500 miles in 24 hours.

[tomsax]

In Washington and Oregon, we've been chipping away at this problem by donating HPCs to create strategically-placed 70A charging stations. It only took three stations to enable the full length of I-5 and I-90 in Washington, about 300 miles each, with 70A charging, plus a few more to power up I-5 through Oregon. We're working on adding one more where I-82 and I-84 intersect to open up another big area for convenient travel.

We've used referral HPCs as a source for stations, plus a couple that Tesla donated directly. With the latest price drop, for $2250 you can buy a Clipper Creek CS-100, a J1772 station in the same outdoor-rated enclosure as an HPC that can supply up to 75A (although the Roadster currently can't cope with that, so the CS-100 has to be set to 70A to work; we need to get Tesla to fix that).

Demand for these full-speed Level 2 stations should skyrocket when the Model S comes out, creating a larger user base from which to fund donated stations. They are a lot cheaper than DC Quick Charge stations, and MUCH easier to find willing host sites, that groups of owners can solve this problem on a budget.

Be sure to take full advantage of Tesla's referral program, which I believe also applies to Model S purchases. If you decide to buy a Roadster or a Model S, and this forum has been helpful to you in making that decision, give referral credit to a forum member who would be willing to use the free HPC to expand our charging network.

 

[vfx]

The company Aero environment did a 1000 miles in 24 hours back in the 90's.

You could try this.

WHO:
Contour Hardening, Inc (CHI), manufacturer of the Real Power Mobile Level 3 Quick Charge EV Rescue Vehicle

WHAT:
The inaugural EV500 where an all-electric production vehicle will travel a distance of 500 miles…in one day!

WHERE:
Where else? The famed oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (4790 W. 16th Street, Indianapolis, IN. 46222)

WHEN:
Thursday, October 13th, 2011. The green flag drops at 9am EST.

WHY:
To demonstrate that EV technology available TODAY can greatly reduce “range anxiety” and position electric vehicles as a viable means of transportation.

To attend this electrifying event, please register by replying to this email or contacting Real Power at 877.670.7325 or sending us a note at[email protected]

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

The company Aero environment did a 1000 miles in 24 hours back in the 90's.

you'll soon be able to do the ~900 mile trip from one end of the UK to the other in 30 hours thanks to the HPC network. I suspect that's about the limit for the Roadster given it's current charging technology. Not sure how much faster the Model S can do the trip unless someone builds a Tesla compatible fast charge network.

 

[dpeilow]

I believe Mitsubishi did over 2000 km in the 90s with an FTO EV.

http://www.electrifyingtimes.com/mitsubishirecord.html

 

[dpeilow]

Not sure how much faster the Model S can do the trip unless someone builds a Tesla compatible fast charge network.

It would be circa 18 hours with stops needed at Dalmahoy and The Moat House.

Directions to Land's End, Sennen, UK - Google Maps

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

It would be circa 18 hours with stops needed at Dalmahoy and The Moat House.

how long if they used HPC's at those sites?

 

[dpeilow]

how long if they used HPC's at those sites?

28 hours

 

[Lloyd]

Demand for these full-speed Level 2 stations should skyrocket when the Model S comes out, creating a larger user base from which to fund donated stations. They are a lot cheaper than DC Quick Charge stations, and MUCH easier to find willing host sites, that groups of owners can solve this problem on a budget.
.

Tom,

I applaud your ability to get higher power EVSE's installed in your area, but a disagree with your predictions with demand for Level 2 higher power stations with the release of the model S. With the standard relase of the onboard charger being 10KW, the Model S would be able to use only about 40 of the available 75 amps. With the option of the 2nd onboard 10KW charger it would be able to use it all but I'm not convinced that everyone will order this option with the penalty of cost (tbd) and weight of 30 additional pounds. I am afraid that "pay for use" DC charging will be more prevalent than Level 2 EVSE's.

I wonder if the 2nd 10KW charger can be added later easily if the owner finds the need for it?

 

[dmckinstry]

In Washington and Oregon, we've been chipping away at this problem by donating HPCs to create strategically-placed 70A charging stations. It only took three stations to enable the full length of I-5 and I-90 in Washington, about 300 miles each, with 70A charging, plus a few more to power up I-5 through Oregon. We're working on adding one more where I-82 and I-84 intersect to open up another big area for convenient travel.

First of all Tom, I want to thank you for getting that charger installed in Ellensburg. I live near Spokane, and a one hour stop in Ellensburg should guarantee I can make it between Cheney and Seattle. Also I'm glad to hear you're working on getting a station at the intersection of I-82 and I-84. If I want to head south, it's a lot more convenient to take I-84 to Portland than going the extra distance through Seattle.

I don't have Roadster, but I'm sure hoping to convince my wife to let me get a Model S. I don't know if I can afford more than the 160 mile pack, but I really want the 300 mile one.

 

[Slackjaw]

Clipper Creek works now, or not?

I drove from northern CA (Loomis) to Orange County, approx 550 miles (not counting the side trips along the way) and had a perfectly uneventful charging experience. I spent one night on the road, charged up a couple of times on day 1 and day 2....

Hi Bonnie (or anyone else), we're planning a trip from NJ to Maine on Sunday/Monday and the smart place to stop for us has a Clipper Creek charger. I'm now wondering if this will work without a Clipper Creek engineer to adjust the current. Did you hit any Clipper Creek non-HPC stations and charge on your trip?

