Tesla to open Supercharger network to non-Tesla vehicles

[Engi_Nerd]

Agree that I think Tesla will just add CCS dispensers to a small number of new supercharger installs to claim it's become an "open" network. I think we're years away from this moving the needle for most people.

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[SANZC02]

It will be very interesting to see how much (if any) things get integrated. For instance, on my Model Y I can see how many free stalls are available at a SuperCharger, and on my route it tells me how long to charge, etc. Would be really cool if you can set up a Tesla account and get that kind of info...

The how many are open is not accurate. It helps a little to give an idea but here in SoCal I have never seen it spot on and when you are sitting at one it can take 15 to 20 minutes or more for the number to change when someone plugs in or leaves.

 

[wreighven]

The how many are open is not accurate. It helps a little to give an idea but here in SoCal I have never seen it spot on and when you are sitting at one it can take 15 to 20 minutes or more for the number to change when someone plugs in or leaves.

It's been accurate for me (you have to refresh it on the map though, because it changes).

 

[jjswan33]

You were lucky, It’s not hype. I just took a 1,500 round trip from South Florida to Atlanta over the July 4th weekend. I primarily used EA chargers and it was a nightmare. Every single EA charging station had at least 25% or 30% of their chargers unavailable. On my way up north, I stopped in Orlando, and 2 out of the six chargers were down. On the way back, a few days later, I stopped at the same station and 5 or the 6 chargers were down. I called up EA and was told the chargers could not be reset, and will be unavailable for two weeks for ”upgrades.” This was the July 4th weekend! The connection process was mostly finicky for me, and on two occasions, I got free charging. Florida Power and Light has some charging stations on the Florida Turnpike, but the R1T would not precondition for those. Not sure why. Yes, things will get better, but its pretty dismal right now in my neck of the woods.

But you made it? I don't see that as dismal, if 25-30% of chargers are down then 70-75% are up and available.

I am sure someone will have had a problem and didn't make it at some point as well but I haven't seen that story yet. I see complaints about chargers not as fast as they should be, I've seen reports of the R1T unable to DC fast charge (not a charger issue).

Yes stations go down, in fact one near my in Hermiston OR was down for a while that would have made traveling I84 through OR a challenge with an EV with less range. Only caveat there would be relying on the R1T to tell you where to charge because it doesn't get auto updates on the EA network (that is also a Rivian problem)

 

[SANZC02]

It's been accurate for me (you have to refresh it on the map though, because it changes).

I refresh the map and refresh the app, never seen it spot on. As I said it is a good tool to give a basic idea but I’ve pulled in when it says 4 are open and it is full and pull in when it says full with a few open.

I have free super charging so will use the network frequently enough to know the number at least in Orange County, CA and Coachella Valley is only a best guess.

 

[jjswan33]

EVGo seems to be the better network, when it's available I would use that.

I tried to use one once in CA that the R1T sent me too. Went through the hole process of downloading the app and signing up then the price was >$0.50/kWh with a $2.00 session fee vs $0.31/kWh at EA (with pass plus)

 

[wreighven]

I have free super charging so will use the network frequently enough to know the number at least in Orange County, CA and Coachella Valley is only a best guess.

I had unlimited Supercharging in my X before it got totaled, so I used the SuperCharger network all the time too. The number was always reliable for me (if I refreshed it).

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I tried to use one once in CA that the R1T sent me too. Went through the hole process of downloading the app and signing up then the price was >$0.50/kWh with a $2.00 session fee vs $0.31/kWh at EA (with pass plus)

Ouch. I do know they charge different rates in different areas.

I used one over the weekend and got a quick 50 miles of range added for $2.38. I was extremely happy with the cost. That's less than 1/4 what I would have paid to go the same distance on my ICE vehicle.

 

[ccmun]

But you made it? I don't see that as dismal, if 25-30% of chargers are down then 70-75% are up and available.

I am sure someone will have had a problem and didn't make it at some point as well but I haven't seen that story yet. I see complaints about chargers not as fast as they should be, I've seen reports of the R1T unable to DC fast charge (not a charger issue).

Yes stations go down, in fact one near my in Hermiston OR was down for a while that would have made traveling I84 through OR a challenge with an EV with less range. Only caveat there would be relying on the R1T to tell you where to charge because it doesn't get auto updates on the EA network (that is also a Rivian problem)

Oh. I made it. The R1T is a champ, and a pleasure to drive. But its not fun wondering whether you will be able to get some juice or not at your next stop. At least now I know to use the EA/ABRP apps to map out alternatives in advance, something I never think about while driving the Tesla.

 

[jjswan33]

Oh. I made it. The R1T is a champ, and a pleasure to drive. But its not fun wondering whether you will be able to get some juice or not at your next stop. At least now I know to use the EA/ABRP apps to map out alternatives in advance, something I never think about while driving the Tesla.

Yeah I agree with that for sure. I currently don't trust the Rivian nav software has accurate charger information, or map information really but that is a different topic.

 

[Dark-Fx]

EVGo seems to be the better network, when it's available I would use that.

I've had more issues with EVGo

 

[bowhunter]

Yes stations go down, in fact one near my in Hermiston OR was down for a while that would have made traveling I84 through OR a challenge with an EV with less range. Only caveat there would be relying on the R1T to tell you where to charge because it doesn't get auto updates on the EA network (that is also a Rivian problem)

I forgot to check PlugShare and was surprised by the Hermiston EA outage when I was out that way last month. Thankfully I had enough range to get to a 50 kW charger in the Tri-Cities. Also, Ritzville still only had one fully functional CCS unit (150 kW) which was the same situation when I was there about a month and a half before that. I am definitely looking forward to a more reliable infrastructure with more redundancy.

 

[Scoiatael]

This is still a long ways away. Tesla will start producing the new chargers later this year, that will likely have a longer cord and ccs plug. Who knows when they'll actually start deploying them. I still trust Tesla more than EA for pushing out chargers fast though. Even if the supercharger costs more, it'll be a lot more reliable.

 

[NY_Rob]

So don’t believe all the hype, non Tesla charging infrastructure is fine where it exists and only going to get better.

Fine? Really??

1 in 5 DCFCs functional over July 4th weekend
https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/1-in-5-dcfcs-functional-over-july-4th-weekend.44523/

 

[jjswan33]

Fine? Really??

1 in 5 DCFCs functional over July 4th weekend
https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/1-in-5-dcfcs-functional-over-july-4th-weekend.44523/

Haha…. So one anecdotal report on a bolt forum about two charging station in Cali is representative of the overall CCS charging picture in the US? I don’t really see this as a sound counter point.

Have you taken a cross country EV road trip? I have without charging station issues. Also read multiple trip reports on this forum that were without issue. Just like anything else negative reports get amplified.

If you believe they hype I definitely would not by a Rivian or other CCS vehicle if you want to road trip it.

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