Cross-Canada Public Charging Networks

[Tz00]

I'll be travelling across the country in a few weeks and was wondering what public charging networks are not compatible with my Flo/eCharge/Electric Circuit account. Chargepoint is supposed to work, but I've never tried it. Is the Ivy network not compatible? Are there other popular networks that I might run into?

Thanks!

 

[Soul Surfer]

I think you should have very little to be concerned about. Consider signing up on all the networks to simplify your life along the way.

 

[Qaazon]

My FLO account works with ChargePoint and BCHydro. And of course there's always the supercharger network.

 

[ecarfan]

I'll be travelling across the country in a few weeks

What cross country route are you taking that is not well served by the Tesla Supercharger network? The only significant gap I know of is Hwy 3 in southern BC.

 

[Tz00]

What cross country route are you taking that is not well served by the Tesla Supercharger network?

There is no issue with the Supercharger coverage. However, I will want to use other chargers (over-night, or in towns/cities).

So I am just looking to minimize the number of apps (ie: accounts) that I need to use, so I don't have to top-up accounts that I may never use again. Flo is compatible with most, but just not sure what else is out there that might be useful.

 

[brulaz]

Sounds like you're not that interested in alternate fast chargers. No Chademo or CCS adapter I guess.

But if you were, I understand the PetroCan and ElectrifyCanada networks just need a credit/debit or Google/Apple Pay.

I personally am awaiting the Tesla CCS adapter.

 

[UncleCreepy]

I traveled from Eastern Ontario to BC two tears ago. As mentioned by others, the supercharger coverage is sufficient.

Rather than looking for L2 networks, I would recommend looking for hotels that offer free level 2 charging. That's what I did and I started with 500 km of range every day without paying extra (and no, the hotels weren't expensive either). FWIW I drove about 900 km every day for four days and only paid $110 for hydro for the entire trip (9,000 km overall). I'll admit that I still had some referral miles at that time though. And obviously that was before Tesla started price gouging us at the superchargers.

 

[ecarfan]

Rather than looking for L2 networks, I would recommend looking for hotels that offer free level 2 charging

Excellent suggestion. Charge while you sleep, and often at no additional cost over and above the hotel room.

Go to https://tesla.com/findus and set the filters to show just Destination Chargers. Many of those locations are hotels/motels.

I understand the PetroCan and ElectrifyCanada networks just need a credit/debit or Google/Apple Pay.

I personally am awaiting the Tesla CCS adapter.

Yes those networks are worth keeping in mind if you have a CCS adapter (I have a Lectron) even though they lack the coverage of Tesla’s network. Here is Electrify Canada.

And here is Petro Canada. Better, but still a long way to go.

 

[Canada_dude]

I plan to do an AB to QC and back trip. I plan to use the SC and hotels for charging and sticking to the TransCanada highway. It looks like it should be pretty easy. I'm going to include a March 2022 link to an article that was helpful to me with regard to the new SC pricing. There were some examples from different provinces near the bottom of the article. Please continue to share your experience traveling across TransCanada these days as I heard there are always new destination charging and SC popping up every day.

 

[ecarfan]

The EV charging fee structure in Canada is irrational. It should be purely on kWh delivered to the car, fixed rate.

But there is hope. See this August 2021 article https://driveteslacanada.ca/news/measurement-canada-survey-energy-based-billing-ev-drivers/

Late last year Measurement Canada announced it was going to change the way electric vehicle (EV) drivers are billed when they plug in to a public charger. Due to current regulations, EV drivers are billed based on the amount of time they are plugged in, and not on the amount of energy consumed.

This leads to inequitable fees for EV drivers as some cars can charge faster than others.

Measurement Canada wants to change that by implementing a per kilowatt-hours (kWh) consumed, much like how gas car drivers are billed based on how much fuel they pump into their cars.

As part of the 18-month long process to do so, the government agency has launched the consultation phase by publishing a short survey for EV drivers.

The 5 to 10 minute survey covers topics like your current charging habits at home, your experiences with commercial charging stations, and also asks for some personal information like where you live and how old you are.

However, the survey form is no longer active.

 

[f-stop]

I'll be travelling across the country in a few weeks and was wondering what public charging networks are not compatible with my Flo/eCharge/Electric Circuit account. Chargepoint is supposed to work, but I've never tried it. Is the Ivy network not compatible? Are there other popular networks that I might run into?

Thanks!

Yes, FLO and Chargepoint work with each other's account and app.
As some others have already suggested, look for hotels along your route with free L2 charging. Patronize those hotels and let them know you appreciate them providing chargers

Also, plugshare.com is your friend. get the app as well - find out what's available along your route and do a bit of planning in advance, the Tesla Superchargers are shown as well as all the other networks

 

[wayner]

Does anyone else find it a pain in the ass to use these services for the first time? You have to go to the app store, find the app. In the case of Flo you have to scroll through a bunch of apps that want to track your menstrual cycle. Then you have to create an account, get a verification email, add money to your wallet, etc. Why can't I just tap a credit card?

I had this experience yesterday where I used a Flo charger for the first time in downtown London, ON. Next time will be easier, but the other problem is you can end up with stranded cash in these accounts if you never use that company again.

 

[UncleCreepy]

problem is you can end up with stranded cash in these accounts if you never use that company again.

Well... you can give me your account info and I'll use up the stranded cash if that helps.

But yeah, I hear ya. I guess the problem is that the companies don't want to deal with people disputing the charges (no pun intended) with their credit card company. It's a lot harder to dispute a payment that you made yourself.

 

[ecarfan]

Does anyone else find it a pain in the ass to use these services for the first time? You have to go to the app store, find the app. In the case of Flo you have to scroll through a bunch of apps that want to track your menstrual cycle. Then you have to create an account, get a verification email, add money to your wallet, etc. Why can't I just tap a credit card?

I had this experience yesterday where I used a Flo charger for the first time in downtown London, ON. Next time will be easier, but the other problem is you can end up with stranded cash in these accounts if you never use that company again.

Agreed. That hassle is yet another reason why the Tesla Supercharger network is so wonderful.

 

[wayner]

Agreed. That hassle is yet another reason why the Tesla Supercharger network is so wonderful.

Especially for those of us with lifetime free Supercharging!

 

[wayner]

And the other advantage is that I now have pretty good intel on when I get my period.