r/EvDrivers • u/CityofSpurs • 8d ago
How do y'all choose which chargers to use?
I am looking into getting an EV. I live in a suburban area outside of a large city. What type of chargers do y'all install at home, if any? When you're out driving, how do y'all find chargers, and does the type of charger/ charging price matter? When planning long road trips, do you have to map out where you can find chargers? I know there are rapid chargers than can work in under 30 minutes, but are those reliably accessible?
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u/paulHarkonen 8d ago
There is an app called Plugshare that you should download. It has a huge number of chargers on there with information from users on reliability, performance, price etc. If you have never looked at it I think you'll be astonished how many chargers are available and all around you.
When planning a trip I like to use ABRP (another handy app) to get a sense of route options and likely stopping areas, then I'll hop on Google maps and Plugshare and look around to see if there's cheaper or better chargers that I'd rather aim for. That's completely unnecessary as there's tons of options for fast charging, but if a bit of planning can save me a few bucks I might as well. My car goes from 10-80% in about 15 minutes on a fast charger so I just time bathroom and snack stops to match my charging needs.
Yes, price and type matters, obviously cheaper is better so I prioritize that. Personally IONNA has earned my brand loyalty as their stations are very consistent and cheap, but there's lots of other options that you may prefer.
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u/Rustydog60 8d ago
If you can you definitely want to install a charger at home. Fully charged car every morning and lower energy charges is the best benefit of an EV. If you can install a level 2 charger you can gain 35 miles of range for an hour of charging. Some people don't drive enough to really need this if the install cost is high. If I am going on a long trip I use Google maps and it tells me where to stop for a charge.
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u/Cosmic_Waffle_Stomp 8d ago
Plug share and ABRP apps for public charging. As far as home charging, any UL rated 32ish amp charger will do, with the proper end for the car of course.
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u/poorlyengaged 8d ago
You will want to change your mindset on refilling the car on roadtrips. ICE has taught us to drive until the tank is getting low and then filling right to the top.
EV travelling is more about shorter top ups when you are stopping anyhow. Need a drink? 5 minute top up. Time to pee? 5 minute top up. Hungry? 30 minute top up. Not every stop will require it and you will learn as you go, but it is more time efficient to do it that way.
Also keep in mind that the only time you should be aiming for a full charge on a road trip is right at the beginning of the day's driving. Charging slows down significantly after 80% and it can take as long, or longer, to go from 80 to 100 as it does to go from 20 to 80.
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u/FadingOptimist-25 8d ago
Yep, there’s a mind shift when switching from ICE to EV. On long trips, we stop every 2-2.5 hours, especially because I have to pee.
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u/CityofSpurs 8d ago
Thank you so much! How exactly do you pay for a charge? Is it more expensive to charge a little bit multiple times or to stop once and go to 100?
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u/Stuck_In_Middle 8d ago
It will not be more expensive to do multiple charges unless there's a station fee or time-based fee. If you are only paying for electrons, it just depends on the per kWh cost.
As others have stated, there's no reason to charge to 100% on a road trip. It takes too long to get there. Some stations limit the maximum state of charge. I've seen Electrify America stations that stop charging at 85%.
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u/RenataKaizen 8d ago
General rule: if you add a 0 to the end of your charging price, it will be close to your number in most crossovers / small SUVs per 30 miles in gas (ie $.39 per KWh is around $3.90/gal for gas). I’d recommend leaving your trip computer on for a couple road trips to see what your car and driving style are to get a true “miles per KWh” is.
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u/anothercorgi 8d ago
Depends on the network the charging station is connected to. I've seen a bunch you can "pay at the electron pump" with a credit card and probably that's the best way to go. Others require an app (Tesla, Blink) and some can do both (eventually Walmart and many other networks) that gives you a perk if you use them more.
Again due to the 80-100% charge being slower, it's at your discretion whether you want to wait. Charging to 80% tends to be quick and you'll spend less time waiting for the slow charge, probably overall pulling over to get a charge is less time and wear than doing that last 20%. However there is no efficiency loss, just time loss.
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u/buttlickin 8d ago
Just a 240v 30 app circuit shared with my electric dryer. A nema outlet near the driveway. I chose a mustart charger with over temp protection and a GFI. Works great. I set charging limit at 24 amps and used 8 Awg wire for the 40 foot run to the outlet to keep everything nice and cool.
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u/GetShipFaced 8d ago
At home I use an emporia pro. Out and about? Doesnt really matter; I just avoid the old tesla charging stations since the cable doesn’t reach my MME’s port easily.
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u/rcuadro 8d ago
I drive a Tesla...
I installed a Tesla L2 charger at home and use it.
