Electric Vehicle Charging Stations?

[bookbabe626]

We got a great deal on a rental car for our upcoming trip, but the catch is that it’s a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle.

The WDW website says there are charging stations at all four parks plus DS, and at WL which is where we are staying, so it sounds like an electric vehicle might work out okay. DH has always wanted to try one, so we’d like to keep this reservation if we can, but we are just a bit worried about getting a charging spot since there don’t seem to be that many spaces at each place.

How hard is it to get a charging spot when you need one? Anyone out there who has used an electric car at Disney before with experience to share?

 

[joelkfla]

We got a great deal on a rental car for our upcoming trip, but the catch is that it’s a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle.

The WDW website says there are changing stations at all four parks plus DS, and at WL which is where we are staying, so it sounds like an electric vehicle might work out okay. DH has always wanted to try one, so we’d like to keep this reservation if we can, but we are just a bit worried about getting a charging spot since there don’t seem to be that many spaces at each place.

How hard is it to get a charging spot when you need one? Anyone out there who has used an electric car at Disney before with experience to share?

I don't have an electric car, but I've seen the charging stations at MK (TTC), Epcot, & AK, as they are all in or adjacent to the handicapped parking. I've never seen one empty in the afternoon. I think people either park there to charge in the morning and leave their car there all day, or just ignore the signs saying the spaces are for charging only. Maybe if you get to the park early, you'll be able to get one.

The spaces at DS are on top of at least one of the garages, out in the open, so you should have a great chance of getting one during the day. I don't know how full the roof parking gets in the evening.

I don't know about the situation at the resort.

Also, if it's not spelled out on the website, you might want to check wit Guest Relations on how you pay for the charge.

 

[LYSE]

Download the charge point app to keep an eye on availability, they can fill up at the parks but I imagine the ones at WL will be relatively slow. The app will also let you know when a charger opens up so you can move your car.

The charge is expensive, but the park locations are the best non handi cap spots possible, for this reason I don't mind paying to charge there since the not as good alternative is to pay for preferred parking.

 

[Capt_BJ]

this is the sort of thing that stops me from getting an electric car .... I'm SURE the folks who grab a charger run right back out to move their car ....

 

[OKW Lover]

I don't mind paying to charge there since the not as good alternative is to pay for preferred parking.

Don't you have to move your car once its fully charged? Where do you park then?

 

[kanerf]

I have a Kia Niro Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). This means I can plug-in and charge my battery for EV mode or run in Hybrid mode using the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). My experience is that many EV owners are jerks. They will hog the spot all day even though most locations only let you charge for a few hours before shutting off the power. I even see them park in one of the spots when they are NOT charging. This is because as mentioned they are often close to the handicap spots and close to the entrances. Good luck!

 

[supersnoop]

A new Leaf has a range of 150 to 225 miles depending on the options. How much do you really intend to drive? A single charging session may be all you need for a week-long vacation.

 

[LYSE]

Don't you have to move your car once its fully charged? Where do you park then?

You should yes, a lot of chargers now have idle fees that start when charging stops, I know the springs chargers have it but it's kind of low..I don't recall being notified of the ttc or epcot chargers doing it.

The chargers are on the slow side so if you really are low on charge chances are you can go about your park day like normal and still not be full come break time.

There is no policy on where to go after the charge and when stations aren't available you can park wherever..so that means most will just find a spot in preferred.

 

[LYSE]

this is the sort of thing that stops me from getting an electric car .... I'm SURE the folks who grab a charger run right back out to move their car ....


View attachment 587641

While there are still older evs that can only utilize these types of chargers there are plenty of others that can access higher speed chargers ..most obvious being tesla and the super chargers (up to 1000 miles of charge per hour). So while it would be inconvenient to not be able to use the level 2 at your destination you could hit up another charger before or afterwards...Like the super charger in celebration

 

[Capt_BJ]

or find the nearest gas station and be done and gone in 5 minutes ........

nope ... electric ain't won me over yet ....

 

[NotUrsula]

Yes, there are charging stations (plural) at all 4 parks, but not very plural. I'm pretty sure there are fewer than 10 for each park, so as you can imagine, they are pretty hard to access.

 

[_19disnA]

or find the nearest gas station and be done and gone in 5 minutes ........

nope ... electric ain't won me over yet ....

I agree. To fully charge an electric vehicle takes HOURS depending on the type of charging system and vehicle. Most companies selling electric cars like to talk about how far you drive on average and don't talk as much about recharge times. However, if in the entire time you own that vehicle you EVER plan to travel a long distance or go out of town on vacation, you will need to think about the logistics involved with recharging and how it will impact your travel time. Do you really want to have to stay overnight somewhere after driving 3-4 hrs just to let your car recharge? While driving an electric vehicle is 'emission free', that is also misleading, since a powerplant somewhere (that does produce emissions) still produces the electricity to charge the batteries. Perhaps that is more efficient, but also don't see much written about that. Can the electrical infrastructure handle the extra demand these vehicles will require? The novelty of free electrical recharging will likely go away as the cost to install sufficient charging stations grows. I suspect you will pay to use the chargers (or to not use them once fully charged) as mentioned above, much like the typical gas pump.

The number of families who can afford a pricey electric vehicle as their second car to only use on short trips is somewhat limited. Most electric vehicles haven't been around long enough to get into the discussion about the huge cost to eventually replace the battery when it no longer holds a charge to peak efficiency. That will impact you if you plan to keep the car long enough. If you plan to trade-in before replacing the battery will likely impact resale value.

