Charging Addiction

[Armadillos]

That system is cool, but could be a little painful for a Model S. At 3.3kW it's enough to charge a LEAF overnight, but it'll only give you about 10MPH charging, so a Model S could take quite a long time to fill. For most people's day-to-day it would be OK, but if you ever do two 200-mile days back to back, it could end up being a bottleneck. I suppose you could plug in for those cases and use the wireless for the common case.

You'll also lose a decent bit of efficiency in the deal. Electricity is cheap so not a big problem, but it bugs me.

If it could charge at the same rate as my UMC could, I would probably get it. My garage is very narrow, and I have to lean out of the way of the charger to get out of the garage. Having the space back would be worth it.

 

[ww73]

I always plug my car in at work. There's a extra wide spot right next to the elevator, where 4 cars share a L2 charger like the letter H. I always plugin or leave my charge port open.

Justification is that work offers this benefit for a purpose, and we should fully utilize it. Otherwise there would be no reason for the company to offer it in the future.

Free charging, like the EV tax credit, is a temporary incentive to help persuade folks to switch. It is not a viable long term business model.

I'd like to disagree here. Similar to my work situation, charging in public is utilization of provided resource. It says to the business owner that "this EV charger brought in a new customer", and for non-ev drivers, it offers an opportunity to educate about EVs and charging networks.

Key is free though. I steer away from paid chargers since I believe L2 charging should be like free wifi. No one charges for wifi anymore. Rather, businesses offer free wifi b/c it entices customers spend more time and $$$. When appropriate I do let the business owner know that the free charger earned my business.

For us its partly about getting a feel about where you can depend on charging should the real need arise.

I agree. It's handy to know where the free chargers are located and their speeds, and check-in/update plugshare as necessary. It's also about building up the knowledge base so other travelling drivers can benefit.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

The more frequently you charge, aka reducing depth of discharge, the better for battery pack longevity. So yes. We all should have this addiction.

However, parasitic reactions in the battery increase while charging. It is the parasitic reactions that cause breakdown of the anode and a reduction in capacity over time. This is why, with a thermally managed pack like the Tesla's, minimizing charge time is preferable. At least from a theoretical standpoint. This is why depth of discharge is important. Shallow cycles require little charge time at higher current, while deep cycles require longer charge time, which allows more time for the parasitic reactions to take place.

 

[PluglessSteve]

Hello - Steve from Plugless here. Plugless for Tesla at 6.6kW is coming in months, not years (but alas WarpedOne - in the U.S. and Canada...for now).

 

[mikeash]

Hello - Steve from Plugless here. Plugless for Tesla at 6.6kW is coming in months, not years (but alas WarpedOne - in the U.S. and Canada...for now).

That's awesome! Any idea how much it will cost? Please let us know when it's ready to go, in any case!

 

[sbanks]

Hello - Steve from Plugless here. Plugless for Tesla at 6.6kW is coming in months, not years (but alas WarpedOne - in the U.S. and Canada...for now).

Steve, Can one plugless station be used for different types of EVs. As an example, if I installed a Tesla Plugless station at work, could my Telsa, Caddy EVR & Leaf all use the same Plugless base station?

 

[PluglessSteve]

Too early to talk about those details.

 

[JenniferQ]

I think I have the same question: I have a Tesla coming and NEMA charger installed. I want to get a PHEV for my daughter. Can't afford another Tesla! Can they use the same charger with or without an adaptor? Say a Chevy Volt which she likes the look of...

 

[SmartElectric]

The Tesla can charge from a J1772 charging station which is also compatible with the majority of PHEV like the Volt.
You could just purchase a Clipper Creek and share it.