Supercharging once weekly - no home charger

[ch1zzle]

Waiting on my MYP and a few charging related questions.

I live in a condo building with no charger available, so I won’t be able to home charge overnight. Insteas, I plan to hit my local supercharger (15 mins away) once a week since I usually only drive 1000 miles per month.

2 noob questions:

I’ve read supercharging only is bad for the battery - is once a week going to cause significant degradation?

I’d ideally like to charge to maximize my charge on my weekly charge visit, but I see that that limiting to 80-90% is recommended. How low should I let the battery go and how much should I charge until?

 

[Sophias_dad]

If it were me, I'd go 20-90%.

Are there really no outlets anywhere near your parking? Even a lowly 120V outlet will get you 4-5 mi/hr, which gives you 50+ miles per 12 hour night, or 1500 miles a month.

 

[kishkaru]

I also can't charge at home, and supercharge roughly once a week (sometimes more). I've been doing this every week for the last 9 months, since the car was brand new.
I let mine fall to 21% (that's when Sentry Mode turns off), and charge up to 85-90%. The last 10% just takes too long. 20% to 90% takes me roughly 40 mins on a V2 supercharger. The last 10% takes another 30 mins or longer.

Here's a near ideal supercharging session from 18% to 91% from earlier this week, which took exactly 38 mins:



I live in a very old condo, so no 120V anywhere in sight. (and even if there was, the HOA would not allow tenants to use it due to billing, fairness, and all the related politics and paperwork)

You can read my recent post about battery "degradation" here: 8% degradation after 9k miles, wtf?

 

[EVFamilyGrins]

One other thing to consider is how busy the SC's are. My son can't charge at his apartment so uses 100% SC. His biggest complaints are the wait times can be over an hour and regularly over 15 mins (even late at night) and SC limits charge to 80% so he has to charge more often and can be a pain when he is taking a long trip.

He is in LA and maybe SF is not so bad. I would swing by the SC you plan to use and check the availability at your charging times and talk with owners charging about the experience.

 

[kishkaru]

Bay Area supercharger locations are not much different from LA in terms of traffic. Although TOU off-peak starts at 7pm, its super busy until after 10pm, or sometimes after midnight. If you're an early-morning person (before 10am), it might be less hassle than staying up super late.

SC limits charge to 80%

Indeed, it does this automatically, at locations at busy times. However, you can always override this from within the car or app, and charge higher % without penalty. Just know that people that are waiting to charge may hate you for staying that extra length.

 

[kishkaru]

All this talk about superchargers reminded me that I needed to go charge tonight. I got my best charging curve yet on a Supercharger V2 (150 kW station):



20% to 90% (shutoff) in exactly 37 mins. 20% to 80% in 27 mins.
I think the V2 supercharger was maxed out and the car was requesting as much as it could.

 

[jcanoe]

Not all Superchargers are capable of the same charging rate. You will probably only encounter a V3 Supercharger (250kW maximum rate) on an interstate. V2 Superchargers (120kW and 150kW) are the next most common Superchargers. Then there are Urban Superchargers (72kW maximum.) Urban Superchargers require a smaller infrastructure footprint and are typically found in shopping centers and parking garages.

Unlike when charging at Level 1 or Level 2 you can't set the maximum charging rate when using a Supercharger. Only the Tesla vehicle's battery management system and the Supercharger control the actual charging voltage and amperage while Supercharging. The lower charging rate of an Urban Supercharger will stress the battery less than the V2, V3 Superchargers. Charging will take a bit longer so you might want to grab a meal or take care of some shopping if you use an Urban Supercharger.

 

[RL0225]

Not all Superchargers are capable of the same charging rate. You will probably only encounter a V3 Supercharger (250kW maximum rate) on an interstate. V2 Superchargers (120kW and 150kW) are the next most common Superchargers. Then there are Urban Superchargers (72kW maximum.) Urban Superchargers require a smaller infrastructure footprint and are typically found in shopping centers and parking garages

The V3’s are going everywhere there’s a new SC now (vs V2). All the new SC’s near me are V3 and none of these locations are near the interstate.

 

[Vin_L]

As good as Teslas are there is no way I would own one without being able to home charge it every night

 

[ch1zzle]

As good as Teslas are there is no way I would own one without being able to home charge it every night

Yea I get that sentiment - there's huge value in being able to charge at home. I can't wait to be able to buy a house and do this

Unfortunately I don't have that option, but still want a Tesla for many reasons beyond charging convenience. I've also justified the cost savings and realize I won't have to change my lifestyle too much.

