Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Supercharging waiting makes my friends angry

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
I did a road trip from Southern CA (Orange County) to Northern CA (Sunnyvale) with my arcade friend. And wow everytime we had to supercharge he will vent his frustration and anger every time we had to do it. He will say why not do it later I don't want to do it now. But he also doesn't want to help put in some research on good places to stop that have supercharging so I had to do all that work to try get the car charged up every arcade or destination we stopped at. Since we are mostly doing arcades, mostly the big chains like Dave and Busters and Round1 have Tesla superchargers or free level 2 charging because they were in malls. My first plan was to find a home base to charge near our hotel while sleeping that was within a 5 minute E-scooter ride distance, but there was nothing open to the public. So I was forced to hopefully plan a charging route while we stopped at these arcades so we didn't have to wait separately for charging.

On New Years, we went to watch fireworks in San Francisco but I decided we should get a full charge to around 70%-80% on the way back because we would need it the next day as the car was going to be at 20% when we left SF. But my friend started complaining so hard about having to charge at night. But I said it's better to do it at night because it's a little cheaper and there will be less Teslas charging therefore faster charging. He insisted we should just do it next day during day time and said I was being so cheap over it. I got so mad over I started yelling at him because it was either he gets at me now or later. We found a charger that was a 150w, but I sensed it was charging kind of slow because it's a 150w and it was completely full because it was like 8-10 chargers. I decided we should go to a 250w station that was on the way to the hotel, but my friend got so mad about my decision to go to another supercharger, but I kept telling him it should be faster because it's 250w and it had more stations.

Next day we traveled from Sunnyvale, Daly City, Pacifica, Santa Cruz, back to SunnyVale, I successfully got all our charging done while we were doing something. Also charging at night previous day helped eliminate us waiting for supercharging in the day. Like when he wants to go to a chuck e cheese to film a YouTube tour for 10-15 minutes I could go charge since supercharger was across street. Then we got to Dave and Busters Daly City, there was a 72w supercharger but it was fine because we were gonna be there for 30-60 minutes so it got from 70 to 95 percent slowly but worth doing since we were doing something. And that supercharger was kind of far from Dave and Busters, I brought my electric scooter so I could easily go across the mall and not be constrained by a longer walking distance and lock it somewhere. That day he didn't get mad or argue with me because all of our stops had charging while we did something. Topping off in Daly City allowed us to go to Santa Cruz, back to Sunnyvale (hotel) around 50%-60%, then the next day to make it to Modesto CA with 20% left.

Then on our way back from North CA to Southern CA he got a little more annoyed and upset about the supercharging. So I started getting so annoyed by it and all his views about EVs, I started telling him then how gas is making people poor and struggling to pay for gas and they are ignorant to not choose a cheaper source of energy even if it takes longer. And I told him how he should help me plan out the charging route and install the plug share app, he just says that's stupid to find EV charging and gas stations are better. Or that he should choose restaurants next to superchargers instead of an In n Out where we had to wait for 20 minutes with no charging. He didn't mind waiting in long lines at In n Out but he will start complaining so much if we did that same wait at a supercharger.

In the end about arguing about supercharging and how we should plan our restaurant stops next to superchargers, he states "I don't want a car to control my life" so therefore all the places he wanted to stop without supercharging added up to our waiting time. Alot of restaurants he wanted to go to were not along supercharging routes so I was annoyed by it but I compromised because he really wanted In n Out and offered to buy me In n Out because he knew his decision was going to affect our supercharging waiting. Because if he didn't buy me food, I probably just tell him how waiting 30 min at a crowded In n Out (no charging) will mean we will have to wait 30 min at another supercharger later.

He also hates the autopilot when it does random phantom braking or swerves during a lane change. He vents his frustration about the autopilot and says it's my fault for not paying attention although I was paying attention. I am aware if the Tesla autopilot has some errors and I will be ready to take over it something weird happens like phantom braking. But if the Tesla phantom brakes he will get really upset about it. But even though the autopilot has some imperfections, it's a minor inconvenience to have a huge convenience of being to have more energy to drive long distance.

