Tesla Supercharger access now stated as February 2024 (by Tesla)

[RickMachE]

Great info!

I'd be happy with Plug & Tap to be honest. Anything beyond that is gravy to me at this point

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[TheSteelRider]

Sorry but not sorry, I am laughing my ass off as I read through 5 pages of MME folks talking about using Tesla chargers. I mean seriously, all I can think about as I peruse this thread is all the, "I hate Elon Musk, I would never buy a Tesla" people and the thought of those same folks ponying up to one of his chargers is too much for me not to laugh! ? ? ?

Well, it can be argued that Tesla really is an energy delivery company not a car company. They really do some brainless things with cars, but man do they ever win when it comes to vehicle charging and home battery backup. It's love/hate!

The main difference is, when Tesla says things about the supercharger network, they are true. When they layout a plan to build /expand the network, they follow through. They have yet, to my knowledge, claimed that the supercharger network will magically wirelessly beam power directly into your car, or that a neural network will enhance the electrons going into your car to give you more range, etc. etc.

Conversely, and strangely, when it comes to their cars it just seems like a giant pump-and-dump scam for their stock price.

(Yes, I do remember the robot that would plug in the car automatically, and I do remember the battery swaps. But, those were ancillary to the actual charging network so I'm not really weighting them in the mix)

 

[silverelan]

So how is it that Tesla seems to be able to roll-out new SC locations so quickly and yet I read that in some places new DCFC installations are hung up in a year+ (sometimes 2?) of government red tape?

Did they start years ago and it just looks “fast” because we are just seeing them pop up now or are they genuinely able to execute faster?

I’m inclined to believe it’s either incompetence or malfeasance on the part of Electrify America. Maybe both.

We’re seeing at least two major rollouts of nationwide CCS networks right now and both have gone from announcements to shoveling dirt at scale incredibly fast.

EVgo, Pilot, and GM announced their intentions of a network run by Pilot, funded by GM, using EVgo hardware in July 2022. The first location opened in September 2023. There are 18 locations today and 25 by the end of the month with a total of 30 under active construction and plans for 200 by the end of 2024.

Even more impressive is Mercedes Benz’s network. They announced their intentions of a network in January 2023. The first station opened in November, along with an announcement that they’re teaming up with Buc-ees. Now there are at least three locations under construction at Buc-ees.

Point being, EA sucks.

 

[TheSteelRider]

I’m inclined to believe it’s either incompetence or malfeasance on the part of Electrify America. Maybe both.

We’re seeing at least two major rollouts of nationwide CCS networks right now and both have gone from announcements to shoveling dirt at scale incredibly fast.

EVgo, Pilot, and GM announced their intentions of a network run by Pilot, funded by GM, using EVgo hardware in July 2022. The first location opened in September 2023. There are 18 locations today and 25 by the end of the month with a total of 30 under active construction and plans for 200 by the end of 2024.

Even more impressive is Mercedes Benz’s network. They announced their intentions of a network in January 2023. The first station opened in November, along with an announcement that they’re teaming up with Buc-ees. Now there are at least three locations under construction at Buc-ees.

Point being, EA sucks.

When your parents punished you when you were a kid, say they made you clean up whatever it was you destroyed, or write lines or whatever. Did you do it whole-heartedly with a smile on your face, or did you do the bare-ass minimum while silently cursing them?

Now, apply that basic human logic to the fruits of dieselgate. I think you have your answer.

 

[dbsb3233]

I’m inclined to believe it’s either incompetence or malfeasance on the part of Electrify America. Maybe both.

We’re seeing at least two major rollouts of nationwide CCS networks right now and both have gone from announcements to shoveling dirt at scale incredibly fast.

EVgo, Pilot, and GM announced their intentions of a network run by Pilot, funded by GM, using EVgo hardware in July 2022. The first location opened in September 2023. There are 18 locations today and 25 by the end of the month with a total of 30 under active construction and plans for 200 by the end of 2024.

Even more impressive is Mercedes Benz’s network. They announced their intentions of a network in January 2023. The first station opened in November, along with an announcement that they’re teaming up with Buc-ees. Now there are at least three locations under construction at Buc-ees.

Point being, EA sucks.

I didn't realize any of those Flying J chargers finally opened. Good to hear. While I wouldn't necessarily call 15 months "incredibly fast", the pace from here now that they've gotten going looks like it will be impressive. Helps that they have their own host locations, vs EA having to make arrangements with other hosts. Cuts one of the time-consuming steps out. And having an existing profitable business in place is huge from a financial standpoint.

Can't find a full list, but I did find reference to 5 in the southeast. Plugshare doesn't differentiate them from other EVgo stations.

We still rely 95% on EA and they've enabled 37,000 miles of road trips for us so far, so I can't say they suck. Been mostly great for us. But they've certainly got some issues. And we absolutely need more competition (to EA and Tesla). Glad to see it building, albeit slowly.

 

[Space_Pony]

I didn't realize any of those Flying J chargers finally opened. Good to hear. While I wouldn't necessarily call 15 months "incredibly fast", the pace from here now that they've gotten going looks like it will be impressive. Helps that they have their own host locations, vs EA having to make arrangements with other hosts. Cuts one of the time-consuming steps out. And having an existing profitable business in place is huge from a financial standpoint.

Can't find a full list, but I did find reference to 5 in the southeast. Plugshare doesn't differentiate them from other EVgo stations.