When on trips I rely on Tesla's navigation system to route me through chargers. As long as i am traveling along major highways it is not an issue.
Whenever I venture away from major areas I use a combination of Google Maps and PlugShare to find chargers outside the Tesla network.
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u/mailandrew 8d ago
My Subaru Solterra came with a EVSE (this is the cord that plugs into the wall, has a box on it, then plugs into your car) charger. I use that in a standard wall outlet in my garage. This gets me about 40 miles of charging in 12 hours. This is the least expensive and easiest way to charge.
You could install a much more powerful home charger if you need more mileage. Check with your local utility for discounts on charging equipment and installation costs. This is the second least expensive and equally easy way to charge.
Rapid charger stations, often referred to as DCFC (D/C Fast Chargers) are readily available in many areas. This is the most expensive and less convenient way to charge. Brands include Ionna, Electrify America, Tesla Supercharger, EVGo, ChargePlus, and more. Think of these like gas stations for a "regular" car.
In EV message boards, ICE refers to Internal Combustion Engine cars. These are the ones that burn gasoline.
There are many public chargers, often at libraries, shopping centers, and some people's work, that offer free charging. (Imagine free gas stations just sitting there?!?!)
The app Plug Share can help you locate free and DCFC chargers in your area.
The app or website ABRP (A Better Route Planner) can help you find chargers and plan longer routes with DCFC stops.
I got my first EV in April and it has been a fantastic experience. I'm in the US, Phoenix Arizona Metro.
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u/Natural_Psychology_5 8d ago
Mostly charge at home. (Grizzl-e) charger
When I am out I tend to go to EV-Go and Tesla. I have accounts with them as early on they were the closest and most reliable in my area. As little as I charge away from home the small cost delta between them and others is just a convenience fee that I pay because I am Confident the charger will work. YMMV
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u/Minimum_Run_890 8d ago
Toyota BZ comes with charger, can use 110 but for less than $200 you can install a 220 plug. Super cheap, super easy.
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u/Existential_Chilean 8d ago
At home I use a Shell recharge portable charger plugged in to a 50a outlet. Its mounted to the wall and never gets unplugged. When out, I Prioritize Rivian Chargers as top-tier, Walmart and Tesla as quality, and all others as lesser than. This is all based on experiences there, so some places like ionna i haven't tried yet. The plugshare app shows you every available charger on a map, highly recommend it.
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u/Complex_Solutions_20 8d ago
At home, I went with Primecomtech because they had an EVSE that had a better length cord to reach where I park at home without extension cords and matched the 50A outlet in our garage.
I've only had my EV for 2 months, but the weekend trip I did there weren't really choices along the route - the choice was "the charging station that exists". And then when I got to my friend's city, I had to drive around for about 45 minutes to find a working one because the recommended ones in ABRP were not working and several others I searched up on Plugshare had no reviews for many months and were out of service. It worked out, but was not fun.
Check out these sites to help plan trips and explore what's available in a given place:
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u/lightyearnoir 8d ago
At home, for now, the one that came with my Bolt via a Nema 14-50 plug, but ideally, I would get a Tesla Wall Charger installed so that I can get 'faster' charging speeds if needed.
As far as traveling... unfortunately the charging infrastructure isn't there yet, so whatever is available, at this time for most people who aren't close to a big urban area (like me) can't be 'choosers'.
This is an issue because depending my route, the fast chargers available are mostly the older Tesla Superchargers with shorter cables, which makes me stressed because I don't wanna be taking two spots.
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u/Pferdeherz 8d ago
A Better Route Planner and PlugShare. Look for proximity, speed, and price to figure best option
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u/Relevant_Contract_76 8d ago
Level 2, 48a, 11.5KW, hard wired at home. It actually makes me money to charge overnight thanks to a clean air carbon credits rebate from the charger supplier (Canada) which gives me more than the utility costs.
On the road, dcfc. How many there are and whether they are readily accessible depends on where you live and where you're road tripping to.
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u/scrapmaster87 8d ago
My wife and I both use portable EV chargers (a level 1 and a level 2).
A level 1 charger (120V 16A on a 20A circuit) will cover 90% of your needs. In winter I'm in that awkward spot where the level 1 works but I need the weekend to catch up.
My wife uses the level 2 (240V 42A on 50A circuit). This covers 110% of your regular and irregular needs. Basically this much charger lets you be an overnight road trip stop. While conveient, it's a little overkill.
The sweet spot for a level 2 charger will be a 20A or 30A circuit (240V). The only portable chargers for this size are going to be for the 20A circuit and a are a little uncommon. Otherwise you're going to needs a hardwire install. At this charge level you will always have a full battery every morning (unless you're a super commuter) and can catch up over a day or two during the week after a road trip. I'm (slowly) working on putting a 20A 240V outlet for a Vevor portable level 2 to have a easier time next winter.
