How to Survive without Home or Work Charging?

[TimboSlice]

Aloha Everyone,

I was informed by Tesla that I will be taking delivery of my new Model 3 next week. I currently live in a condo that does not have a charging station or any outlet that can be publicly used for that matter. I was supposed to be moving into a new home by this time, but something came up. I may not have the ability to home charge until possibly December.

I work 5 days a week, but only every other week. My total commute back and forth is only around 7 miles. I don't do heavy driving during my time off. Any tips on the best way to keep my car charged with the least amount of time wasted while waiting somewhere publicly? I will have my CHAdeMO adapter before picking up the vehicle which I hope will be helpful. I reside in the Mililani area and have seen a few different places to get charged up at. I know some have time limits. I'm really not sure how much range I would get off a 2 hour charge. I know it depends on the speed of the charging station. To the best of my knowledge CHAdeMO supported stations are capable of 50kW. Even if that's true, I'm not sure if every station actually utilizes the maximum charging potential. Any advice would be appreciated.

Much Mahalos,

-Timbo

 

[Cybermoose]

You shouldn't have much difficulty if you only drive 10 or less miles per day. That will still give you plenty left over at the end of the week. My advice would be to plan some shopping or any other errands next to a level 2 charger once a week. I would expect less than a couple of hours would be all it takes to regain the charge you use during the week.

I have a friend that has a Model S that can't charge anywhere at home or work either. He just goes to the gym every day after work and there is a charger in the back of the parking lot. So once every couple days, he can just plug in for a couple hours and when he comes back out, he's back up to 80%

 

[TimboSlice]

You shouldn't have much difficulty if you only drive 10 or less miles per day. That will still give you plenty left over at the end of the week. My advice would be to plan some shopping or any other errands next to a level 2 charger once a week. I would expect less than a couple of hours would be all it takes to regain the charge you use during the week.

I have a friend that has a Model S that can't charge anywhere at home or work either. He just goes to the gym every day after work and there is a charger in the back of the parking lot. So once every couple days, he can just plug in for a couple hours and when he comes back out, he's back up to 80%

Thanks for your reply. This was really encouraging for me to read. I'm really excited to take delivery of my car. I already have choke stuff to put in it. Mostly accessories to protect it, lol. You know something I've been meaning to join a gym. But due to this COVID I'm a little uneasy about it. We'll see how everything plays out.

 

[Cybermoose]

Glad I could help ease your worried. It feel so sastisfying to already have lots of accessories for a new car and to finally put them in. My gym is pretty serious about social distancing still, I usually just go in the off hours, It's actually 12:30 am where I am right now and i'm about to head to the gym for an hour since I know I won't have to wait to use any equipment.

 

[RyanS]

Wow. I cannot believe that Hawaii still doesn’t have a single supercharging station.
I would download PlugShare app, if you haven’t done so already. It gives you a lot of detail information about various charging stations in the area. I used it a lot when I was driving a Leaf.
It looks like there is a few charging stations in your area. Otherwise, I would drive to Sheraton Waikiki parking lot and charge the car once a week. And relax at the beach and nice dinner while car is charging. Mannn... I wanna go to Hawaii....
Hope a supercharging station open up soon.
Good luck and enjoy.

 

[Cybermoose]

Wow. I cannot believe that Hawaii still doesn’t have a single supercharging station.
I would download PlugShare app, if you haven’t done so already. It gives you a lot of detail information about various charging stations in the area. I used it a lot when I was driving a Leaf.
It looks like there is a few charging stations in your area. Otherwise, I would drive to Sheraton Waikiki parking lot and charge the car once a week. And relax at the beach and nice dinner while car is charging. Mannn... I wanna go to Hawaii....
Hope a supercharging station open up soon.
Good luck and enjoy.

There are actually 3 supercharging stations expected to open in Hawaii before 2020 ends. Although I wouldn't recommend always using superchargers unless you need to charge up quickly. Superchargers are mostly intended for longer drives when you need to charge up quickly and continue on your way. Hopefully battery day will release information on new batteries that can constantly use superchargers without long term harm on the battery. I do a lot of driving and often times I'm not at home overnight to always charge, so more frequent uses of superchargers would be very helpful to me.

 

[mswlogo]

I suspect 2hrs of 50kw you could charge any amount you need. I’d charge to 90%. I think you’ll be ok. I wouldn’t want to be stuck doing it for years though, it will get old quick. You need charging at home to make up for slow fillup while away from home to make EV work conveniently.

 

[Watts_Up]

Aloha Everyone,

I was informed by Tesla that I will be taking delivery of my new Model 3 next week.
I currently live in a condo that does not have a charging station or any outlet
that can be publicly used for that matter.
I was supposed to be moving into a new home by this time, but something came up.
I may not have the ability to home charge until possibly December.

