PungoteagueDave
Well-known member
I own a Tesla, have driven them for over 200k miles, am a fan, but this is complete BS. Anyone who knows anything about the Supercharger network and its technology understands that Teslas are upwardly compatible with ANY charging technology but that the Supercharger is only downwardly compatible with a Tesla.
Every Tesla and every other EV made has an onboard charger and uses raw electricity to charge - converting that electricity INSIDE the car through an inverter into whatever it needs to charge its battery. However, when plugged into a Supercharger, uniquely to Tesla alone, the process entirely bypasses the car's internal charging systems. It uses proprietary technology to directly dump electricity into the battery, with the actual charger being on the landside of the process, outside of the car (actually not in the pylon either, but inside a nearby structure). This is why, unlike with EVERY other charger you will see out there, a Tesla Supercharger always has a building-size enclosure nearby that holds the charging systems.
Other vehicles cannot use this tech and will not use this tech. This is why Elon is laughing up his sleeve when he says that he is opening up Superchargers to other brands. Just as he said he would open his patents to others - it makes him look good, but the other brands would first need to completely reengineer their vehicle's charging systems (and probably their batteries) to use the Supercharger. What he did with Tesla is so proprietary that NO ONE else will adopt it. The way Tesla charges with Superchargers is simply not compatible with other makes.
The debate above about Tesla charger locations is plain silly. I've used Superchargers from the Florida keys to Maine, from San Diego to Portland and across the U.S. on numerous routes in all types of weather, including Minnesota blizzard. There have been a few (very few) clunker locations, but most have excellent nearby facilities akin to Starbucks, Panera, etc. with LOTS of food and coffee/tea choices. Electrify America, which I have been watching closely while lusting for a Taycan, is more than 90% at Walmarts.
The EA network is expanding rapidly, may soon eclipse the Tesla Supercharger network, but is having a lot of teething problems related to not meeting charging speed objectives, locations being down, and incompatibilities with brands that are supposed to plug-and-play with its technology. I'm sure this will get sorted out, just as the early days of the Supercharger network were often dicey (in 2012/13 we took road trips that often included long stays on level 2 chargers in marinas, campgrounds, at welding shops, jury-rigged dryer connections - those days are long gone now). The Taycan remains a future possibility and will only become reality for me after EA gets sorted - because right now virtually all road trip reports are negative or spotty at best. My son has a four month old Mustang Mach E. As a Navy pilot, he runs long road trips. He has disaster story after disaster story about EA chargers. The Mach E is a GREAT vehicle, but it is being held back by the charging network for road trips, as will the Lightning. I've got one of those on order, but for now, am thinking it will be a local hauler, and the Tesla or the KR will remain the road trip choices. That's a big problem for Ford because few people can have the kind of fleet we do with our businesses and farm.
With Tesla we can take trips anywhere in the U.S. without thinking about charging, and arrive just as fast as we would in an ICE vehicle, more relaxed and after a better driving experience. As it stands today, that is not true using EA in a Porsche, Volvo, Ford or other EV. I find the Tesla build quality to be inferior after owning three of their vehicles (currently a Raven MX after a '12 MS, '14 P85D), but the Supercharger network was the game changer that made EV travel a mainstream thing, and it remains the key differentiator between Tesla and every other EV manufacturer - and as it stands, even though I'd rather drive a Porsche Taycan, it keeps me with Tesla. It is that much better -a true no brainer.
Every Tesla and every other EV made has an onboard charger and uses raw electricity to charge - converting that electricity INSIDE the car through an inverter into whatever it needs to charge its battery. However, when plugged into a Supercharger, uniquely to Tesla alone, the process entirely bypasses the car's internal charging systems. It uses proprietary technology to directly dump electricity into the battery, with the actual charger being on the landside of the process, outside of the car (actually not in the pylon either, but inside a nearby structure). This is why, unlike with EVERY other charger you will see out there, a Tesla Supercharger always has a building-size enclosure nearby that holds the charging systems.
Other vehicles cannot use this tech and will not use this tech. This is why Elon is laughing up his sleeve when he says that he is opening up Superchargers to other brands. Just as he said he would open his patents to others - it makes him look good, but the other brands would first need to completely reengineer their vehicle's charging systems (and probably their batteries) to use the Supercharger. What he did with Tesla is so proprietary that NO ONE else will adopt it. The way Tesla charges with Superchargers is simply not compatible with other makes.
The debate above about Tesla charger locations is plain silly. I've used Superchargers from the Florida keys to Maine, from San Diego to Portland and across the U.S. on numerous routes in all types of weather, including Minnesota blizzard. There have been a few (very few) clunker locations, but most have excellent nearby facilities akin to Starbucks, Panera, etc. with LOTS of food and coffee/tea choices. Electrify America, which I have been watching closely while lusting for a Taycan, is more than 90% at Walmarts.
The EA network is expanding rapidly, may soon eclipse the Tesla Supercharger network, but is having a lot of teething problems related to not meeting charging speed objectives, locations being down, and incompatibilities with brands that are supposed to plug-and-play with its technology. I'm sure this will get sorted out, just as the early days of the Supercharger network were often dicey (in 2012/13 we took road trips that often included long stays on level 2 chargers in marinas, campgrounds, at welding shops, jury-rigged dryer connections - those days are long gone now). The Taycan remains a future possibility and will only become reality for me after EA gets sorted - because right now virtually all road trip reports are negative or spotty at best. My son has a four month old Mustang Mach E. As a Navy pilot, he runs long road trips. He has disaster story after disaster story about EA chargers. The Mach E is a GREAT vehicle, but it is being held back by the charging network for road trips, as will the Lightning. I've got one of those on order, but for now, am thinking it will be a local hauler, and the Tesla or the KR will remain the road trip choices. That's a big problem for Ford because few people can have the kind of fleet we do with our businesses and farm.
With Tesla we can take trips anywhere in the U.S. without thinking about charging, and arrive just as fast as we would in an ICE vehicle, more relaxed and after a better driving experience. As it stands today, that is not true using EA in a Porsche, Volvo, Ford or other EV. I find the Tesla build quality to be inferior after owning three of their vehicles (currently a Raven MX after a '12 MS, '14 P85D), but the Supercharger network was the game changer that made EV travel a mainstream thing, and it remains the key differentiator between Tesla and every other EV manufacturer - and as it stands, even though I'd rather drive a Porsche Taycan, it keeps me with Tesla. It is that much better -a true no brainer.
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