Where are EV chargers needed
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If you have access to a 240v outlet you will be good to go. There are many level 2 chargers that just plug in instead of needing to be hardwired,.
I have always thought that every gas station should consider installing at least one fast charger. They frequently have the space to do it away from the pumps. They would be wise to do so as many customers will come in and buy snacks or drinks or whatever. I’ve always heard that’s where they make their money…not on the gas.
As a disabled person who can’t walk very far, one of the huge negatives has always been how chargers can be in “remote” areas or as far as possible from activities in the area
Once again, I will give Buc-ee's credit. The chargers are in close proximity to the circus!
Just gotta say, I absolutely love New River Gorge!
As for where more EV chargers are needed, you got me wondering where we can find this data and I landed on a pretty cool resource here at the Alternative Fuels Data Center: https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity-locations#/find/nearest?fuel=ELEC
It's a map of the US that shows where different EV chargers can be found and offers some helpful filters for viewing different types of chargers and other criteria. I just discovered this site, so I'm no expert and still have plenty of questions like: How up-to-date is this info? Do they take into account out-of-order chargers? I don't think I see anything about pricing... is there any mention of that?
In regards to the question though, when zoomed out, it's pretty tough to get a good idea of where in the US actually needs chargers — although the west (not the coast) certainly seems thinner. But really, the more you zoom in, the more granular it all gets, and you can get a better view of our electric bald spots. For our purposes, it'd be really helpful if they offered a toggle to show this info as a heat map!
It's a map of the US that shows where different EV chargers can be found and offers some helpful filters for viewing different types of chargers and other criteria. I just discovered this site, so I'm no expert and still have plenty of questions like: How up-to-date is this info? Do they take into account out-of-order chargers? I don't think I see anything about pricing... is there any mention of that?
In regards to the question though, when zoomed out, it's pretty tough to get a good idea of where in the US actually needs chargers — although the west (not the coast) certainly seems thinner. But really, the more you zoom in, the more granular it all gets, and you can get a better view of our electric bald spots. For our purposes, it'd be really helpful if they offered a toggle to show this info as a heat map!
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Unfortunately I do not. Only one 240v outlet in my house and it's upstairs, with the dryer plugged into it.
I wonder how long Tesla will be able to charge a premium to non-Tesla vehicles using their chargers. Gas stations wouldn't dare trying differential rates based on which brand of car was at the pump, and I expect the Consumer Affairs branch of gov't would be all over any place that tried it. I can envision other pricing models to give discounts based on membership, or direct payment vs. credit, etc.Tesla does charge a different rate for non-Tesla vehicles, last I read it was .48-.55 for compared to .24-.36. Better off charging at non-Tesla chargers (other than possibly version 4 depending on its configuration) if you're in a hurry for now due to maximum charging speeds with an 800-volt system and 350Kw max on the Scout, which is crazy fast, my Kia has the 800-volt system also and most of my fast charging is less then 15 minutes but maxes out at 240Kw.
I know that EA chargers will start having NACS cables shortly.
Electrify America is the next big charging network to adopt Tesla’s ‘standard’ EV plug
Another win for Tesla.www.theverge.com
Well, from that map I can see that I better have home charger. I'm in a small rural town in that fringe area where some folks commute weekly to work in NYC or Boston, and we are definitely in the weekend home territory. No charger in town, there's a bank of 4 (Level 2) at a ski resort about 5 miles into MA, which although public they are located so that us local riff-raff would feel much out of place using them. The more suburban town to our west has one town-owned charging station at the library (17 miles). To the east (also 17m) the small city has about 7 but none are at shopping centers or other 'public' spaces. To get to the closest DC Fast charger is a 45 minute drive into MA; its 8 stations fortunately located in a shopping plaza. I find it odd that there are no chargers in the two big truck stops along the Interstate toll-roads. From my reading I gather that many destination locations, like National Parks in the west are very underserved. The area I described is also a destination location, just different. Locals likely have home charging, but the crowds who jam our roads, gas stations, and convenience stores on weekend nights are woefully underserved. As I look at rural Vermont it appears to be addressing access with most towns having a town-sponsored station, usually at the town garage. That would seem a reasonable goal, at least in rural parts of the East.
You still may be ok. Is your panel maxed out? If not, you have many options. If the panel is maxed out, you can get a switch installed that you choose between charging and drying clothes. I have a work colleague with that set up. Of course you will still have to get a 240v outlet somewhere close to where you park the Scout.
If you have a home, and have an EV, it 100% makes sense to add a home charger or use a 240V outlet and the EVSE. Most homeowners with EV's do the majority of all charging at their home (not out in the wild). You always have a "full tank", you pay way less for charging, and you have the. ultimate convenience factor of never needing to go to a gas station.
