Tesla refuses $6.4M funding from California due to requirement of accepting payment via credit card...

[RickMachE]

This is NOT the federal funding, this is a project before the federal funding. Apparently there are to be 4 locations, with 428 stalls (that's insane to anyone not living in California). Tesla may still be putting the chargers in, just not accepting the funding.

The 50 state NEVI installs will also require this type of payment, so this will be interesting going forward.

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-supercharger-california-funding-declined-payment-options/

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[Pushrods&Capacitors]

Elon knows best, right? ?‍??

 

[timbop]

$6 Million isn't a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. For NEVI they'll have to offer some form of card reader, so they will likely come up with something like a separate charging kiosk - which they'll do for a slice of $7.5 BILLION

 

[eleven24]

This is NOT the federal funding, this is a project before the federal funding. Apparently there are to be 4 locations, with 428 stalls (that's insane to anyone not living in California). Tesla may still be putting the chargers in, just not accepting the funding.

The 50 state NEVI installs will also require this type of payment, so this will be interesting going forward.

https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-supercharger-california-funding-declined-payment-options/

I really don't blame Tesla, and in a way give them credit for turning down the funding as it would require modifying their charging stall to incorporate a payment system (such as a touch screen). Tesla uses the app to reduce a point of hardware failure on the chargers themselves. Perhaps companies like EA should take notice.

 

[Ride_the_lightning]

I really don't blame Tesla, and in a way give them credit for turning down the funding as it would require modifying their charging stall to incorporate a payment system (such as a touch screen). Tesla uses the app to reduce a point of hardware failure on the chargers themselves. Perhaps companies like EA should take notice.

Please no. No more apps. I pulled up to a fast charger at my grocery store the other day. Scanned my credit card. Didn’t work. Directed me to the app. I promptly walked away. I don’t have time to spend downloading more apps, and creating accounts, for every damn merchant I use. Gas pumps solved this years ago. Chargers can too.

If they want to have an incentive program to use the app (like Starbucks) that’s fine. But please don’t require it. I wanted $3.00 worth of electricity. We aren’t getting married. You don’t need to send me push notifications.

 

[RickMachE]

Please no. No more apps. I pulled up to a fast charger at my grocery store the other day. Scanned my credit card. Didn’t work. Directed me to the app. I promptly walked away. I don’t have time to spend downloading more apps, and creating accounts, for every damn merchant I use. Gas pumps solved this years ago. Chargers can too.

If they want to have an incentive program to use the app (like Starbucks) that’s fine. But please don’t require it. I wanted $3.00 worth of electricity. We aren’t getting married. You don’t need to send me push notifications.

HA (getting married)!

On a recent trip, I had to use an FPL (Florida Power and Light) charger, because EA was full with a line. I had downloaded the app, and had setup an ID, but hadn't logged in (thought I had), nor added a credit card. Spent a good 5 minutes doing that before I could charge. Luckily they don't do the "refill" system, they merely charge you for the session, because right now I have balances at EA and ChargePoint (as well as EZ-Pass which I rarely use), and don't want any others.

 

[4sallypat]

Please no. No more apps. I pulled up to a fast charger at my grocery store the other day. Scanned my credit card. Didn’t work. Directed me to the app. I promptly walked away. I don’t have time to spend downloading more apps, and creating accounts, for every damn merchant I use. Gas pumps solved this years ago. Chargers can too.

If they want to have an incentive program to use the app (like Starbucks) that’s fine. But please don’t require it. I wanted $3.00 worth of electricity. We aren’t getting married. You don’t need to send me push notifications.

I'd be more afraid of credit card skimmers on chargers designed to steal your card info.

I use EVGo AutoCharge+ which is a true plug and charge and does not need a phone app to activate or use.

Once, I forgot my personal phone that had all the charge apps pre-installed (EA, Shell, Chargepoint, EVGo) but realized my EV automatically will charge at an EVGo without the need for my phone !

Saved me from having to use a credit card!

 

[Maquis]

Elon knows best, right? ?‍??

Elon knows what’s best for Elon.

 

[grinder]

They can't win. If Tesla takes the money they are greedy. If the reject the money they are clowns. Just another topic to drive people crazy. On to the next.

 

[EELinneman]

The next step for the state of California will be to mandate credit card readers regardless of the money they are offering. They will force the issue. Musk will likely respond by creating a Twitter credit card and only accepting this. This entertainment is free to all of us. Watch the slow spiral to the complexity and user frustration.

 

[SprManKalEl]

HA (getting married)!

On a recent trip, I had to use an FPL (Florida Power and Light) charger, because EA was full with a line. I had downloaded the app, and had setup an ID, but hadn't logged in (thought I had), nor added a credit card. Spent a good 5 minutes doing that before I could charge. Luckily they don't do the "refill" system, they merely charge you for the session, because right now I have balances at EA and ChargePoint (as well as EZ-Pass which I rarely use), and don't want any others.

Having a balance where you have to prepay is only beneficial to the vendor. They can use that money to fund other projects. That is what Starbucks does with the money you put on the gift cards or the app.

 

[eleven24]

Elon knows what’s best for Elon.

I'm not even sure Elon knows what's best for Elon. Well today at least. Tomorrow he might, and then the day after he'll forget again.

 

[eleven24]

I'd be more afraid of credit card skimmers on chargers designed to steal your card info.

We just had yet another news report of card skimmers installed on gas pumps here in the suburbs of Philly.

 

[eleven24]

Please no. No more apps. I pulled up to a fast charger at my grocery store the other day. Scanned my credit card. Didn’t work. Directed me to the app. I promptly walked away. I don’t have time to spend downloading more apps, and creating accounts, for every damn merchant I use. Gas pumps solved this years ago. Chargers can too.

If they want to have an incentive program to use the app (like Starbucks) that’s fine. But please don’t require it. I wanted $3.00 worth of electricity. We aren’t getting married. You don’t need to send me push notifications.

Which is worse, requiring an app to initiate and pay for a charge or pulling up and seeing touch screen on the charger showing a Windows OS error message?

I get it in regards to yet another app, but we're in that awkward transition phase of EV's. It's no different than the transition phase away from cable TV providers versus content creators (Netflix, ABC, NBC, Paramount, Hulu, HBO, etc) going direct-to-consumer with yet another app/subscription service.

Personally, if having a half dozen apps on my phone to charge my car at various locations means better reliability, I'm all for it. At least until someone figures out how to wrap all of this together in a universal plug and charge, I'm afraid this is what we're going to have to deal with.

 

[eleven24]

HA (getting married)!

On a recent trip, I had to use an FPL (Florida Power and Light) charger, because EA was full with a line. I had downloaded the app, and had setup an ID, but hadn't logged in (thought I had), nor added a credit card. Spent a good 5 minutes doing that before I could charge. Luckily they don't do the "refill" system, they merely charge you for the session, because right now I have balances at EA and ChargePoint (as well as EZ-Pass which I rarely use), and don't want any others.

You just reminded me of how many pay-to-park apps I've had to download in my travels. A few of those cities I've been to that required me to pre-fill my account I'll likely never visit again.

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