The state of the CCS charging network in USA is disappointing

[fastwheels]

Completely agree.

Anyone whose done more than just driving around town knows what we're talking about.

The honeymoon period wears off quick.

Everyone has different experiences, but since I got my R1T in March I have put 8200 miles on it, and it has not just been 'around town' (Traverse City). I was not able to get my Rivian charger installed for over a month after delivery (hardware shipped 2 weeks late, and then to the wrong address initially so I lost my electrician appointment) so I was charging at the local Blink chargers - one of which is a couple of blocks away from my house. My son has also charged his Bolt at Blink stations here several times over the Summer - neither of us ever had issues with them.

Granted we do not have a good DCFC station here - a couple of 50-62 kW locations is it, but on my numerous trips down to Ann Arbor in the Spring and Summer I would just top off at EA in Cadillac (350 kW) on the way back and I was set. Anyone coming up from SE MI should do just that, and then using the low-speed chargers around TC is not a big issue. You can get 350kW at EA in Gaylord if going farther North.

I've been all over northern MI, down to SE MI at least 7 times and once to Indianapolis and have not had any issues charging - mostly at EA, although their locations in Lansing and Ypsilanti need work.

yes - we need more DCFC locations (especially with pull-through for trailering) but it is certainly not the reason to put off buying a BEV at this point. A little bit of advance planning and research and road trips are not an issue - at least from my experience.

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[emoore]

On multiple trips now I have seen California adding charging to existing rest areas. This is the solution to me. Even if it is solar powered level 2 it would allow people to have a saving grace between level 3 stations. The infrastructure already exists with parking lots, vending machines, picnic tables, restrooms, and trailer friendly spaces.

I really wish the rest stops would make it a priority to put in DCFC or at least L2 chargers. It's a perfect location and as you said already has facilities like power.

 

[Davethadog]

Nobody makes money on selling gas either. The margin is maybe like 2% which is not even enough to properly cash flow a low-margin business. Charging stations to date for the most part have been unimaginative.

 

[rhumbliner]

I’m fortunate that most of my driving with my R1T is local and I usually charge overnight at home. I knew this going into my purchase so I’ve kept my RAM 1500 for long trips (I tow an Airstream) but I’d love to use my R1T for that purpose. Unfortunately that won’t happen until Tesla (hopefully) opens up their network to non-Tesla vehicles. I’m on the pre-order list for the R1S but when the time comes I’ll cancel the order if I can’t use the Tesla SuperCharger network.

 

[jaydee]

I got to test out the EA network and the Barstow RAN chargers on a recent trip from the Bay Area to Utah and back. Some random lessons & thoughts:

- EA chargers are hit or miss (more miss this hit). Read Plugshare reviews to try and target ones that have recent good reviews.

- Example: EA Lost Hills on I-5 in the central valley had one charger outputting ~65kw, another just 7kw. The last two were dead. We were lucky to arrive with all empty and happened upon the 65kw one on the third try. We watched 6 other EV drivers arrive, confirmed their problems and debated who would best get the 65kw charger once we left.

- OTOH: The Las Vegas Outlet chargers are all new single-headed 350kW and working. A popular spot, but with 6 working at full power, we only saw one EV driver wait for a few minutes

- The RAN chargers worked OK: 200kW on our 1st charge, but when heading home we found three were dead (not sure if they were on the 1st charge). Also combined with a gaggle of Rivian employees returning to the Bay Area from an offsite at Zion - we had to wait for one of the working three to free up. When we plugged in, we only got 100kW. I suspect (but don't know) the RANs are shared power - as when one of the other employee Rivians unplugged, we jumped to 150kW.

- Our worst experience was at the EA station in Washington (St. George), UT. We arrived as an R1T full of those employees were starting a charge. They then walked off for breakfast, while we tried the three other chargers. 2 were dead, one was outputting ~14kw. So we trickled our battery up while debating whether to move to a 60kW chargepoint down the road - or wait to get enough change to get to the Mesquite EA station (which also had bad plugshare reviews). Their R1T then stopped charging at 85% with no sight of them (hello, charging etiquette?) We took a picture of the screen showing charging stopped, parked funny to get the cable to reach, then unplugged them. They were understanding, and we then got a good charge rate to fill up for the leg to Vegas. Over an hour experience.