He also has alot of republican style views. He has puts FBiden on the Space Invader leaderboards at all the arcades. Even though Biden is promoting EV and giving tax credits. He refused to get a COVID shot back in 2020-21 and said "I don't know what is in it". Not caring if it meant being refused entry from some arcades like Dave and Busters and me telling him why not just get it if you can get into more places? He won't admit to me if he is a pro-republican but it seems if something is controlling his life he will not have it. He rather have gas prices control his life than an EV. He rather be refused entry to a good arcade that he could profit just to not get a COVID shot. He drives a 2019 Honda Civic that gets 40 mph. Which is decent, but I probably argue that a 40 mph car is less fun to drive and has no autopilot or cool tech features like a Tesla. He is 20 years old but has old man ideas because he hates electric scooters and EV charging. He has very little interest about how to plan the best EV charging route and if I tell him to help me out on this, he will just say it's your responsibility and he has no interest in EVs. So because he wouldn't help me, I was forced to plan everything. And it's also frustrating because he wanted to make many random stops to like Taco Bell or In N Out and refusing to eat at any restaurant next to a supercharger when we had so many options to do so. I think because he is a republican / pro trump kind of guy that thinks EVs are stupid.

But in the end, he never offered to just say "lets drive my Honda Civic because we don't have to charge". He knows gas is expensive so that's why he didn't propose to drive his car and I just end up driving. He offered to pay his half in hotel in prizes he won from key master and I justified not asking him to pitch in for EV charging because he spotted me 5000 D&B tickets and helped me win jackpots on my card. He won me maybe over $100 retail value for $25 (I paid for) at one arcade we visited because they had no games I could win. Since I drove the Tesla, I felt it was cheap enough to not really care how we split it as long as it seemed fair. If we drove my parents Lexus GX which my parents have offered to let me borrow, I may start demanding more out of him and I don't know if he would really be down to split the bill on an SUV that gets 20 mpg. But then it has no autopilot so it make it harder for me to drive so long.
 
Last edited:
I would be telling him to get out and walk. :)

When he started complaining about why I didn't charge while we were at Round1 Burbank. It's next to supercharger. He complained why I didn't charge while we were in Round1, I said because it would only take 10 minutes.

I told him to get out of my car and take an Uber back to Orange County. I also stopped in the parking garage not charging because I got so fed up with him complaining about charging so I wanted him to make him wait longer. He couldn't man up to his EVs are stupid ideas and hire an Uber gas car to take him back from Burbank to OC which likely would have been $100. And also how he is not cheap and doesn't want to be told how to save money. After he keeps telling me I'm being cheap for wanting to charge during off peak hours and constantly complaining about supercharging. If I have to pay for supercharging, I would prefer to top off during off peak hours so I don't have to do it during the day time when there could potential for a huge line and slower charging at a full station.
 
Last edited:
You mean 150 kW, 250 kW and 40 mpg?

We're both in California and I've made it known here and elsewhere that California moves to accelerate to 100% new zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035 | California Air Resources Board isn't going to happen by 2035. (It allows for up to 20% to be PHEVs and the other 80% have to be ZEVs). As I've said before, to me, it will get increasing amounts of pushback as the date gets closer with plenty of Astroturfing - Wikipedia spreading FUD and other crap along the way.

Many parties will be behind the pushback like people who cannot charge at home nor work (not everyone can charge at home nor work, esp apartment, condo and townhouse dwellers), low income people, fossil fuel industry (big oil, refiners, gas station operators, anyone in the supply fossil fuel supply chain including tanker truck drivers), auto dealers, electric utilities, auto service shops and anyone who stands to lose significant revenue due to EVs. And, there's the political angle...

And, I voted after 2040 at Prediction, in Which Year Will New Electric Vehicle Sales Exceed 50% in the United States "Poll".
 
You mean 150 kW, 250 kW and 40 mpg?

