Electric Vehicle Charging Stations?

[MICKIMINI]

I have HA parking so I always notice ALL EV parking spots full every single time I am in a park. I would rent a hybrid in a second having owned a Ford Fusion Hybrid for five years (and loved it), but not being guaranteed to recharge is at this point a total no for me. What ifs: Not getting a charge spot, getting stuck in traffic, having to hunt for a charge, forced to charge in an unsafe location etc.

 

[LYSE]

I have HA parking so I always notice ALL EV parking spots full every single time I am in a park. I would rent a hybrid in a second having owned a Ford Fusion Hybrid for five years (and loved it), but not being guaranteed to recharge is at this point a total no for me. What ifs: Not getting a charge spot, getting stuck in traffic, having to hunt for a charge, forced to charge in an unsafe location etc.

If I show up and chargers aren't available I just park with everyone else and when it's time to go home I'll make a 10-20 minute stop for fast charging on the way home, usually in winter garden because it's on route, but the car plans out the charging stops as needed.

As for getting stuck in traffic, that doesn't burn off battery power much at all, the lower speed would increase your range, if your stuck in a blizzard then you'll burn battery with the heater just like gas cars burn fuel idling...and you'll likely last the same amount of time before you run out of juice

Attached are orlando area tesla chargers, red are fast chargers and the others are basically home chargers that are 3-3.5 times faster than Disney's but are usually located at businesses ...this is not including other non tesla chargers you can use.

 

[Judique]

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.

As always, progress is being made. There are mitigating factors - good warranties up to 8 years or 100K miles. Plus batteries are recyclable, and needed in gas cars as well as EV's.

Yes, there was a time that a Prius battery was estimated to possibly cost 10K to replace. And then there was the Chevy Volt at $15k....yiiiii!

There is the ability to have a battery reconditioned. There are shops that do this. Cell's can be replaced. And, that's nothing new with car batteries. This can be done in the $800 range.

The cost of the replacement battery is coming down. Tesla has a claim out there that their's will drop to as low as $125. (I'm not going to hold my breath for that.)
But considering my last gas car battery replacement was $199 plus tax it's something to hope for. And the gas car battery was good for 5 years plus you know those things die on the minute and once dead, even with a jump you have to buy a new one right away.

The possibly good news: some batteries have lasted 10 to even 15 years without service.

Going forward, it should get better.

 

[BamaGuy44]

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.

Off topic but for Tesla owners, they are certainly not just for puttering around town, long trips are more than doable and the logistics are minimal. The Tesla supercharger network is a complete game changer. And the battery and drive train are warranted for 8 years, 150,000 miles, so not much of a risk.

 

[_19disnA]

Longer warranty don't necessarily mean the product is any better, cheaper or lasts longer. Car manufacturers bake the expected warranty costs into the price, so it is prorated into the cost of the vehicle. Have seen some reports online that replacing a Tesla battery can cost as much as $22,000. Apparently replacing individual failed cells is possible, but you need to take it someplace where they have the skill/knowledge to do this. Not sure if that type of repair might void any remaining warranty. All car companies selling electric vehicles tend to avoid talking about the limitations or trade-offs of such types of vehicles.

Will be interesting to see how the battery life might impact a car's residual value when you go to trade it in. Lead acid car batteries used to start internal combustion engines are an insignificant cost of the car and a lot different from lithium ion batteries that power electric vehicles which is likely the single most costly component on that vehicle. Certainly all car companies who make electric vehicles are working to improve the range/economics/battery life, etc. How much is actually possible vs the bluster you get from some is yet to be seen.

With other types of rechargeable batteries, using a higher voltage charger reduces battery life. Not seen any articles that assess potential battery life for lithium car batteries based on which charging method is used, so will be interesting to see how that plays out. Real-world battery experiences can often be much different from what is seen in a laboratory.

 

[kdonnel]

Longer warranty don't necessarily mean the product is any better, cheaper or lasts longer. Car manufacturers bake the expected warranty costs into the price, so it is prorated into the cost of the vehicle. Have seen some reports online that replacing a Tesla battery can cost as much as $22,000. Apparently replacing individual failed cells is possible, but you need to take it someplace where they have the skill/knowledge to do this. Not sure if that type of repair might void any remaining warranty. All car companies selling electric vehicles tend to avoid talking about the limitations or trade-offs of such types of vehicles.

Will be interesting to see how the battery life might impact a car's residual value when you go to trade it in. Lead acid car batteries used to start internal combustion engines are an insignificant cost of the car and a lot different from lithium ion batteries that power electric vehicles which is likely the single most costly component on that vehicle. Certainly all car companies who make electric vehicles are working to improve the range/economics/battery life, etc. How much is actually possible vs the bluster you get from some is yet to be seen.

With other types of rechargeable batteries, using a higher voltage charger reduces battery life. Not seen any articles that assess potential battery life for lithium car batteries based on which charging method is used, so will be interesting to see how that plays out. Real-world battery experiences can often be much different from what is seen in a laboratory.

Real world driving shows about 10-15% battery capacity loss after 250000-350000 miles. Not unlike the hit in MPG seen in high mileage internal combustion engines.

Sure there are very high profile exceptions that are highlighted by the media because scary stories get more clicks. But those are exceptions not norms.

It is not just Tesla seeing those type of numbers. Similar degradation and reliability numbers have been reported by owners of other electric cars. The Chevy Bolt also experiences a 10-15% battery loss after 250000-300000 miles.

There are a lot of modern day old wives tales most people believe about electric cars that scare them away. Most people are scared of change and the switch to electric driving is a change.

 

[Jnjtrio]

Co-worker got rid of both of his Tesla's in November after a 7 month wait for repairs. Several friends have been commenting that recently they have seen more chargers being out of service and not updated on the apps, but that is out here in the Pacific NW.

 

[MissPixieDreamer]

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!

I have a reservation from Alamo for a Tesla Model S or similar. Can I ask you where you rented yours? I'm trying to find Alamo's fleet for the "similar"part, because I'd really like the model s...

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I have a reservation from Alamo for a Tesla Model S or similar. Can I ask you where you rented yours? I'm trying to find Alamo's fleet for the "similar"part, because I'd really like the model s...

It was enterprise which is with Alamo. I was worried about the Tesla or similar part as well but all they had was Tesla. They drove it up to the front for us and gave a short tutorial since we hadn’t driven one before.

 

[MissPixieDreamer]

It was enterprise which is with Alamo. I was worried about the Tesla or similar part as well but all they had was Tesla. They drove it up to the front for us and gave a short tutorial since we hadn’t driven one before.

Thank you for replying. Yay! Let's hope they still have only Teslas. Watching videos on YouTube already. So exciting.

Also, thank you to the OP for this thread. Great info! Will definitely take a look at this supercharge station in Celebration. I've been watching the availability of the charging stations around WDW (parks and resorts) but they seem to be always busy. Planning on trying to charge whenever possible, Disney Springs, Kennedy Space Center, The Mall, but not planning on doing any long trips, just Port Canaveral for our Disney cruise and KSC.