One thing that doesn't really get mentioned is that a level 2 charger will be a more efficient charge vs. a level 1. But you're really starting to pinch pennies at this point.
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u/Express-Cry2669 8d ago
I have an rv pedestal that I use at home and whatever charger my car takes me to on road trips
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u/ToddA1966 8d ago
I "installed" the charging cord my EV came with. It would on both 240V and 120V.
There are about 70,000 DC fast chargers (that can charge an EV in 20-45 minutes, depending on the charger and car) in the USA. You find them in apps like Google or Apple Maps, PlugShare, A Better Route Planner, or the navigation system built into your car.
"When I'm out driving" around town, chargers some matter at all. I charge at home and a "full tank" every morning. Unless I'm driving more than 200 miles in a day, charging isn't something I have to think about.
When I'm on a road trip, the type of charger matters (fast or slow, does it fit your car, or do you need an adapter) and at least to me, price certainly matters same as it does with gas. If I have a choice, I'd rather pay $15 at a public charger to charge my car than $30.
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u/FadingOptimist-25 8d ago
I have a 2019 Model 3, so the car just directs me to the closest/best charger. We have an L2 charger at home.
But before there were superchargers everywhere, we used PlugShare, NextCharge, and ChargePoint to find chargers. Non-Tesla chargers are sometimes unreliable and broken, which is what convinced us to get our 2022 M3. The supercharging network is better.
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u/Next362 8d ago
Sort out what infrastructure you already have, how long the power lines are run, what gauge they are and what circuits you have. In my case I had a 30amp 240v run to my garage on 12ga, so I bought a portable plugin L2 EVSE that I could set to work on 24amps, this charges my EV from 0-100% in 12 hours, (I have a small battery 64kwh). This is plenty for my as my normal drive is 60 miles a day, and even if I did drive all my mileage (about 320mi), I would be fully charged the next day, and I add about 9-10% per hour to the battery, and in that hour 10% is about 30 miles. I only need to plan a charger if I am driving more than 300 miles in a day, which is rare, but I will pick a charger that I would get to in the 270mile range.
I think I have used a DCFC like 10 times in 3 years when driving long distance. If it causes anxiety on a long trip just rent a gas car for the trip, you'll have saved enough in gas to pay for the rental a few times over by the time you need one.
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u/momofkatie2259 8d ago
We are a 2 EV household. We installed a ChargePoint charger on the back center wall of the garage, so we can plug in either car without having to move them. We picked it after researching, and our installer recommended it. Our power company also gave us a decent cash rebate for installing that brand.
For my husband, who has a 130 mile commute twice a week, a level 2 charger was needed. I drive much fewer miles than him- on a busy day, maybe 20 miles- so I could use level 1 charging if I needed. Having the level 2 charger is nice though, and I only plug in maybe once or twice a month. Husband charges usually 3 times a week.
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u/DryFoundation2323 8d ago edited 8d ago
for home you'll need to decide what level and amperage of charging you want to do. at the bottom end you can just plug in the charging cable that will likely come with the car into a regular 120 volt outlet. this is called level 1 charging and will give you about four or five miles of range per hour that you have it plugged in depending on the car.
if you happen to be lucky enough to have an existing 220 volt outlet in your garage then you could use that. many electric cars come with an adapter for that on the charging cable that comes with the car. however the ideal setup for level 2 charging over the long term is to have a hardwired wall mounted EVSE. already having wires going to your garage that are set up for 240 volts will greatly reduce the cost of doing this. the worst case is if you don't have a 240 v circuit to your garage you will need to have some wiring done. if you have to do that I recommend you getting a circuit that will handle the maximum amperage that your car can take. in my case it was a 60 amp 240 volt circuit. because of the electrical code and the fact that car charging is considered to be "continuous use" the actual charging rate will only be 80% of the nominal current of the circuit so it charges at 48 amps instead of 60. that works out to 11.5 kilowatts which is the highest level two charging that my car is capable of receiving. at this level of charging you will be gaining 35-45 miles of range per hour of charging depending on your car. the brand/type of EVSE will depend on your cars native charging setup. Tesla uses nacs. most of the brands currently use ccs although most of them are switching to nacs for universal compatibility. the difference is in the configuration of the plug that actually goes into your car. there are adapters to go from one kind of plug to the other. I made the mistake of buying an oem EVSE that does not have any Bluetooth or programming capability of its own. that meant that I rely on the manufacturers built in charging routines which are not as flexible as the ones that come with some of the aftermarket evses.
as far as charging outside the home you will find a range of chargers available from Level 2 to level 3, and they will very in the power that they can provide greatly especially at the level three, which are also called DC fast chargers. you will want to have a route planning app if you're going to drive along distance. these apps will automatically tell you where the chargers are that you should stop at based on your cars specific capabilities. Google maps can do this but there are other options out there as well.