Thanks in advance. - Ian

 

[tomsax]

The last I heard on this, just a week or so ago, no Roadster is compatible with a Clipper Creek unit with the pilot signal set at 75A. Please let Tesla know you want this Roadster bug fixed right away.

 

[bonnie]

Hi Bonnie (or anyone else), we're planning a trip from NJ to Maine on Sunday/Monday and the smart place to stop for us has a Clipper Creek charger. I'm now wondering if this will work without a Clipper Creek engineer to adjust the current. Did you hit any Clipper Creek non-HPC stations and charge on your trip?

Thanks in advance. - Ian

Hey Ian ... most of the Clipper Creek chargers are set at 70 amp or lower (most along between Sacramento and San Francisco are 30 amp - boo). They just happened to have the one at their offices set at 75amp (which in hindsight, is fortunate - it uncovered this issue). If it is 75amp, you won't be able to charge and you won't be able to reset it yourself.

The problem is not yet fixed. I have emails from Tesla saying it's on the list, but I would agree with the post I just saw from TomSax saying we need people to urge Tesla to get this fixed. I don't think it's high on the priority list.

Regarding non-Clipper Creek chargers ... yes, I've charged at multiple Coloumb charging stations (http://www.mychargepoint.net/find-stations.php) without incident. But for those, you should register and get a small swipe card. It's worth it - you can then access the charger over your iPhone and see charging status. I think you can also swipe your credit card to unlock, but not sure.

Those are the only types of chargers I've encountered in the wild.

 

[Slackjaw]

Thanks Bonnie and Tom. I sent a picture of this charger to Clipper Creek after speaking to them on the phone, and they confirmed that it is a 30A line based upon the thickness of the cable. I suppose I should consider myself lucky it's not a 70A line. Will at Clipper Creek was very responsive and helpful:

Hello Ian,

Yes, you should be able to charge at this site without any issues. I
can tell this unit has the 30 Amp cable, it will take a while to charge
your Tesla, but it will charge.

--
Will Barrett
Technical Customer Specialist
ClipperCreek Inc.
Phone 530-887-1674 ex.303
Fax 530-887-8527

Luckily we are planning an overnight stay so the 30A thing won't be a huge issue. I am cobbling together a locking system for the J1772 cable, partly because we won't be anywhere near the car; we're staying at a different hotel owned by the same corporation. If you think planning a trip around EV chargers is convoluted, try planning it around EV chargers in locations with pet-friendly accommodation...

 

[bonnie]

Have fun on the roadtrip - report back!

 

[Slackjaw]

Have fun on the roadtrip - report back!

Well, plenty of twists and turns already. Lovely drive up here. Tenafly NJ [214 ideal miles remaining in Std Mode] -> Hadley MA [41 ideal miles remaining]. After squeezing into a partially ICEd EV spot, we were optimistic. But the Clipper Creek charger at the Courtyard Marriott Hadley requires an 8-digit code. The concierge had a number but it's not the right number. They called maintenance and confirmed the number they have. We tried many combinations (transposed numbers, etc.) but couldn't get the car to charge. It is Sunday night on Columbus Day weekend, so nobody at Clipper Creek will be able to help us even if they have a backdoor code they could give out.

Our "plan B" was to park up at a local campground and use their 50A line, but by the time we got to the Clipper Creek charger all the spots at the campground were taken. So we've backed the car up near the swimming pool, sort of diagonally across the grass (looks great!), and it's charging from the 110 line. We'll take what we can get. Then tomorrow the idea is to call the campgrounds on our list and drive to the first one with an open 50A line. Here's hoping.

 

[bonnie]

sorry, Ian ... hope tomorrow goes smoothly.

 

[tomsax]

After squeezing into a partially ICEd EV spot, we were optimistic. But the Clipper Creek charger at the Courtyard Marriott Hadley requires an 8-digit code. The concierge had a number but it's not the right number.

Lame! Someone paid a lot of money to put that unit in, then made it useless with a code that no one knows. What's the value of a charging station that can't be used? If they were worried about the cost of electricity, how about the cost of putting in a charging station that's worse than no charging station at all?

I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience. Hopefully your story will prompt them to fix the unknown code problem for the next time someone counts on using it.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

Lame! Someone paid a lot of money to put that unit in, then made it useless with a code that no one knows. What's the value of a charging station that can't be used? If they were worried about the cost of electricity, how about the cost of putting in a charging station that's worse than no charging station at all?

We have a lot of similar horror stories in the UK....

Many sites have active management that can provide security and prevent abuse of the Charging Station. Therefore we should encourage the owners of these sites to make the system available 24/7/365 with no access control systems (locks, RFID, codes, etc.) to prevent the possibility of EV drivers arriving and being unable to charge. Obviously, open access will not work for all sites but for many it works just fine (including the 1000+ ZCW sites being installed in the UK)...

 

[vfx]

... But the Clipper Creek charger at the Courtyard Marriott Hadley requires an 8-digit code. The concierge had a number but it's not the right number. They called maintenance and confirmed the number they have. We tried many combinations (transposed numbers, etc.) but couldn't get the car to charge. ....

What does this look like?

 

[VolkerP]

it's charging from the 110 line. We'll take what we can get.

My sympathy. I'll send you a few kWh in the attached 240V zip file!

server error: attachment 240V.ZIP deleted, incompatible 3 phase format detected.