Any forum members have extensive experience using Electrify America?

[ajdelange]

lol, I know right? It was interesting watching him drive around in Korea and see how some areas look a little....run down, and then he ends up at this futuristic charging facility.

Yes, Seoul, the only part I've been in, is a funny town.

I do like the drop down charger idea though. That avoids a whole bunch of annoying issues with those big ass cables.

Now that part is cool.

Sponsored

 

[McRat]

Here is a resource that will shed some light on the CCS network in the US/Canada:
https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/elect...el=ELEC&ev_levels=dc_fast&ev_connectors=TESLA
https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/elect...EC&ev_levels=dc_fast&ev_connectors=J1772COMBO

There are 1,136 Supercharger locations.
There are 4,390 CCS locations.

In Jan 2019, SC stations outnumbered CCS.

 

[Gshenderson]

Here is a resource that will shed some light on the CCS network in the US/Canada:
https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/elect...el=ELEC&ev_levels=dc_fast&ev_connectors=TESLA
https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/elect...EC&ev_levels=dc_fast&ev_connectors=J1772COMBO

There are 1,136 Supercharger locations.
There are 4,390 CCS locations.

In Jan 2019, SC stations outnumbered CCS.

Number of actual chargers is interesting. Tesla 11,058, CCS 8,068. The number seems high for Tesla since majority of stations I see are 8 chargers and that data would indicate an average of 10. CCS seems about right or slightly low since most location have at least 2, but I have seen quite a few with just 1.

So from this data I would presume that as more and more non-Tesla’s models hit the road in the coming months, you may experience even more waits at those non-Tesla CCS chargers as the additional buildout will likely lag the demand.

 

[DucRider]

Number of actual chargers is interesting. Tesla 11,058, CCS 8,068. The number seems high for Tesla since majority of stations I see are 8 chargers and that data would indicate an average of 10. CCS seems about right or slightly low since most location have at least 2, but I have seen quite a few with just 1.

So from this data I would presume that as more and more non-Tesla’s models hit the road in the coming months, you may experience even more waits at those non-Tesla CCS chargers as the additional buildout will likely lag the demand.

80% of all EVs sold in the US in 2020 were Teslas (similar to but up a bit up from previous years), so it will take a while for other brands to reach the same vehicle/charger ratio.
Since DCFC is primarily meant for road trips, so the short range CCS vehicles on the market are not likely to put much pressure on the EA network.
Designing the network for peak demand (holiday travel on major corridors) will be challenging for all EV charging providers. Tesla has already instituted what amounts to a TOU model in select areas and we may see more of that in the future.

 

[azbill]

Number of actual chargers is interesting. Tesla 11,058, CCS 8,068. The number seems high for Tesla since majority of stations I see are 8 chargers and that data would indicate an average of 10. CCS seems about right or slightly low since most location have at least 2, but I have seen quite a few with just 1.

So from this data I would presume that as more and more non-Tesla’s models hit the road in the coming months, you may experience even more waits at those non-Tesla CCS chargers as the additional buildout will likely lag the demand.

The question remaining about the CCS is how many are greater than 50KW, I bet the number is less than 50%.

EA has 612 sites and 2638 CCS. All of those are at least 150KW. Many of the older EVGO and Charge Point stations are 50-62.5KW, or less.

I wonder if that Tesla total count included destination chargers. Maybe?

 

[McRat]

...

I wonder if that Tesla total count included destination chargers. Maybe?

If Destination chargers are to be considered, you need to add J1772 L2 AC locations.
Roughly 45k SAE AC/DC locations vs 6k Tesla AC/DC locations.

BUT! Tesla does have the advantage since it can accept CHAdeMO and J1772 AC.

The biggest takeaway is that CCS is not like it was 2 years ago. It is growing much faster than SC sites even though Teslas greatly outnumber CCS cars.

 

[Dirtman16]

Number of actual chargers is interesting. Tesla 11,058, CCS 8,068. The number seems high for Tesla since majority of stations I see are 8 chargers and that data would indicate an average of 10. CCS seems about right or slightly low since most location have at least 2, but I have seen quite a few with just 1.

