How little public charging matter for a Tesla

[JHWJR]

I have two buddies who love their big Lexuses (Lexi?) and Audis who say they'd buy a Tesla tomorrow if the charging infrastructure was closer to today's gas stations in terms of convenience and speed.

You know, I came home tonight and for the first time in several days, took 5 seconds to put the cord in the plug and went into my home. Who do you think is spending more time fueling? And when it's 3 degrees out, it's still your buddies. And when it's raining, it still your buddies. Sure, it takes longer when I travel, but if they could get their fuel free by waiting 20-40 minutes every several hours while they nap or grab a sandwich, wouldn't they do that most of the time? Because that's the deal. And I like the deal almost every time.

 

[David99]

... but if they could get their fuel free by waiting 20-40 minutes every several hours while they nap or grab a sandwich, wouldn't they do that most of the time?

That is a very good point. I'm sure a lot of people would do that.

 

[gregd]

I've had my Roadster for 2 1/2 years now. Since it pre-dates the Super Charger network (or any other network, for that matter), all I have is home, public / work, and an occasional destination site for charging. Never been a concern.

Last weekend was the first time I had the occasion to take the car beyond its 1-way range, to attend TMC Connect in Monterey. Just like the non-Tesla EV owners, I stressed a bit about where to charge along the way, and now long it would take. Did some homework ahead of the trip with PlugShare, and found a park-and-ride with charging and a convenient place to eat nearby. It took about an 1 1/2 hours to charge, most of which was accompanied by lunch, catching up on some email, and time to just sit and relax. Very restful, actually. More so than I had expected. Arrived at my destination with plenty in reserve, both in terms of range and spirit.

This is a tale that's been told a thousand times by others. I re-tell it here in the Model S forum as a reminder. The time taken to charge along the way is a gift in some ways. Super Charging is fantastic, but it doesn't cover every corner of the planet, and probably never will. Public charging will often get you to those slightly farther out-of-the-way spots where the 6-lanes don't go, and it can be a handy top-up during an otherwise hectic day of running around whatever is local to you at the time. It does matter "when you need it" (as stated earlier), and to the furthering of Tesla's mission it is essential. And sometimes it makes for a good excuse to stop and get a cup of coffee and recharge your own batteries.

 

[EV-lutioin]

I've had my Roadster for 2 1/2 years now. Since it pre-dates the Super Charger network (or any other network, for that matter), all I have is home, public / work, and an occasional destination site for charging. Never been a concern.

Last weekend was the first time I had the occasion to take the car beyond its 1-way range, to attend TMC Connect in Monterey. Just like the non-Tesla EV owners, I stressed a bit about where to charge along the way, and now long it would take. Did some homework ahead of the trip with PlugShare, and found a park-and-ride with charging and a convenient place to eat nearby. It took about an 1 1/2 hours to charge, most of which was accompanied by lunch, catching up on some email, and time to just sit and relax. Very restful, actually. More so than I had expected. Arrived at my destination with plenty in reserve, both in terms of range and spirit.

This is a tale that's been told a thousand times by others. I re-tell it here in the Model S forum as a reminder. The time taken to charge along the way is a gift in some ways. Super Charging is fantastic, but it doesn't cover every corner of the planet, and probably never will. Public charging will often get you to those slightly farther out-of-the-way spots where the 6-lanes don't go, and it can be a handy top-up during an otherwise hectic day of running around whatever is local to you at the time. It does matter "when you need it" (as stated earlier), and to the furthering of Tesla's mission it is essential. And sometimes it makes for a good excuse to stop and get a cup of coffee and recharge your own batteries.

Love it... you nailed it. Just this week we headed to Lassen Volcanic National Park where chargers are sparse and we had to stop at the Shingletown KOA, which has a 100 amp Tesla destination charger. My somewhat grumpy family was like, ".... do we really have to stop for an hour, what a pain, #^#%& electric cars!" Well, when we arrived the manager was ecstatic that we stopped to charge, he loves Tesla's and couldn't believe that Tesla sent him a Destination charger for free. Then he said, "While you are charging feel free to use our pool and our horseshoe pit and walk our trails and use anything you want." We had a nice lunch at a picnic table in the shade, threw some shoes and... darn the charge was done and we had to leave. So our #$@%& electric car caused us to meet some really nice people and chill in the mountains and everyone was in a much better mood as we continued our trip home.