EV Owners Debate Fast Charging Pricing, Range Regret and More
Plugged In scours discussion boards to find out what electric car owners are talking about in the summer of 2020.
Should I charge my vehicle during a thunderstorm?
Why is my charging network raising DC fast charging prices and how do I find a new one?
Why are people upgrading their models for new EV models? Range regret? More room?
These are just some of the questions being asked on discussion boards and forums. Every so often, Plugged In will drop in on some of these discussion boards so you don’t have to in your journey to EV or plug-in hybrid ownership.
In this issue, we discuss EV owners with range regret, car charging during a lightning storm and Hyundai Kona owners notice a price hike with DC fast charging in Germany.
Discussion Thread | To plug or not to plug during a thunderstorm?
A recent Volt discussion group posited a scary situation where a lightning strike hit an owner’s tree and a garage while a Volt — plug in hybrid, PHEV — was plugged in. According to the thread, the home charger, a Level 2 unit, “is toast” but the garage is OK. The real question from the thread was whether the car was damaged?
According to the discussion, the owner started the car, drove it and plugged the PHEV in at a public charger and the session was fine while charging.
Plugged In: Whew! In this example, the home charger or EVSE is no longer functional but did turn off. A Level 2 home charger, also known as an Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, comply with UL safety standards (UL 2594) in about 99% of cases.
But, always check. EVSE protocols detect hardware defaults, and immediately shut off power and avoid risks like battery damage, electrical short or a fire. Having said that, my general advice to new or prospective electric car owners is unplugging when a storm comes approaches. Why risk it?
Image caption | This Chevy Volt’s dashboard shows how a 43 electric mile battery pack (1st gen. of the car) and engine drive generator can average over 250+ mpg. No wonder oil and gas companies are not always for a “free” marketplace.
What’s a PHEV | A car that runs on a combination of some form of an internal combustion engine/generator and battery pack that can produce pure electric driving, hybrid driving or completely relying on gas. Usually a plug-in hybrid uses smaller battery packs and can be charged with 120V or 240V sources.
Discussion Thread | A recent post by a Tesla Model 3 owner asking about trading in his current car for a Model Y
As many folks have discussed, the build quality for early Model 3s in 2018 was a bit lacking from Tesla with many vehicles showing panel gaps, which in my opinion are a bit overblown, but many legitimate gripes with general build quality were there.
So, for the Model Y, many fans and analysts thought it couldn’t happen a second time. However, it did and some of it may be due to Covid-19 issue, but it’s an issue Tesla needs to remedy.
Anyway, a commenter talks about some of his favorite features with the Model Y compared to the Model 3. The commenter likes these Model Y features: USB C ports for the 2nd row, built in wireless charging for mobiles, roomier, and better on range on the highway.
Another commenter talking about an upgrade from the Model 3 to the Y said the Model 3 lacks space for the an outdoor lifestyle. According to the user, “we have to take our gas SUV on long trips, and the Model Y will use Thule carrier. Essentially, I am smashing together the best qualities of the 3 and SUV into one vehicle.”
This scenario is familiar, a new EV owner falls in love and begins a journey on how to use the vehicle in every situation. A Triple A survey from early 2020 shows:
Three quarters (78%) also have a gas-powered car in the household, yet they report doing a majority of their driving (87%) in their electric vehicle.
Range regret: Some commenters mentioned the standard range of a Model 3 and its 220 miles as being a bit lean when it comes to highway driving, since Supercharging stations accelerated to 80% battery state of charge (SoC) but then taper the last 20% to reduce heat and preserve the battery.
So, in essence, you have a 200-mile highway car which can be frustrating. As a Model S60 owner, I know the feeling on the highway. Having an extra 20 to 50 miles would reduce travel times since Tesla has done an excellent job with Supercharger spacing in the U.S and Europe.
Image Caption | Superchargers in Kansas show how a car with more than 200 highway miles can skip chargers and reduce traveling times.
Discussion Thread | Rate Hikes by MAINGAU Energy in Europe
For our friends in Germany, MAINGAU Energy in Europe hiked rates for customers using Ionity’s DC fast charging stations from approximately 25 ct/kWh to 37 ct/kWh (and 46 ct/kWh for non-customers) according to a Hyundai Kona discussion board. Those prices don’t include a 16% Germany VAT, as opposed to the 25% in Denmark.
Ionity is a charging network company that has BMW, MG, Hyundai and Kia as owners. As more charging networks surface, pricing should be more competitive but Ionity’s DC fast charging network is ranked high among users in the discussion group.
Recently, legendary, “oh sheet” Bjørn Nyland provided a thorough overview of how Ionity and MAINGAU Energy’s pricing works for customers and non-customers. And how to get a RFID card. Enjoy, below.
Random comments from the Boards:
Duosida makes a good home charger for around $200. Not cheap, but a lot less than the GM EVSE.
Once you own a Tesla, you'll want to drive it more and to more places. The 75D would be hard-pressed to get you to Tahoe from SF one-way, just as an example. The X75D has less range than even a Standard Model 3. Let that sink in.
My 3 is a LRRWD as well -- Only done one long round-trip (LA to Tucson). But with full self-driving, it was a breeze -- Didn't feel exhausted when we arrived.
I mean Y LRRWD. My 3 is SR pulling 200 miles on a full charge and probably less on highways. About a month after getting the 3 my wife and I regretted not getting the 3 LR. I forgot to mention another reason we want to upgrade: more range. Elon said the Y LRRWD in Range testing has “significantly higher than 300 miles”
This is from a mobility operator (read here, reseller) which was the cheapest (half prices). We, Hyundai owners, do not know yet what prices are reserved to us directly from Ionity. Maybe Maingau have been urged to increase their price to not be more competitive than Deutsch car maker agreemens
I want everyone to know that I had to take my model Y to the gas station today. Yes that is right. If I hadn’t done that my lawnmower would have run out of gas, ha,ha!