In addition, and if you plan to stay put for 5 years, many will consider solar (even in MA the payback period can make sense). Even though I put solar on my last house prior to buying an EV truck and sold it within 3 years of the installation, it actually increased the value of the house. So, despite not realizing a payback directly from solar generation in that case, I realized the payback in the form of an increased value and sale price for the home.
I almost posted that map yesterday, but I don't have time to muck with the API to show a better visualization. The data can be downloaded...
The right thing to do for locations of DCFC chargers is:
Fill in the gaps along the interstate highway system. A 50 mile spacing is about right.
Fill in the gaps along the secondary highway network that connects the interstates. A 75 mile gap is about right--slower speeds reduces the need for closer spacing.
Bolster the number of plugs at existing chargers (or add nearby stations). Four ports is hardly enough for gas stations, much less for EV charging stations.
Add L2 chargers to parking lots in busy regions like shopping areas, local attractions, state and national parks, etc.
We almost always go for a walk while charging. It helps with the many thousand-mile+ road trips we do. Having charging stations where the walks are more pleasant than parking lot / Walmart would certainly be welcome.
There's a myth that L2 is the only way to charge at home. We lived with L1 charging for about 18-20 months, through two winters. It's not perfect, but we never had to go find supplemental charging. L1 worked, we just had to plan for road trips a little bit further ahead. This 20 months included ~20,000 miles of driving, much of it around town and to nearby exploration destinations like the Grand Canyon and Bryce, etc. but also to nearby states and camping trips. We had no troubles with our weekday driving of about 100 miles/week nor our weekend driving of a couple hundred miles--those were completely unremarkable. It was the 500+ mile in a day trips that meant we wanted to charge during peak hours instead of just off-peak. Still cheaper than DCFC.
Yes, L2 is much, much more convenient, but L1 is a reasonable solution.
I didn't mention L1 vs L2 above, but certainly there is a middle ground IF you have access to 240V. However, the biggest difference and perhaps the unknown variable here is the sheer size of the battery pack. A large battery pack is going to take a lot longer than a small pack to gain any meaningful SOC, so L1 will likely be a rough-look for a vehicle the size of a SCOUT in terms of charging speeds. You didn't mention what you type of car or truck you were charging on L1, but if I needed a hundred miles in my R1T, I'm guessing it would take ~50 hours plugged into a 120V outlet!
So, I agree - convenience is definitely a factor for L2 (especially on a larger battery pack). L1 seems less reasonable for regular charging if it is a larger pack IMHO.
We have a Lightning ER (131 kWh usable) and a Mustang Mach-E (91 kWh usable). At one point we had both on L1. It takes time to get the Lightning to 100%, no doubt. But even 10 hours of charging at 1.1 kW into the battery was enough for us to gain SoC over the week of normal driving.
I believe an opportunity was missed early on by not focusing installations at places that would have allowed people to road trip like they did in generations past. Not at gas-n-go fuel stations, but at diners and roadside attractions. Even with fast charging, you still have 15-45 minutes of sitting around - why not pull people in to scenic viewpoints, historic sites - all the "brown signs"? That's perfect for a little leg-stretching and sightseeing, or a green chile burrito on the plaza in Las Vegas (...New Mexico).
How cool would it have been in the early days of EVs to have shown you could drive the historic Route 66 from Chicago to LA and pick your own stopping points?
Rivian has done a great job of rolling out their charging network near off-road trailheads, at least to sidecountry areas of not a great many backcountry jumping-off points. This too needs some more attention, as do Backcountry Discovery Routes, National Scenic Routes, etc.
How cool would it have been in the early days of EVs to have shown you could drive the historic Route 66 from Chicago to LA and pick your own stopping points?
Rivian has done a great job of rolling out their charging network near off-road trailheads, at least to sidecountry areas of not a great many backcountry jumping-off points. This too needs some more attention, as do Backcountry Discovery Routes, National Scenic Routes, etc.
On that note, I've been seeing more and more fast charger lots at ski areas in Colorado over the past couple of years. That gives me hope, but since I'm in Colorado and 200 mile plus drives aren't unusual, I'm stll planning on the Harvester option. Would be great to drive from Denver to the top of Monarch pass (150 miles or so), on electric, plug in while you grab a coffee, use the bathroom, hike around etc... - then on to Lake City on electric - plug in there while camped, etc... and then have the security to be able to tackle the Alpine loop in the morning... I don't know if there are chargers in Lake City, but I bet there are in Silverton and Ouray, or will be soon....since I don't have an EV yet, I don't really know where all the charges are, but if there is demand, they will build them, so I have hope...
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