CHAdeMO in Maryland/Virginia/NC in 2018

[boaterva]

Posting this here since I'm trying to get a sense of *current* usefulness of spending the $450 for a CHAdeMO adapter. I've read lots of the (oldish) posts on this, and many are old, many are from the PNW, where there seems to be a great network for this. But around here (NoVa, rest of the state, down toward NC, even in MD and the Eastern Shore ), it's mostly Nissan dealers and some other spots (a few malls), etc. Royal Farms (site of one new Supercharger) has some at other locations.

Looking at Plugshare, a good deal of the stations seem to be Nissan dealers. The first question would be, has anything changed in their 'welcoming' Tesla (or other) owners to use their charging facilities? You could hope as time goes on, we get away from 'this is my flavor, you have your own flavor, go over there...' sort of mentality.

I wouldn't mind even spending the money for the peace of mind, but not if it can't be used when needed without hassle.

What's the current consensus? Thanks!

 

[Saghost]

Now that we have Grasonville, I'm not sure how useful it is.

I've used several of the EVGo CHAdeMO locations in the past, especially in the Bowie - Queenstown area, but now I use Grasonville instead.

I haven't used a Nissan dealer, so I can't help there - I had the impression the reactions vary greatly from one to the next anyway.

It'd be really nice to have something between Grasonville and Glen Allen - that's a pretty long hop, especially in winter, but as I recall there isn't much CHAdeMO in there either right now.

I think it's a useful tool when things go south, but I'm not really convinced it's necessary any more. I won't be selling mine, but I'm not sure I'd buy one today.

 

[boaterva]

Now that we have Grasonville, I'm not sure how useful it is.

I've used several of the EVGo CHAdeMO locations in the past, especially in the Bowie - Queenstown area, but now I use Grasonville instead.

I haven't used a Nissan dealer, so I can't help there - I had the impression the reactions vary greatly from one to the next anyway.

It'd be really nice to have something between Grasonville and Glen Allen - that's a pretty long hop, especially in winter, but as I recall there isn't much CHAdeMO in there either right now.

I think it's a useful tool when things go south, but I'm not really convinced it's necessary any more. I won't be selling mine, but I'm not sure I'd buy one today.

This is where I was leaning, especially when they add the SuC down on the way to OBX (before the causeway), also. But wanted some (more) real-world experience to back up my hunches. Of course, I have the usual adapters and cords for overnight charging as needed on trips, it's the 'on the way, need a quick 'fill up'' scenario I'm trying to figure out how many belts and suspenders I want to have!

 

[Redmiata98]

I have one but I bought it back in the “early” days when the SC network was not as developed as it is now. That being said, I would still probably buy one now. It is an insurance policy, you roll the dice. You may never need it but the one time you do, it will be worth the cost.

 

[Jashev]

I know the rest areas on the PA Turnpike all have CHAdeMO stations ( I think they are EV Go) and I've also seen them in various Rutters stations. I echo what Redmiata98 said. It's cheap insurance. You may never need it, but if you do and don't have it you'll wish you did. I have used mine several times on the PA Turnpike and at a number of hotels.

 

[marsh1n]

I agree. I live outside of DC and have used mine maybe 3 times while travelling. Mostly in PA. Great insurance when you need it.

 

[boaterva]

All sounds like good enough reasons to have the chademo adapter in the travel bag along with the extension cord and the other charging adapters!

 

[Only Trons]

When we picked up our new S in April 2013, there wasn't much SC network out east yet (as we all know). I chose to be cautious and carry extra anything that could help us in a pinch. I made adapters for just about every possible contingency, I bought adapters from Tesla (when available); I constructed a long, heavy duty extension cord, and bought a Chademo adapter when one became available. I even purchased a spare UMC to take when on a road trip --- just in case!

I've used the extension cord once. I've tested the Chademo adapter at a couple of Nissan dealers who were very accommodating and friendly, so at least I know it works. But I've never had to use the Chademo on the road nor the other specialized adapters I made. I used the Tesla 5-20 adapter at a hotel on one overnight years ago ---- it got me about 40 or so miles overnight which was enough to get me to my destination.

So I guess it comes down to how much risk you think there might be. On our cross country trip last year, we found a few degraded superchargers (e.g. lower than normal output). The worst was the supercharger at Albert Lea MN, which has only four stalls. One supercharger cabinet was completely down, so now the site was down to two stalls. The other cabinet was operating at reduced power. And to make matters worse, we arrived about five minutes after an S which was running low on battery. So he was consuming much of the (very) reduced power that was available....... so we ended up being at that charger for over an hour, instead of the 15 minutes or so we had planned. I don't recall with certainty, but I don't believe there were other chargers within reasonable range. So even though were carrying the Chademo (and the whole adapter kit), it really didn't help at all.

Sorry, I guess I got off the specific topic a bit. I'm glad to have the Chademo, but it seems with the supercharger network continuing to build out, the chances of use are getting slimmer and slimmer. YMMV.

 

[boaterva]

When we picked up our new S in April 2013, there wasn't much SC network out east yet (as we all know). I chose to be cautious and carry extra anything that could help us in a pinch. I made adapters for just about every possible contingency, I bought adapters from Tesla (when available); I constructed a long, heavy duty extension cord, and bought a Chademo adapter when one became available. I even purchased a spare UMC to take when on a road trip --- just in case!

I've used the extension cord once. I've tested the Chademo adapter at a couple of Nissan dealers who were very accommodating and friendly, so at least I know it works. But I've never had to use the Chademo on the road nor the other specialized adapters I made. I used the Tesla 5-20 adapter at a hotel on one overnight years ago ---- it got me about 40 or so miles overnight which was enough to get me to my destination.

So I guess it comes down to how much risk you think there might be. On our cross country trip last year, we found a few degraded superchargers (e.g. lower than normal output). The worst was the supercharger at Albert Lea MN, which has only four stalls. One supercharger cabinet was completely down, so now the site was down to two stalls. The other cabinet was operating at reduced power. And to make matters worse, we arrived about five minutes after an S which was running low on battery. So he was consuming much of the (very) reduced power that was available....... so we ended up being at that charger for over an hour, instead of the 15 minutes or so we had planned. I don't recall with certainty, but I don't believe there were other chargers within reasonable range. So even though were carrying the Chademo (and the whole adapter kit), it really didn't help at all.

Sorry, I guess I got off the specific topic a bit. I'm glad to have the Chademo, but it seems with the supercharger network continuing to build out, the chances of use are getting slimmer and slimmer. YMMV.

Your summary is sort of where I was, and I have all the extension cords and adapters for when we go on vacation (OBX, etc.) and need to use a dryer outlet or other power. I've come to the conclusion that the investment is worth it for the ability to use one more 'gas station' that you might want to use. Good to have that one 'funnel' and be able to use it if you ever need to. They don't wear out, right?

Another thing I've thought of is that (as you alluded to) it may be nice to have another option with the addition of more cars (like the 3's) in the years to come.

Thanks for the info, all!