I'm a new Tesla owner and I've had my car for about 1 month and put 1800 miles on it. I took it for a road trip for the fourth of July weekend and prepared my route on EV Trip planner. I coordinated with the hotel to plug in while I was there and also used on board navigation to get me going while making sure I had enough charge. My wife and I have been in information technology for over 20 years and we're real comfortable with technology. Add to that we're huge fans of EV's and Tesla having owned a Volt for over a year.
That being said planning and having the road trip is still an adventure... Making sure we had enough charge and then doubling back 15 miles to recharge after we did our 100 mile tour of Amish country. Then before heading home we had to head 30 minutes in the opposite direction to supercharge. Having to Drive 15 minutes off the highway to get to the South Bend super charger each way. Lastly, the on board Navigation took us off the highway for the last leg and didn't let us plot a course over the highway so we wouldn't be sure if we would make it. We stuck to the off roads which took us longer.
There's about 5-10% of the population that will put up with that much inconvenience in the name of adventure. So if Tesla really wants to sell 500k cars a year they have to figure out how to expand the supercharger network in a huge way. We're not talking about double or triple we need 10 to 20 times what they have right now. Because my mother, sister, neighbor or friends will demand the effortless trip they are accustomed to.
This is where I feel Tesla should once again take the lead and create a supercharger that supports all three types of fast chargers. Tesla supercharger, Chad-emo and the combo plug such that each one charges at the fastest speed capable. Just like at a gas pump where you have multiple hoses for diesel, E85 and gasoline. Then using the political force of all the car companies combined lobby state governments to install these at highway rest stops and turnpike service plazas. Have them price it high enough where they make a good profit. It's a win win for everybody... The car companies build out their infrastructure quickly and cooperatively. The state governments could come up with a few million dollars each to build a few dozen superchargers along popular travel routes and generate income from the sales that will more than pay for themselves even at low volumes ($10 profit x 10 cars a day=$36k a year)
