Charging at hotel poll

[ChasingCoral]

Level 2, yes. DCFC, No.

Most DCFC systems are fee-for-use and harder on your battery. What you want in a hotel charger is a fast L2 that will charge you over night. We intentionally chose hotels with L2 onsite or nearby for our recent trip.

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[BMT1071]

I haven't had this come up yet in the Mach-E but in the Fusion, I'd find Level 2 hard to find (there's some around like the ChargePoint at the local Meijer, but not a lot), but I would look for outside outlets in the parking lot (such as on light poles) and ask for permission to use the mobile charger on their outlet. So far, every hotel has been like, "yeah sure, whatever" - they seem to accept that the very small delta in electricity cost is worth it for my obvious satisfaction.

with the Mach-E, since L2 is only doing the 2-3 miles per hour, the decision process will be by necessity different. On the other hand for now, at least, I've kept the Fusion for road trips, so.... ?‍

Sounds like you're thinking of L1 with the 2-3mph rate. L2 should give you ~20-30 mph depending on amperage.

 

[KAustin]

Level 2, yes. DCFC, No.

Most DCFC systems are fee-for-use and harder on your battery. What you want in a hotel charger is a fast L2 that will charge you over night. We intentionally chose hotels with L2 onsite or nearby for our recent trip.

So, as demand for EVs increases (and subsequently, chargers), how dissatisfied would you be if someone else left their car plugged into a level 2 charger all night and you weren't able to use it as anticipated?

Additionally, knowing the impact the DCFC places on the battery, is it better to use a 50 kW charger versus 150 or 350 in this same scenario? I'm new to this, so I don't know these answers.

 

[BMT1071]

Does it change your mind if there is a time limit and idling fee?

The charger would not entice me to stay if it were L2 with a time limit/idle fee. The ideal scenario is plug in, go to bed, wake up to a charged MME. If there were limits/fees then I guess I would prefer L3. I don't want to get up in the middle of the night to unplug and move.

 

[ChasingCoral]

So, as demand for EVs increases (and subsequently, chargers), how dissatisfied would you be if someone else left their car plugged into a level 2 charger all night and you weren't able to use it as anticipated?

Sure. However, I plan it so I have range to reach a backup DCFC the next day just in case.
Some hotels will reserve the charger for you if you call in advance. Others have multiple chargers. Picking a hotel with more than one charger helps to assure you'll get your charge.

Additionally, knowing the impact the DCFC places on the battery, is it better to use a 50 kW charger versus 150 or 350 in this same scenario? I'm new to this, so I don't know these answers.

If I had lots of time, perhaps. Usually, if I'm doing DCFC I'm on a road trip and don't really want to turn a 30-40 minute charging session into a 1.5 hour charging session. Occasional DCFC won't wreck your battery. It's designed for occasional DCFC.

 

[The Electric Duo]

At a hotel, I'd prefer Level 2 -- if there are enough for all EV guests. That way, I can just plug in and leave it while I sleep. With Level 3, I'd probably have to go move it after an hour or two.

 

[Dylancch]

I would rather see 5-10 lvl2 chargers at a hotel than one lvl3

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

Sounds like you're thinking of L1 with the 2-3mph rate. L2 should give you ~20-30 mph depending on amperage.

yeah was too early in the morning for me to be posting

L2 (240V) outlets are not a thing in the scenario I described. it's L1 (120V).

 

[eltonlin]

I wish more VRBO and AirBnBs had an EVSE or a 240V outlet..

 

[KAustin]

Sure. However, I plan it so I have range to reach a backup DCFC the next day just in case.
Some hotels will reserve the charger for you if you call in advance. Others have multiple chargers. Picking a hotel with more than one charger helps to assure you'll get your charge.


If I had lots of time, perhaps. Usually, if I'm doing DCFC I'm on a road trip and don't really want to turn a 30-40 minute charging session into a 1.5 hour charging session. Occasional DCFC won't wreck your battery. It's designed for occasional DCFC.

Great points. I know the DCFC is not going to be the norm, but may be essential while traveling.

Personally, I just want to charge and get out of the way as quickly as possible.

 

[Timelessblur]

I personally am looking for hotels with lv 2. Even a Nema 14-50 would make me happy.
I am pretty tempted to buy a telsaTap to try to get access to some of thoses. That is my biggest limitation is charging.

 

[BMT1071]

I stayed at a SpringHill Suites in Salt Lake City about a month ago. Brand new hotel with several brand new L2 EVSEs. I did not see any vehicles parked by them over the 4 days I was there. Prior to that I have only noticed Tesla chargers at a couple of hotels in CA.

 

[Badger_Prof]

I haven't had this come up yet in the Mach-E but in the Fusion, I'd find Level 2 hard to find (there's some around like the ChargePoint at the local Meijer, but not a lot), but I would look for outside outlets in the parking lot (such as on light poles) and ask for permission to use the mobile charger on their outlet. So far, every hotel has been like, "yeah sure, whatever" - they seem to accept that the very small delta in electricity cost is worth it for my obvious satisfaction.

with the Mach-E, since L2 is only doing the 2-3 miles per hour, the decision process will be by necessity different. On the other hand for now, at least, I've kept the Fusion for road trips, so.... ?‍

Do you mean “L1 is only doing 2-3...?”

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

Do you mean “L1 is only doing 2-3...?”

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/charging-at-hotel-poll.5346/post-152507

 

[AllenXS]

L3 nearby is good enough and definitely L2 for overnight is what I'll be looking for at hotels.

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