We're both in California and I've made it known here and elsewhere that California moves to accelerate to 100% new zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035 | California Air Resources Board isn't going to happen by 2035. (It allows for up to 20% to be PHEVs and the other 80% have to be ZEVs). As I've said before, to me, it will get increasing amounts of pushback as the date gets closer with plenty of Astroturfing - Wikipedia spreading FUD and other crap along the way.

Many parties will be behind the pushback like people who cannot charge at home nor work (not everyone can charge at home nor work, esp apartment, condo and townhouse dwellers), low income people, fossil fuel industry (big oil, refiners, gas station operators, anyone in the supply fossil fuel supply chain including tanker truck drivers), auto dealers, electric utilities, auto service shops and anyone who stands to lose significant revenue due to EVs. And, there's the political angle...

And, I voted after 2040 at Prediction, in Which Year Will New Electric Vehicle Sales Exceed 50% in the United States "Poll".

Ya I put the units of measurement wrong.

I told him eventually in the future he will likely have to get an EV. And his dependence on gas and hating EV charging is pushing us backwards and is not sustainable. I understand charging options may not be inside someone's house. Which is why I use electric scooters because sometimes I can get lucky and there is a free level 2 charger that is near my home base while on a trip. Kind of like having a second car for short distance that docks inside my Tesla.

He is an arcade advantage player and he is knowledgable about being sustainable to prevent arcades from lowering jackpots. And knows what people got what games nerfed and is super critical to me not to go hard on random high payout games at certain arcades. So he could apply that same concept to cars and their energy sources. And if CA does move to zero emission in 2035, that's within his lifetime so he should care but he made it clear he doesn't care.
 
Last edited:
I understand charging options may not be inside someone's house. Which is why I use electric scooters because sometimes I can get lucky and there is a free level 2 charger that is near my home base while on a trip. Kind of like having a second car for short distance that docks inside my Tesla.
And if CA does move to zero emission in 2035, that's within his lifetime so he should care but he made it clear he doesn't care.
Your friend is likely someone who'd be part of the opposition to the by 2035 CA law I cited. Many people just don't care about emissions, sustainability and have moderate to strong opposition to EVs.

The scooter, free L2 near one's house, etc. is not something that will exist for everyone or even most people who can't charge at home nor work. And, it likely won't scale either. Where would all those L2 stations go and who would pay for them? It's not something many of those people will tolerate over being able to just fill up quickly with gasoline at plentiful gas stations.

As I posted in another forum recently (unfortunately, you need a free account over in that forum to see it) w/some light edits:
-- begin --
On the note of the California 2035 ZEV mandate, so I'm nearing the end of a roadtrip from Bay Area to LA to Lompoc, CA (to see Santa Barbara, Solvang and Hearst Castle) then back home. I'm staying in Lompoc and I've seen almost no EVs, only 1 for sure, a Bolt w/the TSLATAP vanity plate that I saw charging in Goleta Electrify America and I posted on a FB group.

I saw the same TSLATAP Bolt on the road pulling into a hotel in Lompoc 2 hotels over from mine after the recent SpaceX launch from Vandenberg SFB. The occupants of the car actually responded to my FB post and yes, they were there to also watch the launch. They also have https://twitter.com/teslatap.

Anyway, there are fair # of BRoD (some lifted) trucks in town. There's no CCS DC FCing here at all (and looks like no Tesla Supercharger either). The closest CCS is in Los Alamos (The Depot Mall | PlugShare). There's also almost no public J1772 in this town.
-- end --

The Los Alamos CCS chargers were about 18 miles from my hotel. I never actually went there to charge. My CCS charging in that region ended up being in Goleta or Solvang.

I have never owned nor leased a Tesla and my current EV's DC FC speeds are much slower than any currently sold Tesla. Maxes out at out below 80 kW. BRoD = Battering Ram of Death, due to curb weight and size.
 
Last edited:
I don’t think it’ll do any good to explain emissions, future laws, the increased time of travel due to charging, or the status of the beta software. Your friend is a child, unable or unwilling to resolve processes that interfere with immediate comfort. My grandchildren are 3 and 5. That’s what they do. When they reach puberty they’ll develop their capacity for complex thought. Your friend is in for a difficult life if he doesn’t mature.
 
