Vendor Questions people stop and ask about my TESLA (or, why charging takes zero time)

[EVSmartParts]

In the 9 months I have owned my Model 3 this seems to be the most asked question by curious folks. I present here an approach that is foreign to most of my EV friends. It took an engineer and very rational thinker to explain this to me. I thank them for their out of the box thinking. I was blind and now I charge.


How long does it take to charge?
Of course I provide some basic TESLA battery charging information. Some are not too happy about the time factor but then I ask them about "how long does it take to gas?" This is fun as they now have to really think about something we have all taken in stride because that is all we ever knew.
"Gassing " an ICE car...to me means the active process of adding fuel to your car. The Gassing process requires planning and spending real time to do the following:

Diverting to the gas station, waiting in line an jockeying for position, getting out of your car and into the heat, or cold, or rain, or snow) etc etc.
Standing in the wind etc picking up the pump nozzle in smelly and many times at night quite possibly an unsafe transitional space. Car hijacking and "sliding" are common crimes in gas stations. Tips to keep your kids safe while you're pumping gas, paying or getting a receipt

Then getting back in and re diverting to your destination.
None of this for plug in at home if you have a home charger.
Seldom do people think of this next "time" factor. You must factor in the added work time to pay for the privilege of doing all the above.

Only a fraction of your hard earned pay (weeks of Time at work every year, actually goes into actually moving your ICE car down the road! The majority of that taxed income goes into the air in the form of waste heat and air pollution (Just look at all the huge bug-like grills on the ICE cars!

4 extra seconds on a few days or 1 day a week and YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAND THERE CHARGING.

"Yeahhh I get it! Their fascination at the details never ceases to amaze me. People want to know. The details do not crush them. They thank me and ask if I sell these cars.

Charge and live long in a safe TESLA.

 

[ecarfan]

Good analysis. I have been doing that for years. In brief, I say “The vast majority of the time I spend zero time charging my car because it charges automatically at home while I sleep. When I am on a trip greater than 250 miles or so I charge my car while I’m eating lunch or taking a break from driving, which most people do anyway, so again it takes essentially no time.”

 

[640k]

OP i think i understand what you're trying to convey to people but it does come off a bit entitled. I think it's a great idea to educated people on why range anxiety doesn't have to be a thing. most people who drive, rarely drive more than 100 miles/day and those that enjoy an occasional road trip get caught up in the numbers. for me, specifically, it was the idea of understanding that you "top-off" your charge as you go [on a trip] vs. waiting until you're on E (like in an ICE). this is just a fundamental understanding of EV ownership that the general public hasn't had an opportunity to wrap their heads around.

with THAT said, there are still MANY cases where an EV may have a disadvantage. power outages and major storms (evacuations) can have a huge impact on your ability to find an electrical outlet or charging station. gas stations aren't immune, but with an ICE vehicle, you have the opportunity to stock up on fuel reserves if these were ever an issue. one user posted that they had no electricity as a result of Dorian and their vehicle had no charge, so they were stuck.

rural and mountainous areas can be problematic for EVs as well , if you don't have the range or a good plan of action. again, ICE vehicles aren't immune here, but, generally speaking, it may be more difficult to top off an EV vs finding a gas station (in today's age).

no situation is perfect and while i do appreciate your take on, "you can literally be doing anything else other than watching your vehicle charge", the general public is just slow to catch up. as technology improves and more solutions arise, these conversations will certainly change. i just don't know where i'm going to get an ICEE now.

 

[DopeGhoti]

I like to consider myself at least to be at the baseline of "functional operator of a motor vehicle". While I absolutely support EVs and everything that they stand for and do, I find descriptions like this when talking about fueling an ICE vehicle needlessly inaccurate and unfair. Let's discount for the moment the fact that you can refuel an EV at home overnight:

"Diverting to gas station either on the way to work or to home... (wondering all the way if the gas prices are up because its Friday or just before a holiday,)"

Diverting to a Supercharger or other charging station is likely to be equally far out of the way. Because they are less ubiquitous, you also wonder if they will be either fully occupied or fully functional. Let's call this a wash.

