I am going to buy an electric car in 1-2 years so I have been doing some research and watching videos. Every non Tesla road-trip video I have seen has problems trying to charge because of infrastructure issues. Things like charger not working, working very slow, payment not working, etc…
Is the Tesla network that much better?
Don’t think you’ll get a useful answer years out.
Here in Denmark, 2 years ago, there were 336 individual Superchargers.
Meanwhile, we had 243 third-party DC fast chargers.Fast-forward 2 years and we’re at around 430 Individual Superchargers, with another 36 currently on the way.
Meanwhile, the number of third-party DCFC has risen to barely 1400, with a couple of hundred on the way.
And that’s on top of the barely 14,000 public AC chargers.So yeah, two years has been enough time for the charging infrastructure to triple and then some.
How many different charging apps do you have on your phone ? If you 85 year old grandma had to drive and EV and charge, which would you recommend for her ? The plethora of apps with dubious charger reliability or just any Tesla at any supercharger?
Why would you call it “Tesla versus regular”
What’s regular about EA and others?
What’s IRregular about the Tesla network?
What’s IRregular about the Tesla network?
Because it works
I’m a Midwest (Omaha) CCS EV driver. Both our vehicles are CCS EVs.
The Tesla Superchargers seem to be very reliable and super easy to initiate charging (simply plug in). Locations tend to have more plugs but tend to be mostly along interstates.
CCS charging is far more varied in locations, station size, ease of payment, and general reliability.
Along the interstates, CCS charging can be fairly similar to SC charging. Well spaced locations with 4-8 chargers thanks to EA. At EA locations for vehicles that support Plug&Charge, even payment can be handled similarly (simply plug in).
Away from the interstates is where things are different. Tesla typically doesn’t have as much of a presence, particularly in the less populated Midwest states. CCS charging might only be 1 50kW charger, but that’s better than nothing when you need to charge.
I usually check Plugshare for the chargers I’ll use on a trip to see if people are having issues. Reliability has been good for me. Payment can be varied, but I’m adaptable.
The big thing is that charging is improving.
tesla’s charging network is a game changer. i’ve never had any issues with their superchargers. it’s definitely a big plus when considering an electric car purchase.
Infinitely
Parts of the US, much better. Like, more east coast & central US. Others, like big cities especially out west, generally better but not as severe. Tesla sells both the car & network, whereas others don’t so there’s all sorts of disjoint actions (more cars sold but not enough chargers, vs earlier when more chargers but just not that many cars). Tesla can suffer from this as well but they tend to be tighter tied and frankly, they’re solving an easier problem.
That said it will depend on your use case. If you only really do charging at home the public network may be irrelevant. I’m fine with the non-Tesla network with a few exceptions - the people camping out on EA at 85% as they have free charging and “why not go until full?” - and don’t travel extensively.
Ignore the people saying Europe is a utopia and the supercharger network isn’t better than regular charging. The difference is huge. Tesla superchargers are vastly superior, and most importantly they’re nearly in every single country of europe. The only network to be so widespread and the ease of use and reliability is second to none. Simply put, the supercharger network is absolute king when it comes to charging Europe or otherwise from what it seems.
I haven’t used the Tesla network (don’t have a Tesla, and they haven’t opened up to non-teslas yet), but their network really does seem to be significantly better. For one thing, supercharger stations pretty much universally have WAY more available stalls than anyone else’s. Anecdotally they seem to be more reliable, but even if they weren’t just the sheer number of stalls would make it less of a problem.
They also tend to be in more consistent locations, which makes them a lot easier to find. I’ve found CCS chargers in the corners of Walmart parking lots, tucked into alleys, stuck behind a gas station, inside a parking garage, and in a weird little spot behind an admitted very cute little museum of local history in a tiny town in Oregon. Supercharger stations are usually out in the open, are larger and more visually obvious from a distance, and are often either in their own lot, or are a significant chunk of an existing parking lot. I will say they don’t tend to be near anything interesting, but they are quite a bit easier to find than the somewhat hidden ones from other networks.
The biggest thing though is just how many of the damned things there are: Tesla’s Supercharger network is larger than every CCS network combined.
I don’t love their layout (few are pull-through, they don’t have card readers and rely entirely on an app/in car interface, and their super short cables are going to be a problem for most people who don’t drive Teslas, once that becomes a thing), but they undeniably have their shit figured out compared to any other charger “network.”
I recommend downloading the “Plugshare” app or check out the webpage: https://www.plugshare.com/ shows all the chargers out there, connection type, and level (1,2,3) etc. Also has user check ins and reviews.
tesla’s charging network is definitely a game-changer. the reliability and speed of their superchargers can’t be beat. it’s a major factor to consider when choosing an electric car.