[Jerm2006]

This is more of a helpful tip that new EV drivers may not know, but I find it very helpful. The bulk majority of the time you will spend DC fast charging will be on long trips where the distance, either there or round trip is longer than your range you have in the battery.

When you stop at DC fast chargers either on trips or not, you typically only charge enough to get to the next charger, or destination. If you have means to charge at your destination for a time that will get you to the next location or city driving you can arrive with 10-20% which many times means only charging for 5-20 minutes.

These short times will also work for DC fast charging to get to the next charger. Those long wait times will not be as common as thought.

There are a few factors that affect this such has towing (low range), and the increase of DC fast charger, and how well they are maintained so you can get in and out.
So when thinking of fast charging on trips, remember it is a low percentage you will have to wait that entire charge time, and it will be more like a bathroom, grab a snack kind of stop.

 

[jodgey]

Maybe it‘s just a “getting used to it “ situation but I rented a Tesla here in la for a business trip, and even though theres 10x the number of chargers , they are in very different places than in florida. business parks, strange parking lots, etc. in florida, they are pretty much in (and I think this is brilliant on wawa’s part) any large Wawa off the freeway.
but . . . yes, once charging, thats exactly rught. Put enough in the car to get back to your home charger plus a little 0h $#!+ margin, and it’s a 5-10 minute stop. The thing that makes so much sense about Wawa is that they make their money on the store products like sandwiches, frozen blended coffees, the bees fridge. the gas is just a commodity mark up. With EV, you are a more captive audience. You have to stay for enough time where a sub could make sense. Not sure why they aren’t at every meaningful gas station yet? the EV drivers will more likely be the ones to get a snack, and it fits with the whole business model of filling up the drivers car with potential energy, rather than some strange business park kind of close to angels stadium.

 

[GDN]

Gas was always a loss leader for most convenience stores. 7-11 took years before they would add credit card readers to their gas pumps. Without them they sold much more by just getting you to enter the doors to pay for that gas.

I've heard good things about Wawa, we don't have them here, but truly it seems most convenience stores don't have a lot of extra room to add too many chargers. We do have Buc-cee's though. They've embraced Tesla installing between 12 and 24 stations at each store.

Truly I'm not sure why the bigger chains like Buc-cee's or Wawa hasn't just put their own name/brand on the chargers. Just take a normal payment at the "Pump".

 

[Jerm2006]

Gas was always a loss leader for most convenience stores. 7-11 took years before they would add credit card readers to their gas pumps. Without them they sold much more by just getting you to enter the doors to pay for that gas.

I've heard good things about Wawa, we don't have them here, but truly it seems most convenience stores don't have a lot of extra room to add too many chargers. We do have Buc-cee's though. They've embraced Tesla installing between 12 and 24 stations at each store.

Truly I'm not sure why the bigger chains like Buc-cee's or Wawa hasn't just put their own name/brand on the chargers. Just take a normal payment at the "Pump".

This is a good point. Actually here in South Carolina, there is a new Buc-cee's that was built near Florence, and they have alot of Tesla super chargers in it from what I have heard.

Also we went to the grand opening of a Spinx in which they put Tesla supercharger at it. It is just a matter of time before they start getting CCS chargers also at gas stations. They said it was great for helping sell the stuff they actually make money on, which is the goodies inside.

 

[ChasingCoral]

This is more of a helpful tip that new EV drivers may not know, but I find it very helpful. The bulk majority of the time you will spend DC fast charging will be on long trips where the distance, either there or round trip is longer than your range you have in the battery.

When you stop at DC fast chargers either on trips or not, you typically only charge enough to get to the next charger, or destination. If you have means to charge at your destination for a time that will get you to the next location or city driving you can arrive with 10-20% which many times means only charging for 5-20 minutes.

These short times will also work for DC fast charging to get to the next charger. Those long wait times will not be as common as thought.

There are a few factors that affect this such has towing (low range), and the increase of DC fast charger, and how well they are maintained so you can get in and out.
So when thinking of fast charging on trips, remember it is a low percentage you will have to wait that entire charge time, and it will be more like a bathroom, grab a snack kind of stop.

One good thing about the Lightning is a relatively flat charging curve up to 80%. While you don't have to go that high, there is little time penalty in charging to 80% and it might allow you to travel farther to the next charger than the navigation originally suggested.

 

[Leaf to Lightning : )]

I'm charging up to 100% right now at a fast charger in Albany GA, to test the 'time' it takes, and the drop off in kwh of power, but since this is at the local and very nice Library, the wait is not so bad : )

but, yes, most of the time, unless you are towing, you'll hardly ever 'need' to charge so high, but, I do have camping travel coming up tomorrow, and it's not just about 'topping off' to the next charger, it's also preserving you ability to have other options if that destination charger is NOT operational, etc.

 

[Jerm2006]

Yes, Charging 90-100% I think you get somewhere close to 100V speeds, like 7kW/hr. Would not recommend it unless at home before a long trip. 10-80% would be my use case almost always. I saw a charge curve on I believe Out of Spec Motoring.

 

[rdr854]

I recommend charging to 80 percent min. If on a trip. Last year, I went from DC to Roanoke, Virginia. I topped off in Manassas at a free charger and then proceeded to stop in Woodstock (which was listed as a charging stop before my top off in Manassas). While the trip planner wanted me to go to Staunton for my next charge, it was a good thing that I stopped in Woodstock because the EA chargers in Staunton had just been taken out of service a few hours prior to my arrival. Without the charge up to 80% in Woodstock, I would never have made it to Roanoke (where I arrived with a 30% state of charge.

The advice for 5 or 10 minute charges makes sense if you know that all of the chargers are working along your route. The problem is that there is no certainty and chargers for our vehicles are not yet ubiquitous.

 

[Jerm2006]

I recommend charging to 80 percent min. If on a trip. Last year, I went from DC to Roanoke, Virginia. I topped off in Manassas at a free charger and then proceeded to stop in Woodstock (which was listed as a charging stop before my top off in Manassas). While the trip planner wanted me to go to Staunton for my next charge, it was a good thing that I stopped in Woodstock because the EA chargers in Staunton had just been taken out of service a few hours prior to my arrival. Without the charge up to 80% in Woodstock, I would never have made it to Roanoke (where I arrived with a 30% state of charge.

The advice for 5 or 10 minute charges makes sense if you know that all of the chargers are working along your route. The problem is that there is no certainty and chargers for our vehicles are not yet ubiquitous.

This is unfortunate that the chargers are not reliable. have to agree with you some. The don't charge up past what you need may only work for when your next stop is at home...then you just need to get enough to get you there to plug in for that residential cost. Once reliability is better or similar to the tesla network, then you can do as I mentioned as I do it on all trip in the Tesla.

 

[cwstnsko]

I agree with the basic message of the OP, but I will also say that, if I’m plugged into a DC fast charger and I’m drawing more than 100 kW, I will stay plugged in until it drops to below 100 kW. There’s always a chance that the next station will not charge that fast, and arriving with a little extra in the battery reduces time spent at underperforming stations.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I recommend charging to 80 percent min.

Because of the dramatic drop in charging rate at 80%, on a road trip I only go past there if I really need to. However, I'm with you that if I need more than 50% charge, I'll play it safe and charge to 80%. Not much time loss and greater sense of security.