Charging in Western Australia South West

[WayneWA]

Hi folks, just thought I would share our Model 3 charging experiences in the south last weekend.
we had enough charge to get from home in Bellevue to Eaton the one and only supercharger 160klm so we did that Thursday afternoon, set to take max charge it completed in a little over an hour from 130-to 380 impressive.
then onto Ramada inn between Busselton Dunsborough no charging at inn the nearest was back to Busselton the next day in the main shopping centre diagonally opposite Dome café (hard to find using map tucked away with "T" not visible until nearly upon them, 2 stations free charging) ok plugged in went for a walk and lunch and some shopping, 4 hours to fill up but who's counting.
back on road next day to cape natueraliste lighthouse then down to Margaret River where the app said there was a Tesla charger at a caravan park, we thought ok its a walk to town from there but ok, we arrived with 119klm left in battery only to find it was inside the camp ground for customers only so we went to the nearest RAC universal charger (never tried RAC before) plugged in ok but then the screen wanted a swipe card, I didn't know if this was credit or a member card or what so tried all to no avail, then it wouldn't release charger and nobody was answering the emergency number so I had to use the pull chord in the boot to get free.
we then had to go back to Busselton to charge which would take a few hours so we couldn't spend time in Margaret River as planned, there was another suggested charge site at a winery 6klm out of town but we figured we couldn't sit drinking wine for hours as it would probably turn out to be for customers, the app could give more details about access to these places and if they charge or for members only would have saved us some time.
anyway charged in Busselton again and more walks and lunch there before heading back to the Inn.
next morning had a pleasant coastal drive then back to Eaton super charger more lunch full charge headed home, all in all not too much of a challenge getting charge but we will check out locations in more detail next time to better plan, and maybe there will be another supercharger or two by the next trip.
I hope this is helpful to others sandgroppers planning a trip to the southwest.

 

[Blue heaven]

Hi folks, just thought I would share our Model 3 charging experiences in the south last weekend.
we had enough charge to get from home in Bellevue to Eaton the one and only supercharger 160klm so we did that Thursday afternoon, set to take max charge it completed in a little over an hour from 130-to 380 impressive.
then onto Ramada inn between Busselton Dunsborough no charging at inn the nearest was back to Busselton the next day in the main shopping centre diagonally opposite Dome café (hard to find using map tucked away with "T" not visible until nearly upon them, 2 stations free charging) ok plugged in went for a walk and lunch and some shopping, 4 hours to fill up but who's counting.
back on road next day to cape natueraliste lighthouse then down to Margaret River where the app said there was a Tesla charger at a caravan park, we thought ok its a walk to town from there but ok, we arrived with 119klm left in battery only to find it was inside the camp ground for customers only so we went to the nearest RAC universal charger (never tried RAC before) plugged in ok but then the screen wanted a swipe card, I didn't know if this was credit or a member card or what so tried all to no avail, then it wouldn't release charger and nobody was answering the emergency number so I had to use the pull chord in the boot to get free.
we then had to go back to Busselton to charge which would take a few hours so we couldn't spend time in Margaret River as planned, there was another suggested charge site at a winery 6klm out of town but we figured we couldn't sit drinking wine for hours as it would probably turn out to be for customers, the app could give more details about access to these places and if they charge or for members only would have saved us some time.
anyway charged in Busselton again and more walks and lunch there before heading back to the Inn.
next morning had a pleasant coastal drive then back to Eaton super charger more lunch full charge headed home, all in all not too much of a challenge getting charge but we will check out locations in more detail next time to better plan, and maybe there will be another supercharger or two by the next trip.
I hope this is helpful to others sandgroppers planning a trip to the southwest.

Hi Wayne, the RAC chargers are currently Nextcharge, this requires the use of their app. Sadly the RAC chargers are becoming less reliable, on the plus side there's enough destination chargers available to get by when too far from the supercharger, best bet is to study plugshare comments to see which Tesla owners prefer certain sites, and which ones to avoid, my favourites down south are the Norfolk hotel/pub and the Sandalwood factory in Albany.
If you need more information on WA based infrastructure check out the Tesla owners club in WA- Tesla Owners Club Western Australia made up of experienced members who have travelled around regional Western Australia for many years.

 

[Hairyman]

That Nextcharge app looks well dodgy. No password protection, just need to confirm your email address. I wouldn’t store anything on it.

 

[Jays200]

Hey Wayne,

Great post and sorry to hear about your woes. In our ill prepared and underdeveloped EV state even blind freddy could have foreseen this happening to anyone prepared to embrace new vehicle technology. Be thankful you're in Tesla because almost all the other EV brands are a poor second. I won't bore you with a personal rant, however, I would recommend relaying your post and it's concerns to the Premier, your local member, your federal member and Tesla.

It is not good enough for you to have this poor experience, especially in the south west, but it hasn't been through lack of effort over the years by AEVAWA or committed individuals. That's for sure.

It's very frustrating and progressing way too slowly.

Here's to happier charging