their experiences both ways.

For instance, installing an HPC to share with fellow Tesla travelers is a great idea if you live in the right spot. Installing twin chargers if you expect your travels to home and away again are not only closely spaced but the distance comes close to your vehicle's range can also make sense for those few people to which that applies. But, installing a single HPC to charge an expected 2 vehicles, or installing twin chargers "just in case" when there are no public charging stations putting out more than 50 amps in your state maybe aren't such good reasons.

Again, someone with an HPC willing to charge fellow Tesla owners on the road should start a sticky thread with approximate (not exact) location, and suggest contact via PM to schedule. I don't have an HPC and I'm far enough from main roads, or I'd start it. A private Tesla Owner HPC network would be a great thing, and eventually might become a reason to get the twin chargers.