- One 'win' for us was that on the way home and charging at the Barstow RAN, the navigation system wanted us to stop at the bad Lost Hills station again. We assumed all these employee Rivians would be heading there, so we stopped short and filled up in Bakersfield. That then let us skip a fill-up at Harris Ranch - where we heard from a Mach-E driver at Panoche was filled with Rivian employee trucks w/ several waiting.

So I keep telling people that a key part of the 'Adventure' of owning an R1T is this charging. Just do the research, be flexible, and go with the flow when you do encounter issues.

 

[2025R1S]

For us, there is no other option.

Lot of people bring a coastal perspective to this forum. It isn't bad, but people live in more places than Seattle, LA, Denver and NYC. The charging experience outside of these very wealthy areas sucks.

While it's good to have more chargers, the thought of going to a dealership for anything let alone charging makes me want to puke. It would have to be the last resort for me to stop there.

 

[2025R1S]

How would you do a trip to Munising and Houghton? I am very familiar with the EA Cadillac station and the Blink network in TC.

Everyone has different experiences, but since I got my R1T in March I have put 8200 miles on it, and it has not just been 'around town' (Traverse City). I was not able to get my Rivian charger installed for over a month after delivery (hardware shipped 2 weeks late, and then to the wrong address initially so I lost my electrician appointment) so I was charging at the local Blink chargers - one of which is a couple of blocks away from my house. My son has also charged his Bolt at Blink stations here several times over the Summer - neither of us ever had issues with them.

Granted we do not have a good DCFC station here - a couple of 50-62 kW locations is it, but on my numerous trips down to Ann Arbor in the Spring and Summer I would just top off at EA in Cadillac (350 kW) on the way back and I was set. Anyone coming up from SE MI should do just that, and then using the low-speed chargers around TC is not a big issue. You can get 350kW at EA in Gaylord if going farther North.

I've been all over northern MI, down to SE MI at least 7 times and once to Indianapolis and have not had any issues charging - mostly at EA, although their locations in Lansing and Ypsilanti need work.

yes - we need more DCFC locations (especially with pull-through for trailering) but it is certainly not the reason to put off buying a BEV at this point. A little bit of advance planning and research and road trips are not an issue - at least from my experience.

 

[emoore]

For us, there is no other option.

Lot of people bring a coastal perspective to this forum. It isn't bad, but people live in more places than Seattle, LA, Denver and NYC. The charging experience outside of these very wealthy areas sucks.

Yeah I agree. The more chargers the better. And I’m pretty sure Denver isn’t a costal city

 

[2025R1S]

Denver is full of transplants from the coasts, thus the high cost of living, wealth, and coastal perspectives.

The problem is the Midwest and the great plains.

These areas don't have DCFC infrastructure equivalent to other areas of the country. Not uncommon to see more Tesla Supercharger outlets in one county than there DCFC outlets in the entire state.

The few options that do exist are nothing a family wants can really rely on.

Yeah I agree. The more chargers the better. And I’m pretty sure Denver isn’t a costal city

 

[fastwheels]

How would you do a trip to Munising and Houghton? I am very familiar with the EA Cadillac station and the Blink network in TC.

I've not been over the bridge yet, but from what I see on ChargeHub it's shaky in the UP - especially where you want to go. As soon as Rivian gets that planned RAN site running in Marquette I'll be up there!
EA has a good (350kW) station in Gaylord that I have used a couple of times (eat at Lucky's if you charge there), and a friend had a good experience (charging - not gambling) at the casino in Mackinaw City. You can make it to Munising, and Houghton (if you're careful) from there, but then you're stuck with low power L2 sites. If you're camping most state parks have 240v RV connections that might give you a fair amount of range overnight.

