Adventure in EV charging (2023 Update)

People break off those handles, not uncommon that it's the property owner who installed them in the first place, when they get tired of people using them

Unusual to happen in at least 5 locations i checked, before i gave up and use ChaDeMod, which is impossible to break.

IME it's always the chargers in "good neighborhoods" full of young punks with nothing better to do throwing back beers running around in their Dad's benz after everything closes at 8:30 pm that are the most f***ed-up.

I go to chargers in the 'hood sometimes too never seen one that's vandalized yet, people have better things to do.

Yes, avoid San Mateo at all cost. I was unprepared yesterday, won't happen again.

I wonder how EVs will scale. What happens when 85% of cars are all electric?

How much land area will need to be charging stations?

What will wait times become?

How will an all-renewable grid handle charging all those all-electric cars in the winter? Some countries are in trouble already, with a few per cent all-electric cars.

How will megawatts of power get to rural charging stations?

Will we have enough lithium and rare earths and stuff?

Not much. Chargers at rest stops are great. No more than regular parking spot.

Not too bad. No waiting at any of the CalTran chargers at all. Very often, i am the only one in four empty chargers There are rows of 10 or more chargers in one of the gas station between two Caltran chargers. As you can tell, why would anyone go there, except good hot dogs ($3.33 for 2).

By the way, i asked CalTran for permission to put chargers in rest stops years ago. They gave me 37 reasons to deny my request. So, i am writing to CalTran again for three more.

1. North bound I-5 from Castic (elev. 2000) to Tajho Pass (elev. 5000) Los Angele County water management.
2. CA-152 between Los Bano and Gilroy. Pacheco State Park
3. Intersection of CA-59 and CA-152.

Parking spots? we barely have them here. Rest stops? In cities?

But what happens when all the cars are all electric? Caltrain doesn't have 100K parking spots with chargers.

How long does it take you to charge?

It doesn't look like it will scale well to me.

Free markets built our gasoline infrastructure. I wonder why government has to subsidize an electric system.

That's why we need to branch into other agencies. My next lobbying is State Park & Rec and LA Water Management. CalTran can manage chargers in their properties.

30 minutes with chargers 25 miles apart. 10 minutes with chargers 13 miles apart. 5 minutes with chargers 8 miles apart. When there are enough chargers around, we can just pop in and out.

Free marketers are not interested in remote area, unless they can gouge the customers like EvGo.

Furthermore, free marketers are doing it all wrong. You need phone or rfid cards to push a button to start the machine in front of you, which is so 90s. Very often, either phone or card don't work. CalTran chargers only need 3 taps, no phone or card needed. CalTran chargers are no-nonsense practical. I hope we can drive all those fancy but impractical free marketers out of business.

If every ICE driver need to use a smart phone to pump gas, we will have much less drivers around.

Gasoline is actually cheaper in rural areas here. I've paid over $5 a gallon in San Francisco.

Buying gasoline is easy. They'll even take cash.

Why is it free?

I think that some fraction of electric car owners are chronic penny-pinchers who love the idea of charging for free.

Somebody here admitted that he uses any unguarded electric outlet to steal power.

Exxon and Valera have no incentive to drive away paying customers.

I just made a round trip SF to Bakersfield. It costs me perhaps $20. $6 in San Mateo alone. Otherwise, $14 for 500 miles.

You have to charge for 30 minutes every 25 miles?

Sounds like more charging than driving.

I gas up my car in 5 minutes, maybe every 200 miles. It takes just enough time to squeege the glass.