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I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

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Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#91
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

99% of the charging is at home anyway. People fixate too much on the public charge options (unless you are driving hundreds of miles a day, in which case the public chargers brands are probably the least of your worries).

Not 99% unless you never road trip at all. My fairly typical family Model Y with 30k miles has done 80% of its charging in our garage, per TeslaMate.

Fair point, I guess I meant "99% of the time", not 99% by energy or miles. I.e., I plug in whenever I'm at home and I only use a tesla charger maybe once a month (but that charge session consumes way more power than the average session because I'm putting more miles in).

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#92
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can charge Teslas at other charging stations. It’s just that other chargers are inconvenient and unreliable. You usually need an adapter. You have to pull out a credit card and maybe install an app on your phone. With the Tesla chargers you just plug in and everything’s billed automatically. Also Tesla’s navigation automatically adds charging stops for superchargers. You don’t have to do much thinking. Just drive…

I cannot imagine having to install an app just to use a car charger. What a nuisance!

I have a Tesla here in Australia, and have 3-4 charging apps and 2 RFID(!) cards -- it does feel like a backwards step. There are gaps in the Tesla supercharger network in parts here which mean you have to rely on the other networks for some long distance trips.

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is that you can use the well-maintained Tesla brand chargers with more cars.

What happens to those well-maintained chargers when more/all cars start using the Tesla standard for charging?

Tesla makes money and has made most EVs out there. I doubt the remaining customer base is large enough for the other companies to make a profit.

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#96
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess, downvoted because you dared share an anecdote about how vulnerable EVs are in certain circumstances? It seems like people will have to relearn the hard way just why gasoline is probably the best energy storage medium ever invented.

You might have missed the first paragraph where they mentioned the gas shortages. We were in south Florida at the same time, and there were three distinct groups: people driving gas guzzling SUVs and trucks who were waiting in line for 4+ hours at the handful of stations which had any gas (some of the stations put up signs when they were out, but many did not hoping you’d buy something else since you were there), peo…

> The Florida fuel shortage was caused by flooding which is becoming more common

Is it? I am in Florida now for almost 45 years and flooding like that is neither common, nor happening with more frequency.

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#97
post #23

A few months back I had to go to Palm Beach for work. It was right when Miami was flooding. That's over two hours away. But, the Port Everglades, which is where the tankers unload, was flooded too, and even up in Palm Beach there was no gas. I drove in there with low fuel, thinking it wouldn't be an issue since I was so far north. But, then couldn't find gas at all the next day, and driving around and seeing tons of…

> But, with electric, you are not only looking for a working charger, but one that isn't in use.

Or like, a 120v plug anywhere at someone who has electricity? That's a lot more ubiquitous than a gas station.

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#98
post #23

A few months back I had to go to Palm Beach for work. It was right when Miami was flooding. That's over two hours away. But, the Port Everglades, which is where the tankers unload, was flooded too, and even up in Palm Beach there was no gas. I drove in there with low fuel, thinking it wouldn't be an issue since I was so far north. But, then couldn't find gas at all the next day, and driving around and seeing tons of…

I guess, downvoted because you dared share an anecdote about how vulnerable EVs are in certain circumstances? It seems like people will have to relearn the hard way just why gasoline is probably the best energy storage medium ever invented.

Gasoline would suck just as bad without an extensive distribution network.

This isn’t a technology problem. It’s a horse before the feed lot problem.

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