Exciting Charging Announcement Speculation

[Trnsl8r]

Let's think about this for a moment...

When do you need extra charging en route? When you're going long distances. 250+ miles. Road trips. Crunching miles on the interstate.

When do you stop on those trips? When you need to get food in or out.

Where do you do that? Sorry, but you know it's true: McDonalds, Subway, Wendy's, etc. off the freeway. That's where I think high-powered EV charging stations will see the most use. Half hour to wolf down a burger and 60 KWh or so. Then you rub the tiredness out of your eyes a bit and go for another 250-some miles.

 

[ElSupreme]

Let's think about this for a moment...

When do you need extra charging en route? When you're going long distances. 250+ miles. Road trips. Crunching miles on the interstate.

When do you stop on those trips? When you need to get food in or out.

Where do you do that? Sorry, but you know it's true: McDonalds, Subway, Wendy's, etc. off the freeway. That's where I think high-powered EV charging stations will see the most use. Half hour to wolf down a burger and 60 KWh or so. Then you rub the tiredness out of your eyes a bit and go for another 250-some miles.

I agree with this 100%. Maybe we can get slightly better food than that but this is where SUPERCHARGERs need to be. Not some place where you could stay for 2 hours. They need 240VAC 80A HPC at places where you would stay for 2 hours or so.

 

[TEG]

I hope there will be cool app that uses the car's GPS & NAV to show you where all of your DC and slow chargers are located *and* if they are being used (red) or available (green). A way to reserve one when within X miles/km of it would be great, too, for a small fee. It would be very frustrating to arrive at a DC charger expecting to be there for a 1/2 hour or so to find that it is being used and another vehicle is waiting for it!

The app should communicate with your turn-by-turn NAV to know your path, and your charge remaining to propose where it makes sense to stop to supercharge.

Yes, I have been suggesting exactly that for a while. They have to know it is a set of desirable features. Hopefully they have implemented it.
Last I asked, I got some generic "we will allow 3rd parties to make apps for our screen" response...

 

[Norbert]

I agree with this 100%. Maybe we can get slightly better food than that but this is where SUPERCHARGERs need to be. Not some place where you could stay for 2 hours. They need 240VAC 80A HPC at places where you would stay for 2 hours or so.

if you have another car in front of you, it will take longer. I can see this logic working for 20 min, but as soon as I stay more than that, I want it to be a place that serves more than a purely biological function. Of course, in many cases, practicality will limit choices very much.

 

[Liz G]

Small towns could benefit from charging stations. Put a couple charging stations in the town square. You could then eat at the local diner, visit some shops and the kids could play in the park while you wait for the car to charge. Win win for everyone.

Another place where charging stations would be nice is fitness centers. Work out while you charge. Get 45 min work out in while you're on a trip.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Another place where charging stations would be nice is fitness centers. Work out while you charge. Get 45 min work out in while you're on a trip.

Great suggestion! Everything so far has been around where to juice up while loading up on (mostly bad) calories! Here's an incentive to burn some instead! My gym bag's staying in the frunk for good for such occasions.

 

[spatterso911]

I like that idea too. And now I too have a perfect use for the frunk.

 

[Ardie]

*I* have no beef with a gas station wanting to be part of the next generation of automobile, and not going the way of the livery stable
However, I'll also point out that staying approximately an hour at a freeway gas station would be likened to a form of punishment.

I don't think I'm stating anything new, but the greatest need will be for the long distance driver. We will stop at *whatever* location has a vital chatging station. I would *prefer* that these locales be pleasant places to shop and/or dine, but if its the only game in town, I'll charge there nonetheless.

Currently, the public charging stations Iv'e seen are at or near shopping or dining, or are in parking lots connected to a mall.
I know of others (like at various city halls), but I don't *want* to go to such places.

If Tesla is looking for strategic partnership for charging stations (HPC or otherwise), I'd sugggest Holiday Inn or Howard Johnson's. They are just off the freeway, have attached restaurants, a place to cool your heels, some semblance of security, and I might even take a room there if I can't press on to my destination.

You may complain that your standards are higher than what HI or HJ has to offer, but I think that this may serve a growing population of electric car travelers rather well.

-- Ardie
"Where are the kids?"
"Oh, they're in the pool."

 

[stopcrazypp]

If you are traveling long distances (250+ miles at least), most likely it is on an interstate. For California, it's likely either I-5 between SF and LA or if out of state, I-5 between SF and Seattle or Portland, or I-15 between LA and Las Vegas.

Personally I've traveled on I-5 between SF and LA a couple of times and there is essentially nothing in between besides from gas stations, a couple of rest stops, and mainly chain restaurants (and a couple of non-chain). You have to go farther off from the interstate if you want to find a mall. Or you have to take Route 99 (which passes by Fresno and Bakersfield), but the speed limit there is lower, it has more traffic, and the roads are not as good.