The folks that run motels in the UP and Canada are super accommodating and may allow you to plug into their 240 plugs if you have an extension. On one motorcycle trip I did around Superior the motel owner in Copper Harbor offered to let us park our bikes in his garage overnight because it was raining.

Another option is to take the southern route and hit the Shell Recharge 100kW charger in Escanaba (but only one plug) before you head up to Munising, or on your way back to the bridge.

It might be worth making calls to the Marquette and Houghton Visitors Centers to see if they can provide any options. They have a SuperCharger station in Marquette so hopefully are somewhat familiar with EV users and charging questions. With Michigan Tech in Houghton, I'm surprised that there are not at least a couple of decent CCS charging options areound there.

Hopefully a few of the many 'planned' sites up there will be operational s00n!

 

[2025R1S]

Charger in Houghton has been WIP for months with no progress. Even when it's open, user on Plugshare posted pictures of the parking deck weight limit - Won't be able to charge there unless I bring the Tesla. The Odawa casino before Mackinaw is unreliable, expensive, and slow.

You are spot on tho, if you can make it there, making it back is only possible by taking longer routes or using slow chargers.

More vaporware in Marquette that's been promised, but no progress.

Oddly enough, Rivian has some free L2 chargers up there, but....that's not a workable solution with the kids in the car.

This winter, the Rivian will have to sit in the garage. At least until reliability and number of locations increase. But with weight limits restricting me, who knows when a CCS charger will open up (that I can use).

I've not been over the bridge yet, but from what I see on ChargeHub it's shaky in the UP - especially where you want to go. As soon as Rivian gets that planned RAN site running in Marquette I'll be up there!
EA has a good (350kW) station in Gaylord that I have used a couple of times (eat at Lucky's if you charge there), and a friend had a good experience (charging - not gambling) at the casino in Mackinaw City. You can make it to Munising, and Houghton (if you're careful) from there, but then you're stuck with low power L2 sites. If you're camping most state parks have 240v RV connections that might give you a fair amount of range overnight.

The folks that run motels in the UP and Canada are super accommodating and may allow you to plug into their 240 plugs if you have an extension. On one motorcycle trip I did around Superior the motel owner in Copper Harbor offered to let us park our bikes in his garage overnight because it was raining.

Another option is to take the southern route and hit the Shell Recharge 100kW charger in Escanaba (but only one plug) before you head up to Munising, or on your way back to the bridge.

It might be worth making calls to the Marquette and Houghton Visitors Centers to see if they can provide any options. They have a SuperCharger station in Marquette so hopefully are somewhat familiar with EV users and charging questions. With Michigan Tech in Houghton, I'm surprised that there are not at least a couple of decent CCS charging options areound there.

Hopefully a few of the many 'planned' sites up there will be operational s00n!

 

[Dark-Fx]

I’m fortunate that most of my driving with my R1T is local and I usually charge overnight at home. I knew this going into my purchase so I’ve kept my RAM 1500 for long trips (I tow an Airstream) but I’d love to use my R1T for that purpose. Unfortunately that won’t happen until Tesla (hopefully) opens up their network to non-Tesla vehicles. I’m on the pre-order list for the R1S but when the time comes I’ll cancel the order if I can’t use the Tesla SuperCharger network.

RAN stations are planned distance wise and amenity wise so you'll be able to travel while towing a trailer. Most supercharging stations won't support pulling a trailer without disconnecting or blocking an aisle way.

 

[Count Orlok]

Nobody makes money on selling gas either.

Exxon does.

 

[rhumbliner]

Most supercharging stations won't support pulling a trailer without disconnecting or blocking an aisle way.

True, but I don’t mind dropping the trailer somewhere nearby in order to charge the truck. I’d much prefer a pull-thru charging station — and Tesla has a few — but I can live with current state of the Tesla network.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Drove from TC to home today in my Polestar. Left the campsite with 68% charge. No issues using the EA station in Cadillac and again at Bay City. Might have been able to completely skip the second stop in the Rivian, not sure. The Polestar's efficiency with the tent on the roof is probably slightly worse than the Rivian with the tent over the bed, and the battery is >40% smaller. It was super windy today in a bad way though.

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