Tesla's average is probably about right. Most of their rural or smaller metro stations are 8 stall, but they also have some absolutely massive stations that skew the average. Kettleman City, CA, for instance, has 40 stalls at one location. FORTY!!!

 

[Gshenderson]

I wonder if that Tesla total count included destination chargers. Maybe?

It was filtered on DC chargers only.

 

[opnwide]

I’m not an EV owner yet, but this video from Shmee on YouTube trying to charge his Porsche Taycan in the UK, living in a building with no charging, certainly gives one pause, as I thought Europe was doing better than the US with charger infrastructure...

 

[Autolycus]

I’m not an EV owner yet, but this video from Shmee on YouTube trying to charge his Porsche Taycan in the UK, living in a building with no charging, certainly gives one pause, as I thought Europe was doing better than the US with charger infrastructure...

In many contexts, UK <> “Europe”. And in general, try to keep in mind that Europe is not a uniform monolith. Some countries and even regions within a single country will vary significant amounts in all aspects of life and economics, including EV adoption and infrastructure.

 

[McRat]

I’m not an EV owner yet, but this video from Shmee on YouTube trying to charge his Porsche Taycan in the UK, living in a building with no charging, certainly gives one pause, as I thought Europe was doing better than the US with charger infrastructure...

If I could not charge my EVs at home or work, I'd have stuck with gas/diesel choices.
Part of the allure of an EV is waking up each morning to a 'full tank'.

 

[Lil'O Annie]

I prefer EA charging on long trips. They are usually faster and located in good places to spend some time while charging.
I made a 2500mi. round-trip, E. Washington to LA Calif., in my 2019 Bolt in Oct. 2019. It was a pretty nice experience. Used mostly EA and ChargePoint chargers. Long-distance driving in an EV definitely takes more time and planning than ICE, but I find the experience is more pleasant. The greater number of breaks between continuous driving is refreshing and by the time I get to my destination I'm not totally drained like I had been in ICE cars. I'm sure for that reason too it's safer, due to less driver fatigue.
To the new-to-EV's folks on this forum, get ready for a very different driving/re-juicing experience with EV's. It takes a little getting use to, and range-anxiety is a real thing, but I'm sure before there was a gas station on every corner, ICE drivers had range-anxiety, too. It will get better over time. It will become second nature to stop and charge, or plug in at home/work, whenever you park your EV. It's been a little change in lifestyle that hasn't been difficult for me.
Driving an EV is worth every little inconvenience...they are just better in so many ways. I've been driving an EV for over 4+ years now and will never buy another ICE vehicle. Also have a 2015 Polaris RangerEV UTV on the farm that is so easy to maintain, nice to drive and safer out in the dry fields...you gotta love it.

 

[ajdelange]

If I could not charge my EVs at home or work, I'd have stuck with gas/diesel choices.
Part of the allure of an EV is waking up each morning to a 'full tank'.

There are solutions for people who can't charge at home (e.g. a sympathetic employer who installs chargers at the work place) but I have to agree that being able to charge at home is near the top of the list of things I love most about BEV. Part of the appeal is that I have, as many BEV owners wind up doing, installed solar panels so that the juice is free and I can claim that my car is fusion powered.

 

[opnwide]

If I could not charge my EVs at home or work, I'd have stuck with gas/diesel choices.
Part of the allure of an EV is waking up each morning to a 'full tank'.

I agree I would have stuck with a gas also living in a high rise with no charging etc, but in his video I was amazed at not only how many chargers didn’t work and the line to charge at the 50% that did, but also the errors Porsche and the chargers threw at multiple chargers after only getting a 1-2% top off. This has to change dramatically to see any meaningful adoption of EV.

 

[ajdelange]

This has to change dramatically to see any meaningful adoption of EV.

You have doubtless known about this for quite a while now. Have you cancelled your order? I haven't and I doubt many people here have either. But we are the early adopters (even though BEV have been out there for 10 yr) and that's because we are enthusiastic. But the situation will have to change if the general public is to adopt BEV. They will not put up with the kind of nonsense he did either with respect to the problems with the chargers nor their unavailability where he lives.

Here in the US the situation with reliability still isn't good. Look at reports on PlugShare. They are better than they were but still a way to go. Tesla is, of course, the exception to this. It is, at the very least, a model for the others to reach for.

Sponsored