"Waiting in line an[d] jockeying for position"

I've seen plenty of anecdotal evidence of this happening at EV chargers too. Notwithstanding CostCo, it's rare that you have to wait in line at a gas station.

"Getting out of your car and into the heat, or cold, or rain, or snow"

Until we have Snake Charger Cables, this is not unique to explosion-powered engines.

"Digging out your credit card"

Many EV charging stations use their own RFID cards or require you to scan a QR code on your phone. A wash here.

"Don't drop it in the spilled gas!"

I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen spilled fuel at a gas station, because that number is zero. Unless you're in a recreation of Zoolander, the chances that you're going to see enough spilled fuel to drop something into are exceedingly small.

"Selecting the correct grade"

Fair.

"Standing in the wind etc picking up the pump nozzle in smelly and many times at night quite possibly an unsafe transitional space. Car hijacking and "sliding" are common crimes in gas stations. Tips to keep your kids safe while you're pumping gas"

A fair number of L1/L2/DCFC chargers are not in what I would typically style as 'the right side of the tracks'. That said, I have yet to hear of any EV-charging-station based carcjackings. Point for EVs.

"Squeezing the pump handle for the actual "gassing" step for 4 or possibly 5 minutes"

This is almost never a thing. You set the nozzle to fuelling, set the release lever, and let go; when your tank is fuel, it releases the lever and you're done.

"Paying or getting a receipt"

Fair, notiwthstanding that generally scanning the QR code / RFID card as mentioned above already handles this step.

"Getting back in and re diverting to your destination...wondering if that smell in your car is actually gas on the soles of your feet...now on your floormat"

Unless you're implying that once you charge your EV, you never leave; this is not a fair point of comparison. Also, see the rebuttal to "dropping things in the spilled gas", above.

"Washing your hands as soon as you get home...remember the pump handle that 300 people grabbed before you that day....never cleaned since installation maybe 4 years ago?"

Washing your hands as soon as you get home.. Remember the electrical connector that 300 people grabbed before you that day? Never cleaned since installation maybe four years ago?"

"Remembering to never let your kids pump gas?"

Why?


All that said, being able to charge at home (notwithstanding people unable to do so due to their living situation) is indeed quite a benefit. I would say that even if you cannot charge at home, spending 20 minutes or so per week charging the car back up to 80% SoC is a fair trade for the actual cash savings compared to petroleum-based fuel.

 

[T3SLAROD]

I never get asked about charging...... it’s always about panel gaps and time spent at the service center

 

[Nocturnal]

I agree 100%. It drives me crazy when people insist that gassing up their car takes 2 minutes.

People are really stupid. They ignore the $1000 gas savings they might receive because their twice a year trip takes an extra hour. That's basically like being paid $500 an hour (after tax). I'll take that any day. They also discount the time wasted going in for oil changes etc. over the life of a car. Over 100k miles in a gas car you are probably spending 10 hours just waiting on basic maintenance.

I like to consider myself at least to be at the baseline of "functional operator of a motor vehicle". While I absolutely support EVs and everything that they stand for and do, I find descriptions like this when talking about fueling an ICE vehicle needlessly inaccurate and unfair. Let's discount for the moment the fact that you can refuel an EV at home overnight:

"Diverting to gas station either on the way to work or to home... (wondering all the way if the gas prices are up because its Friday or just before a holiday,)"

Diverting to a Supercharger or other charging station is likely to be equally far out of the way. Because they are less ubiquitous, you also wonder if they will be either fully occupied or fully functional. Let's call this a wash.

It's not a wash because you supercharge a few times a year, you have to gas up once a week or so.

"Waiting in line an[d] jockeying for position"

I've seen plenty of anecdotal evidence of this happening at EV chargers too. Notwithstanding CostCo, it's rare that you have to wait in line at a gas station.

"Getting out of your car and into the heat, or cold, or rain, or snow"

Until we have Snake Charger Cables, this is not unique to explosion-powered engines.
Same as above, a few times a year.

