Am I crazy? No Home/Work Charger

[bmah]

Too much fast DC charging will result in reduced charging speeds forever.

I highly recommend pursuing a charging option at home or work. It will be more convenient and better long-term for your car.

The limits on charging speeds after a lot of DC charging were a principally an issue for the 90 kWh packs on the Model S (Model X too?) due to their battery chemistry. I've used Superchargers dozens of times on my S85D with no ill effects...many owners have done more.

I absolutely agree with you on the convenience factor however. Just a few minutes ago my wife needed to run an errand that's about a 50 mile round trip. She borrowed my Tesla because she didn't have enough gas in her ICE car. It's hard to beat starting your day, knowing you have a full (or whatever fraction of capacity you want) battery.

Bruce.

 

[azred]

An EV without a fast charger at home makes no sense to me but this is an "enthusiasts" forum so you surely knew the answer you'd get here. Enjoy your new Tesla.

 

[bmah]

An EV without a fast charger at home makes no sense to me but this is an "enthusiasts" forum so you surely knew the answer you'd get here. Enjoy your new Tesla.

So in fairness I do have some friends who used to drive a LEAF without having home or work charging. They were able to stretch out a charge for most of a week given their driving habits and they made use of various L2 chargers. They did this for several years before selling the LEAF and moving to a different country, where they are now awaiting the availability of the RHD Tesla Model 3. Not sure what their charging plans are once they get the 3.

Bruce.

 

[HopeToGolf]

An EV without a fast charger at home makes no sense to me but this is an "enthusiasts" forum so you surely knew the answer you'd get here. Enjoy your new Tesla.

Some of us have fast charging at work, short commutes and LR batteries. At the moment, I have no need for a fast charging solution at home.

 

[roblab]

Charging is part of the equation. If you have to futz with finding and using a charger, or a 220 v outlet, it's going to get old some time. As a do-it-myself person, I'd had an outlet ready before I bought my first EV in 2000.

 

[bathbunny]

I would inquire with your condo board and employer about installing a charger, or at least an outlet — of there's pushback, offer to do so at your own cost. Having to spend an hour at a Supercharger every time you want to charge up will get old really fast. Also, Supercharging degrades the battery over time, and the more you do it the faster it'll degrade on range and charging speed.

I second that. Supercharging is very expensive in the long run: (i) the rate charged is at least twice (in many placed 3 times) what you'd get from your utility and (ii) as pointed out, any fast charging accelerates the slow degradation of the battery.

 

[bathbunny]

Thanks guys. Interesting about this misconception about superchargers and hurting the battery. I am trying to figure out a 120V solution but I think it's very very unlikely so really just wanted opinions on without it. Votes are split though :S



Nah, common misconception. Way up North, sure. But my ICE cars never had a block heater. And even in some crazy -30C weather, it's fine.. rough starts, but that's all. We don't get that kind of weather where I live now though.

It's not a misconception. The Tesla manual itself states that fast DC charging, including using Tesla's own superchargers, degrades the battery faster than slower charging (typically through the on-board AC converter). *How much* degradation is the issue and there the experience of users seems to indicate it's typically not that much.

 

[TexasEV]

It's not a misconception. The Tesla manual itself states that fast DC charging, including using Tesla's own superchargers, degrades the battery faster than slower charging (typically through the on-board AC converter). *How much* degradation is the issue and there the experience of users seems to indicate it's typically not that much.

No that is not what the owners manual says. It says the peak charging rate may decrease slightly after many DC charging sessions. It says nothing about “ degradation”, which is usually meant as decrease in capacity of the battery.

A decrease in peak charging rate just means a few more minutes supercharging when you start with a low state of charge. This has been seen with the 90 kWh Model S and X batteries and none others so far. The Tesloop cars have supercharged several times/day every day for years and haven’t had more capacity loss than other cars of similar age.