I have the impression that that pace of supercharger V3 construction has increased greatly since Juli, I count 17 new SUC locations open, and a lot in the permit/construction phase.
Unfortunately the one I needed most on my recent holiday was still in construction, probably opening in November according to a guy doing prep work on the SUC in Perigueux.
I was stupid enough to decline the offer of our B&B host to charge via a regular 240V outlet, figuring it would be less hassle to stop by a nearby public fastcharger a couple of times. So I had to experience what non-Tesla EV drivers had to go through. I tried to charge 4 times on the same 50kW fast charger:
- first time using a chargemap card. I had to try probably 10 times to get the charger through the authentication step, but ultimately was able to charge at a lousy 33kW (the first time I used my CCS2 adapter on my Model S so at least I was happy this worked).
- second time, I decided to use the app from the provider itself, which allowed anybody with a smartphone and a credit card to charge without subscription. I also used my Chademo adapter figuring that would be closer to the 50kW charger limit. I could start the charge after only 2 tries, but the charge rate was even less, 28kW. Unfortunately the charge aborted and restarted for unknown reasons, so I gave up after a couple of tries with only half a charge.
- third time, I used CCS again hoping for more stability. Unfortunately after a quarter of a charge the charge aborted completely, without restarting. I gave up, figuring that the charger was overheating, and it was at the hottest part of the day, over 30degrees Celsius, which is pretty normal for that region.
- the fourth time, I charged as early as possible in the morning with cold outside temperature. This was actually the first time I could properly read the instructions on the screen of the charger (so most of the day the screen was unreadable due to the bright sun shining directly on the screen). This time I could charge normally a,d completed a full charge at 33kW.
In conclusion, I’m not selling my Tesla shares anytime soon. I can now believe the people who claim that you can’t go on holiday with an EV (except if it is a Tesla).
Our host was considering installing a Tesla destination charger, but I have the impression that the last 2 years not a lot of destination chargers were added in Europe. Has this programme stopped?
Oh, I also stopped by a hotel-restaurant with a destination charger. We wanted to charge while drinking a coffee, but the polite but unfriendly receptionist declined our charging request stating that it was only for hotel guests. With all three chargers free, close to zero hotel guests, and without even giving the option to pay for the charge, I found that very rude.
