What 3rd party charging networks should I subscribe to?

[IamGaryGnu]

Hi - I'm in Central New Jersey and probably won't drive more than a few states away in any direction. There are a bunch of superchargers around, however I watched a Ford video today - and I forgot the name of the charging network - I imagine if I know what networks are around in gap areas without superchargers I can subscribe on the spot - however I saw a video of bunch of friends in a 3 road trip in Scotland, and they were limited to low speed charging because they didn't sign up in advance and get some sort of card in the mail.
I'm a worrier.
Any charging networks I should subscribe to in advance?
While at it, and while I'm waiting for my MS LR, will the MS show the third party chargers on the display, or just Tesla chargers?
Many thanks!!!!

 

[Russell]

Hi - I'm in Central New Jersey and probably won't drive more than a few states away in any direction. There are a bunch of superchargers around, however I watched a Ford video today - and I forgot the name of the charging network - I imagine if I know what networks are around in gap areas without superchargers I can subscribe on the spot - however I saw a video of bunch of friends in a 3 road trip in Scotland, and they were limited to low speed charging because they didn't sign up in advance and get some sort of card in the mail.
I'm a worrier.
Any charging networks I should subscribe to in advance?
While at it, and while I'm waiting for my MS LR, will the MS show the third party chargers on the display, or just Tesla chargers?
Many thanks!!!!

Since you have an idea where you will be driving, checkout PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You to see all of the different chargers along your route.

Not all networks will have chargers that plug into a Tesla. You will need to click on each station to see what plug it has, as you may need to purchase an adapter before you can use it.

Teslas only display Superchargers.

 

[ucmndd]

however I saw a video of bunch of friends in a 3 road trip in Scotland, and they were limited to low speed charging because they didn't sign up in advance and get some sort of card in the mail.

Good news, your only high speed charging option in the US is the supercharger network, unless you buy a $500 chademo adapter for your car.

Better news, you won’t need the chademo adapter. The Supercharger network is close to ubiquitous in your area of the US. Any other L2 charging networks you might want for stopovers, hotels, etc. are simple to sign up for on the spot. Check out PlugShare and set up a ChargePoint account and you’re 99% of the way to addressing your concerns.

 

[IamGaryGnu]

thank you both for your reply. So far I've only seen Electrify America and even that seems sparse. Plugshare might be exactly what I was looking for (and didn't know it). It would have been "swell" if the beast would also at least allow the option to display, or route for non-tesla chargers. I'll check out Plugshare, thanks again - since I ordered 19" wheels (that don't seem to be available yet) I'll (unfortunately) have plenty of time to ponder. Too much time! Thanks again!

 

[cduzz]

Yeah, plugshare is somewhat useful for identifying L2 chargers near where you're going to be spending time.

I've wasted money on some L2 networks where the payment system required some balance (give us $20 to start and we'll draw from that) then never really used it or the user interface was so terrible I couldn't ever really make it work (semaconnect); where I work has a couple of L2 chargers managed by chargepoint and that's pretty painless; free to apply and they'll send you an RFID card or use your phone.

I would not bother at all with any 3rd party charger networks unless you're 100% sure they're the only game in town. They're unreliable, expensive, and you need an adapter to actually use them. You may find that you're in a weird situation where you *must* use one, in which case go ahead (IE if you live in Alberta and spend a lot of time driving around Nunavut.)

Look around with abetterrouteplanner.com for where you're going to be spending time. Be happy that tesla is fully committed to making electric cars actually useful cars; the other EV vendors and EV charging networks are years / decades behind the curve....

 

[IamGaryGnu]

Again, thank you - this is all new to me, and I don't want to find myself in a situation where I can't charge, or charge at a reasonable rate, like those blokes in Scotland. You'd imagine at worst you could sign up on the spot (like some parking meter systems in Florida, etc.) and then 1 minute later you're golden, but if I have to wait for an RF card, etc. that obviously wouldn't work well.

My FOME (fear of missing electric?) is so great, that I happily ordered the wall charger so I can keep the mobile in the frunk or wherever, so I have additional charging options. I may also keep a 100 foot electrical cord in the car as well for the same reason - stay at a ratty motel and at least I can trickle charge while meeting my future ex wife at the bar.

 

[cduzz]

Again, thank you - this is all new to me, and I don't want to find myself in a situation where I can't charge, or charge at a reasonable rate, like those blokes in Scotland. You'd imagine at worst you could sign up on the spot (like some parking meter systems in Florida, etc.) and then 1 minute later you're golden, but if I have to wait for an RF card, etc. that obviously wouldn't work well.

My FOME (fear of missing electric?) is so great, that I happily ordered the wall charger so I can keep the mobile in the frunk or wherever, so I have additional charging options. I may also keep a 100 foot electrical cord in the car as well for the same reason - stay at a ratty motel and at least I can trickle charge while meeting my future ex wife at the bar.

You will find it is no more stressful than owning a diesel car, and if you are able to charge it where you park it overnight you'll find it is not stressful at all.

In the US, especially on the east coast, there are superchargers everywhere.

I charge my car at home on either 12A/120v or 16A/240v, and have never had a problem keeping it topped up for any even spontaneous use, even in the winter.

 

[Rocky_H]

My FOME (fear of missing electric?) is so great, that I happily ordered the wall charger so I can keep the mobile in the frunk or wherever, so I have additional charging options. I may also keep a 100 foot electrical cord in the car as well for the same reason

I know a lot of people have this nerve-wracking feeling because it's new and different and strange, so it makes them really nervous. When I got my car back in 2014 in Idaho, there weren't any Superchargers at all within driving distance of me. I did over-prep and get some extra cords and adapters to make a couple of trips back then that were borderline adventurous.

But this is 2021 now--not 2014. You aren't driving to Siberia. Get a look at how extensive the Supercharger coverage is:
www.supercharge.info
If you are mainly doing interstate travel, you don't even need to prepare or plan anything. And you don't even need to bring your charging cable with you either. If you want to bring it a couple of times a year when you do go on a longer trip, that's not a bad idea, but always having it every single day--definitely not needed.