Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's ridiculous. You are reaching in a feeble attempt to win an argument supporting a senselessly complex solution. OK. I'll play your game. Charging depot: Docking station that the car aligns with and drives up against or onto. Contacts come up, down, in out of either the car or the docking station. It can be as simple as a very inexpensive device on the ground and a compliant wall (to allow for accidents) with al…
> Docking station that the car aligns with and drives up against or onto. Contacts come up, down, in out of either the car or the docking station. Contacts like the ones on the end of Musk's proposed robot arm, perhaps. > Put simply. I, and I would guess this is true for most people, have exactly zero interest in my auto-drive car returning home, opening the garage and driving in to charge. Why? Well, more than one r…
This is where, again, the humble charge cord wins again: It is far easier to agree on a common connector than to design a docking system that will work with all cars for the next 50 years. In many ways this is not unlike all cars using a refueling port that is compatible with the nozzles at all gas stations.
With a common charge cord and connector design one could imagine a future where malls intall charge stations in a selected number of charging parking spots, even as profit centers. Companies could provide similar benefits to their employees either for free or paid.
Thinking through this argument makes me conclude that electric cars might not truly mature until charging mechanisms are standardize to the extent that they are compatible with any electric car or truck produced.
Tesla can do whatever they want, of course, yet the fact remains that if I buy a BMW and my wife a Tesla we will have two completely different charging systems to contend with rather than one. This, I think, will be an important consideration as the electric car evolves.