this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2023
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Tesla was colossally stupid to wait so long to make their charger free and open. Previously, it was only available to automakers who opened their patent portfolio in return for access to Tesla's patent portfolio... But of course, the car company that's only been around for 10 years doesn't have as many patents as the car companies that have been around for 50 or 100 years.
I disagree. The supercharging network was a big factor in choosing to buy a Tesla for me. If other manufacturers didn't change, my next car would also be a Tesla. Now I'll have other options.
Yes, but they could have been earning profits from mostly-idle SuperCharger stations over the past 5+ years. The investment required to install a 20-station SuperCharger must be immense -- for it to be idle so much is a huge lost opportunity to get a faster return on that investment.
They were making it back in car sales.
The charger fragmentation is annoying, bit you can get adapters. The root problem is that even if you have an adapter, only Tesla cars can charge at Tesla chargers.
The Tesla network communicates with the car to identify the account to charged. Which sounds easy, but really means every car needs to be associated with an account, and Tesla just wouldn't let non-Tesla cars charge. Now with the Ford and GM deal Ford and GM cars will soon be allowed to charge at their network.
Even when you can charge at a charger, having to have an account for a charger is annoying. Again, getting the article, can you imagine if you needed an app or a seperate prepaid account for Chevron, Shell, Co-op, Mobil, Esso, Petro-Can, Save-On, Domo whatever station you used? Tap to pay is the obvious solution, but most DCFC still push their own app and account. Tesla seems to get a pass because it's by far the largest network, but they absolutely perpetuate the non-standardization of the EV market for their own benefit.
Even the Ford and GM moving to NACS might not really be the end of this fragmentation. The cynic in me wonders if Ford and GM want to delay adoption of EVs so they can sell more ICE cars.
I'm not sure if you know... But different charging infrastructure companies all have their own apps... Thankfully, there's a lot of interoperability (I can use my Flo app to start a session at The Electric Circuit stations, and vice versa) so it's already very much like the situation you described.
And as for Ford/GM... They're highly motivated to move to electric. People want it, the government is pushing for it, and only when they reach a specific level of sales will they reach the economies of scale to make it profitable.
Funny thing -- I got my GF's Subaru repaired at a dealership, and when I picked it up, the sales guy tried to sell me a new one. I asked him what the waiting list was for their fully electric model, and he said "18 months to 2 years". I told him he could call me back when delivery was under 90 days, and he said "Yeah, we get that a lot." Car companies that don't have electric models are suffering the consequence of lagging behind.
I know different charging companies have different apps, and I resent it. At least at Electrify Canada and Petro-Can (when they work) you can tap to pay, instead. It costs a little bit more, so you are incentivized to sign up for their app, but at least this is no worse than Petro-points and such. I can make accounts for a charging network I use often, but still be able to charge if I'm at an uncommon charger.
So yeah, Tesla isn't out of line with requiring an account, and the plug to charge is convenient, but I still bemoan the absence of a tap-to-charge option.
As to GM, I don't know what's up with their EV strategy. Their Bolt is nearly a beloved low-cost, basic EV, and the EUV especially. Except I keep hearing stories of someone's ordered Bolt EUV arriving, but oops! it's got this extra package that's $x000. We can wait 6 more months or you can pay more for this one. At least Ford tries to keep a lid on dealers upcharging, but I think it's open season at GM. Plus, it sounds like they are killing the Bolt anyways, before a replacement is ready.