How automakers’ disappointment in EA drove them into Tesla’s arms

[TomB985]

I stumbled across this series of articles from John Voelcker that were published last August. Voelcker is a longtime automotive journalist who's written for Car and Driver for years, and this is a deeply reported piece on some of the recent shifts in the charging industry.

LINK.

Drivers don't like EA because of their consistent reliability problems, and it appears that decisionmakers at other automakers feel the same way. Some of the details really surprised me, particularly the comments from a charger repair company exec.

Non-Tesla automakers have had it with EA. Initial hopes that EA would provide a new, large-scale, nationwide network of fast charging stations have now curdled into a desire to see EA out of the game altogether—with “lots of bad blood” directed at the VW Group as a whole.

Part 2 details some of the differences between NACS and today's Tesla connector. It looks like the new standard, dubbed J3400, will be more forward-looking than the current Superchargers. This will be good for 800v platforms, which may include Ford's next-gen truck.

Part 3 talks about how complicated this switch is going to be in the coming years. We'll be dealing with adapters for more than a decade because the existing CCS plug won't disappear overnight. Some think it will last indefinitely, but others like myself think it will eventually go the way of CHAdeMO and slowly fade into obsolescence.

Part 4 is some behind-the-scenes information about the recent news that seven automakers were forming a joint venture to stand up a charging network that competes with EA and the others. Ford isn't among them, and I think that's a disappointment. Regardless, it's good to see some concrete action from car companies who have a huge stake in this game. If the charging experience continues to suck, people will be reluctant to buy their newfangled EVs for obvious reason.

I've been an optimist who loves change for my entire life, and I'm really excited to see how things shape up. Tesla's network should open up in just a couple of months, and I'm really looking forward to not having to plan around charger reliability in the future. I'd love to see competition bring lower charging rates for my thirsty Lightning, but greater availability will be a good start.

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[Pioneer74]

Good articles. Thanks for posting.

 

[hturnerfamily]

CHARGER Locations and Reliability is the MAIN factors for EV adoption, period.
RANGE is not the real issue, as many will claim, and even SPEED is not the main concern - RELIABILITY and FINDING a Charger are the ultimate needs.

CONFIDENCE that charging will WORK when you arrive is paramount.
Tesla owners are confident, that's why their charging network is so enjoyed. I don't see or hear about Tesla owners concerned about speed, they just enjoy KNOWING that they will be charged.

 

[TomB985]

CHARGER Locations and Reliability is the MAIN factors for EV adoption, period.
RANGE is not the real issue, as many will claim, and even SPEED is not the main concern - RELIABILITY and FINDING a Charger are the ultimate needs.

CONFIDENCE that charging will WORK when you arrive is paramount.
Tesla owners are confident, that's why their charging network is so enjoyed. I don't see or hear about Tesla owners concerned about speed, they just enjoy KNOWING that they will be charged.

I completely agree with this, with the caveat that speed matters a bit more with the big battery in the Lightning than a 50-80 kWh pack in most Teslas. Charger reliability drove me back to Tesla at the end of last year, and I only considered the Lightning after Ford announced compatibility next year. I wouldn't be here if not for that.

 

[Joneii]

Charging speed is a factor that is considered with Tesla’s site design. One of the reasons that I rarely wait for a Supercharger is that there are usually 8, 10, 12 or more stations in a single location. So if the average Tesla charging session is 10-15 minutes and there are 10-15 stations; the probability that one of them will open up soon (assuming they are all full—which the car will reroute you to another non-full charger if possible) is pretty good.

Compare this with a typical EA layout. There are 4-6 stations, and one of those is likely nonfunctional. Then there are one or two VWs who are going to spend the next hour charging to 100% because it is free; and the guy that just got on in front of you is driving a vehicle that didn’t precondition in the cold weather and can only pull 30 kW, so he’s going to be a while. Ugh!

Adding all of the quirks of different vehicles to the Supercharger equation is likely to throw a few speed bumps in the way, but I think Tesla will quickly remedy the issues. At least I’m hoping that much.

 

[GDN]

@TomB985 - Check your link to part 3, it currently takes you to part 2.

Interesting articles. It does sound as though Tesla has done as hoped and dictated everything the other manufactures must adhere too - ie "Roughly 40 non-negotiable technology requirements". The key will be can Ford even meet these?

In part 3 - V2H seems to be proven by Tesla with the Cybertruck. Funny how Ford noted it found "unexpected enthusiasm" about this feature. It was one of their most touted features since launch and one of the biggest problems, starting with the extra cost to implement and then still not having a good working solution 18 months after launch.