I work 5 days a week, but only every other week.
My total commute back and forth is only around 7 miles.
I don't do heavy driving during my time off.
Any tips on the best way to keep my car charged with the least amount of time wasted
while waiting somewhere publicly?
I will have my CHAdeMO adapter before picking up the vehicle which I hope will be helpful.
I reside in the Mililani area and have seen a few different places to get charged up at.
I know some have time limits. I'm really not sure how much range I would get off a 2 hour charge.
I know it depends on the speed of the charging station.
To the best of my knowledge CHAdeMO supported stations are capable of 50kW.
Even if that's true, I'm not sure if every station actually utilizes the maximum charging potential.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Much Mahalos,

-Timbo

I have been using a (free) L2 charger at Whole Foods Market for few months, before installing a charger in my apartment garage.

I was leaving my car overnight once a week, and bought a OneWheel to go back and force from my place to the charger to save time.

You will get used of doing it very fast, a little bit like if you have a pet.

Also, with the phone App, you always know the charge status of your battery.

Honestly, staying inside your car is not really fun, better going back home,
unless there are some food stores, restroom, WiFi... or any other commodities still opened.

BTW, does Hawaii still provides special EV licences plates?

 

[TimboSlice]

I have been using a (free) L2 charger at Whole Foods Market for few months, before installing a charger in my apartment garage.

I was leaving my car overnight once a week, and bought a OneWheel to go back and force from my place to the charger to save time.

Not sure a OneWheel would suit me for the both the distance I would have to travel and how big I am lol. That's sounds pretty dope though man.

Also, with the phone App, you always know the charge status of your battery.

Yeah, being able to monitor your battery elsewhere sounds really useful.

Honestly, staying inside your car is not really fun, better going back home,
unless there are some food stores, restroom, WiFi... or any other commodities still opened.

I agree. This is definitely the part I'm dreading, lol. I could always bring my Oculus Quest and get crazy in the parking lot. Hope I don't get hit though. Nah, I'll think of something. Maybe take Uber or ask a friend.

BTW, does Hawaii still provides special EV licences plates?

I know you can get an EV plate for your car. However, I won't be able to tell you for sure if it's automatically issued with your purchase until I take delivery.

 

[Cybermoose]

I agree. This is definitely the part I'm dreading, lol. I could always bring my Oculus Quest and get crazy in the parking lot.

Just want to point out that you shouldn't use the Oculus Quest in direct sunlight. My friend damaged his by doing that, was only a few times but now he has some troubles with his. I have used mine when in the car with some privacy shades put up when I had to wait for a few hours.

 

[Watts_Up]

@TimboSlice if the OneWeel is too challenging, you could try a scooter, as you can keep it charged with the 12 V plug.

About staying in the car, I prefer sitting on the back.

- I added a user account called 'Camp Mode' to move the driver seat toward the steering wheel.
So you have one tap on top of the display instead of having to hold the buttons on the side of the seat.

- When the driver seat is all the way forward, you can easily reach the central panel from the back seat,
also you have much more room for your legs, and you are less noticeable from outside.

- I also put a phone holder above the air vent of the rear central console.
I put a little LED light on the floor, below the central console, as it is kind of dark on the back.

- Also the central rear armrest has two big cup holders, but I covered them with some foam,
as it was not comfortable to feel the cup holes under your forearm when seating for a long time.

Note: With an EV, because you can keep the Air Conditioning on, it is quite comfortable to stay in your car
for a little while, like if you need to make a phone call or take a little rest, or have to wait instead of going to a coffee shop.

I would recommend you get some roof cover and a windshield cover if you park on the sun.

 

[TimboSlice]

@TimboSlice
When the driver seat is all the way forward, you can easily reach the central panel from the back seat,
also you have much more room for your legs, and you are less noticeable from outside.

I might just go to sleep while it's charging at night man. lol.

 

[webbah]

I might just go to sleep while it's charging at night man. lol.

TESMAT Mattress & Carrying Case for Model 3

Privacy Screen for Model 3

 

[TimboSlice]

Privacy Screen for Model 3

Wow I didn't even know they had a privacy screen that goes all the way around lol. Probably not fun to setup all the time. I did buy a sun blocker off Amazon for when I go inside work or other places for extended periods of time. But that privacy screen could come in handy.

 

[cgtraveler9]

I have been using a (free) L2 charger at Whole Foods Market for few months, before installing a charger in my apartment garage.

I was leaving my car overnight once a week, and bought a OneWheel to go back and force from my place to the charger to save time.

You will get used of doing it very fast, a little bit like if you have a pet.

Also, with the phone App, you always know the charge status of your battery.

Honestly, staying inside your car is not really fun, better going back home,
unless there are some food stores, restroom, WiFi... or any other commodities still opened.

BTW, does Hawaii still provides special EV licences plates?

Curious which company you went with for apartment garage installation of a charger. I'm looking to run a simple wall outlet for a trickle charge, HOA is good with it, just trying to find right company to hire and gauge cost. Thanks!