We still rely 95% on EA and they've enabled 37,000 miles of road trips for us so far, so I can't say they suck. Been mostly great for us. But they've certainly got some issues. And we absolutely need more competition (to EA and Tesla). Glad to see it building, albeit slowly.

There's a Pilot EVGO in OH that is charging .59/kwh while an EA is down the road at a much lower price. I would take my chances at the EA.

 

[RickMachE]

There's a Pilot EVGO in OH that is charging .59/kwh while an EA is down the road at a much lower price. I would take my chances at the EA.

Yup. All Pilot seems pricey.

 

[AZBill]

I’m inclined to believe it’s either incompetence or malfeasance on the part of Electrify America. Maybe both.

We’re seeing at least two major rollouts of nationwide CCS networks right now and both have gone from announcements to shoveling dirt at scale incredibly fast.

EVgo, Pilot, and GM announced their intentions of a network run by Pilot, funded by GM, using EVgo hardware in July 2022. The first location opened in September 2023. There are 18 locations today and 25 by the end of the month with a total of 30 under active construction and plans for 200 by the end of 2024.

Even more impressive is Mercedes Benz’s network. They announced their intentions of a network in January 2023. The first station opened in November, along with an announcement that they’re teaming up with Buc-ees. Now there are at least three locations under construction at Buc-ees.

Point being, EA sucks.

GM and EVGO have actually opened more than just the Pilot/Flying J sites, they also have many new urban sites open, under the Ultium branding.

 

[AZBill]

Yup. All Pilot seems pricey.

Who cares if they end up being reliable. We know EA is not.

Over Thanksgiving the EA station in Winslow was down, the Pilot chargers nearby saved a few people.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Probably.

EvGO allows to plug and charge just by communicating with the car, getting the VIN (I assume) and matching it to the EvGO records and the stored credit card information and charge this card. I don't think that any integration with FordPass or any other Ford back systems is happening in the process, and frankly, I'd like to see this kind of integration from more charging providers, including Tesla.

Yes. Exactly right. Very seamless and works every time. I assume Tesla would be the same.

 

[dbsb3233]

Who cares if they end up being reliable. We know EA is not.

Over Thanksgiving the EA station in Winslow was down, the Pilot chargers nearby saved a few people.

Lots of people care, because it's not universal. Yes, in a handful of chronic locations, some will just choose a more expensive alternative to EA. But in the other 90% of locations where EA is usually fine, most people will consider price.

I know I will. EA has been fine for us (not perfect, but plenty workable enough) over 90% of the time. It'll remain our 1st choice. But having a backup option nearby when there is a big problem will be a welcome safety net.

Overall, EA will likely still get 90% of our business.

 

[DCC233]

There's a Pilot EVGO in OH that is charging .59/kwh while an EA is down the road at a much lower price. I would take my chances at the EA.

Surprised that OH let them put this location in given the 50 mile distance between locations that they were using for their calculations. About 10 miles away on the west side of Columbus, OH you have the EA station along with an EvGO station (along with a Tesla Supercharger lot, but that doesn't count). Something is better than nothing I guess, but this location is overpriced and would have been better served at a different spot in the state.

Makes you wonder if/when DCFC locations will start competing on price (and uptime) especially when Tesla stations open up and many drivers would prefer them for their availability and dependability even if it is a few cents more per kWh. I would pay more and route to a Tesla location instead of rolling the dice on a site that may be busy, derated, etc. when you get there.

I know you can check the status on EA's app but I hate the anxiety and frustration on road trips where I'm constantly refreshing the app when I'm 75, 50, 25 miles out from an EA station to see what my odds are of waiting around when I arrive. Hence paying more for availability and reliability than rolling the dice on a location with 4 stalls.

I wish Tesla would have put in bids on Ohio locations for NEVI funding. They did in PA and some other states.

 

[Glen Boise]

Recently I noticed charging sites listed in Plugshare in Washington, Indiana, and another near Evansville, Indiana, as offering Tesla and CCS charging. When you click on the information buttons, it states that Tesla chargers are just for Tesla cars. No mention is made that CCS charging is available if you use the Tesla app.
Is this normal for Tesla "Magic Dock" chargers? If so, then Tesla needs to clean up their act by clearly stating that you need to use their app to use the CCS "Magic Dock" chargers.

 

[George Knighton]

I am happy to hear this but more overly concerned about how slowly the Mach E chargers compared to other vehicles. I have given up hope on Ford dealerships having chargers to charge while traveling, honestly I am finding that the Charge Point chargers at Hyundai dealerships fit the bill, everyone I have been to have 2-4 Charge point “Hyundai” branded Charge Point chargers fit the bill and charge at ~67kh/hr.

I smile every time somebody complains about Mach-E charging, having come here from a Chevy Bolt.

Ford dealers have to buy in if they want to keep selling EV, so they'll have chargers at some point.

Even my tiny rural dealer has two ABB 120 kW DC units.

At some point, you'll have to pay for it, though. The ones here are free but you can see that the dealer's going to have them on the EVConnect network at some point soon.

 

[George Knighton]

Absent an app telling you that you can use it, how does one tell if it is a version 2 or 3,4? Like, visually, as in a drive -by scenario?

In the Tesla application, the superchargers that do not use CCS protocols are labelled "Tesla Only," and it's probably reasonable to thing that applications like PlugShare would only list the CCS superchargers.

It wouldn't be hard to update Ford Navigation to only target CCS superchargers. I'm surprised how well Ford Navigation and Charge Assist already works, and I'm looking forward to the additional chargers being listed.

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