No charging options at home or work - Philadelphia

[ezevphl]

First time poster, long time lurker ....So, I live in the same general neighborhood (Washington Square) and am struggling with this option myself. Looking to order the car within the next week or so but I don't see the lack of home charging as a dealbreaker - but I am surprised by how few monthly garages in this city lack charging options (I live in a high rise). I don't drive every single day (maybe 2-3 days per week/700 miles per month) so the 310 mile range of the LRD is probably fine. My longest trips are to the Atlantic City, NJ area - and the Egg Harbor super charger is right by my exit/entrance to the expressway. That said, since it's been a couple of months, wondering how you're making out?

Its tough. Most of the garage chargers are fairly useless or expensive. You may want to talk to some of the people who have chargers nearby to see if you can use them once in a while. Mom's market and whole foods have free charging, but thats not much.
PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You

The city has been promising a solution, but they seem to have something against EVs and have done nothing since yanking the parking program.
You can kind of figure it out, especially if the garage you use has at least a regular outlet.
There are always weekend parking deals at places with chargers. Like at Logan square I think u can park for like 10-12 for a whole day on the weekend and charge for free.

If you ever head over to West Philly, I have a charger you can use.

 

[adaptabl]

I certainly wouldn't be willing to deal with that hassle just to have a Tesla.

Home or work changing is a must.

 

[Thirsty3]

Its tough. Most of the garage chargers are fairly useless or expensive. You may want to talk to some of the people who have chargers nearby to see if you can use them once in a while. Mom's market and whole foods have free charging, but thats not much.
PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You

The city has been promising a solution, but they seem to have something against EVs and have done nothing since yanking the parking program.
You can kind of figure it out, especially if the garage you use has at least a regular outlet.
There are always weekend parking deals at places with chargers. Like at Logan square I think u can park for like 10-12 for a whole day on the weekend and charge for free.

If you ever head over to West Philly, I have a charger you can use.

Thanks so much for the kind offer! I work by Logan Square - great idea for weekend charging when I head to the office on a weekend (or for when I have the ability to expense a drive into the office on a weekday/when I have client events in the suburbs later in the day). I average about 600 miles per month of driving - mostly on weekends - and the bulk of the miles come from trips to/from the AC area (where there is a super charger and where I have a house with access to 120 v and access to friends with 240 chargers). I should be fine - and it's only going to get better.

 

[mskids]

I think your situation just changed quite nicely.

Philadelphia's first downtown supercharger went live Dec 20th. 10 Superchargers. Rodin Garage at N 20th and Hamilton St in Fairmount by Whole Foods/ Rodin Museum. Access is to 10 pm weekdays and 6 weekends ( odd) but $5 to get in then pay normal Tesla rates.

Having used Superchargers mentioned above on I-95 in (not Woodbridge (Edison area) NJ I got about 60 miles added to my Model 3 LR in very cold weather in 32 min plugged in ( this range added is from memory, not looking it up)

I paid $4.80 for 32 min connected at Tier 1 rate at the Woodbridge Wawa.

Thread here....

 

[mskids]

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/supercharger-philadelphia-pa.97860/page-3


There are also 4 or 5 pending Target supercharger installs in the Philadelphia / Montco /Chester County areas showing as in progress.

 

[Kenz]

Charging at home or work is best. That is where the car is parked for the longest time. We all should encourage our employers to install level 2 chargers in parking areas for employees if possible. The next best option would be to charge where you shop on a weekly basis.

Some grocery stores, Target, Kohls, and others offer charging options. If your shopping for 45 minutes to an hour or more that might be good enough. Lastly be sure to review "other" local charging options. Download the ChargePoint or other similar app to your phone and check what other options are close by that you may not have known about or considered. If you live in a condo or a high rise you might want to encourage them to add chargers to their parking areas. (offer to pay for charger / installation, it might be less than you think if power is located close to the parking area). As electric vehicle sales continue to increase more people will be needing charging options for high rise buildings. Too many Tesla owners only think about charging at a Tesla charger. There are other options out there and more coming.

 

[ivan801]

I love my model 3, and have owned several EVs, and it pains me to say this, but you MUST have access to a charger either at home or at work. Even if it is just 120V outlet at home. One of the advantages of my Tesla ownership is that I never have to worry if my car has a full "tank" in the morning.

I know that everyone's needs are different, but for a person who drives 1,000 miles per month around town I would say that the absolute bare minimums would be:
-- 120V 15A at home (as long as you don't have very cold winters with temps below freezing all the time)
or
-- 240V 15A at work (this is based on assumption that you spend about 2x time at home when compared with time at the office)

If you live in a cold climate I would bump the minimum to 120V 20A at home, if you live in a really cold area (Canada, Alaska), 240V 15A will be an absolute minimum.

