After a recent "charging apocalypse" that I heard about regarding California Superchargers on the day before Thanksgiving, I figured I'd post up my trip in the Bolt EV, driving 500 miles after work on Thanksgiving Eve. I think it serves as an interesting juxtaposition between Tesla's private charging network and the public charging network in California. Both are, respectively, considered the most well-developed in the country at this point.
While many Tesla owners had encountered long wait times and 40-minute charge session limits, my experience was different. The public charging network was about as crowded as I have come to expect on a typical Friday evening/night. My trip, which takes about 9 hours and 30 minutes under normal circumstances, ended up taking 10 hours and 20 minutes, but only a few minutes of that was the result of not being able to immediately access chargers.
I'm curious what you think:
What are the reasons for the difference in experiences between Tesla owners and those of use who are relying on the public charging infrastructure?
Is it that there are more Teslas compared to the number of available Superchargers?
Or is it that Tesla owners are more likely to try long distance trips in their vehicles?
Does the distribution of public chargers, their fee structure, their variety, etc. make them more accessible during peak travel times?
While many Tesla owners had encountered long wait times and 40-minute charge session limits, my experience was different. The public charging network was about as crowded as I have come to expect on a typical Friday evening/night. My trip, which takes about 9 hours and 30 minutes under normal circumstances, ended up taking 10 hours and 20 minutes, but only a few minutes of that was the result of not being able to immediately access chargers.
I'm curious what you think:
What are the reasons for the difference in experiences between Tesla owners and those of use who are relying on the public charging infrastructure?
Is it that there are more Teslas compared to the number of available Superchargers?
Or is it that Tesla owners are more likely to try long distance trips in their vehicles?
Does the distribution of public chargers, their fee structure, their variety, etc. make them more accessible during peak travel times?