Tesla: How does charging work?
Home charging, charging stations, and superchargers
One of the first questions I always hear from people whenever we talk about getting a Tesla is charging. People have a lot of anxiety around getting stranded because they aren’t able to get to a charger. They don’t think they will be able to take the car cross-country, even if they have never taken a road trip in their life. I’m going to clear up a few of those concerns and talk about what my experience has been so far when it comes to charging.
Where can I charge?
Charging stations are everyone now. This is no longer a niche product and even if you live in a small city, odds are good that there is a charging station near you. Don’t believe me? Check out this map:
If you want to see about your specific area, go to this website and see what is close: https://www.plugshare.com/
As you can now see, there is no shortage of places to charge. I should note however, that the quality of the charge is not always the same. The amount of charge you can get from these chargers will vary greatly. If you are looking to get some charge over a few hours or overnight then these will be for you.
Since I have transitioned to a Tesla I have found more reasons to explore my local community. I will go to a shopping area and plug in and then walk around and explore the stores and local parks. It is a great excuse to stretch your legs and explore where as before you might be tempted to just get in and get out.
In the future, as other auto manufacturers start building out their charging network there will be many more places to charge. One that I am looking forward to is Rivian’s adventure network, which places charging stations at more remote places such as state and national parks.
Super Charger
If you are looking to road trip then you will be using supercharger. These are what make Tesla’s so great compared to some other EVs. Tesla’s can go from close to empty to a full charge in close to 30 minutes. This gives you team to get out, stretch your legs, or get a bite to eat before getting back on the road.
It does sound like Tesla will be opening up these chargers for other EVs in the future so look out for that. I am hoping that with the rate they are building them, that opening them open won’t cause lines at the stations. After a year of owning a Tesla, I’ve only ever had to wait for a supercharger once.
Home Charging
This is the aspect of charging that is the most involved. There are a few factors at play here that you need to consider. First is if you even want to install a charging station at your house. If you drive very seldom then you really don’t need to in most cases. There are plenty of places where you can charge and even quite a few that you can leave your car at over night. For convenience and reliability, I recommend that you go ahead and have one installed.
The next decision is whether to install a Tesla charger or a generic HEMA plug. The Tesla charger will charge your car quicker, has some cool features, and it looks incredible. The downside here is that it only works for Tesla’s. HEMA on the other hand can still charge your car at around 30MPH and it works with any electric vehicle. You can also use the plug for any high voltage device. It is basically just an outlet on the side of your house.
Depending on how your house and driveway is set up, you may need to purchase an extra long charging cable.
The last thing I will say here is that there are a lot of programs out there for charging. There are certain subscriptions you can get and other programs you can join depending on your area. If you are charging at home make sure you talk to your local energy provider to find out what incentives may exist for your energy bill, such as off peak pricing. As more and more people start driving these cars I expect these programs to grow as well.
Thank you for being a reader! As always, if you have any other questions feel free to reach out in the comments and I’m happy to talk to you through email as well. I’d love to hear your Tesla story and chat about the challenges or successes that you have had.