So even though something like a mall is nice, most likely the best location for quick charging stations is in those stations/rest stops/restaurants along interstates.

 

[jerry33]

If you are traveling long distances (250+ miles at least), most likely it is on an interstate.

Personally, I avoid the interstates unless there is no other way or unless my route takes me through a city. Interstates are for trucks, buses, and RVs. The state highways are generally so much nicer to drive and now that GPS is available there's no problem with "getting lost".

 

[Johann Koeber]

I'd go for the gas stations.
1. they will be needing business as gas sales decrease
2. they have a lot of infrastructure (coffee, shop, parking etc)
3. I like to smell some oil, once in a while

 

[drbradfo]

Personally, I avoid the interstates unless there is no other way or unless my route takes me through a city. Interstates are for trucks, buses, and RVs. The state highways are generally so much nicer to drive and now that GPS is available there's no problem with "getting lost".

Considering the decreased range at interstate speeds, I imagine myself avoiding them. Option a) drive 3 hours at 70+ mph (200 miles) and then charge. Option b) drive 5 hours at 55 mph (275) and then charge. I guess it will be highly dependent on charger locations and schedule. In an ICE, I plan 600-700 miles per day on longer road trips if my goal is to get from point A to point B. If I undertake a long road trip in the ModelS, I'll reduce that to 350-400 per day. Need to remind myself, it's then journey not necessarily the destination.

It seems the like I end up taking trip from Portland to South Dakota once a year (family). It's 1200 miles from Portland to Rapid City, that's 2 ~600 mile days. It's a pretty awesome drive in sections, plus several highlights close (Yellowstone, Glacier, plus Mt Rushmore/BlackHills at destination). When I think of a road trip in the Model S I think of this trip. My absolutely favorite road to drive/ride is Hwy 12 from Lewiston, ID to Missoula, MT.

Edit: So I want a charger in both Lewiston & Missoula!

 

[stopcrazypp]

Considering the decreased range at interstate speeds, I imagine myself avoiding them.

I guess the EV does change preferences somewhat. For all the long distance trips I make, I'm not on a journey, but rather at a meeting at the destination on the same day (so I could care less about what's in between). So I prefer an interstate with higher speeds. With an EV, an interstate can actually mean a longer trip because of the hit to efficiency (depending on where chargers are located and what type are available).

 

[vfx]

Yes, I have been suggesting exactly that for a while. They have to know it is a set of desirable features. Hopefully they have implemented it.
Last I asked, I got some generic "we will allow 3rd parties to make apps for our screen" response...

One of the sales guys at Fashion Island said there would be no charge stations on the maps but pointed out the 17 inch screen accesses the internet and you could Google or Recargo map search for local fillups. Pretty decent plan B.

 

[AnOutsider]

One of the sales guys at Fashion Island said there would be no charge stations on the maps but pointed out the 17 inch screen accesses the internet and you could Google or Recargo map search for local fillups. Pretty decent plan B.

So, one app idea

 

[jerry33]

One of the sales guys at Fashion Island said there would be no charge stations on the maps but pointed out the 17 inch screen accesses the internet and you could Google or Recargo map search for local fillups. Pretty decent plan B.

That's not a bad plan considering the complaints on the Leaf forum about the inaccuracies of the charging station locations. I would be surprised if later the supercharger locations weren't added (once there are enough of them to matter).

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

One of the sales guys at Fashion Island said there would be no charge stations on the maps but pointed out the 17 inch screen accesses the internet and you could Google or Recargo map search for local fillups. Pretty decent plan B.

Only issue is that you could be at the mercy of dodgy if not non-existent wireless connectivity in some areas en route. There are dead spots even between SF and LA along both Hwy 5 and 101.

*EDIT*: A tragic story in the context of lack of cell connectivity in some remote areas...

So, one app idea

I'd rather have a local (updatable when connected) database of charge stations - so, yes, probably an app that can work offline.

 

[action7981]

So I want a charger in both Lewiston & Missoula!

If you are passing through Lewiston and need power there is Hells Gate State Park that has RV hook ups. http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/hellsgate.aspx Don't know the highest rate you can charge at though. I believe an RV fee is ~$22 per day. Beautiful place to spend a couple of hours.

I grew up around Lewiston and always thought EV's are perfect for the area. Most people live, work & play within a 100 mile radius and electricity is cheap due to hydro. It's a matter of changing the local perception of an EV though. I wouldn't expect to see a charging station in the area for a few more years. But would love to be proved wrong.

 

[Rumbles]

Elon made a reference to the announcement mining "sense". Perhaps something like this:

 

[Kevin Harney]

I can not see the relevance to this thread. Those stuctures would not be able to do anything in regards to quick charging AFAIK. Nice thought though .....