Part 4 is laughable for the new standard and partnership of 7. It's easy to see that GM still doesn't know what their way forward is. They are just like Ford and jumped in with the fastest technology they could cobble together and just hoped someone else would find a way for their customers to charge. EA is a joke (outlined in part 1) they know Tesla is the gold standard, but yet they want vehicles on the road with their own charging solution still only on paper. They don't know what making an investment means. They just want to sell and profit. They'd be lightyears ahead just buying technology from Tesla. This goes to show even ditching AA and CarPlay - there is nothing wrong with that if you do it right and better like Tesla has, but GM is no leader in this space and has nothing to show for it that I'm aware. Ford is just one step back here. They know they can't develop a decent UI, so they are just going to stay in bed with the phone manufactures and let them nibble away at the in car experience, just as Tesla is with the charging experience.

 

[Jambar]

I use my Lightning as a daily driver, charging at home every night. Will not travel with it until the charging network becomes reliable for the Lightning.

 

[hturnerfamily]

funny, because we travel with ours all the time, even towing our camper... you just have to plan. Plan. and more Planning.... it's doable, but not for everyone.

 

[LightningShow]

I'm sure we all agree that EA sucks but the reason that they suck is Tesla. There's not much incentive for EA to do anything competitive because they always knew that Tesla was going to open the SC network and crush them. IMO, that's why they've done, essentially, the bare minimum rather than making big investments in growing the network. They were light years behind Tesla from the beginning with no chance to catch up. The good news is that once the SC network opens to a wider audience it will kick off a price war. Good for all of us. It will take a while for the rates to come down but in the long run the competition will drive prices down to near home electricity rates.

 

[Pioneer74]

In part 3 - V2H seems to be proven by Tesla with the Cybertruck.

Well, yes and no. I believe the Cybertruck will require a Powerwall to make their version of V2H work. That's a big investment on top of buying the truck.

 

[GDN]

I'm sure we all agree that EA sucks but the reason that they suck is Tesla. There's not much incentive for EA to do anything competitive because they always knew that Tesla was going to open the SC network and crush them. IMO, that's why they've done, essentially, the bare minimum rather than making big investments in growing the network. They were light years behind Tesla from the beginning with no chance to catch up. The good news is that once the SC network opens to a wider audience it will kick off a price war. Good for all of us. It will take a while for the rates to come down but in the long run the competition will drive prices down to near home electricity rates.

How do you get a price war from the Top/exceptional seller against one that isn't reliable for many. There will be no price war, there will be EA for those that care to deal with them and Tesla will march on with rates that allow them to capitalize and expand. I will drive by 3 EA stations to get to a Tesla one. Others won't and maybe that will keep them in business, but they must invest to get any better or to survive and if they didn't do that the last 4 to 5 years, what makes you think they will now?

This is now Tesla leading with all the others just filling in gaps for a long time to come.

 

[LightningShow]

How do you get a price war from the Top/exceptional seller against one that isn't reliable for many. There will be no price war, there will be EA for those that care to deal with them and Tesla will march on with rates that allow them to capitalize and expand. I will drive by 3 EA stations to get to a Tesla one. Others won't and maybe that will keep them in business, but they must invest to get any better or to survive and if they didn't do that the last 4 to 5 years, what makes you think they will now.

This is now Tesla leading with all the others just filling in gaps for a long time to come.

See in bold for what kicks off a price war...

I agree Tesla will hold the line for quite a while. They built the network specifically to have that capability. The SC network will be a big profit generator for them in the coming 5-10 years. They won't need to drop prices until the other networks reach critical mass. It will take a while.

 

[GDN]

Well, yes and no. I believe the Cybertruck will require a Powerwall to make their version of V2H work. That's a big investment on top of buying the truck.

True - a lot we don't know about that yet, but whatever it does turn out to be, it will work out of the box, and you are getting additional battery and backup capacity for that same money. Until we see it, however, you are right, we don't know cost and timeline.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Part 4 is some behind-the-scenes information about the recent news that seven automakers were forming a joint venture to stand up a charging network that competes with EA and the others. Ford isn't among them, and I think that's a disappointment. Regardless, it's good to see some concrete action from car companies who have a huge stake in this game. If the charging experience continues to suck, people will be reluctant to buy their newfangled EVs for obvious reason.

Counterpoint. Not being a part of that also allows Ford to be flexible, moving to the winner quickly or even adopting both. Maybe just wishful thinking on my part…

 

[Jseis]

bring lower charging rates for my thirsty Lightning,

And 1.3 mi/KWh is the new 13 mpg! when in reality it’s like 43 mpge…

Early adopters gonna pay the freight.

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