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Chicago area superchargers failing in cold
- Thread starter DBeckwith
- Start date
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
I was wondering in my mind if this was what is happening, given in the holder, the likelihood it freezing in a way that it can't charge is much less likely. But if it's on the ground, it's much easier for ice to get in and then freeze in a way the contacts are blocked.
People like this are horrible in good weather, far worse in bad.
Bikeman
Member
^ watched that earlier, and Kyle and friends make some good points; many which we've already pointed out in this and other similar threads.
I can't help but to think that in a week, or soon, that EV owners that haven't yet gone the L2 route will cave. This will completely overwhelm electricians to add the infrastructure to their homes. It will be a field day for that profession, and I wouldn't want to pay what they are all going to begin adding to their already high rates to do the installs.
I can't help but to think that in a week, or soon, that EV owners that haven't yet gone the L2 route will cave. This will completely overwhelm electricians to add the infrastructure to their homes. It will be a field day for that profession, and I wouldn't want to pay what they are all going to begin adding to their already high rates to do the installs.
Bikeman
Member
I've even seen pieces of wood stuck into L2 J1772's and some other odd thing in a Tesla NACS handle when out there. Yes, people are horrible.
Makes me want to put together a Charger Fix-it Kit™, which would include, among other things, a wooden hammer to help knock out crap found in or on charging handles and contacts. Also a super rubber coated needle nose pliers, swabs with vinegar to help with corrosion and alcohol cloths to get liquidy things off.
I think that many of the drivers especially in the urban environments are ride share drivers, who wont be able to do the L2 route. I think the use case for renting/leasing these in the winter makes a lot less sense if you're reliant on DCFC and don't know the ins/outs of EVs or use bail outs (paid L2 or CCS DCFC). It also brings up a bigger issue, particularly with all the new makers signing on to NACS which will congest even more. Should superchargers be used for commercial use? It used to be that they were almost exclusively for road trippers who had L2 at home, now its becoming ride share chargers, particularly in the urban areas. Certainly will get worse before it gets better.
israndy
Supercharger Hunter
Oh, sorry, I guess I should have posted the YouTube instead of the Twitter version.
Oh, that would make a huge difference. I think sites like that are far less likely to devolve into chaos, since even a long line will tend to move pretty quickly.
Also, I heard today that Chicago's Hertz locations are suspending EV rentals? I'm guessing this will help over the next few days, if it is true.
Bikeman
Member
Well... I think they're suspending the rentals for more than one reason, as Hertz is getting rid of their EV fleets (read: Teslas) due to perceived increasing repair costs and dropping resale values because Tesla keeps reducing the prices of new cars almost every quarter. This charging debacle does not help the optics any.
The flip side of Hertz selling off the model 3's is that at $17,000 to $20,000 per used car, they might just appeal to those who can't and won't install L2 at home. Thus, the public charging instances won't go down, they might actually go up.
They are getting rid of less than half of their fleet and still doing a lot of rentals in other markets.
TBH, I heard about the prices and thought there might be good deals, but I don't think so. The cheaper ones are high mileage and beat up. The lower mileage ones are not as cheap, but still likely beat up. I think there were already better bargains in the used market. From what I'm hearing, they aren't used EV tax credit eligible either, so they aren't as competitive as they look.
This could be in part a rental rotation. Hertz might be planning to sell Teslas with little depreciation, but the reality hurt them badly. Anyway, their EV sale could very well be part of the original plan. I could very well be wrong, as always, of course.
Thought about yes, but if you're low on juice and it's snowy + super cold, would you really want to go to L2 and charge at a fraction of the speed AND also wait a long time? You'd also lose your spot in line. And, it could be broken or in use...
Also, I suspect many non-EV enthusiast Tesla drivers (esp. those renting Tesla for Uber duty) don't know about Plugshare and finding J1772 stations. For Uber and rideshare drivers, time is money. Any time not being on duty == wasted time, can't make $.
I also posted in the Loveland, CO SC thread.
Some don't own the cars (e.g. Uber drivers renting from Hertz: https://www.uber.com/us/en/drive/vehicle-solutions/hertz/tesla/).
This isn't an IL thing but CA has mandated California moves to accelerate to 100% new zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035 | California Air Resources Board, where by 2035, where 80% of new cars and light duty trucks need to be ZEVs (so they will almost be BEVs) and the remaining 20% can be PHEVs. Numerous other states have adopted the same thing. Where you do think that leaves people who can't charge at home nor work? As I've stated in another thread (with a poll) that I pointed out and just got a bunch of disagrees on
, I don't think it'll happen by 2035. The "laws" will other be pushed out further or watered down in some way (e.g. lower target percentages). For CA, I could see something like by 2035, 50% ZEVs and the remainder some mix of full hybrids and PHEVs.
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That appears to be a huge part of the problem here.
Those working as taxi drivers also shouldn't be buying or renting an EV, unless they can also charge at home. Using a Prius makes a lot more sense. Tesla has said repeatedly that the supercharger network is to enable long distance travel. It's not intended to replace home charging. So what happens when you have an area being dominated by taxi driver use, partially facilitated by Hertz, and there's a disruption? The resulting chaos is predictable, and those who bought an EV and are actually on a long distance trip get royally screwed.
Perhaps a solution is to introduce higher rates or fees if someone is using the DC charger within X miles of "home". That would discourage that practice, as well as provide additional funding for system expansion for those who choose to use the network in that manner.
RedModel3
Member
I have a niece in a condo complex in the Chicago area, and she said most landlords and HOA's are vehemently against installing any kind of charging. I wanted to sell my Volt to her, but she would have had no way to charge. Until there is a law REQUIRING EV charging, you're going to have this kind of problem. And whatever happened to "winter driving rules"? Gotta keep the car at least half full!
This is another example of blaming the victims for a Tesla failure.
israndy
Supercharger Hunter
A "victim" is someone who incurs a highly negative outcome from a random, unpredictable event. There is a difference between that, and making bad choices. To put it another way, as related to this issue, making a bad choice that results in a bad outcome doesn't make someone a victim.
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A lot don't want to install a community station, as that's expensive, will not be profitable, and it will cost all the owners money regardless of what they drive. It also makes the least sense, and introduces a lot of other issues.
If the condo owner is willing to pay all the costs to install a line to their parking space, then that generally isn't an issue. Now that may or may not make financial sense for the owner depending on the complexity of the run. That's what I did at one property.
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