kaelc
Crew Member
Will the Tesla supercharger take that time down when the infrastructure is there? I haven't done that drive in years, debating towing up vs boating the inside passage some day to boat/fish with my brother from Fraser Lake.
Driving an EV pickup
- Thread starter sly_karma
- Start date
Umos
Well-Known Member
I tried a BC hydro charger which is half the speed of the Chevron chargers (and half the price), which in turn are half the speed of the Tesla chargers (and half the price again). So just charging w chevron would bring the time down, and Tesla a bit more. The Tesla vs Ch vein gain is marginal though as the lightning can’t take the full charge rate of the Tesla chargers.
Alex_c
Well-Known Member
Wow, sounds very painless. Doing that drive without a lunch/dinner stop is a slog anyhow. Probably 10x that cost in fuel for the Tundra I would imagine.
sly_karma
Crew Member
Drive to Whistler from the Okanagan on Thurs took 45 min longer than in gas truck, due to BC Hydro 50 kW chargers. At least they're there, but they're slow. In Cache Ck there's 8 Tesla chargers are in the same parking lot, but I can't use them until my adapter arrives. Could probably skip the Lillooet stop altogether once that becomes available.
Bryan Allen
Well-Known Member
You can handle a LOT of maintenance costs for 75K !
sly_karma
Crew Member
Trip back from Whistler delivered some frustration with chargers. I did skip Lillooet and had no problem connecting up to a BC Hydro 100 kW in Cache Ck. Walked to nearby diner and ordered, then there was a brief power outage. Messages on the phone to inform charging interrupted, terminated. Walked back there to restart, only to find the charger was now displaying out of service.
I moved to adjacent 50 kW, obviously this is half speed. Didn't reach target charge over the meal break but plenty to get to Merritt, where there are many fast (>150 kW) chargers. But the Electrify Canada charger that gave me 150 kW on Thursday couldn't hit 40 tonight. Moved to Petro Canada, similar result, WTF? Chevron sort of got the job done before hitting battery depletion. What has been a 10-15 minute stop for me in the past was 45 minutes of annoyance. The most frustrating part was these are supposed to be legitimately fast chargers, but weren't on the day.
I moved to adjacent 50 kW, obviously this is half speed. Didn't reach target charge over the meal break but plenty to get to Merritt, where there are many fast (>150 kW) chargers. But the Electrify Canada charger that gave me 150 kW on Thursday couldn't hit 40 tonight. Moved to Petro Canada, similar result, WTF? Chevron sort of got the job done before hitting battery depletion. What has been a 10-15 minute stop for me in the past was 45 minutes of annoyance. The most frustrating part was these are supposed to be legitimately fast chargers, but weren't on the day.
Bifmalibu
Well-Known Member
Meh...minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. Gas is 2 bucks a litre these days. Not to mention, all this EV infrastructure is still in its infancy. It can only get better from here.
fish brain
Crew Member
You are right. But in the short term there are large numbers of people who list lack of infrastructure, and long charging times as one of the several reasons that they wouldn't purchase an EV.
sly_karma
Crew Member
But I promised at the start of the thread that I'd report the bad along with the good! You're right, though, that trip of almost 1300 km in my gas truck would cost about $400 at today's prices, whereas my charging costs were only $60.
Also, out of town trips are the exception for me, not the norm. First time I've needed public charging since January.
Positive note to end on: I arrived home at 1030 pm with 10% left, but didn't have to make one more gas station stop to ensure a full tank for work next morning.
sly_karma
Crew Member
I'm thankful for BC Hydro/FLO being proactive early on and putting DCFC units in locations around the province that aren't on the high volume routes now well served by the for profit charge networks. Lillooet! Who knew? But already those 50 kW units look outdated and slow compared to today's expectations. Tesla and EC putting 350 kW units out there is a big play. I know Lightning can't handle that speed, but 150 kW is still way better.
And the initial cost of the vehicle.
sly_karma
Crew Member
That's changing fast though. As we've read in this thread, several models of Lightning now in the $65-80K price range. That's competitive with gas and cheaper than diesel trucks.
Rain City
Crew Member
My friend was awarded a contract for installing 28 charging stations in the next year at CO-OP gas stations in more remote areas of BC. I may or may not be involved in some way.
-Jim-
Active Member
I totally agree, adding charging to existing Gas Stations is the obvious right way to go.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
Vancouver surely had a hand in killing most of the city gas stations, as they are now empty lots and sold to a developer to redevelop in some prime locations.
Rain City
Crew Member
Waaaay more to come as well. Our tax dollars hard at work.
sly_karma
Crew Member
I just looked into this a bit. About a billion from the feds since 2016 to jump start the process, with funding committed through to 2027. This map shows all the locations across the country that are part of federal zero emissions infrastructure programs (hint: almost all of them). Clicking on a location to shows details such as the promoter or owner, civic address, and funding status. This last is interesting as it shows as either repayable or non-repayable. Non-repayable facilities seem to belong to local government or crown entities like BC Hydro, and I assume these are outright grants. The non-repayables belong to the for-profits; I deduce from this that the funding comes in the form of low- or zero-interest loans. The target is to have 84,500 chargers and 45 hydrogen stations by 2029. Good luck with the H2 project, lol.
sly_karma
Crew Member
Yeah not many petro-locations left in the inner city cores anywhere. Which makes sense, land is worth way more than what a gas station can justify, and a car is more of a liability than an asset there anyway. Parking and congestion are ridiculous, most people elect to walk or use transit. EVs won't change that situation for those who reside in the super-dense downtown and inner ring suburbs. Less air and noise pollution for those walking the streets will be nice though.
wildmanyeah
Crew Member
there is a few 100% electric semis running back and forth near my work, one scared the crap out of me as i was turning as its weird when one is coming right at you and making almost no noise.
