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Pulling the Plug after 6,000 MILES!

4654 Views 48 Replies 18 Participants Last post by ChasingCoral, 6 mo ago

StanT

Discussion Starter · 6 mo ago

First off I LOVE this truck, I have made several long distance drives these past two months and have loved driving it.
But, I am sad to say I am letting it go after this last drive. A nine hour drive took over 14 hours due to problems at EA chargers along the route
from Balto to Indy.
The 22 degree weather killed our range and here I am driving a $80K truck with the heat off to make it to our next stop. Why?
I think the real kicker was when we stopped at a Sheetz station and there was a line of 8 cars waiting to charge at the 4 chargers. I looked at the gas pumps, no lines. Why am I doing this.

I plan on coming back to this in a couple of years once I can pull into a staion with 100% confidence that I'll get a charge and be on my way in 20 min.

Best wishes to all of you early adopters.

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ChasingCoral

· #2 · 6 mo ago

Sorry to hear that. Which chargers gave you trouble?

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ChasingCoral

· #4 · 6 mo ago

StanT said:
So we were going from Balto to Indy all along Rt 70 No chargers to be found in WVA, period so only Ohio, and Pittsburgh. We tried stops at Wallmart and EA chargers. At each stop along the way 1 out of 4 would work and if we did get one to work max was 45KW, never 150KW. The only good charge we were able to get was EVGO at a Target but had to drive 25 miles to and from so lost 50 miles net anyway. The line at the Sheetz Bedford PA was crazy as everyone that gets on the Turnpike stops there on other chargers on the Turnpike. I will miss the truck

Sorry to hear that.

I’ve made that trip in my Mach E so that’s why I was wondering about the actual stops. Sorry to hear that EA did so poorly. Did you contact EA to see if they could get those chargers back online?

Bedford definitely needs more chargers.

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ChasingCoral

· #6 · 6 mo ago

StanT said:
Funny you ask, as several of us were on hold for 20 min plus before I gave up. Holiday travels so they must have been overloaded. It is sad, as the truck is a great ride but not worth all the effort for long trips. Tesla got it right with their charger network. I was at a gas station off 81 and right there were 10 Tesla chargers in a row all empty. Yet no charger for me! Very limited real charging options on the road.

Yes, EA is having real issues. Fortunately they are installing new Gen 3 chargers. However it clearly isn’t quick enough for your needs.

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ChasingCoral

· #9 · 6 mo ago

StanT said:
New Update! So I went out and test drove 3 SUVs and to be candid they all suck. Not going to be easy to go back to an ICE vehicle. What to do??

Can you be a touch more specific? What were they and how did they suck?

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ChasingCoral

· #24 · 6 mo ago

The brown charger issue is one Ford has been working to address for a while. You might want to look at this article about Ford’s Charge Angel Program.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Charge Angels Fleet Vehicle Spotted...

https://fordauthority.com/2022/02/ford-mustang-mach-e-charge-angels-fleet-vehicle-spotted-for-first-time/ Ford Mustang Mach-E Charge Angels Fleet Vehicle Spotted For First Time By Brett Foote February 24, 2022 10:22 am The Ford Mustang Mach-E Charge Angels program was first revealed back...

www.lightningowners.com

The other good news is EA has started installing their new Gen. 3 Charge stations.

None of this can come too soon.

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ChasingCoral

· #35 · 6 mo ago

StanT said:
I was aware of this as well. Another big problem is there is a shortage of service techs in this industry. These chargers use power electronics/ data coms/ and security systems. On top of this there is still a shortage of power semiconductor devices. Bad combination.

The good news is the Gen 3 chargers don't require techs to trouble shoot as far down in the weeds. Software is tested by a tech back in an office and chargers have swappable modules at a more gross scale more like our trucks. No need to check things within circuit boards. Module checks out? Great. Module has a problem? Replace.

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ChasingCoral

· #44 · 6 mo ago

grumpy said:
I don't think we know yet the DOT minimum standards for EV charging infrastructure, and what options are available for Tesla.

The proposed rules demanded a minimum of four simultaneous CCS connectors for at least 150 kW DCFC to get funding. Stations can not require memberships and contactless payment for all major debit and credit cards.

The NEVI rules for charging stations can be found here:

Federal Register :: Request Access

www.federalregister.gov

Tesla is ruled out by the law (funding only available to chargers used my more than one automaker) and NEVI rules (specify CCS).

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ChasingCoral

· #46 · 6 mo ago

THEsocalledfan said:
So, I think the question becomes:

1. If CCS specified in the actual statute? If not, since Tesla just opened sourced their charger, it opens up a back door provided one other auto-maker starts using it.

2. How long would it take the regulation to change if CCS is NOT specified in statute? If the administration did not respond to updating the statute, Tesla would have grounds for a lawsuit. Granted, Congress could fix all of this with further legislation.

This will be interesting to following. I am getting a little worried that Tesla is backing out of opening to CCS.

CCS is stated in the rule not the statute. However, Tesla has no grounds to sue unless another automaker is producing vehicles issuing the Tesla charger and no major automaker is likely to do that without an SAE or ISO standard.

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ChasingCoral

· #49 · 6 mo ago

Voltz said:
Aptera did.

Aptera is an enclosed motorcycle, not an automobile.

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