EV Charging

[Bob Wallace]

Don't know if this has been covered in another thread.  If so, sorry.

Tesla has opened the supercharger tap and new sites are pouring out...

“We started 2017 with over 5,000 Superchargers globally and by the end of this year, Tesla will double that number to total more than 10,000 Superchargers and 15,000 Destination Charging connectors around the world. In North America, we’ll increase the number of Superchargers by 150 percent, and in California alone we’ll add more than 1,000 Superchargers. We’re moving full speed on site selection and many sites will soon enter construction to open in advance of the summer travel season.

Tesla has a new supercharge web site.

https://supercharge.info/

If you go to the map page and click on "Map Options" one option is the Way Back.  Let that ap run (you might want to speed it up a bit) and you'll see how the Supercharger system grew over time.

Zoom out enough to see the US, Europe, and Asia all at the same time.

The Model S started selling in December of 2012 and about a year later an owner could drive up and down both coasts and from coast to coast on a single route using Superchargers as they traveled.

There's a lot of interesting data on the site.  All the locations and the number of charge points at each.  Some sites now have 20 charge bays.

Tesla will build larger sites along our busiest travel routes that will accommodate several dozen Teslas Supercharging simultaneously.

[ghoti]

Another point that I've seen raised elsewhere is if Tesla does manage to build and sell 500,000 model 3s while building out their supercharger network, does this result in a new de facto EV charging standard? There will almost instantly be much more Tesla charging/chargers than anything else.

[Bob Wallace]

Tesla has offered to share their system with any other car manufacturer who agrees to use the same plug and pay a fair share of the cost.  (I believe Tesla runs their charging system on a no-profit basis.)

No other company has taken them up.  Other companies seem to be trying to settle on a generic plug and then wait for third parties to build a charging system their car buyers can use.

Shooting themselves in both feet, IMO.  If a large company like GM or Nissan approached Tesla in an attempt to partner up they could probably get Tesla to downplay the Tesla logo on the Supercharger stations.  Tesla's big goal is to get us off petroleum. 

If the big car companies don't work to establish a charging system then it's going to take much longer to install as many stations as Tesla is installing.  And charging will cost more because the owners of the charging system will want to make a profit.

Tesla's just going to pull further and further into the lead.

[Sigmetnow]

Tesla Model 3 spies have noticed the car's charge port door on "release candidate" cars seen around the factory is larger than that on the Model S and X -- and there may actually be a charge door on two sides.  The possibility being that CCS or CHAdeMo ports may also be included. 

"But the Model 3 could set the charging standard for electric vehicles with next generation charging technology and simply through sheer numbers."

https://electrek.co/2017/04/26/tesla-model-3-updated-blue-release-candidate-spotted/

[Sigmetnow]

Fastned unveils new EV charging stations, expands to London and Germany

“At [some] locations Fastned will build and operate stations with multiple fast chargers, that are suited to charge the next generation of EVs at power levels of 150 kW to 350 kW. These will be the first of such stations in Germany that are accessible to all car brands, and where EVs can be charged with up to 500 kilometers of range in just 15 minutes. Fastned commits itself to open the stations before the launch of major new electric cars such as the Audi Q6 e-tron, Volkswagen I.D., Porsche Mission E, Tesla Model 3 and the Jaguar I-PACE.”
https://electrek.co/2017/04/28/fastned-ev-charging-station-london-germany/

[Sigmetnow]

Life (and your EV battery) is not yet perfect.

Tesla explains why it limits Supercharging speed after high numbers of DC charges
https://electrek.co/2017/05/07/tesla-limits-supercharging-speed-number-charges/

[Sigmetnow]

ChargePoint to deploy 200 of its ‘up to 400 kW’ electric vehicle charging stations in the UK
https://electrek.co/2017/05/09/chargepoint-400-kw-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-uk/

[Sigmetnow]

Why don't we see more articles like this about charging (or, lack of same) in U.S. cities?

U.K.:  Frustration for electric car drivers over lack of rapid charge points

Electric cars are seen as the eco-friendly way to get around - but campaigners say far more needs to be done in Norfolk to encourage people to make the switch.
...

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/frustration-for-electric-car-drivers-over-lack-of-rapid-charge-points-1-5016745

[Sigmetnow]

Qualcomm unveils electric vehicle dynamic charging tech – built a 100m test track with 20kW charging

Despite the fact that electric vehicle charging rates have been improving rapidly and should soon solve the charging issue, there are still a few companies working on dynamic charging technology (DEVC) as a potential solution for charging times.

Qualcomm is the latest company to unveil a DEVC system this week. They demonstrated their technology on 100 meters of road in France that can charge electric vehicles at up to 20 kW while they are driving on the road.
...
In the short-term, dynamic charging is not expected to be an important part of the electric charging infrastructure in the automobile industry. But in the long-term and with the advent of autonomous driving, we could see the technology being used on sections of highways in order increase the on-road time of some vehicles, especially trucks.
...

https://electrek.co/2017/05/18/qualcomm-electric-vehicle-dynamic-charging/

[Bob Wallace]

Back in 2013 South Korea initiated a 7.5 mile "charge as  you go" bus system with a couple of buses operating on the route.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-23603751

Apparently there have been a few test tracks set up around the world as well but there seems to be no serious uptake.

What we're seeing is large buses that either carry enough battery storage for their daily needs or buses which use short recharges from overhead connections at bus stops.  As battery prices continue to fall and capacity increases I'd guess simple "totally battery" systems will win out.

We might see long range buses go to battery swapping.  And we might get a good glimpse of the future when Tesla introduces its long range 18-wheeler later this year.  Battery swapping or very rapid charging?  The curtain will be pulled back in the fall....

[jai mitchell]

Tesla announces deadline for future 'lifetime-unlimited' supercharging.  You must buy your Tesla model "S" or model "X" vehicle before December 31, 2017 to gain free charging for the rest of your life.

http://www.teslarati.com/tesla-updates-free-lifetime-supercharger-policy-dec-31-deadline/