"Digging out your credit card"

Many EV charging stations use their own RFID cards or require you to scan a QR code on your phone. A wash here.

"Don't drop it in the spilled gas!"

I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen spilled fuel at a gas station, because that number is zero. Unless you're in a recreation of Zoolander, the chances that you're going to see enough spilled fuel to drop something into are exceedingly small.
What? It almost always dribbles some gas out of the nozzle.

"Selecting the correct grade"

Fair.

"Standing in the wind etc picking up the pump nozzle in smelly and many times at night quite possibly an unsafe transitional space. Car hijacking and "sliding" are common crimes in gas stations. Tips to keep your kids safe while you're pumping gas"

A fair number of L1/L2/DCFC chargers are not in what I would typically style as 'the right side of the tracks'. That said, I have yet to hear of any EV-charging-station based carcjackings. Point for EVs.

"Squeezing the pump handle for the actual "gassing" step for 4 or possibly 5 minutes"
Happens to be fairly often. Usually it's because letting it autofill is slower than squeezing the handle yourself.

This is almost never a thing. You set the nozzle to fuelling, set the release lever, and let go; when your tank is fuel, it releases the lever and you're done.
um-based fuel.

I responded inline but a high level your responses don't fit because you supercharge a few times a year but you gas up weekly. Almost all of us charge at home or work. ​

 

[CharleyBC]

The time (and availability) to charge are the most frequent class of questions I get from curious—often skeptical—non-EV people. Like OP, I mention all the time I no longer spend at gas stations since the car charges while I sleep. And, yep, the car has more range than my bladder, so charging happens on road trips while I’m eating and, well, you know.

Which reminds me: time to set my level to 90% for tonight’s charge in preparation for our road trip tomorrow!

 

[smashcz]

I agree with you, but how do you get $4.50 for 310 miles? Solar?

uCalc – Electricity vs. Gas Savings Calculator < good calculator

 

[DopeGhoti]

Almost all of us charge at home or work.

Did you miss the parts where I literally said "Let's discount for the moment the fact that you can refuel an EV at home overnight" and "All that said, being able to charge at home (notwithstanding people unable to do so due to their living situation) is indeed quite a benefit"?

I agree that EVs are superior, but presenting canards about lakes of gasoline or the incredible inconvenience of selecting an octane rating by pressing a single button are not making EV proponents look good.

 

[CharleyBC]

I agree with you, but how do you get $4.50 for 310 miles? Solar?

uCalc – Electricity vs. Gas Savings Calculator < good calculator

It depends on one’s rate plan. Our incented overnight rate works out to about $8 for a full charge (which we never actually do, of course). Only it’s really $0 because, yes, we have solar.

 

[KenC]

I tell em, it's just like my smartphone, I plug it in when I get home, and unplug it when I go to work. Takes 5 secs.

 

[TIppy]

This is almost never a thing. You set the nozzle to fuelling, set the release lever, and let go; when your tank is fuel, it releases the lever and you're done

The stations I used to frequent didn't have those anymore. They don't always shut off, depending on how the nozzle is inserted, so they usually remove them from the nozzles.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Diverting to a Supercharger or other charging station is likely to be equally far out of the way. Because they are less ubiquitous, you also wonder if they will be either fully occupied or fully functional. Let's call this a wash.

I've seen plenty of anecdotal evidence of this happening at EV chargers too. Notwithstanding CostCo, it's rare that you have to wait in line at a gas station.

Until we have Snake Charger Cables, this is not unique to explosion-powered engines.

Many EV charging stations use their own RFID cards or require you to scan a QR code on your phone. A wash here.

A fair number of L1/L2/DCFC chargers are not in what I would typically style as 'the right side of the tracks'. That said, I have yet to hear of any EV-charging-station based carcjackings. Point for EVs.

Fair, notiwthstanding that generally scanning the QR code / RFID card as mentioned above already handles this step.

Washing your hands as soon as you get home.. Remember the electrical connector that 300 people grabbed before you that day? Never cleaned since installation maybe four years ago?"

