Tuesday, December 02, 2014

The Great Experiment

Around Christmas I'm trading in my Dodge for a Tesla sedan.  I've owned an electric scooter (Vespa style, not Razor) since 2008, so I have some idea what I'm getting into.
Range is the overriding concern of people to getting an electric car.  However, electric charging infrastructure has gotten to a point that I think one could own one vehicle, all electric, if it's a Tesla, as only Tesla has a 300 mile range.  I'll admit that the rate of recharging is still too slow (unless you're using a Tesla Supercharger, and even then it's slightly slower than refueling a gas tank on a car).  What most people don't consider is that I'll be leaving the house with a full charge every day, so unless I'd be driving further than 300 miles, I'll just recharge at home that night.

Still, there are different standards for recharging out there, each with it's own plug and speed of recharging:
Level 1: 110v ac, the plug that's everywhere.  It's the weakest charger, giving an electric car about 5 miles in an hour.
Level 2: 240v ac, this is the plug you have for an electric dryer, electric oven, a welder, an RV plug, and most charging stations, like ChargePoint.  While it's possible to get 70 miles back in an hour, your car needs to be equipped to convert it that fast.  A dual convertor Tesla will get about 58 miles, while a single convertor about 26 miles in an hour.  26 miles is also the 'speed' limit paid for by Federal grants, so expect this to be the standard on every public funded charger.
DC fast charging: 240 miles per hour.  This should get most to all of  the charge back in the time it takes to eat a meal.  Downside is the variable plugs, and higher price per mile to charge up (unless it's a Tesla at a Tesla Supercharger, which is free)

That only deals with speed.  Every electric car carries a series of adapters to be able to plug into whatever charger is available.  For example, there's a DC fast charger near me that has a  CHAdeMO plug.  My car doesn't come with that adapter, which is the standard for the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi iMiEV.  I might get one to take advantage of these "level 3" chargers, but it'll cost me $400 to do so.

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