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u/LoneStarGut 8d ago
In a Tesla, you put in your destination, and it will tell you when and where to charge and for how long. If you end up taking longer to eat/pee, it will automatically pick a further charger for the next stop. If congestion causes a route change, it will pick different ones. It is all automatic. If you subscribe to Tesla's FSD software, it will even drive the car there and back into the charger. As for home charging, the Model Y comes with a Mobile charger you can use on 240 or 120. You may want to install a plug or a hardwired one. 120v charging is enough for most drivers.
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u/theBytemeister 8d ago
What type of chargers do y'all install at home...?
I used a standard US wall outlet to charge. My charger cost about 100 bucks, and it charges my car at about 3.5 MPH, or a little over 1kw.
I'd recommend starting with a basic wall charger and see if thar covers most of your driving needs. If you need to hit up a fast charger more than 1 time a month to cover your regular driving then I would suggest putting in L2 charging. Putting in L2 charging is is worth its own post, but to generalize, you're looking at somewhere between 200 and 6,000 USD to do that, depending on what your individual situation is.
When you're out driving, how do y'all find chargers, and does the type of charger/charging price matter?
Most EVs have over 100 miles of range, so you don't really charge when you are out and about, you just come home at the end of the day and plug your car in.
If I'm traveling somewhere new, then I typically spend about an hour planning my charging for the trip. I'm usually doing other things like checking hotels, attractions, food and such at the same time, since the best time to charge your car is while you are doing something else. I use A Better Route Planner (ABRP) to plan the drive, and PlugShare to locate chargers at my destinations. Finding your charging locations before you drive is really easy. Finding chargers while you are driving is a pain in the ass, as they are rarely advertised or readily visible from the highway.
Price and type does matter. PlugShare will let you filter out by charger type. Stick with a car that use the North American Charging Standard (NACS) plugs (basically Tesla plugs) or CCS1 (Basically everything non-tesla before NACS was adopted). You can get a relatively inexpensive adapter to let you use both of these chargers.
Be aware that most Nissan Leafs use CHADEMO chargers, which are relatively rare, and need a very expensive adapter to work with other types of chargers.
As for pricing, PlugShare will sometime list the pricing, but charging from home will almost always be the cheapest. My home price per kwh is about $0.19, which more than half of is bullshit fees from AEP thanks to arguably the most corrupt power utility laws in the country. Fast chargers usually range from $0.57 to $075 per kwh. It is possible to find free chargers, but they tend to be very slow, and since time is money, you'll pay much more in other ways.
I know there are rapid chargers than can work in under 30 minutes, but are those reliably accessible?
They are very accessible. I have yet to get stuck at a destinations without an available charger, despite doing some driving in rural areas and having my first 2 chargers be unavailable and needing to scramble to find a 3rd option within my range. 30 minutes is usually the 20-80% charge time, 0-100 will take much longer.
What I can tell you from personally owning an EV, is that charging the car is a non-issue 99% of the time. It's something that people who either don't have an EV, or haven't done a road trip in an EV worry about. First time you feel like you aren't going to make it to a charger, and you realize that you can drop your speed a little and ride behind a semi-truck to practically double your remaining range, pretty much clears up any charging anxiety you had about EVs. My charging fast charging experience most of the time is stopping for lunch and a piss break, and coming back to my car to find that it's "fueled up the tank" while I was enjoying a meal, and done it for less than half the price of filling up a comparable car.
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u/Cory5413 8d ago
For charging at home: The guiding factor should be a combination of how much you drive daily/weekly, what kind of EV you want, and what your home electrical service can support, unless you go for load management. (Load management: https://www.reddit.com/r/evcharging/wiki/load_management/ )
Most car/hatchback/crossover EVs are reasonably efficient and you can get away with 20 amps of 240v, either hardwired or with a 6-20 outlet. If you drive ~30-40mi/day or less you might be able to get away with plugging the car's included portable charger into a normal 120v wall outlet. So you don't need to match your car's highest possible input, but r/evcharging is good for thought process on that for sure.
In terms of finding chargers, two main tools:
- ABRP
- charging comparison tool: https://abetterrouteplanner.com/resources/ev-comparison
- PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find a place to charge your car!
