Future of Fast Charging Sparks Joy in US's Non-Tesla EV Road Trippers - Supercharged Magic Docks!

Posted by Paul Braren on Mar 6 2023 (updated on Mar 10 2023) in
  • Efficiency
  • EVs
  • Tesla

    • Disclosure: I hold no stock and never held stock in any of the companies mentioned on the podcast or in this article.

    It sure didn't take long for Tesla to deploy this Magic Dock retrofit solution after the Biden administration's recent announcement:

    2023-03-01_21-19-12
    • Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New Standards and Major Progress for a Made-in-America National Network of Electric Vehicle Chargers
      Feb 15 2023

      Tesla, for the first time, will open a portion of its U.S. Supercharger and Destination Charger network to non-Tesla EVs, making at least 7,500 chargers available for all EVs by the end of 2024. The open chargers will be distributed across the United States. They will include at least 3,500 new and existing 250 kW Superchargers along highway corridors to expand freedom of travel for all EVs, and Level 2 Destination Charging at locations like hotels and restaurants in urban and rural locations. All EV drivers will be able to access these stations using the Tesla app or website. Additionally, Tesla will more than double its full nationwide network of Superchargers, manufactured in Buffalo, New York.

    Paul-Braren-2018-Model-3-Lifetime-Map-Mar-7-2023

    obviously Tesla has been planning this for a while. It's unfortunate that destination chargers (Level 2, typically for overnight charging at hotels and such) are included in the "7,500 chargers" figure since we don't exactly know how many of the DC fast chargers that Tesla calls Superchargers will be imbued with Magic Dock powers by the end of 2024. Speed is everything for road trippers, I should know, as I did nearly 20,000 electric miles in 2019, driving my 2018 Tesla Model 3 around the Northeastern US, mostly for business. I've Supercharged 145 times at 74 different locations, and have had no worries getting to meetings exactly on time in far away places. It's time any EV driver has a much better shot at a similarly great experience, given Electrify America and EVGO haven't been able to do so, despite years of customer complaints about reliability and speed issues across the US.

    Paul-Braren-Supercharging-Totals-Mar-7-2023
    Up until now, it was far too difficult for other EV makes to freely roam around like this without worry. Hopefully that's about to change, with the retrofits of Magic Docks only taking a few hours per Supercharger location.

    Closing Thoughts

    It seems to be that things will get worse before they get better, especially for Tesla drivers accustomed to a hassle free experience at Superchargers. But if the Supercharger network doubles with mostly V4 Superchargers with Magic Docks with an abundance of pull through parking, then we seem to finally have hope for a brighter DC fast charging experience for all modern EV owners, with the notable exception being the slow-charging Chevy Bolts that makes it suited for home charging only, and poorly-suited for road tripping.

    March_2_2023_Brewster_Supercharger_IMG_6291.JPG
    Photo by Paul Braren on March 2, 2023. Bollards with signs that feature a Tesla QR code for the Tesla App needed for activating charging on non-Teslas
    March_4_2023_Brewster_Supercharger_no-bollards-IMG_6472
    Photo by Paul Braren on March 4, 2023. Notice that the bollards/signs have been removed! Now vehicles like the Ford F-150 Lightning can more easily charge here, at the cost of putting the V3 Superchargers at greater risk of damage, and non-Tesla EV owners no longer given guidance on the need to download the Tesla app.

    In this new video, the first of a series of three listed below, I try to express why this testing that Tesla is doing here in the US is so significant. It all started on February 28 2023, and I happened to live near this story as it unfolded. It was fun to get to see the joy in EV owners doing their very first DC fast (sometimes called Level 3) charging at these Tesla Superchargers retrofitted with the new Magic Dock that incorporates a NACS to CCS adapter. In other words, the same experience that Tesla owners have enjoyed for about a decade, now available to nearly everybody else with an EV.

    TinkerTry - Mar 06 2023 - Future of Fast Charging Sparks Joy in US's Non-Tesla EV Road Trippers - Supercharged Magic Docks!

    Here's my two visits to Brewster, in chronological order.

    TinkerTry - Mar 02 2023 - First Magic Dock Tests – Charging an R1T & IONIQ 5 at a V3 Tesla Supercharger in Brewster NY
    TinkerTry - Mar 04 2023 - R1T/ID.4/IONIQ 5/F-150 Lightning at V3 Supercharger Magic Dock in Brewster NY with Bollards Removed!

