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Phillip L
Gas Passer
Not only do I have the ChaDeMo stashed in the storage space but a J772 extension cord, a heavy regular extension cord, and an adaptor for a dryer plug (Nema 4-30) that I bought from Tesla before they ran out, in addition to the ones that came with the car. All for piece of mind. Call me paranoid but I am as ready as I feel I can be for being stuck for a charge :crying:.
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jmccrack
Member
Thanks Beeeeeock
Parksville and the distilery in Courtney should do it. We are going to see some friends camping in CR I should be able to hook up to their site as well??? 14-30 or 14-50
Parksville and the distilery in Courtney should do it. We are going to see some friends camping in CR I should be able to hook up to their site as well??? 14-30 or 14-50
beeeerock
Active Member
The trick will be ensuring you know what you're up against in Campbell River before you arrive. If there truly is a 14-50 socket available, you'll have that adapter in your cable kit. The 14-30 is another story, so unless you've acquired an adapter, it won't do you much good. But if you're going to be there for a while, even the 110 volt plug in the kit would be of some use.
I'm heading into the desert of charging in Alberta in a week. Should be interesting... I've only got the connectors provided in the bag from Tesla.
I think the standard RV park plug delivered with the Model S is 14-50 only... I don't think 30A RV receptacles have the same prong shapes. I'm going by memory from reading here on TMC. But if your friends are in a "big rig friendly" RV park they should have 14-50 outlets. I actually purchased an adaptor for 30A (that I've never actually had to use so far), you're welcome to borrow that for your trip if you want (just in case). Tesla doesn't sell them (I bought mine 3rd party from TMC member Lloyd).
We'll be going to the air show in Comox and unfortunately booked too late to get space in the Westerly (Sun Country 90A). So we'll be opportunity charging in Parksville on the way up and around Courtenay as well.
jmccrack
Member
I was wondering. I have been online signing up for charging cards and then I got to thinking I hate to reinvent the wheel. So heres my question. the plugin outlets I see on plugshare seem to be:
AddEnergie
Sun Country
SemaCharge
Charge Point
How do you access all of theses. Use their card, use your own credit card, a smart phone app
Especially the AddEnergie, they seem to be Quebec company and there are a few of them in Campbell River
AddEnergie
Sun Country
SemaCharge
Charge Point
How do you access all of theses. Use their card, use your own credit card, a smart phone app
Especially the AddEnergie, they seem to be Quebec company and there are a few of them in Campbell River
Canuck
Well-Known Member
I have cards for Chargepoint and Addenergy (VERnetwork). I use both regularly in the Greater Vancouver area at malls and parking lots. There's no fee to charge, but you do need the cards to unlock the handle. You also get emails if your car stops charging, or when it's fully charged. If I recall correctly, I paid a nominal fee like $10 for the cards.
The Sun Country chargers I have used don't require a card. I've never seen or used SemaCharge.
beeeerock
Active Member
Just a clarification - I've never been charged at an Add Energie station, but I suspect that's because the owner has elected not to charge for the power. I recall details about being able to add credit to your card/account (which I didn't bother to do), so I assume there is a charger *somewhere* that will have a cost associated with it.
Most, if not all Chargepoint allow any credit card with the "tap" thingy to be used to unlock the handle. However most often the place of business where they are situated has been picking up the electricity cost (at least whenever I've used one on Vancouver Island), so there's nothing to put on the card. AddEnergie has installed a lot of chargers around BC in various municipalities, I think their card is worth getting ($10 or $20 deposit for the card, which becomes your account balance). It takes a while for the card to come in the mail so order it right away. Sun Country's are the easiest - just plug and play. They also have a huge advantage of - usually - delivering more than the 30A limit from the other 3 you mentioned.
As far as I know all the VERnetwork chargers are free in B.C., but some in Quebec are not: Tarification change for all Ivanhoé Cambridge charging stations
As for Sun Country - these are becoming less "free" over time. Many are for clients only now, which generally means you have to actually stay over at the hotel - or maybe pay a fee to use. I even saw a Sun Country charger in Ottawa which is pay per use. There was a keypad mounted on each unit. École Secondaire Catholique Franco-Cité | Ottawa, ON | Electric Car Charging Station | PlugShare
95% of VERnetwork L2 stations in Quebec are 1$/hr. They have a few locations in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, too, and there it seems to be 50/50 free or billed. For B.C., from what I gather, there's a restriction on billing people for charging station use. It might be a law, or it might have to do with the requirements of the provincial grant program that got most of the VERnetwork units installed there.