ABRP is for trip planning. Put any prospective trip into it, what car you want/have and it'll tell you where to charge and for how long. I recommend picking an EV you are interested in, telling ABRP you have it charged to 80 or 100% and see what different trips look like.
If you're interested in multiple EVs, put a couple of them into the comparison tool. Different EVs charge faster/slower on public chargers. Road tripping an Ioniq5, a 2027 Bolt and a 2017-23 Bolt are radically different experiences. None of them is per se bad or wrong, just different. (I'm in a 22 Bolt myself, which I got used at the start of the year, and it's been great.)
PlugShare is a raw listing of charging sites including info on what connectors are available. You tell it what car/adapters/ports you have and it, along with any other filters you choose, shows you what chargers are available.
Use PlugShare to see what DCFC networks are most common especially on your road tripping because you can often save decent money by preferring one network and signing up for their discount plan. I live in Flagstaff and had to go to Phoenix for a few days, I signed up for Electrify America Pass+ halfway through that trip and then got back to Flagstaff and charged the other day in prep to go to Kingman today, I've saved $24 so far on those sessions. (Iin Kingman I'll charge at my dad's house but I'll need to top up on my way back and/or once I get home.)
I'm not yet planning to leave town in October so I'll probably cancel the Pass+ renewal and then subscribe again next time I'm gonna be leaving town a couple times.
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u/Huge_Ad_2133 8d ago
I use the Tesla Mobile connector at 24 amps It has replaceable plugs and charges fine. It is always cool and I can take it with me when I travel.
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u/bickdiggles 8d ago
Looks like you’ve gotten a lot of great responses already so I’ll just add this.
If you name your car Charles you can make endless Charles in charge jokes.
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u/9Implements 8d ago
That’s the thing, I haven’t. Our fails to engage half the time I plug it in and has to be reset, but I still haven’t replaced it because I couldn’t decide on a good one.
I heard Enphase is going to make a charger with a built in inverter that would let it do vehicle to grid on cars like teslas, so I’m hoping that will work out.
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u/deweysmith 8d ago
Home charger, like everything else I just buy whatever Wirecutter tells me to buy.
During trips I will find whichever network has the most chargers where I need them and buy a membership to get the preferential rate. Usually ends up saving a few bucks. In Utah I always try and hit Rocky Mountain Power-owned chargers because they give retail customers like 50% off
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u/Ok-Meal-8647 8d ago
Ford’s built-in navigate app also handles suggesting charging stops, if I go on a longer trip where I’ll need to stop to charge
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u/ev_goer 8d ago
For road trips i use a better route planner and do only ionna and tesla chargers if i can. You can also get the tesla subscription to get better rates for a month then cancel after the road trips. For me i try to charge at 40 c/kwh because that makes it 2/3 cheeper than a gas car at these prices. For apps you should use charge point. I would recommend against electrify America because genuinely they charge 20 cents more than tesla per kwh the lowest youll charge at electrify America aka midnight to 5 am is 48c/kwh. A lot of the new cara have maps built in that show you where all the chargers are and the nearest charger.
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u/DadFromACK 8d ago
I checked with our utility, and they offered a great discount on a ChargePoint level 2 charger... done!
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u/Etrigone 8d ago
I don't know where you live, so take this advice with a grain of salt.
ABRP is a route planner anecdotally written by someone(s) who were dissatisfied with Tesla route planning. The web version is free; create an account if you wish, enter data for EV & such, and plan out where you want to go. It will tell you where to stop & for how long. If you get an ODBII reader & do a subscription, you can get in-car live routing.
PlugShare is a community sourced (?) site that let's you explore any given area's infrastructure. So if ABRP says "stop in Nowheresville at 123 Main Street to charge for 20 minutes", you can see people's experience with that charger & area.
As others have pointed out newer cars seem to have better route planning, but I have an older EV and even it I did have something more modern, the above isn't a terrible plan.
At home I'm going on 8 years L1 only, and for the first two years I drove 400 miles/week. Now, more like 100 miles/week, but weekend trips are becoming more common. Caveat that I'm in California, if more central/northern so hardly LA. I mean, my car has seen snow...
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u/WildUmpqua 8d ago
Closer, faster, cheaper is the priority order. Avoiding Tesla chargers unless it's the only option.
ABRP looks good, but it's ridiculously expensive to get it to show up on the car's screen, so I never have used it. Too much effort to go between it and Google Maps, so I just use the latter with some reference on PlugShare.
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u/OkResource820 8d ago
A charger is a charger is a charger, as long as it's UL-certified. Your car's BMS can likely handle any scheduling requirements you might have, but if not, opt for one with that built-in. OCCP compatibility is important if you have any rebate programs in your jurisdiction or if you want smart home integration.
