Tesla Superchargers… Cheaper and better?

I recently started using Tesla Superchargers, and they’ve been a game changer for me. Got tired of waiting on an adapter that might never come, so I went ahead and bought the $200 one from Lectron. The Supercharger was $0.06/kWh cheaper than Electrify America, and it was super easy to use, just plug in, open the app, and choose your charger number. It starts instantly.

Every charger worked perfectly, unlike Electrify America where I constantly ran into chargers out of order. I did have to park at the end, but newer Superchargers seem to be placing the charging pedestals between two parking lanes, making it easier for the cables to reach our vehicles.

For today’s charge, I did drive over the curb a little, but no problem for our trucks. Honestly, the charging cable might have reached without that curb hop.

And yeah, you’ll deal with some arrogant Tesla drivers, but overall, this is a much better experience.

Truck on the curb gets a thumbs up.

Jess said:
Truck on the curb gets a thumbs up.

Haven’t used one yet, but yeah, we’ve got trucks, right? Drive over stuff if you have to. Sure, not always possible, but still.

Zed said:

Jess said:
Truck on the curb gets a thumbs up.

Haven’t used one yet, but yeah, we’ve got trucks, right? Drive over stuff if you have to. Sure, not always possible, but still.

Unless you’re at the far-right charger, you might hit another charger or some electrical boxes next to it. Some setups are tricky.

@Amos
Good point. Right now, it seems like the only chargers we can use easily are on the ends. But you can get creative. You could back up to the charger from the opposite side since the cable hangs in the middle. It’s not really meant for that, but it works. Plus, no one can get mad if you’re not taking up extra spaces.

@Harley
Solid workaround!

@Harley

@Lane
You’re right. Tried again at a Supercharger yesterday, and the cable didn’t reach. Maybe some stations have longer cables?

Harley said:
@Lane
You’re right. Tried again at a Supercharger yesterday, and the cable didn’t reach. Maybe some stations have longer cables?

Nope, they all follow a specific length standard.

@Lane
Actually, the Gen 4 Superchargers have longer cables and built-in adapters.

Zed said:

Jess said:
Truck on the curb gets a thumbs up.

Haven’t used one yet, but yeah, we’ve got trucks, right? Drive over stuff if you have to. Sure, not always possible, but still.

Most of the spots don’t have enough space between chargers for a truck to fit in the middle.

@Rowan
Is the cord really that short? I figured driving up over the curb would get you close enough. Haven’t been to many, so I don’t remember the exact distances.

Zed said:
@Rowan
Is the cord really that short? I figured driving up over the curb would get you close enough. Haven’t been to many, so I don’t remember the exact distances.

You have to get super close to the charger. The cords are really short, so I always aim the nose of my truck between them and get as close as I can.

@Rowan
Got it. Just looked back at a picture, and yeah, it’s obvious now. :upside_down_face:

Same for me, Tesla Superchargers are cheaper.

So for us Tesla drivers and others, is it better to leave the rightmost chargers open?

Val said:
So for us Tesla drivers and others, is it better to leave the rightmost chargers open?

I try to leave them open just in case.

Val said:
So for us Tesla drivers and others, is it better to leave the rightmost chargers open?

For non-Tesla drivers (I’ve got a Bolt), yes, it’s ideal to leave the rightmost stall open so we don’t have to take up two spots.

Brilliant idea with the short cable workaround! I’m definitely doing this if I ever get my adapter.

Tesla Superchargers are pricier for me than Electrify America, but Tesla’s availability blows EA out of the water.