Tell him to drive his Honda and you’ll meet him there. Charging is a fact of life with an EV. If he doesn’t understand that after you explain it to him, he’s a little thick.

He must be a close friend. Otherwise you might kick him to the curb and seek out a friend with more maturity.
I only tolerate him because he helps win me tickets and he has taught me how to play other ticket redemption games at a profit. He is fair when it comes to sharing the cost of the EV charging and my efforts driving like spotting me 5000 D&B tickets, winning me tickets on my card, winning prizes for me so I don't ask him to pay for electricity. But the supercharging complaining part is the worst, like I will have no choice but to feel the wrath of his frustration if we gotta supercharge if somehow charging while we eat / play arcades isn't possible. He never complained when we do local 1-2 hour drives in our area because I never or rarely have to supercharge if driving locally. But he doesn't understand that my car topped off while we were both sleeping from the previous day. If we did our local arcade trips in our area in his gas car, we likely would be forced to stop once for a gas station and then I can complain to him why he install a 100 gallon gas tank inside his home so he can buy gas all at once and fuel up when he gets home so we don't waste 5 minutes to fuel up at Arco.

I told him to install the plug share app since he was the one who was planning most of our arcade stops. But he refused to do that even though it would have made sense for him to do so since he was the one who planned all of our stops. One example is we went to Dave and Busters
 
Way too much drama-sounds like little lovers quarreling.
I wonder if couples had arguments that came about because one the partners hated waiting for charging. Alot of angry political / social ideas were argued when my friend started complaining about supercharging.

I said it's the people's fault in the Bakersfield area for not adopting EVs & supercharging because they believe the way he does and are pro gas stations. Because we traveled on CA-99 and there was one huge gap that required us get get over 80% in Viscilia CA to not have to backtrack to the out of way Bakersfield supercharger and make it to Tejon Ranch which was on the way. There is no supercharger in the Bakersfield area along the CA99 route, it's only on the I-5 part.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: ElectricIAC
I said it's the people's fault in the Bakersfield area for not adopting EVs & supercharging because they believe the way he does and are pro gas stations. Because we traveled on CA-99 and there was one huge gap that required us get get over 80% in Viscilia CA to not have to backtrack to the out of way Bakersfield supercharger and make it to Tejon Ranch which was on the way. There is no supercharger in the Bakersfield area along the CA99 route, it's only on the I-5 part.
There's plenty of CCS and a decent amount of CHAdeMO charging up and down highway 99. I've driven my non-Teslas EVs (never owned nor leased a Tesla) the equivalent of 2 round trips up/down 99 from entering/exiting from highway 152 and ending/entering at where 99 ends/starts.

I've gotten a bunch of free EV juice thanks to New Electric Vehicle Fast Chargers Now Available Along State Highways in Central California | Caltrans and Industrial St Parking Lot | PlugShare (no longer free) + Strata Federal Credit Union | PlugShare (broken now). On the road trip I referred to in post 7 that I recently returned from, I took 99 down south. I charged for free at Madera Maintenance Station | PlugShare and Tejon Pass Rest Area - Southbound | PlugShare. Denny's Delano | PlugShare was super cheap at $2/hour which I had to use since Delano Maintenance Station | PlugShare was broken at the time. But alas, all of this and my vehicle charge way slower than Tesla Superchargers.

The Caltrans free DC FCs are no more than 50 kW max. Denny's Delano EV Connect I recall seeing ~37 kW. So, your friend might even be more mad due to the slowness. :)

Except for those most recent trip where I returned via highway 101 (to go to Santa Barbara, Lompoc, Solvang, Hearst Castle and try to watch a rocket launch from Vandenberg), I take highway 99 to/from since for a non-Teslas, there's WAY more DC FC choices and backups than on highway 5.

Just look at Plugshare and filter by CCS. You can filter by CHAdeMO but be careful about Electrify America sites. Those only have 1 CHAdeMO handle. Woe is you if the handle/charger is down.
 
  • Like
Reactions: buckets0fun