What price do people think is reasonable for NRMA? If they were both available in the same area, how much cheaper than Tesla would it have to be to make it worthwhile? Or does it depend on location? Might prefer to stay longer for lunch somewhere nice? Might want to just get going at other times?
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NRMA fast charging network
- Thread starter baillies
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- Australia New Zealand
My wife and I have been NRMA members for almost 60yrs. We took out an extra membership for the Tesla principally because they were installing their chargers and we wanted to use them. We thought they would charge for them way, way before this. Hopefully it is imminent so as to get back some of the investment and level things out somewhat.
We use the Lithgow ones from time to time and being 50kW it just gives us time for a coffee and loo break at the excellent Workmens' Club. If there were Superchargers there, it would almost be too quick and we would need to stay with the car. So faster isn't always optimum on a trip. That is the only charging stop we need on a 600km round trip.
As to price, I think it should be less than Superchargers and the big Evie/Chargefox units but will accept whatever it is.
We use the Lithgow ones from time to time and being 50kW it just gives us time for a coffee and loo break at the excellent Workmens' Club. If there were Superchargers there, it would almost be too quick and we would need to stay with the car. So faster isn't always optimum on a trip. That is the only charging stop we need on a 600km round trip.
As to price, I think it should be less than Superchargers and the big Evie/Chargefox units but will accept whatever it is.
Absolutely. Why pay when you don't gave to? I recently had the choice of paying for a supercharging session near Nowra, or using the free NRMA charger in Berry. I went to Berry and used it, and didn't feel a pang of quilt when two Teslas and an iPace came in and drove away, and someone in a Taycan had to wait for 45mins while I topped up. I had plenty of time to walk into town and go to the bakery and come back for the end of my charge.
I think if you asked the third party charging operators "Should Tesla drivers avoid your chargers?" the answer would be a resounding "Hell no."
Free is free. $30 saved on a 50kW charge.
Saying that.. if someone's nice about it, I'd very likely move from NRMA to SuperCharger.
If they're rude or entitled I'd ask if they're willing to contribute to the cost that they're incurring on me and go from there.
By the way peeps.. there's no direct messaging on PlugShare any more. They were hit with spammers so turned it off. Just a thought when you leave message "msg me if you are desperate to charge..not far away". Ain't going to happen!
Saying that.. if someone's nice about it, I'd very likely move from NRMA to SuperCharger.
If they're rude or entitled I'd ask if they're willing to contribute to the cost that they're incurring on me and go from there.
By the way peeps.. there's no direct messaging on PlugShare any more. They were hit with spammers so turned it off. Just a thought when you leave message "msg me if you are desperate to charge..not far away". Ain't going to happen!
Maybe 40 to 50c/kWh. I suspect there will be a discount for NRMA members.
I still wouldn’t use one if there were Tesla Superchargers at the same site or very close by. I don’t want to add the perception out there that Tesla drivers are inconsiderate (and worse).
We’re dealing with a very specific case here - Tesla Superchargers collocated with an NRMA (or other third-party) fast charger. There’s only two examples I know of - Dubbo and Bathurst (both collocated with a free NRMA charger).
So I don’t think your conclusion is that solid. The NRMA isn’t losing any money if this happens, in fact a Tesla driver not using a free NRMA charger saves them money. And Evie/Chargefox might instead think it’s great that Tesla drivers, when they have a choice in that very specific circumstance, are being considerate to non-Tesla EV drivers, and saves them an angry phone call from a potential customer about those a-hole Tesla drivers.
I’ve used free NRMA chargers a few times because they were the only DCFC within 100s of km. No issue at all with that. I used NRMA Nabiac once - before Evie Taree opened - and never since.
When Tesla opens their superchargers to other EVs here, and NRMA starts charging for charging™, this issue will go away.
There's Gundagai as well.
NRMA is currently an edge case because they're free-of-charge. However if one of the commercial networks would rather have less customers then they're doing something very wrong. In the long run, more Tesla drivers charging at commercial third party sites can only improve the business case for more and larger sites.
I tend to use the Superchargers and Chargefox/Evie ultrafast chargers as well, because they're faster than the NRMA ones and I'm not keen to wait in a queue.
