To pay or not to pay?? There is a comment on the Superchargers saying limited to 80% People might want/need more than that out there
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NRMA fast charging network
- Thread starter baillies
- Start date
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- Australia New Zealand
They've been different companies for over 20 years. They just share branding for historical reasons.
And therein lies the rub and why NRMA should start charging for charging™. “Free” distorts peoples’ behaviour. At locations where there are both Tesla superchargers and third-party DCFCs (free or not), the Tesla driver should use the SC. It doesn’t matter if the other charger is unoccupied, someone might turn up 10 minutes later wanting to use it.
I charged to 100% at Dubbo a couple of months ago. You have to manually set your charge level in the car to 100%, it won‘t stop you. It took a ridiculous amount of time to complete though, and I only did it because no-one else was there, I was doing a long drive the following day, and I was staying in a hotel very close by.
I wonder how many of these other users though are actually NRMA members or have their insurance? So a paid member shouldn't use a charger they are a member of where someone who isn't a member thinks they have priority?
Each to their own I suppose.
People are free to use any charger that they like regardless of what brand of car. I bought a Tesla by choice and paid well earned money for it and for that I get access to all charges that are available.
Correct - if at a site which has both. It’s called being considerate and thinking about other EV drivers who might turn up after you have plugged in to the only charger they can use. A Tesla driver can use either a Tesla Supercharger or a third-party DCFC. Currently, the reverse is not true In Australia.
Being expected to use the most expensive charger in an area is an inconvenience too. Third party networks need demand signals to expand stalls per site and improve availability. Tesla owners should be part of that demand and will improve the experience for all EV owners in time.
Even 2 chargers per site isn't enough, last week at the snow both NRMA chargers at Jindabyne were down which is a big problem as Jindabyne is the gateway to the NSW snow fields. The NRMA needs to charge money so other charging networks can move into Jindabyne as NRMA are the only public chargers in there which means you're straight out of luck if your accommodation doesn't have overnight charging as you need to be careful to make it back to Cooma.
Even 2 chargers per site isn't enough, last week at the snow both NRMA chargers at Jindabyne were down which is a big problem as Jindabyne is the gateway to the NSW snow fields. The NRMA needs to charge money so other charging networks can move into Jindabyne as NRMA are the only public chargers in there which means you're straight out of luck if your accommodation doesn't have overnight charging as you need to be careful to make it back to Cooma.
That’s OK, but to me that is more “inconvenient” than just plugging in at the Tesla Supercharger in the first place. Then you don’t need to stay with the car, or go through the hassle of unplugging and moving if someone turns up to use the third-party charger.
That cuts bothways though - doesn’t Tesla need those signals too? Tesla built 11 new SuperCharger sites in Australia in 2021, but only 4 so far this year. What does that tell us?
Don’t University campuses though require parking permits to enter/stay? Which at least limits the “opportunists” to those who already have parking privileges at said campus, rather than any Joe Blow looking for a free charge.
Not these WSU ones. Just marked with a 1hr colour code that doesn't apply to any paid/restricted parking.
Swinburne in Melbourne is the same, though think Monash restricts
That's very cool of them, love the solar carparks. I guess if icing become an issue, they can make it paid 1hr parking
I don't need to return to my car to unlock the charge port!
I'll often park one space over at places the cable can reach, so I can remote disconnect on request. NRMA Mittagong has 2 marked spaces (plus a 3rd space that the cable will reach). Try using the odd space. Drag the cable over. Some EV newbie can park in the usual space and wait. And if they use PlugShare, and if they check in as waiting, I'll see the alert & I can message them. Or they can message me. Or I might wander out.
Let's say I was almost finished having lunch. I don't really want to get up, but the Tesla app says I have enough charge, and the PlugShare app says someone is waiting. OK, I'll disconnect the cable remotely & tell them to listen for the click and try unplugging my car then. I'll press unlock charge port a few times to make it really obvious. They can plug in & charge, and I can now take my sweet time as my car isn't in a marked bay & isn't occupying an in-demand charger.
It's all about member benefits, I'm a member of NRMA. I'll use the benefits that they give me. If you don't want to, fine. It's a free world. The sooner they start charging non members to stop the free loading, the better. In the end it's only your opinion against my opinion. We all know opinions are like arse holes, we all have one. 