 

[TimboSlice]

I was going to create another thread, but decided against it. Does anyone know why on Oahu the CHAdeMO charging stations do not go up to 50kW? The most I've seen during a charge is 35kW, but it's usually around 33kW. And I have had a really low battery before. Still the same speeds.

 

[mociaf9]

I was going to create another thread, but decided against it. Does anyone know why on Oahu the CHAdeMO charging stations do not go up to 50kW? The most I've seen during a charge is 35kW, but it's usually around 33kW. And I have had a really low battery before. Still the same speeds.

Ignoring some minor technical points, electrical power in kilowatts (kW) is essentially calculated by multiplying the voltage (V) by the current (A; amps), then divided by 1000. When charging your car via DC charging the voltage is dictated by the pack voltage of your battery. For a Model 3, the nominal pack voltage is 350V, but in reality the actual pack voltage at any moment depends on the state of charge of the battery (i.e. how full or empty it is). It ranges from ~270V at 0% to ~400V at 100%. The CHAdeMO adapter is limited by hardware to a maximum of 125 amps. As a result, you will see a charging power of ~33kW when charging with a battery near 0%. As the charging session progresses, the power will INCREASE because the pack voltage will be rising as the battery fills up. You won't see anything approaching 50kW until the battery is up around 90% full, and at that point, you start to run into the charging taper so power will fall off to protect the battery.

Also, in addition to filling up the battery, some of the power from the charger is being used to run auxiliary functions on the car during the charging session (including running the battery heater). So, while the station may be putting out power at the levels indicated above, the power actually going into the battery will be lower. The car will only tell you what amount of power is going into the battery. But if you look at the display on the charging station, it should tell you the total delivered power.

The end result is that when CHAdeMO charging, you will charge faster if you start from a higher SOC. This is totally opposite to experience with supercharging, where you'll get a higher charging rate if you start with a lower SOC.

 

[cwerdna]

There are actually 3 supercharging stations expected to open in Hawaii before 2020 ends. Although I wouldn't recommend always using superchargers unless you need to charge up quickly. Superchargers are mostly intended for longer drives when you need to charge up quickly and continue on your way.

The OP mentioned Mililani, which I had to look up and see that it's on Oahu. Per a quick Google search, the island of Oahu is only about 112 miles (180 km) if you drive all the way around it. And, I've seen this about the island: 44 miles (71 km) long and 30 miles (48 km) wide.

So that's funny about longer drives.

CHAdeMO Charging the Model 3 is one of several threads about using CHAdeMO.

I was going to create another thread, but decided against it. Does anyone know why on Oahu the CHAdeMO charging stations do not go up to 50kW? The most I've seen during a charge is 35kW, but it's usually around 33kW. And I have had a really low battery before. Still the same speeds.

Have Plugshare links to them and/or pics of the labels? Some might be limited to 100 amps max.

Some "50 kW" chargers are rated at that at 500 volts, which is beyond the operating voltage of most EVs. 500 volts * 100 amps = 50,000 watts = 50 kW

If the voltage were only 370 volts * 100 amps == 37,000 watts = 37 kW.

 

[TimboSlice]

Ignoring some minor technical points, electrical power in kilowatts (kW) is essentially calculated by multiplying the voltage (V) by the current (A; amps), then divided by 1000. When charging your car via DC charging the voltage is dictated by the pack voltage of your battery. For a Model 3, the nominal pack voltage is 350V, but in reality the actual pack voltage at any moment depends on the state of charge of the battery (i.e. how full or empty it is). It ranges from ~270V at 0% to ~400V at 100%. The CHAdeMO adapter is limited by hardware to a maximum of 125 amps. As a result, you will see a charging power of ~33kW when charging with a battery near 0%. As the charging session progresses, the power will INCREASE because the pack voltage will be rising as the battery fills up. You won't see anything approaching 50kW until the battery is up around 90% full, and at that point, you start to run into the charging taper so power will fall off to protect the battery.

Also, in addition to filling up the battery, some of the power from the charger is being used to run auxiliary functions on the car during the charging session (including running the battery heater). So, while the station may be putting out power at the levels indicated above, the power actually going into the battery will be lower. The car will only tell you what amount of power is going into the battery. But if you look at the display on the charging station, it should tell you the total delivered power.

The end result is that when CHAdeMO charging, you will charge faster if you start from a higher SOC. This is totally opposite to experience with supercharging, where you'll get a higher charging rate if you start with a lower SOC.

This was supper informative and good to know. As you can tell by my original post I know very little, so this helped a lot.

 

[TimboSlice]

Have Plugshare links to them and/or pics of the labels? Some might be limited to 100 amps max.

Some "50 kW" chargers are rated at that at 500 volts, which is beyond the operating voltage of most EVs. 500 volts * 100 amps = 50,000 watts = 50 kW

If the voltage were only 370 volts * 100 amps == 37,000 watts = 37 kW.

I did happen to take some pictures. There seemed to be a lot to read and figured I'd check it later. However, after reviewing the pictures the details don't seem to be that informative. Here's a LINK.