How do you feel about ones that are close but not co-located - eg. NRMA Sovereign Place / Tesla Cassegrain / Chargefox Thrumster (all within 5km of each other but with very different facilities available). I can certainly see myself stopping at NRMA Sovereign Place to charge while having lunch, especially if the winery restaurant is closed/booked out.
Gundagai isn't an NRMA Freebie. It's Chargefox. The 350kW units are 60(48)c/kWh. The lonely little 50kW unit to the side is 40(32)c/kWh.
Yes. @Vostok was talking about Superchargers co-located with NRMA or other third-party fast charger.
I also forgot Macquarie Centre in Sydney, where the Supercharger is co-located with Evie fast chargers (although they're not directly adjacent like the other examples).
Even being relatively close makes them an option - and personally the other facilities and the number of chargers (chance of them being broken or in use) become more important than the price.
Driving Melbourne - Sydney last night I stopped at Gundagai at 5% and added a quick 25% (tactical to get me to Hay if I needed).
But then drove shorter distance to Jugiong (could have made it without the top-up but didn't want to risk an in use charger) and plugged in while having a lovely schnitzel at the Sir George.
That gave me enough juice to get to Goulburn where I went to Chargefox (cheaper and easier to get to) which was surprisingly busy at 10pm. Not helped by one 350kW not allowing charging.
I waited 5min for an ACT Polestar, and had just plugged in when another Y arrived, and decided to continue to the superchargers.
But had for example I wanted to eat at Goulburn, i would have gone to the Superchargers in town with lots of food options over the Gateway (where it's just the petrol station or McDonalds across the road.)
Driving Melbourne - Sydney last night I stopped at Gundagai at 5% and added a quick 25% (tactical to get me to Hay if I needed).
But then drove shorter distance to Jugiong (could have made it without the top-up but didn't want to risk an in use charger) and plugged in while having a lovely schnitzel at the Sir George.
That gave me enough juice to get to Goulburn where I went to Chargefox (cheaper and easier to get to) which was surprisingly busy at 10pm. Not helped by one 350kW not allowing charging.
I waited 5min for an ACT Polestar, and had just plugged in when another Y arrived, and decided to continue to the superchargers.
But had for example I wanted to eat at Goulburn, i would have gone to the Superchargers in town with lots of food options over the Gateway (where it's just the petrol station or McDonalds across the road.)
Goulburn Supercharger isn't especially close to food options, and it's too fast. You're there for 40 minutes. Soldiers Club bistro might cook you something that you can wolf down within 36 minutes, I suppose. But you'll want to increase your charging goal to 100% to avoid paying idle fees.
I used to love charging at NRMA Mittagong, where I could enjoy a nice Bistro dinner at the RSL, knowing it'd take about an hour to charge the car. And that hour is -just- enough to get me the rest of the way home, skipping Goulburn. But NRMA Mittagong is too busy nowadays, so I haven't been in months.
Helps if you have travelling companions you can tell to mind the table while you go move the car. We stopped at Macquarie Centre on our way north and by the time we'd walked down to the food court, figured out which options, lined up and paid for it, it was time for me to start walking back to move the car.
Yes, likewise on all counts!
Paragon or park Cafe only a block away and typically pretty quick.
Better than McDonalds at Gateway.
Ideally you want chargers in a variety of locations.
Some will prefer something immediately off the highway to minimise time.
Others might prefer somewhere for a decent meal (and slower charge options) or grass to walk the dog, or baby change facilities etc.
Why not use the 50 kW evie charger at Macquarie that is only 40c per kwh? That should give you almost an hour to have dinner without being the "guy that needs to move their EV" and is a much better choice for an extended stop.
It was my first time stopping there, so I didn't know the layout of the mall.
Now my Supercharger credits have expired I'd probably stop at Evie Seven Hills for preference anyway, it's fewer tolls and less of a deviation.
Definitely the simpler choice if travelling through Sydney, though hopefully Tesla's proposed Campbeltown Supercharger (just a Coming Soon dot) is just as easy to access off the motorway.