Keep in mind that if you just have bare minimums, you may still need to supplement with public charging here and there.

If you have Model S, or X, I would bump the minimums by about 50%. If you drive less than 1k miles per month but live in cold areas your minimum requirements will be about the same because when it is really cold most of the power from 120v outlet will go to heating the pack.

 

[schang]

I am a West Philly resident (living in an Apartment). Want to iron out a few details before pulling the trigger on an M3.
1/ In the past few months, is there is any difference in the charging situation (availability of super-chargers, private chargers) close to West Philly?
2/ How 'safe' is it to leave the M3 parked on the street? I have seen conversations around Teslas being targeted and would like to know what the experience has been like in Philly. I dont have a private garage and garages I spoke to nearby dont have any facility to charge.
3/ Has anyone dealt with installing a charging station near an apartment where there is also a sidewalk? I guess this would involve talking to multiple parites (apartment owners, city authorities etc?).

This thread has been incredibly helpful! Thanks all for your inputs!

 

[schang]

taking the discussion to the group!

 

[ezevphl]

For those in or near Philly you should join the local EV group.
Log into Facebook | Facebook

 

[AdamVIP]

This seems for at best a recipe for inconvenience and at worst a recipe for disaster. I wouldnt buy an EV at all without at home charging ability. Its not worth the stress.

 

[Kenz]

Every EV owner needs to become an advocate for more charging options in their cities.
If you live in a condo or apartment meet with the management or association to see what can be done.
At work check with human resources and ask that they provide EV chargers for employees.
At business you frequent talk with the manager about getting a destination charger or some other chargers installed.
Gas and diesels are OLD polluting technology and we need to get to BEV emissions free transportation ASAP.

 

[ezevphl]

I agree, I think every EV owner (especially Tesla owners) should become advocates.
My brave neighbor (who currently uses my charger) bought a Bolt, with no dedicated charging at home or at work.
I know Tesla and other EV owners that live downtown and don't have their own charging setup.
Is it as easy and convenient as your own garage, no definitely not. The number of chargers keeps growing and there are now two superchargers in town where 10 months ago there were none.

 

[rawrguthlaf]

Every EV owner needs to become an advocate for more charging options in their cities.
If you live in a condo or apartment meet with the management or association to see what can be done.
At work check with human resources and ask that they provide EV chargers for employees.
At business you frequent talk with the manager about getting a destination charger or some other chargers installed.
Gas and diesels are OLD polluting technology and we need to get to BEV emissions free transportation ASAP.

I think this needs to be reinforced. Too many people in this thread seem to just give up on the EV idea because the infrastructure isn't there. Try advocating for it first.

I also want to add, if you convince your business to add a charger, make sure it is not in a parking spot next to the building. Otherwise you WILL be ICED. My business has two charging spots, but they decided to put it right next to the building entrance, and I have never been able to charge there. Fortunately I can charge at home.

 

[KenC]

I am a West Philly resident (living in an Apartment). Want to iron out a few details before pulling the trigger on an M3.
1/ In the past few months, is there is any difference in the charging situation (availability of super-chargers, private chargers) close to West Philly?
2/ How 'safe' is it to leave the M3 parked on the street? I have seen conversations around Teslas being targeted and would like to know what the experience has been like in Philly. I dont have a private garage and garages I spoke to nearby dont have any facility to charge.
3/ Has anyone dealt with installing a charging station near an apartment where there is also a sidewalk? I guess this would involve talking to multiple parites (apartment owners, city authorities etc?).

This thread has been incredibly helpful! Thanks all for your inputs!

When the "garages" said they don't have any facility to charge, make sure they're not just thinking of a standalone 240V charger. You probably only need a 120V charger. For trips, you'd use a Supercharger. Most garages have 120V outlets, just need to look for a convenient one near a space that can be your spot.

 

[Kenz]

Too many people overlook the 120V charging option. If the car is sitting there for 8 hours or more overnight it is a good option.
Many garages have 120V outlets in various spots. Ask permission to plug in and see how it works for you. The garage might even make it a designated EV parking spot.

 

[Phlier]

Too many people overlook the 120V charging option. If the car is sitting there for 8 hours or more overnight it is a good option.

Yup. I did this for the first 8 days I owned the car. Took the electrician a while to come install my HPWC. I was actually surprised at how well it worked. I was usually able to replenish the day's driving overnight.