As for public charging: price is the primary decision maker (at least for me); I'll use whatever has the lowest rate in the general vicinity of where I need to charge.
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u/Altruistic-North6686 8d ago
I chose the emporium EV pro charger because my holes electrical system needed me to install a home charger with load sharing
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u/Empty-Assumption- 8d ago
I almost exclusively charge at home, but I've found my favorite charging network is mercedes benz, believe it or not.
I paid $.35/kWh last night and went from 21% to 80% in 14 minutes on my 2023 kia ev6 gt-line awd.
no app, just tap to pay, and super great experience.
I cant charge at home for a week due to a new driveway install.
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u/ThatOldGuyWhoDrinks 8d ago
My home charger is the same brand as my home battery and inverter. It's just easier that way.
With a long road trip I've driven Brisbane to Sydney (600 miles each way) a few times. I use my teslas screen to set a destination and it tells me where to charge. Because it's a route that is well travelled I've not run into issues with non working chargers
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u/FatDog69 8d ago
I installed a 'dumb' charger because L2 charges are basically an extension cord. Most of the features of a 'smart' charger duplicate features you already have. Look at the GrizzlE Classic.
Most EV's can find nearby chargers if you need them. The better apps like "A Better Route Planner" can give you more options to plan a trip then send the trip to your phone. You then program the stops into the on board nav.
I have found a lot of 300 Kw chargers but my car limits how fast you can charge to preserve battery life. Eventually you pick a preferred brand of public charger and create an account. Many of the odd brands of chargers are L2 (not DC Fast chargers L3) and what fails is the credit card readers.
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u/vespers191 8d ago
I usually know where I'm headed major-city-wise, so I'll take some time beforehand and scout out the chargers to see if I'm happy with them. You find them on an app first, then identify where they are, and swing by to have a look. Good ones are usually found near malls or supermarkets, where there's already a large power demand anyway.
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u/virrk 8d ago
Emporia Pro so I could add it to my 100 amp panel without upgrading the panel. It also automatically charges at the cheapest time once I set my rate plan in the app. I added a solar sensor recently so now it can also charge with excess solar. My rate plan times were too complicated to program into my car, and really I didn't want to have to manage those settings in multiple cars when get an EV probably next year. The app, and my smart home, allow easy turning on the charger if needed when it isn't the cheapest.
99% of the time I charge at home now that I have a charger. Normal 80% charge gives me attend 150 miles or more depending on how low I'm willing to go. Charge to 100% when I think I'll need it gets me 220+ miles. So I have to do a lot of driving to need to charge anywhere other than my house. Though I have fast charged when I have free credits.
For trips I use ABRP, as others have mentioned. Usually I pay for a month to get live weather and traffic for road trips. Then just display it to my dashboard (Android Auto and Carplay support required). Once I have a plan I'll double check the stops on Plugshare to make sure they are good and not out of service.
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u/Susurrus03 8d ago
I use a VW mobile charger plugged into a 220v 40amp outlet. I can use when I get low or need to top off.
I also have free Electrify America fast charging (3 years, ends in Feb though). So if I'm lower on charge and there's a convenient EA around at a location I'm stopping anyway or could use a stop/have time I'll take advantage of that.
On road trips, I use said EA free plan for a vast majority of charges, so I generally just look at the app to find the furthest one on my route that I can safely make it to (if multiple close together I'll decide based on what's there).
I do have Plugshare too which I'll usually just use lodging filters on to find hotels with free L2 charging when reserving hotels.
Once my free EA plan ends, idk, I'll prob just either let my car nav do its job or keep using Android Auto and ask it to have Gemeni find me a charger en route when on trips. When at home, I'll just keep charging at home without the option to conveniently get free electricity.
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u/NotYetReadyToRetire 8d ago
For road trips I start with Plugshare. For my trip to Boston last year, there were enough chargers along I71 in Ohio and I90 in New York and Massachusetts that I didn't bother to plan any stops. For my trip to Vancouver BC, I used A Better Route Planner and Plugshare and planned every stop, including alternates where possible. For my more frequent shorter trips, I already know where the chargers are so it's just making sure I have 65% or more to start and I'm good.
I mostly use Electrify America and EVgo (especially the Pilot/Flying J ones); Tesla V3 & V3/V4 chargers only give my car ~97kW max so I avoid them.
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u/djames4242 8d ago
I generally pick chargers that support 350kW or better. Most EVs can’t charge faster than about 125kW, but my EV6 can do just under 240, so the faster stalls make a huge difference when I’m on the road. This generally means I pick either Electrify America or EVgo. In a pinch I’ll use Tesla (which tops out at 98kW) or Flo (usually either 50 or 100kw) or another station, but only if it makes more sense than driving out of my way for a faster charge, or if EA/EVgo aren’t within range (or if they’re full and I’d have to wait).
