When will the US get true fast charging?

[kurtlikevonnegut]

The amount of innovation that comes from businesses trying to make money is mind boggling. I mean Ford with the Model T wasn't created and manufactured because some regulation encouraged it.

The way you get innovation is to eliminate regulations, not create more.

Right, there are a ton of examples just in the auto industry: the model T, the automatic transmission, power windows, the efficiency blitz in the 70s. Those were all driven by market forces, not policy.

The most recent is Tesla. Were they helped some by policy decisions? Sure. Would they have succeeded without them? Likely, but with more difficulty, because the market was stagnant and consumers were demanding innovation.

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[mkhuffman]

Right, there are a ton of examples just in the auto industry: the model T, the automatic transmission, power windows, the efficiency blitz in the 70s. Those were all driven by market forces, not policy.

The most recent is Tesla. Were they helped some by policy decisions? Sure. Would they have succeeded without them? Likely, but with more difficulty, because the market was stagnant and consumers were demanding innovation.

Tesla was successful in spite of all the regulations that make running a car business very expensive, especially in CA. Companies the size of Tesla have to have legal teams to make sure they are following all the rules and regulations.

Get rid of the regulatory burden instead of giving them subsidies and I bet they would have been successful faster. Doing that is actually cheaper for the taxpayers as well.

I know I am preaching to the choir, so just pointing out the obvious.

 

[azbill]

Chicken and Egg issue. I was super glad that EA had so many 350kW stations in February of 2022 when I took my Hummer EV on a road trip from Michigan to Florida and back. And glad EVGo had a few too. We likely wouldn't have even considered the trip if most stations were 50 or 125kW shared.

Exactly this. I hate charging my Hummer at Tesla stations, peak rate is about 180kw, and that is only if it is not hot out. At an EA or EVGO station it is still charging at 180kw at 80%.

 

[2kwik4u]

You've got my vote!

Although right to repair is more a property rights issue than policy, but other than that I'm on board.

I'm on the other side sir. Those are important things that exist, and likely should continue to exist.

I'm afraid I can't count on your vote

 

[Dave Cundiff]

I will pick a hotel if it has reliable charging. Most do not, so I rarely check any more.

Reliable hotel charging is very important to us. We find it through a two-step process.

Step 1: I find a hotel that SAYS it has EV charging, by narrowing my search in either the aaa.com web site or the hotel chain's web site. That's easy -- just a few extra clicks.

Step 2: I verify the charger's policies and reliability in PlugShare. If other users haven't found that hotel's chargers particularly reliable, I return to step 1.

***

A couple of recent posters have disparaged PlugShare. I respectfully disagree.

Because PlugShare currently depends on human input, not so much on automated data input, it will not remain the best data source forever.

However, because EV owners are generally community minded, PlugShare is by far the best place for straight information about chargers with which I'm not familiar.

I try to leave helpful check-ins on PlugShare for others' benefit, just as others have done the same for us.

Very best wishes!

 

[mkhuffman]

Reliable hotel charging is very important to us. We find it through a two-step process.

Step 1: I find a hotel that SAYS it has EV charging, by narrowing my search in either the aaa.com web site or the hotel chain's web site. That's easy -- just a few extra clicks.

Step 2: I verify the charger's policies and reliability in PlugShare. If other users haven't found that hotel's chargers particularly reliable, I return to step 1.

***

A couple of recent posters have disparaged PlugShare. I respectfully disagree.

Because PlugShare currently depends on human input, not so much on automated data input, it will not remain the best data source forever.

However, because EV owners are generally community minded, PlugShare is by far the best place for straight information about chargers with which I'm not familiar.

I try to leave helpful check-ins on PlugShare for others' benefit, just as others have done the same for us.

Very best wishes!

I agree with you. I also update Plugshare to help other drivers.

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

Yeah, L2 destination charging is pretty horrible in my experience. I almost always have some sort of issue.

I will pick a hotel if it has reliable charging. Most do not, so I rarely check any more.

The hotel thing would make road trips much easier.

My solution is for hotels to add 220v plugs (as opposed to chargers) that are in reserved spots that you can add to your room for an upcharge. I'd easily pay $10-25 a night to have a spot where I'm guaranteed to get 7.5 kw overnight.

 

[mkhuffman]

The hotel thing would make road trips much easier.

My solution is for hotels to add 220v plugs (as opposed to chargers) that are in reserved spots that you can add to your room for an upcharge. I'd easily pay $10-25 a night to have a spot where I'm guaranteed to get 7.5 kw overnight.

100%. I will definitely pay for the convenience and especially if the charging spot is reserved for me. And it actually works (the bar is low).

 

[KRIV_ian]

Reliable hotel charging is very important to us. We find it through a two-step process.

Step 1: I find a hotel that SAYS it has EV charging, by narrowing my search in either the aaa.com web site or the hotel chain's web site. That's easy -- just a few extra clicks.

Step 2: I verify the charger's policies and reliability in PlugShare. If other users haven't found that hotel's chargers particularly reliable, I return to step 1.

***

A couple of recent posters have disparaged PlugShare. I respectfully disagree.

Because PlugShare currently depends on human input, not so much on automated data input, it will not remain the best data source forever.

However, because EV owners are generally community minded, PlugShare is by far the best place for straight information about chargers with which I'm not familiar.

I try to leave helpful check-ins on PlugShare for others' benefit, just as others have done the same for us.

Very best wishes!

100% agree, we do the same and free hotel charging has been wonderful. Like others have said I’d also be willing to pay a reasonable fee for nightly charging.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Heh. Not in the next 3 years that’s for sure.

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