Most of your points here are made under the assumption that you're using a public EV charger or SuperCharger. But that's almost never the case. That only occurs on a road trip. The other 50 weeks of the year, you're charging at home in your garage.

In my garage, there is no line, no diversion off my intended route, no payment process, no "iffy" neighborhood, no contaminated handle, no spilled fuel, and no weather.

With my current electrical plan (free nights 9PM - 6AM), there is no bill, either.

I would not call this a "wash" with the ICE fueling process.

This is almost never a thing. You set the nozzle to fuelling, set the release lever, and let go; when your tank is fuel, it releases the lever and you're done.

This is not true in all states. In Texas, the hold-clip levers were not allowed on consumer self-serve pumps until the early 2000's. In some out-of-the way gas stations in small towns, they still have the same pump handles from before the law was changed, and you actually have to hold them the entire time. When I was a teenager in the 80's, you had to hold them the entire time everywhere in the state.

Massachusetts just legalized the hold-clips in 2015. They had been illegal since the 1970's prior to that.

New York still outlaws them.

 

[Kevy Baby]

...hold-clip levers...

In cases where there was no hold-clip lever, MOST of the time you could just simply use your gas cap (shoved into the handle) to hold it. Was perfect, but worked 90%+ of the time.

 

[dsvick]

If I said even half of that to someone who asked me about charging I'd have lost their attention and respect in minutes. No one wants to hear an EV owner come across as condescending to ICE owners. You can get the same point across without deliberately inflating what you need to go through to fill an ICE car.

Whenever someone asks me how long it takes to charge I just tell them "About 20 seconds. I plug it in when I get home and every morning when I wake up it's fully charged and I just unplug it and go." Invariably, their next question is "What if you you have to go far." To which I just say "95% of my driving, including back and forth to work and running errands at night, never needs more than what I started with in the morning. If I'm on a road trip I schedule it so that I charge when I stop to eat and use the bathroom."

That's it, keep it simple, don't be jerk. Most people are asking because they are genuinely curious, let's not put them off by being deliberately condescending and obtuse.

 

[FurryOne]

Massachusetts just legalized the hold-clips in 2015. They had been illegal since the 1970's prior to that.

New York still outlaws them.

Not true for NYS. The Sunoco station a mile from me has the clips - I use them when filling my BMW.

 

[trm2]

If I said even half of that to someone who asked me about charging I'd have lost their attention and respect in minutes. No one wants to hear an EV owner come across as condescending to ICE owners. You can get the same point across without deliberately inflating what you need to go through to fill an ICE car.

Whenever someone asks me how long it takes to charge I just tell them "About 20 seconds. I plug it in when I get home and every morning when I wake up it's fully charged and I just unplug it and go." Invariably, their next question is "What if you you have to go far." To which I just say "95% of my driving, including back and forth to work and running errands at night, never needs more than what I started with in the morning. If I'm on a road trip I schedule it so that I charge when I stop to eat and use the bathroom."

That's it, keep it simple, don't be jerk. Most people are asking because they are genuinely curious, let's not put them off by being deliberately condescending and obtuse.

I agree, I lost interest after reading the first sentence: "Charging is key to electric vehicles."
I mean, It was such a revelation my mind was blown.

 

[Nocturnal]

Did you miss the parts where I literally said "Let's discount for the moment the fact that you can refuel an EV at home overnight" and "All that said, being able to charge at home (notwithstanding people unable to do so due to their living situation) is indeed quite a benefit"?

I agree that EVs are superior, but presenting canards about lakes of gasoline or the incredible inconvenience of selecting an octane rating by pressing a single button are not making EV proponents look good.

Yes, clearly I did lol. In my defense it was a lot of text.

 

[DopeGhoti]

In my defense it was a lot of text.

Fair point, I did go on a bit there, didn't I?

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Not true for NYS. The Sunoco station a mile from me has the clips - I use them when filling my BMW.

Might be a recent change. The article I read that cited the Massachusetts law change was from 2015. It said that at that time New York still outlawed them, but they must have followed suit.