I don't commute for work by car, I don't drive that much, there is a supercharger located in the shopping mall where I do my errands etc...I fill up my ICE at in that area once every 1-2 weeks anyway.

 

[Vin_L]

Yea I get that sentiment - there's huge value in being able to charge at home. I can't wait to be able to buy a house and do this

Unfortunately I don't have that option, but still want a Tesla for many reasons beyond charging convenience. I've also justified the cost savings and realize I won't have to change my lifestyle too much.

I don't commute for work by car, I don't drive that much, there is a supercharger located in the shopping mall where I do my errands etc...I fill up my ICE at in that area once every 1-2 weeks anyway.

I hear you. I can’t afford to buy a house here either in CA. I’m renting, but I’m lucky enough to have a sub panel in the garage and wired up a wall connector

 

[Mixman]

I am in the same boat. I have to go to an SC about once a week. I cannot charge at home since I live in an Apt. Here is the thing we are the norm in the US since most people either live in a urban environment or even many in the burbs such as us and that includes some with houses, do not have access to a garage.

 

[Dave EV]

Is there anywhere you regularly go that has L2 charging? An hour of L2 charging here and there can make a big difference.

Having to drive 15 minutes to Supercharge (how many miles?) is a bit of a pain unless it is along a normal route you take.

 

[ch1zzle]

Is there anywhere you regularly go that has L2 charging? An hour of L2 charging here and there can make a big difference.

Having to drive 15 minutes to Supercharge (how many miles?) is a bit of a pain unless it is along a normal route you take.

Yep found out there is an EVgo at the Whole Foods a few blocks away. Charges at 50kw which is plenty fast for a quick top up.

 

[Sophias_dad]

Yep found out there is an EVgo at the Whole Foods a few blocks away. Charges at 50kw which is plenty fast for a quick top up.

Is there an appropriate connector for a Tesla at 50kw at that site?

 

[Dave EV]

Is there an appropriate connector for a Tesla at 50kw at that site?

Some EVgo sites have a built-in CHAdeMO adapter inside and have a Tesla plug, so yeah. I'm kind of surprised more public charging networks don't do this or something similar. Otherwise, the the Tesla CHAdeMO adapter could be worth it and hopefully Tesla actually releases a CCS combo adapter for the US market - otherwise the SETEC adapter seems to be working (with some hiccups).

 

[ch1zzle]

Is there an appropriate connector for a Tesla at 50kw at that site?

Yes there is

Some EVgo sites have a built-in CHAdeMO adapter inside and have a Tesla plug, so yeah. I'm kind of surprised more public charging networks don't do this or something similar. Otherwise, the the Tesla CHAdeMO adapter could be worth it and hopefully Tesla actually releases a CCS combo adapter for the US market - otherwise the SETEC adapter seems to be working (with some hiccups).

Yep this EVgo has a Tesla plug. Definitely the fastest charging in the city besides the one supercharger

 

[Calliope]

I drove an EV for 2 years with no home charging available - I wasn't going to drive an ICE car just because I didn't live in a house! It's doable, depending on your driving patterns and mileage. I would spend 1 hours a week charging in the summer, and 2 hours a week in the winter......reading the papers or email or playing word games on my computer. That was a Leaf - it would be less time in a Tesla.

 

[boulder.dude]

Waiting on my MYP and a few charging related questions.

I live in a condo building with no charger available, so I won’t be able to home charge overnight. Insteas, I plan to hit my local supercharger (15 mins away) once a week since I usually only drive 1000 miles per month.

2 noob questions:

I’ve read supercharging only is bad for the battery - is once a week going to cause significant degradation?

I’d ideally like to charge to maximize my charge on my weekly charge visit, but I see that that limiting to 80-90% is recommended. How low should I let the battery go and how much should I charge until?

Did you get your MYP and how is it going?

If you’re driving 1,000 miles per month, that will be 6 or more charging sessions, not 1 per week.

Get the PlugShare app and look for L2 chargers that might be walking distance from your place. I have 3 (1 community center and 2 schools) that I could use overnight, for lower $ than SCs.

 

[ch1zzle]

Did you get your MYP and how is it going?

If you’re driving 1,000 miles per month, that will be 6 or more charging sessions, not 1 per week.

Get the PlugShare app and look for L2 chargers that might be walking distance from your place. I have 3 (1 community center and 2 schools) that I could use overnight, for lower $ than SCs.

I did get my MYP, and charging hasn’t been a hassle for me at all.

I drive mostly within the city or short highway trips, so I’ve only been using 30-40% per week. I usually supercharge once per week and try to plug into L2s at the mall when I’m shopping.