EV travel charging

[jdonalds]

Let the Tesla folks play the game of planning a trip around charging locations. IMO it’s a logistical headache I have no interest in while on a relaxing vacation.

I agree. Even if you identify charging stations on your path forward when you arrive they may be busy. It's not like gas stations where we wait for 10 minutes while the car in front fills their gas tank. Recharge times on BEVs can be quite long.

For me I'll upgrade from PHEV to BEV when BEV charge times are less than 15 minutes and there are ample charge stations. I believe it will be a few years before both of those happen.

 

[Robert_Alabama]

I'm not sure why we've made this thread into something the original poster wasn't suggesting in the first place. Here's the post to clarify only 1 hour after the original post...

I'm thinking free charging at motels, state parks, and the occasional eating establishment where we would be there a while anyway.

If free charging is available at locations one is already visiting and truly requiring no extra time or effort, then there is no reason not to take advantage of it, other than potential mischief if you use your own 120V EVSE. The OP wasn't planning to go out of the way/spending extra money/time/resources to charge as compared to burning gas.

 

[Kyle’s Clarity]

I think a useful fact that hasn’t been mentioned yet is that the EVSE handle has a security pinhole to thread a cord lock through which would prevent anyone from disengaging it from the vehicle. I have a luggage lock but the cord seems to be a little too thick so I’m not yet sure what exactly fits, but I’m sure someone here has a link to something.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

[The Gadgeteer]

Don’t rule out 120 volt overnight charges that will charge most of the battery. If you park by 9 PM and leave at 7 am that’s 10 hours of charging which is about 40 miles/80% charge.

 

[MNSteve]

@craze1cars... I will take the time to see if any free chargers are available in locations where I am traveling, and I'd let free charging sway my pick of hotel or restaurant, all other things being the same...

Exactly my philosophy. I am not going to be a slave to charger locations, or even spend a lot of time researching, but "charger available" does go into my choice matrix. It's as much to encourage the industry to make the facility available as the actual charge.

And I would like to second another comment in the thread . . . please folks, get permission before you just plug in to that outlet in the parking garage to charge. This is rather the opposite of trying to encourage establishments to provide charging by using it. Just because there's a plug on the wall does not mean that it's there for you to pull a significant load for a significant time; we don't need people justifiably blaming us for blown circuit breakers,

 

[Sloanhoo]

One further point could be made here: charging infrastructure availability, cost of electricity and cost of gasoline all vary quite a bit depending on what part of North America you are traveling through. The West Coast Electric Highway project has put a much higher number of free or low cost charing stations along I5 from Border to Border, and electricity is cheap relative to gas prices. As a result, my road trips from Portland to Vancouver BC are definitely going to have some stops for charging/lunch, as well as the major fast charge station (free) that the government of BC has installed at the Community Centre across the street from my daughter’s house. Heading to Alberta this summer, it looks like I could get some EV love along the way courtesy of BC/Alta government projects, but I am also getting very excellent gas mileage in case that doesn’t happen. With gas prices in Canada being what they are, it makes more sense to put effort into EV charging.

 

[Sloanhoo]

I agree with all the comments about great to have gas available so that charging isn't a big deal, but I generally take advantage of free charging whenever it is available. I agree that the loss of the 120V EVSE would suck, but that's why I keep a cheap one (so that it won't suck so badly if it happens). So far no problems with using it in public places where I have stayed overnight. I do always ask permission before plugging in anywhere, but if it is given, I take advantage of it. I also agree that paying for charging is generally just a bad economic choice. Hardly ever is the price low enough to be worth it.

Again, the economics depends on where you are. We blue staters on the West Coast have subsidized some of the charging options to encourage EV use. It’s much less expensive than I thought it would be. Also, my utility makes charging at home at zero dark thirty practically free, so I don’t mind convenience charging now and then on the road.