Car & Driver Article: the F150 lightning might not need those superchargers

[Pdxguy]

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a44867851/ford-f-150-lightning-charging-tesla/

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[rdr854]

While I have not experienced Circle K charging, I have had good luck with EA on my travels from DC to Roanoke and Newport News, VA.

 

[Pod]

Circle K set-up is solid. These are popping up in VA and NC and I’m a fan.

 

[queuewho]

Looking forward to trying out Circle-K's new freewire 200 charger in Hilton Head in the spring. Last April, they were the only non-tesla DC charger on the island, and it was only a single-cable 25kw.

 

[Pioneer74]

$.44 cents a kWh is not a bad price if it works consistently.

 

[John Becker]

$.44 cents a kWh is not a bad price if it works consistently.

Somebody said that you work at the Rouge plant. What do you do there? What's happening with shipments (or lack of)?
And thank you for being an insider helping to keep us informed. It's much appreciated.

 

[On the Road with Ralph]

Quite honestly, I think this was a sort of weird article (says a guy who just finished his FOURTH trip of more than 1500 miles in his Lightning, and has four other trips that were at least 500 miles). If the purpose was to highlight Circle K's DCFC roll-out, well, ok, but is it really necessary to celebrate going 200 miles, even if it is up a mountain? That said, I AM interested in the Circle K initiative - there are a handful of the new branded charging stations in my area of Southern California - and think they could be an alternative to the miserable EA experience if there are enough of them.

 

[Maxx]

Hardly a replacement for superchargers:

Circle- K:

superchargers:

 

[vandy1981]

Love the Bill and Ted reference in the article.

I'm have doubts that the the reliability of the public charger network is going to improve anytime soon, but Circle K is evidence that a reliable non-Tesla charging network is possible in the USA.

 

[On the Road with Ralph]

I want to add another note about Circle K's DCFC initiative. First, Circle K is big in Norway, which has (as a percentage) the highest EV utilization in the world. There it has developed a store prototype, combining gas and DCFC, that it is EXACTLY what we need in the US. It has a convenience market (with restrooms), of course, but also a kid's playground and even vacuum cleaners on the same service islands as the chargers. And those chargers are covered by a canopy, just like the gas pumps (amazing!). Give me amenities like that, along with reliability, and paying 40¢ or more a kW is perfectly acceptable to me.

 

[vandy1981]

I want to add another note about Circle K's DCFC initiative. First, Circle K is big in Norway, which has (as a percentage) the highest EV utilization in the world. There it has developed a store prototype, combining gas and DCFC, that it is EXACTLY what we need in the US. It has a convenience market (with restrooms), of course, but also a kid's playground and even vacuum cleaners on the same service islands as the chargers. And those chargers are covered by a canopy, just like the gas pumps (amazing!). Give me amenities like that, along with reliability, and paying 40¢ or more a kW is perfectly acceptable to me.

Reliable chargers are necessary for the food side of this business model and they're more likely to be monitored by on-site staff. I hope we start seeing stations like this in the USA.

I would gladly pay a premium to charge at a station like this.

 

[Texas Dan]

Service providers still don’t get it. There is a new QT station going up near where I work that doesn’t have a single EV charger. In ten years that station is going to be completely obsolete.

Service stations are still only thinking of EV charging as an afterthought. Even Superchargers lack canopies and services. We are still at a time where service stations grudgingly provide EV chargers when they need to be competing for EV customers.

 

[PreservedSwine]

After reading that, it’s hard to believe how little common sense this writer possesses . A single anecdotal 300 mile road trip worked, so naturally Ford longer needs the Tesla eco-system.
There you have it.

 

[G-Zeus]

Service providers still don’t get it. There is a new QT station going up near where I work that doesn’t have a single EV charger. In ten years that station is going to be completely obsolete.

Service stations are still only thinking of EV charging as an afterthought. Even Superchargers lack canopies and services. We are still at a time where service stations grudgingly provide EV chargers when they need to be competing for EV customers.

Yeah, exactly. I travel with a window squeegee to clean off the bugs on the windshield. They don’t have those at DCFCs, and I’m not pulling into the gas station for that! Each EV should come with one!

 

[G-Zeus]

After reading that, it’s hard to believe how little common sense this writer possesses . A single anecdotal 300 mile road trip worked, so naturally Ford longer needs the Tesla eco-system.
There you have it.

He should try driving around the northeast. Better like gambling!

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