Kamuelaflyer

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Oh, I quite understand. But at best I'd want to get something quick, eat it and leave before my intestines go into rebellion at the fast food bomb. If there was fastcharger at a real restaurant I'd be there. Otherwise, it's 30 minutes max at either one of those stores.

No supercharger out here at all btw and no DCFC in either of those chains. Parking space is too valuable to give up for EV charging on a larger scale. The 2 local Targets have level 2 charging is all. The islands allotment of DCFC are at convenient enough locations but you'll be reading not window shopping.
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dbsb3233

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Oh, I quite understand. But at best I'd want to get something quick, eat it and leave before my intestines go into rebellion at the fast food bomb. If there was fastcharger at a real restaurant I'd be there. Otherwise, it's 30 minutes max at either one of those stores.

No supercharger out here at all btw and no DCFC in either of those chains. Parking space is too valuable to give up for EV charging on a larger scale. The 2 local Targets have level 2 charging is all. The islands allotment of DCFC are at convenient enough locations but you'll be reading not window shopping.
I think it's more just about having facilities close by as much as possible. I'd prefer a sit-down restaurant too (if I have to kill 30-45 minutes) rather than a Walmart or Target, but that's only good for one long refuel stop, not 3 or 4. If you already ate at the last 30+ minute stop, having something to do at the next one is helpful.

It's somewhat common for Walmarts and Targets to have other restaurants and stores and facilities in the same parking lot too. There really is no one-size-fits-all location, it's more about making the wasted time as useful for the most people they can. Particularly if they want to coax ICE drivers over, who are used to <5 minute refuels and no wasted time (unless they choose to stop for longer, of course).
 

timbop

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I flew international for 32 years. I was always taken aback when on a layover somewhere, anywhere (Taipei, Seoul, Penang etc), a bunch of fellow crewmembers would suggest we all go to ... Costco. The reason? "They're all different. I want to see what they have that I can't get in Peoria." No, thanks. There's a Buddhist (or Shinto or) temple and grounds about 1/2 a mile away. I'll be there.

I pretty much look at passing time in Target or Walmart along I-whatever while charging the same way. Just no.
Hang on. I didn't say that I would be browsing every walmart - I don't actually EVER shop there. I will use the bathroom when I need to while charging, but the point is that the walmart/targets are usually not standalone sites. They are often in a more built-up area that has strip malls and various restaurants - fast food or otherwise. For example, the Walmart charger in Henderson NC shares a parking lot with Pizza Hut, and is within 500 feet of 2 sitdown restaurants and 2 fast food restaurants. The one in greensboro NC is within 1000 feet of 7 places to eat. The walmart charger in stafford VA shares a parking lot with a pub, and is also within 1000 feet of a half dozen fast food and mom-n-pop little restaurants. In all of those cases there are plenty of stores nearby other than the Walmarts.

Now, are any of them scenic? No. But there isn't a whole lot of scenery along the interstates in most places, and since you have to charge somewhere it helps to have choice rather than the gas station convenience store.
 

dbsb3233

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That's about what ABRP shows for the Denver-Vegas drive we do a few times a year. Roughly 100 miles between stops, with ~30 minute refuels (plus another ~5-10 minutes to get on/off the interstate and get to/from the charger).

Letting the battery go lower to skip chargers isn't much of an option simply because there's not many chargers to pick from. A few can be skipped (like Frisco if leaving home at 100%) but it's mostly just dictated by the limited charger spacing. At least until more 150+ kW chargers go in.
 

dbsb3233

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Oh sure. Saves a few minutes to push it down even deeper. I've got ABRP set at 10% minimum. I don't think I'd feel comfortable targeting lower than 10%, especially since things like temps and weather and A/C can chip away at that further.

If there were chargers every 20 miles as a backup, it would be a different matter. But when many of them are 80-100 miles apart with nothing in between, I'm not even sure I'll trust a 10% arrival target. I might set those legs at at least 15% minimum, maybe even 20%. Where there's more chargers as backup, I'd trust 10% more.
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