    In my prior article about the Magic Dock, I have far more details about the challenges, along with more about my hopes and concerns for the future of EVs in the US. This is especially for folks who have no home charging solution, and/or that need to frequently go further in one day than home charging solutions will allow. In other words, road-trippers:

    tbp277

    Here are some of the prior videos that other YouTubers recorded at Brewster:

    State Of Charge - Mar 01 2023 - Tesla "Magic Dock" Superchargers Can Now Charge Non-Tesla EVs!
    Auto Focus {MKBHD} - Mar 01 2023 - Charging a non-Tesla at a Tesla Supercharger!
    Out of Spec Reviews - Feb 28 2023 - Tesla Superchargers Open To The Public! Full Tour Of The Magic Dock Charging A CCS Car
    Out of Spec Dave - Feb 27 2022 - Another New Tesla Magic Dock Install Turns Up The Heat On Electrify America In This Upstate NY Town!
    1629666652903153665
    Paul Braren's tweet from Feb 25 2022, prior to the Tesla app update that enabled the release of the CCS connector.
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    March 1, 2023
    1632479234361892865
    March 5, 2023

    Mar 10 2023 Update

    Let me close with these 2 new, helpful videos:

    Now You Know - Mar 10 2023 - Did Tesla Just Screw Itself? | In Depth

    At the 12 minute mark:

    By my estimates, only 13% of stalls in the Superchargeer network would be Magic Dock stalls, so only those locations, roughly 400 locations out of an estimated 2,900, would ever get non-Teslas.

    Out of Spec Guide - Mar 8 2023 - EV Charging Isn't Great Right Now - Here's What We're Doing About It
    1634259280931987470

    See also at TinkerTry

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    tbp250

    hotel-marcel-techology-tour

    tbp243

    tesla-tips-boston-snow-nyc-traffic

    hyundai-ioniq-5

    tesla-v3-supercharging-and-waypoints-tips

    tbp229

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    crossclimate2
    tbp208

    speedway

    ev-pickup-trucks-from-rivian-tesla-ford

    tech-breakfast-2021-01-15

    tech-breakfast-2020-10-12

    tech-breakfast-2020-05-04

    See also

    hotel-marcel-techology-tour

    Pipistrel-Alpha-ELECTRO-Information-Pack

    Appendix

    I'm terrible at writing titles, so I gave ChatGPT a go for a better title, typing:

    write a witty title for an article currently titled "The future of DC fast charging for non-Tesla CCS EVs just got a whole lot brighter in the US"

    "Revving Up: Non-Tesla EVs Get a Jolt of Joy with Brighter DC Fast Charging Future"
    "Powering Up: How Non-Tesla EVs are Charging Towards a Brighter Future in the US"
    "Non-Tesla EVs Get a Fast Charge Boost: A Bright Future on the Horizon!"

    write a witty title for an article currently titled "The future of DC fast charging just got a whole lot brighter for EV drivers road tripping in the US"

    "Juice Up Your Ride: Non-Tesla EVs to Enjoy a Brighter DC Fast Charging Future in the US"
    "Juice on the Loose: DC Fast Charging Gets a Brighter Future for US EV Road Trippers"
    "Juice Up and Go: The Future of DC Fast Charging Shines for EV Road Trippers in the US"
    "Power Up Your Adventure: The Bright Future of Fast Charging for EV Road Trips in the US"
    "Electric Adventure: Fast Charging Future Shines Bright for EV Road Trippers in the US"
    "Powering Up: The Future of Fast Charging Sparks Joy for EV Road Trippers in the US"

    I'd love to hear what you think, should I stick with what comes out of my brain for titles, or should I use ChatGPT as a tool to assist me with article and video titles? See also my recent, short video reaction video about using ChatGPT like this.

    TinkerTry - PCs, EVs, home tech, efficiency and more, including virtualization. My opinions here. Currently consulting while seeking my next employer.

    Paul Braren, MCSE in 1998, VCP #2681 in 2005, vExpert 2014 to 2024, Veeam Vanguard Emeritus, 2015 to 2019.

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