In The U.S., Electric Vehicle Charging Prospects Are Bleak Out There (For The Rest Of Us Who Don’t Drive A Tesla Model 3)

Getting a fast charge is often anything but fast.

I live in an EV hot spot within the hot EV market of Los Angeles. Electric vehicles are now one of the most common new cars in my community. If there was ever a perfect spot for a fast charge station, it would be here.

Except there aren’t any. Yes, there are a few Level 2 charge pumps (two at a local Whole Foods) but public Level 2* doesn’t cut it for me.

The closest faster charger (Level 3) station is 10 miles. But that’s only two pumps. Not worth it because the wait times are usually too long.

So, if I’m heading toward places I frequent like Century City, the only viable option is taking a detour to a charging station in Tarzana (a neighborhood in Los Angeles) where the wait times aren’t as long.

But that’s 15 minutes out of the way. Then another 15 minute wait (often) for a pump to free up, then 30-60 minutes to charge (adding 50 to 100 miles of range). Then another 15 minutes to get back on 405 – if there’s no traffic.

Pardon the vernacular, but that sucks.

And that’s a best-case scenario. Here’s what happened this past week to a friend, who also drives a Chevy Bolt. She tried to go to the closest DC fast charge station but no pumps were available and the wait times were too long. So she tried the next closest fast charge station. There, the only available pump didn’t work and a call to the fast charge provider didn’t fix it. She ended up driving away without a charge and wasting an hour.

If you can’t charge at home, you’re up a creek

Yeah, you can charge at home – which I usually do. But there are circumstances (for me) when an outside fast charge is essential.

More importantly, what if you can’t charge at home? What if you live in an apartment in the city? Then your prospects for charging are pretty bleak. And, not surprisingly, why those who would otherwise buy an EV, don’t.

And here’s another fun fact. As described above, EV charging pumps don’t always work. For example, near my home, there are five Level 2 charge pumps at a shopping center adjacent to the Whole Foods (described above) but, as of October 2019, none of them work. I tested them all the other day. Unfortunately, that’s not a terribly uncommon situation.

Tesla is doing what’s necessary and what others won’t

Another one of the many reasons Tesla is head and shoulders above all other EV makers is its Supercharger network. Which Tesla started building as soon as the Model S appeared (2o12).

Tesla did what GM, Nissan, and just about every other EV maker should’ve done. A long time ago. No wonder Tesla sells so many EVs. It’s not just the car, it’s the network.

And Tesla continues to build out its Los Angeles Supercharger network. Two Supercharger stations are due to open near me soon.

I like my Chevy Bolt. A lot. But I don’t like GM’s last-century attitude of leaving the charging infrastructure to others. Hey GM, I’ve got news for you. Your strategy isn’t working. And you’ve been building mass-market EVs since 2010.

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NOTES:

*Level 1 charging is basically plugging your EV into a 120 volt wall socket. Level 2 is 240 V. Level 3 is typically DC 50kW. See this more detailed description.

Level 2 is great for home charging but 20 minutes of Level 2 charging while you’re shopping barely moves the needle on my Chevy Bolt. Not worth it for me.