Tesla Drivers Using Non-Tesla Chargers???

[Radlaw]

As a Tesla owner, when traveling I sometimes get a non-Tesla EV rental car. On a recent trip, I stayed at a hotel that had 15 Tesla superchargers and 2 non-Tesla chargers. On 2 ocassions there were Tesls at the non-Tesla chargers while there vwere ~10 Tesla chargers available. Consequently, I was not able to charge my non-Tesla EV.

Why would those Tesla drivers use the non-Tesla chargers while superchargers were available ayt the same site???

 

[smogne41]

As a Tesla owner, when traveling I sometimes get a non-Tesla EV rental car. On a recent trip, I stayed at a hotel that had 15 Tesla superchargers and 2 non-Tesla chargers. On 2 ocassions there were Tesls at the non-Tesla chargers while there vwere ~10 Tesla chargers available. Consequently, I was not able to charge my non-Tesla EV.

Why would those Tesla drivers use the non-Tesla chargers while superchargers were available ayt the same site???

Were the non-Tesla chargers Level 2 or Level 3? Level 2 is more convenient for a hotel situation, since you can just leave the car plugged in overnight and not have to come back out and move it in 30-60 minutes. Also usually costs a lot less (or is just free).

If Level 3 either: the cost was much less per kWh at non-Superchargers, they were salvage title cars that had not gone though the Tesla inspection process, the drivers were confused, or the Superchargers were full when they got there and you saw it after it had emptied out.

 

[Radlaw]

Thanks for your reply. Good points. Probably Level 2. Your point about it being free is well taken. I knew there just had to be a logical reason. It would be nice, that when fully charged they would move for someone else. This happened during the day.

 

[smogne41]

Thanks for your reply. Good points. Probably Level 2. Your point about it being free is well taken. I knew there just had to be a logical reason. It would be nice, that when fully charged they would move for someone else. This happened during the day.

Agreed, you should always move from the charger when you are done (unless it is the middle of the night!).

 

[jjrandorin]

As a Tesla owner, when traveling I sometimes get a non-Tesla EV rental car. On a recent trip, I stayed at a hotel that had 15 Tesla superchargers and 2 non-Tesla chargers. On 2 ocassions there were Tesls at the non-Tesla chargers while there vwere ~10 Tesla chargers available. Consequently, I was not able to charge my non-Tesla EV.

Why would those Tesla drivers use the non-Tesla chargers while superchargers were available ayt the same site???

The other thing to consider, is its very possible that all of the other chargers were occupied when those teslas showed up, so they simply pulled into the available chargers. Just because they were available / empty when you saw them doesnt mean they were that way when those cars showed up.

 

[Radlaw]

I talked to a Tesla driver who was using a EVgo level 3 charger. He said he does it because many times the Superchargers were full and that the EVgo charger was cheaper and closer to his work. Are level 3 chargers cheaper?

 

[RayK]

I talked to a Tesla driver who was using a EVgo level 3 charger. He said he does it because many times the Superchargers were full and that the EVgo charger was cheaper and closer to his work. Are level 3 chargers cheaper?

Typically, DC charging does cost more than Level 2, as there are probably more public L2 chargers that are free than there are free DC stations. But sometimes DC can be cheaper. The ChargePoint CHAdeMO that I normally use appears to be subsidized by the company where they are installed (Santa Clara Valley Water District). However, in this case, both the two DCFC stations and the four L2 chargers are the same price: $0.19/kWh 24/7/365, but with time limitations before "parking" fees are added to the cost. This beats the lowest cost Superchargers in the area by several cents now ($0.23 super off-peak) but in the past, Supercharger costs were in the high 20s and low 30s. Highest Supercharger rate in my immediate area is $0.48. ChargePoint is also lower than what I could ever get from our residential utility (PG&E) with their lowest off-peak rates.

If that Tesla driver had an EVgo subscription plan, their $/kWh can be lower than a Supercharger but they would probably have to use EVgo several times a month for the overall cost to be worth the subscription ($0.99/$6.99/$12.99 per month for their various plans).

In the past, some of the EA stations around here have offered free charging; typically during national holiday weekends. I've taken advantage of that several times. It did require the use of a CHAdeMO adapter since back then, no CCS charging was possible for the Model 3. I don't know if EA is still doing the free charging. It's been over a year since I've charged there for free.

 

[Earl]

Agreed, you should always move from the charger when you are done (unless it is the middle of the night!).

or the middle of a show, or the middle of a meeting, or the middle of a lot of other things.

Level 2 is also known as 'convenience' or 'destination' charging. That places emphasis on the convenience or being at the destination over making the charger available as much of time as possible. Its not as if someone (with any sense) is going to sit and wait for you to finish Level 2 charging. That could be a wait for many hours.

In contrast to the above, however: it is nice to move the car after charging when it is convenient as well, just to increase the availability of today's fledgling and inadequate charging infrastructure. At work, it is good to take a short walk away from your desk during the day. Moving your car is a good thing to do at that time.

