Using Tesla Fast Chargers

[KBabione]

For various reasons (mostly due to have our twins start college - one at Penn State and one at Ohio State), we've been spending a lot of time in our Rivian - enough so that a Tesla membership made sense for us. A couple of observations:

• The new Tesla chargers with the long cables are a game changer! I can park the Rivian within the lines and reaching is easy! Here's photo from Friday (this was just off I-80 in Milton and I was the only EV at the 16 chargers):
• 
• Even though our charging port is in the "wrong" location for most Tesla chargers, I'm grateful that the port is located in front of the wheel. I've never understood how people are hitting the chargers when they go to charge - honestly I assumed it was EV-haters "accidentally" hitting them, but then I saw an Equinox EV pull in and, in addition to having to take up two spots, they had to pull until their tires hit the curb because the "standard" Tesla cable wouldn't reach otherwise:
• 
• One other guy pulled in parallel to the row of chargers (happily only blocking the left-most charger) to get his charge port close enough for the cable to reach

Between being able to precondition the battery when I know I'm 30 minutes from charging and the speed of the Tesla chargers, I'm not spending significantly more time traveling on long trips than I did with my ICE. Yes, it takes longer, but the charging time seems to go quickly as I get caught up on email and other tasks that would normally be waiting for me upon arrival.

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[beatle]

They definitely need more V4 chargers.

 

[azbill]

They finally installed a 1000V/500kw V4 in Redwood City CA, but it is not open to other EVs yet, until they do more testing. Our Mach E has the same port location as the Equinox, and it is a pain on the V3, but I have always made it work.

 

[riverie]

I am planning to use that charger in Milton on a trip from northwest PA to the NJ shore. Is there food worth eating at that truck stop?

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

• Even though our charging port is in the "wrong" location for most Tesla chargers, I'm grateful that the port is located in front of the wheel. I've never understood how people are hitting the chargers when they go to charge - honestly I assumed it was EV-haters "accidentally" hitting them, but then I saw an Equinox EV pull in and, in addition to having to take up two spots, they had to pull until their tires hit the curb because the "standard" Tesla cable wouldn't reach

I still don't quite understand why some OEMs insist on placing their ports behind the front axle. Sure, the port is more protected there in event of a collision. But, post-collision, there would be enough damage to make an in-tact port inconsequential. As for people hitting dispensers... some people are just that bad at operating machines. Is there even a EV on sale today that does not have parking sensors?? "Can't see" isn't even a valid excuse anymore.

They finally installed a 1000V/500kw V4 in Redwood City CA, but it is not open to other EVs yet, until they do more testing. Our Mach E has the same port location as the Equinox, and it is a pain on the V3, but I have always made it work.

It may just never be open to non-Teslas. Pure business decision, to hold on to some sense of exclusivity for Tesla owners.

 

[KBabione]

I am planning to use that charger in Milton on a trip from northwest PA to the NJ shore. Is there food worth eating at that truck stop?

I only picked up a bag of Middleswarth BBQ chips, but the stop was clean and the people friendly. The "tap" function on their card reader didn't work so I had to (gasp!) go out to the Rivian to get my wallet, but other than that it was an easy stop.

 

[BCondrey]

Even with the older Tesla SC stations, taking up two spots isn't as ill-received as it used to be. I see lots of non-teslas at the SCs now, and many have the same issues that Rivians do with charge port placement. The Tesla membership is a good deal. Just need one decent charge a month to pay for it. I haven't used an EA charger in over a year.

 

[beatle]

Busy Tesla chargers can be more of a hassle as you not only have to wait for a spot to open up to park, but you have to wait for the adjacent spot to open up so you can charge - all the while not doing anything in the spot you're taking up.

They finally installed a 1000V/500kw V4 in Redwood City CA, but it is not open to other EVs yet, until they do more testing. Our Mach E has the same port location as the Equinox, and it is a pain on the V3, but I have always made it work.

I found the same problem with reach while attempting to charge our Mach E GT on a v3 station. The cord just didn't reach, even nosing up to the curb. The car is too low to get any closer to the curb, and the chargers were set back at this station just enough that the cord would not reach around the charging port door. This reach isn't an issue for the Rivian, but it's why I said there need to be more v4 stations. V3 just doesn't work very well for all cars for a different set of reasons, so EA stations with high Plugshare ratings are the ticket most often.

 

[badger4149]

For various reasons (mostly due to have our twins start college - one at Penn State and one at Ohio State), we've been spending a lot of time in our Rivian - enough so that a Tesla membership made sense for us. A couple of observations:

• The new Tesla chargers with the long cables are a game changer! I can park the Rivian within the lines and reaching is easy! Here's photo from Friday (this was just off I-80 in Milton and I was the only EV at the 16 chargers):
• 
• Even though our charging port is in the "wrong" location for most Tesla chargers, I'm grateful that the port is located in front of the wheel. I've never understood how people are hitting the chargers when they go to charge - honestly I assumed it was EV-haters "accidentally" hitting them, but then I saw an Equinox EV pull in and, in addition to having to take up two spots, they had to pull until their tires hit the curb because the "standard" Tesla cable wouldn't reach otherwise:
• 
• One other guy pulled in parallel to the row of chargers (happily only blocking the left-most charger) to get his charge port close enough for the cable to reach

Between being able to precondition the battery when I know I'm 30 minutes from charging and the speed of the Tesla chargers, I'm not spending significantly more time traveling on long trips than I did with my ICE. Yes, it takes longer, but the charging time seems to go quickly as I get caught up on email and other tasks that would normally be waiting for me upon arrival.

Tesla, in my experience, is ALWAYS the best option on road trips. The consistently superior availability, reliability, charging speed, and low price is a game changer. And with the membership, it's even cheaper. On top of that, the membership is month-to-month, so you can use it just when you need it. I just completed a 20 day, 15 Western state, 5,000 mile road trip in my R1S. I haven't done the math, but I'm sure I saved hundreds of dollars using the Tesla membership, not to mention the peace of mind of not having to worry about the problems associated with the other networks.

Adventure on!

 

[azbill]

The consistently superior availability, reliability, charging speed, and low price is a game changer.

I think charging speed and price depends on where you live. For me in Arizona, EA is slightly cheaper than Tesla, I have memberships for both, and Tesla chargers derate the charging speed in the summer heat all the time (lucky to get a steady 120kw). I also have an 800V vehicle and charging speeds at Tesla are poor.

If EA is full I will go to a nearby Tesla site, and there are a few rare cases where Tesla is the only choice. In the last two years I cannot remember having a technical issue at an EA station, just a few times where they had long lines.

 

[emoore]

I’ve seen quite a few V3 superchargers with repainted parking spots and you can only take up one spot with a Rivian. Just have to get a bit closer.

 

[Pappamoto]

I used a V3 supercharger that they changed the cables to longer ones. Was super easy to use!

 

[emoore]

I used a V3 supercharger that they changed the cables to longer ones. Was super easy to use!

Hmmmm didn’t realize the were doing that on v3. Was it a red or white charger?

 

[Pappamoto]

Hmmmm didn’t realize the were doing that on v3. Was it a red or white charger?

It was white with the red outlined open middle, but was the only one I think of the group with a longer cable, so maybe it was a repaired one?

 

[emoore]

It was white with the red outlined open middle, but was the only one I think of the group with a longer cable, so maybe it was a repaired one?

yeah those are v3 for sure. Interesting that they replaced that cable. I've used a bunch of v3 and they have always been the standard short cables.

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