 

[LYSE]

I agree. To fully charge an electric vehicle takes HOURS depending on the type of charging system and vehicle. Most companies selling electric cars like to talk about how far you drive on average and don't talk as much about recharge times. However, if in the entire time you own that vehicle you EVER plan to travel a long distance or go out of town on vacation, you will need to think about the logistics involved with recharging and how it will impact your travel time. Do you really want to have to stay overnight somewhere after driving 3-4 hrs just to let your car recharge? While driving an electric vehicle is 'emission free', that is also misleading, since a powerplant somewhere (that does produce emissions) still produces the electricity to charge the batteries. Perhaps that is more efficient, but also don't see much written about that. Can the electrical infrastructure handle the extra demand these vehicles will require? The novelty of free electrical recharging will likely go away as the cost to install sufficient charging stations grows. I suspect you will pay to use the chargers (or to not use them once fully charged) as mentioned above, much like the typical gas pump.

The number of families who can afford a pricey electric vehicle as their second car to only use on short trips is somewhat limited. Most electric vehicles haven't been around long enough to get into the discussion about the huge cost to eventually replace the battery when it no longer holds a charge to peak efficiency. That will impact you if you plan to keep the car long enough. If you plan to trade-in before replacing the battery will likely impact resale value.

This isn't what the thread was about but I'll bite.

The gas/diesel and electric car combo is ideal, for the past few years we had a cheap fiat 500e (electric) for around town errands ..we bought it 3 years old with 18k miles for less than 10k..our second car was our big family suv and was used for longer trips/when we needed the space...this was ideal since it kept miles off our nice car and saved us a lot on fuel maintenance and depreciation..there are plenty of families with two cars and EVs don't have to be expensive.

Now we are transitioning to a Tesla model Y as our main vehicle and a truck for towing our RV and IF charging might be an issue, the thing is Tesla's charging network is actually pretty amazing and If your going to road trip in an EV Tesla makes it pretty easy. The slower chargers like those at Disney are now mostly for when you have the time, like when you are at your destination/ attraction or a hotel sleeping over night.

From inside evs:
"In 10 minutes I had reached 32% state of charge and added back 24 kWh. That's enough to power the Model 3 for 100 miles of 70-mph highway driving range. It took a total of 23 minutes to reach 65% SOC, at which point I added back 200 miles of range. That's fast enough to make charging on nearly any road trip very convenient - provided there are superchargers along your route and they are the newer V3 units. "

Check out all the high speed super chargers that are available:
https://www.tesla.com/supercharger

 

[Mikey15]

In addition to a couple of chargers at each park, there’s two in each of the three Disney Springs garages, and some at outlets, shopping centres, hotels, and timeshares in the area. When even low-end EVs have 180 miles of range and most 240+, topping up while you’re dining or shopping, or overnight, can be more convenient than a 5-minute stop solely for gas.

https://www.plugshare.com/
Not so many in front of restaurants on 192 or similar, but that’s something you see in other places that also makes charging convenient. Regardless, if we rented an EV last trip we could have covered all our driving needs just from our 3 Disney Springs visits alone.

 

[supersnoop]

or find the nearest gas station and be done and gone in 5 minutes ........

nope ... electric ain't won me over yet ....

I agree. To fully charge an electric vehicle takes HOURS depending on the type of charging system and vehicle.

I wake up every morning with a full tank. I can drive 200 miles without worrying. If I have to plan a longer trip, I could rent a car with all the money I've saved from not buying gas.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

We rented a Tesla on our last trip. When you enter the theme park parking lot you ask the first attendant for electrical vehicle charging. Some will send you straight there, others will confirm they have an empty spot before sending you up. There are very few stations available, most of the time we found one open it was the last one available. We are at wilderness for dinner one night and charged while we were there, I think they only had 4 spaces and it’s in the back of the parking lot. They need to add more stations for sure!

 

[LYSE]

Speaking of charging I'm here now and thr Four Seasons has complimentary charging, great excuse to check out this beautiful resort.

 

[Brandis]

Apparently, Riviera Resort has Charge Point chargers as well and you actually can see them in the Charge Point app, but they don‘t show up as charging station. Also the Charge Point app doesn‘t show the MK charger anymore.

 

[Judique]

Download the charge point app to keep an eye on availability, they can fill up at the parks but I imagine the ones at WL will be relatively slow. The app will also let you know when a charger opens up so you can move your car.

The charge is expensive, but the park locations are the best non handi cap spots possible, for this reason I don't mind paying to charge there since the not as good alternative is to pay for preferred parking.

Can you share what it costs to charge?

I drive a Kia Niro hybrid, but not a PHEV such as @kanerf. My Kia Niro was the launch vehicle in 2017 and I've enjoyed it. The time will come to consider another vehicle and an EV is on my possible list. Or maybe a PHEV. Not a Tesla. Too pricey for me. There will be a lot of interesting vehicles come to market in the next few years and I will want something a bit larger with some of the great qualities of my hybrid. The 'larger' need is being filled right now with my 2nd and 3rd vehicles, a Jeep and a van that are older. They are good vehicles but there are so many updates I am coming to depend on.

 

[LYSE]

Can you share what it costs to charge?

I drive a Kia Niro hybrid, but not a PHEV such as @kanerf. My Kia Niro was the launch vehicle in 2017 and I've enjoyed it. The time will come to consider another vehicle and an EV is on my possible list. Or maybe a PHEV. Not a Tesla. Too pricey for me. There will be a lot of interesting vehicles come to market in the next few years and I will want something a bit larger with some of the great qualities of my hybrid. The 'larger' need is being filled right now with my 2nd and 3rd vehicles, a Jeep and a van that are older. They are good vehicles but there are so many updates I am coming to depend on.

35 cents per kWh..the max charge rate is 3.3 kw but that is shared so highly likely to be half that so roughly $1.15 an hour at full speed or half that if two cars are sharing the post. There is a minimum charge of 1.50

The charge rate at the wilderness lodge is actually even slower then that but it's the same charge per kWh