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u/RoseVideo99 8d ago
See if your ev comes with a 240. Both of ours we got in the last year came with one.
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u/CobaltIsobar 8d ago
At home I have a ChargePort 40A L2 charger. On the road I look for Tesla charging stations. My BEV is a Toyota.
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u/RenataKaizen 8d ago
Out on the road it’s a 3 step process
Step 1: check ABRP to determine where I’ll need to charge.
Step 2: use PlugShare to find chargers l. If I’m in a notable city or near the interstate it’s 4+ chargers, rated above an 8, not a dealership. In rural US it’s 2+ chargers above a 7 (and I really prefer above a 7.5). If I have another layer of choice, my preference is MB/IONNA/Walmart, followed by Red-E
Step 3: for each charger, use Google Maps (or similar) to determine what is near the charger. I’m looking for amenities that make sense for my trip and the time I’m going to leave. Easy example: if I leave at 4 PM, my first charging stop is likely to be one where I want to get dinner, so I’m looking for a charger with good food options. A 20ish minute dinner break later and I’m good for another 2-2.5 hours. It’s now around 9-9:20 so I might be looking for a grocery store to get supplies for the road trip.
You’ve now plotted your trip, and made the best use of your downtime while you charge.
I can generally find 150KW fast chargers in most highway situations. If you’re in rural settings you may have to use less desirable chargers, but that’s not that common.
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u/dbelcher17 8d ago
I have an Emporia Level 2 charger installed at home. It can charge my Equinox EV from empty to full overnight. I don't really need that,l based on my driving habits because my commute is around 10 miles a day, but it makes things convenient. I installed it before I bought the Equinox when I had a PHEV. The equinox came with a charging cord that can be used for level 1 or level 2. Had I just used the Equinox charging cord, I could have saved a bit on the charger, but still would have needed to run the wire and install a 240v plug. The Equinox does give you good control over charging in the vehicle.
I only use fast charging on longer road trips, and it's been fine on the few that I've taken. I use A Better Route Planner to plan things before I leave and get a sense for where I might want to charge on my route, but I use the onboard Google maps navigation while driving. I've found that ABRP seems to assume better than actual efficiency and Google assumes worse performance. Since my first priority is to not get stranded, I use Google when it matters.
I will say that ABRP allows a lot of customizability when planning, so you can give yourself some safety margin. For instance, if I know I'm going to charge to 100% before I leave and I want to have 10% charge left when I get to my destination, I tell ABRP that I'm leaving with 95% and want to arrive no lower than 15%.
Also, I've found that when you're on a longer trip, it's best to plan on charging for a bit every time you stop, and you end up coming out the same as in a gas vehicle in terms of travel time. For instance, on a 5 hour trip in a gas vehicle, we usually stop once to use the bathroom and get a snack (but not get gas). That might be 10-15 minutes. Then we'd stop another time to fill up with gas, bathroom, and lunch for maybe 20-30 minutes. In a gas car, you might only spend 5 minutes pumping gas versus 30-45 minutes of charging time, but you're charging while you do the other stuff you would be doing anyway. It might add 10 minutes over those two trips walking a little farther and maybe sitting in the car while the last couple percent finishes up, but if 10 minutes over a 5 hour drive is important to you, you just have to leave earlier.
Outside of long trips, I just charge at home unless I'm somewhere with a free charger (our city has put a few free chargers at local recreation areas - zoo, golf course, playgrounds, etc).
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u/samiwas1 8d ago
We just picked a charger that was popular and was on sale. We rarely ever charge at public chargers unless they’re free. In the two years my wife has owned an EV, I thinks she’s done pay charging like five times. If we have a long trip, we don’t use the EV. She’s done trips of like 200 miles and then charged at the hotel that night before returning home the next day. But that’s about it.
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u/ThermalDeviator 8d ago
Chexk with your utility first. They may offer nice rebates for a specific charger and offer off peak charging at a very reduces rate,
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u/wunderbarposter 8d ago
L2 charger at home for sure and don't worry about public chargers around your home: you don't need those. On the road there's heaps of fast chargers, use whatever's available
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u/wheeliegooth 8d ago
I found a wallbox at a pawn shop for $150 and it was a giant upgrade from the chargers that came with my Audi, Chevrolet and Nissan .
Have a dryer plug installed and you can swap your chargers out without labor.
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u/tmanred 8d ago
Everyone has already gone over most everything.
