Charging at restaurants hotels and work

[Ogre]

Plus it's ridiculous, making parking places closest to the establishment EV only parking.

We were trying to find a slower charging station to add a few miles and the Plug Share app pointed us to a local brewery. We drove there and they'd turned the two EV charging stalls into outdoor dining during COVID. The chargers were still there, we'd have had to pull 3 tables and 6 people out of the way to get to it though.

I suspect the days of EVs getting privileged parking are limited.

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[ajdelange]

This doesn't track. Most restaurants have never put the chargers in.

Try to think logically. If there is a destination charger at a resaturant/bar/winery/brewery and it's been there for years the owner (who is paying for the electricity) is of the opinion that yes, he does want people hanging out there.

In fact, I don't know of any local restaurants with free public chargers.

Brace yourself, but your little corner of the world isn't the whole world. You can quickly educate yourself on this. There is an app called PlugShare. You can pull up a region and select Tesla Destination chargers and it will show you where they are and what kind of a business they are attached to. I strongly recommend this not just to our correspondent here but to anyone enetering the BEV world.

BTW, some of you may have notices a shift in my perspective with respect to these public Level 2 chargers. They say a Republican is a Democrat who'se been mugged. I;m a guy who never used them except as an excuse to get the super icecream at a local dairy who just came back from a trip where they were the only source of juice for 40 miles.

 

[ajdelange]

LOL, I totally get what your saying. Pace of life, has a major influence on politeness. However, I really don't think it will help EV adoption, if EV's get special treatment.

Based on this last trip, my wife's reaction to it, chat's with people at chargers etc. I am convinced that EV's will not be accepted by the general public until charging stations are as thick as gas stations and that these stations will have to be at least 40 - 50 kW. The vehicles also need to be "dumbed down" considerably. No Wh/mi displays, no energy consumption graphs, no regen selectors etc.

 

[Ogre]

Try to think logically. If there is a destination charger at a resaturant/bar/winery/brewery and it's been there for years the owner (who is paying for the electricity) is of the opinion that yes, he does want people hanging out there.

You don't seem to understand how easy it is to leave a minor nuisance around when it will cost more money to dismantle.

Also, as I mentioned, I have seen at least once business who has repurposed it's EV chargers.

 

[SwampNut]

I suspect the days of EVs getting privileged parking are limited.

Hotels, to me, are very different from stores and restaurants.

One of the few malls left in my area has punitive placement for the chargers, long walk. One local grocery has them up front, but not really preferential, nor farther, just average. I rarely see them in really great locations, say like a handicapped spot. I suspect this varies all over the country.

I've only tried a J-charger one time, and it did so little. In fact it may have been less than the 30a charging at home. I need to try out another one.

It was this:

 

[Ogre]

Hotels, to me, are very different from stores and restaurants.

Absolutely.

Level 2 chargers only make sense when you are going to be parked for hours at a time. If I'm going into a restaurant, plugging in for 45-90 minutes the only way it helps is if I happen to need an extra 20 miles to get to a supercharger or home. That's a pretty rare deal.

We need more high speed chargers located closer together. 50kW and lower chargers are not worth spending time and money creating unless they are located places where you are parked for a long time regardless. Waiting 2 hours for your car to get enough juice to get home is not the sort of thing which encourages EV adoption.

If I'm going to overnight in a hotel and it saves me a stop at the Supercharger, then it makes a ton of sense.

 

[Tinker71]

Absolutely.

Level 2 chargers only make sense when you are going to be parked for hours at a time. If I'm going into a restaurant, plugging in for 45-90 minutes the only way it helps is if I happen to need an extra 20 miles to get to a supercharger or home. That's a pretty rare deal.

We need more high speed chargers located closer together. 50kW and lower chargers are not worth spending time and money creating unless they are located places where you are parked for a long time regardless. Waiting 2 hours for your car to get enough juice to get home is not the sort of thing which encourages EV adoption.

If I'm going to overnight in a hotel and it saves me a stop at the Supercharger, then it makes a ton of sense.

You convinced me. Hotels AND work parking lot for level 2. Restaurant and maybe the shopping center for a supercharger station. Work is very important for apartment dwellers and shifting the load to daytime hours to take advantage of grid solar power.

 

[Ogre]

You convinced me. Hotels AND work parking lot for level 2. Restaurant and maybe the shopping center for a supercharger station. Work is very important for apartment dwellers and shifting the load to daytime hours to take advantage of grid solar power.

Superchargers near restaurants works great. 30 minutes to charge up your car and eat. Lots of synergy there.

Totally agree about workplaces going solar & Level 2 as well. It's a good fit. Particularly if they can integrate some kind of intelligent charging into them where it shuts off charging during peak hours.

 

[SwampNut]

Superchargers near restaurants works great. 30 minutes to charge up your car and eat. Lots of synergy there.

Yep, and that's how they are all over the West, not sure elsewhere. Also, with AP, I'm not afraid to eat a salad in the car on the road, rather than junk food which I always avoid. By the time I can pee and get a food and drink, car is "gassed" up and ready. Zero penalty over a gas car.

 

[MEDICALJMP]

This doesn't track. Most restaurants have never put the chargers in.

In fact, I don't know of any local restaurants with free public chargers.

I know at least one nearby. One outdoor mall is adding them to the parking garages. It is starting to take hold in the Heartland. Perhaps you just aren’t looking for them.

 

[ajdelange]

You don't seem to understand how easy it is to leave a minor nuisance around when it will cost more money to dismantle.

I suggested thinking logically. Really, give it a try. You'll be amazed at what it will let you see.

Let's see what you can come up with to explain why the operators of these nuisances don't then at least turn them off. ?

Also, as I mentioned, I have seen at least once business who has repurposed it's EV chargers.

Oh. Well in that case!

 

[SwampNut]

Did some errands today, paid attention to where I could charge while shopping. Two options were both punishingly far away in AZ heat.

 

[Ogre]

I suggested thinking logically. Really, give it a try. You'll be amazed at what it will let you see.

I know this is tough for you, but try to keep it classy.

I already gave you an example.

 

[Ogre]

I know at least one nearby. One outdoor mall is adding them to the parking garages. It is starting to take hold in the Heartland. Perhaps you just aren’t looking for them.

I think malls work better than restaurants, but still not really worth the effort. If you are local, charging at home is more convenient. If you are on the road, are you going to spend 3 hours waiting for 75 miles or spend 10 minutes at the supercharger?

I guess that's my big question, what value does it bring to me as a consumer? At the Hotel or workplace, the value is obvious. At McDonalds? How long would you need to stay at a place for it to make sense to go out of your way to plug in?

 

[ajdelange]

I know this is tough for you, but try to keep it classy.

Got it. You want examples of classy restaurants with Destination Chargers. Ripple Cove in Ayers Cliff is the closest. It's pretty classy (in fact the food is fantastic). Manoir Hovey in North Hatley is regarded by most as pretty classy but they do let Bill and Hilary through the doors.

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