 

[Gndy]

it could be because of the price as well

 

[ProtonopeSJ]

As a Tesla owner, when traveling I sometimes get a non-Tesla EV rental car. On a recent trip, I stayed at a hotel that had 15 Tesla superchargers and 2 non-Tesla chargers. On 2 ocassions there were Tesls at the non-Tesla chargers while there vwere ~10 Tesla chargers available. Consequently, I was not able to charge my non-Tesla EV.

Why would those Tesla drivers use the non-Tesla chargers while superchargers were available ayt the same site???

I live in Atlantic canada and a major reason for using a non-Tesla charger is cost. Here I am charged at least 5 times as much at a Supercharger as I pay for anytime Kwh's in my home. Non-TEsla chargers charge at least a third less per kwh compared to Tesla. And My experience is that reliability of Flo and Electric Circuit chargers is good, though rated at less Kw's. The problem is I don't know how to pre-condition my car for a non-Tesla charger with I think depends not only on timing, but also power to be done well.

 

[RayK]

<snip> The problem is I don't know how to pre-condition my car for a non-Tesla charger with I think depends not only on timing, but also power to be done well.

You would typically put a Supercharger location nearby into your navigation system. The car will try to route you there, while pre-conditioning the battery if you're within a certain amount of miles and/or time of that Supercharger. Then ignore the nav and go to the non-Tesla charger.

 

[ProtonopeSJ]

You would typically put a Supercharger location nearby into your navigation system. The car will try to route you there, while pre-conditioning the battery if you're within a certain amount of miles and/or time of that Supercharger. Then ignore the nav and go to the non-Tesla charger. What I would like to see is the ability to designate your destination in navigation as a charger and to specify its power. The information is available in PlugShare which Tesla may not like to pay.

You would typically put a Supercharger location nearby into your navigation system. The car will try to route you there, while pre-conditioning the battery if you're within a certain amount of miles and/or time of that Supercharger. Then ignore the nav and go to the non-Tesla charger.

I have thought of that strategy but it is does not work if there are no nearby Superchargers as is the case for most of Newfoundland or Cape Breton or the northeastern shore of the Saint Lawrence or along highway 11 in northern Ontario or a LOT of other northern areas. Another problem with that strategy is the higher power rating of Superchargers compared to the types of chargers one is forced to use in these areas likely meaning wasted preconditioning energy beyond what is really required (my guess). I would like to have Tesla enable us to designate our navigation target as a charger of a max power level we specify thereby engaging appropriate preconditioning as we travel. The charger information is available in PlugShare which Tesla likely does not want to pay.

 

[Supcom]

I have thought of that strategy but it is does not work if there are no nearby Superchargers as is the case for most of Newfoundland or Cape Breton or the northeastern shore of the Saint Lawrence or along highway 11 in northern Ontario or a LOT of other northern areas. Another problem with that strategy is the higher power rating of Superchargers compared to the types of chargers one is forced to use in these areas likely meaning wasted preconditioning energy beyond what is really required (my guess). I would like to have Tesla enable us to designate our navigation target as a charger of a max power level we specify thereby engaging appropriate preconditioning as we travel. The charger information is available in PlugShare which Tesla likely does not want to pay.

Tesla will likely add third party DC fast chargers to their nav system along with the ability to precondition when heading to one of them once they can prove their reliability. To date, however, third party fast chargers have been so unreliable that I don't blame Tesla for excluding them.

 

[ProtonopeSJ]

Flo and the Electric Circuit are both headquartered in Quebec and I found them good. I did encounter one level 2 dud of theirs in a national park….lots of good 3’s and 2’s elsewhere. Maybe one Tesla dud - never had to wait at Supercharger but I think I once switched charger.

Tesla will likely add third party DC fast chargers to their nav system along with the ability to precondition when heading to one of them once they can prove their reliability. To date, however, third party fast chargers have been so unreliable that I don't blame Tesla for excluding them.

 

[Earl]

Flo and the Electric Circuit are both headquartered in Quebec and I found them good.

I haven't used Flo myself but I did meet with one of their principals many years ago and, of all the non-Tesla charging providers, he seemed to have a lot more on the ball, more knowledge, and better attitude than any of the others I've met. It isn't surprising that their network may be more reliable and, perhaps, even reliable enough to count on.
I look forward to an opportunity to take an EV adventure through northern Canada soon and hope they are good.

 

[threeputts]

I used a few FLO DC chargers in Nova Scotia and they all worked great. They are on the chargepoint network so I could use my rfid card instead of fumbling with an app or credit card.

 

[MOE J]

These free chargers are slow like 5-6 hours slow. They’re usually in a paid parking lot, meaning U have pay by the hour. Best to go after hours 6 - 9 pm or on holidays when parking cops are off. The downside is criminals nearby will notice unattended cars left alone when charging. So is it truly free.