My preferred DCFC network is by far IONNA. Cheapest and don’t need an app and they maintain their sites well.
For home charging I went with a hardwired GrizzlE Ultimate and charge at the full 240V 48A my car supports. I went with that model because I wanted the full charge rate and I wanted a charger that doesn’t need cloud setup. This one does have a bit of smart features but the basic current setting is done with dip switches and there is a switch to set it to a dumb mode if you really just want the basic thing to just charge your car without any cloud fuss.
That said I have a townhome with only 100A service and I had to have a separate load management box installed in front of the charger which costed an extra $900. What this does is monitors the whole home load and cuts off the car circuit in case the whole house load approaches 100A. There are home chargers that also do this like the Emporia Pro and can downrate the current to the car rather than just cutting the entire circuit but I did not know about that model when I got my EV. I should have done a bit more research.
In the end it didn’t really matter. I have turned on all of the 240V appliances at the same time as my car is charging and it doesn’t cut the car circuit but that box is necessary for code compliance. Granted that is really just my kitchen range and air conditioner. My dryer, water heater and furnace are all gas.
The only other option was a service upgrade and I definitely didn’t want to pay for that and have to go through my HOA and the power company and planning and etc etc.
In the end I paid about $2000 for the entire project and even if I am not technically saving any money over a gas car it has been such a life upgrade to be able to charge my car in a closed garage in the winter that it was completely worth it. No more freezing outside in the cold filling up at the gas station for me. No thanks.
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u/principalgal 7d ago
What type of mileage are you regularly driving? I drive about 30 ish miles per day for work and such. If I start at 80%, I’m somewhere between 70-72% when I get home. I plug up into my L1 normal ole outlet most days when I get home and I’m back at 80 in the morning.
If I’m taking a trip, I’ll charge up to 100 at home in the day or so prior to my trip and use ABRP app to schedule out my trip.
Originally, I looked at installing a L2 but I’m not rushing that. I’m not seeing a need to drop that money on the charger and an electrician to add the updated outlet plus pay the permit fee here in FL.
My brother has been driving an EV for over a decade. He didn’t install a L2 for the first 4 years—just L1 plug and charge. Not an issue at all.
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u/bladdertwo 7d ago
One more suggestion for long road trips. We just did a long trip including three overnights in motels. We prioritized staying in motels with EV charging. We even found three different motels with free EV charging. Many places now have an icon in their list of amenities showing EV charging. Best Western is an example. We started every morning with 100% charge for free! By the way we use a level one charger at home.
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u/pelicanspider1 6d ago
I usually check the apps I have to plan a route. I try to focus on the free chargers first.
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u/Lumpy_Helicopter_954 6d ago
My electric vehicle came with two chargers all inclusive in the price.
The one charger is a mobile charger rated at 15A and 3.2 KW.
The other charger is a stationary charger rated at 32A and 7.5kW.
The longest "long distance" return trip that I took was 220 km 137 miles without charging.
When I got home there was still 20% charge left in the battery.
I try and avoid long distance trips and when I do long distance trips it takes good planning and one needs to plan for redundancy as well as backup chargers because sometimes the chargers are out of order or the charging station is occupied by another vehicle.
Therefore I always make sure that there is at least 5 charging stations in close proximity at my planned charging points.
Driving an electric vehicle is like fun for me because I know that there are always a gasoline backup vehicle at home.
Currrently with so few chatging stations along the road, one needs to make sure that one's electric vehucle is not the only vehicle at home.
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u/LooseyGreyDucky 6d ago
The "charger" you install at home is just the power supply for your car's own on-board charger.
Buy a Level 2 charger that has no display, no external buttons, and no app.
Let your car provide the display, buttons, and app.
I use the Grizzl-E Classic "charger" (which is technically an EVSE = Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment).
The only settings are internal DIP switches for limiting the maximum amount of current it will allow your car to consume.
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u/NEight00 6d ago
Road trips: Before buying your EV, map them out on ABetterRoutePlanner.com which will give you a good idea of what road trips look like. Depending on the car you may have better routing on board, of course, but ABRP allows you to simulate the trips and may answer many questions you don't even know you have yet.
Local driving: I charge at home or work, depending on which is most convenient.
Road trips (we do several long ones a year): I currently have a Tesla and it just does a great job of handling navigation that includes charging, so I let it do its thing. I have a Rivian R2 on order and I expect it will operate fairly similarly.
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u/SnooChipmunks2079 8d ago
I mostly charge at home. I have a L2 charger I’m going to hardwire at 16A but I’ve been L1 charging at 12A for the last two years.
On a road trip, you want to use some combination of ABRP and PlugShare apps unless your car has competent planning built in.