The VERnetwork and Quebec's Circuit Électrique are now inter-operable (at least for the cards, their mobile apps are to be integrated soon.) This means that if you need a card you're actually better off getting the Circuit Electrique one, since they both cost $10, but the Circuit Electrique one comes with a $10 credit on your account.
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OK, this is new. When I got the VERnetwork card it was $10 and it came with a zero balance. If you're credited $10, then there's no advantage to getting the Circuit Electric car instead. Just get one of the two.
The VERnetwork and Quebec's Circuit Électrique are now inter-operable (at least for the cards, their mobile apps are to be integrated soon.) This means that if you need a card you're actually better off getting the Circuit Electrique one, since they both cost $10, but the Circuit Electrique one comes with a $10 credit on your account.
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OK, this is new. When I got the VERnetwork card it was $10 and it came with a zero balance. If you're credited $10, then there's no advantage to getting the Circuit Electric car instead. Just get one of the two.
beeeerock
Active Member
When I got mine, I was given an option to add a balance. I elected not to, since I figured I could do it with my phone if the need ever arose. When I use the card, I get an email reminding me that I have zero balance... which isn't a big deal since all the Add Energie points I've tried have been free anyway....
In your account options you can shut off that reminder.
VERnetwork/réseauVER is the network that belongs to the station manufacturer, AddÉnergie. However, use of those terms has been muddled for some time now. Just know that in Québec if plugshare says AddEnergie, you need to confirm on the reseauVER's site if the station is part of their network. It could be on another public network or be private.
beeeerock
Active Member
In this modern day (!) one would think that it would be simple to get electricity... as easy as buying gas. It's not, but it should be. We shouldn't need to carry a glovebox full of RFID cards for every provider - we should be able to plug in a credit card or tap a near-field-enabled cell phone and start the electrons flowing.
This is something that will absolutely have to improve, and quickly, if EV adoption is to succeed.
mknox
Well-Known Member
That and a standardized connector. I can't imagine how it would be if Fords could only fuel at Ford gas stations and maybe another gas station for Hondas and Volkswagens. It's fine for us early adopters now, but I can't imagine there will be much tolerance for this if/when EVs ever go mainstream.
KenN
Member
OTOH, with five adapters that easily fit into a small gym bag, my refueling options are virtually limitless.
mknox
Well-Known Member
Oh, I don't disagree as an early adopter. I've even made up a couple of "cheater cables" myself. But to my earlier point, I can't imagine a Ford driver having to use a Chevy adapter to fill up at a Chevrolet gas station. Mass market EV users are not going to put up with that nonsense.
That and that and a consistent way to identify & publicize charging station power output.
Trying to explain to my parents that "this one is a 60 but it's actually 48 so that means I have to stop for this long, and that one is a 30 and it's actually a 30 but it doesn't say that anywhere on it however I know this because I recognize it..." etc. etc.
mknox
Well-Known Member
That and that and a consistent way to identify & publicize charging station power output.
Yes. That is HUGE. I've been having discussions with Plug 'n Drive here in Ontario about the need for that. Most people just refer to Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 charging stations, but especially with Level 2, the range and capabilities vary widely. They can range from 15 amps delivered to 80 amps delivered. Many of the apps and tools showing charging stations will not distinguish this. I find PlugShare to be the best in this regard.
For us, buying gas in the states is anything but easy. Try to pay at the pump and the strictly numeric keypad wants you to enter your zip code to verify the credit or debit card is really yours. I asked two Canadian banks if they had a solution and got nowhere (one claimed entering zero five times would work. It didn't.)
So you have to go inside, wait on a long line, and leave a deposit. Then you either end up not completely filling up, or having to wait on line again to get a refund. All the while inhaling fumes and dodging oil spots.
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