Quote:
Originally Posted by thebishman
So, one could use an EVGO NACS dispenser with an aftermarket NCAS TO CCS1 adapter as an additional option whilst traveling.
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That's the only reason I cary the Lectron NACS to CCS1 adapter. However, it's next to useless given only some EVgo sites have the NACS port and those are generally slow and surrounded by better options from Flo or EA. I've used the NACS to J1772 adapter much more. That said, I would rather have the option because of having the adapter than not.
This is somewhat anecdotal but as CCS1 continues to deploy, I'm finding the lack of SC network option being less of a problem. Here are three recent examples that I've run into:
Hawaii (Oahu): Earlier this year I rented a EQB and charged at a hotel that had destination chargers. Around the island there were plenty of slow HPC chargers mostly single dispensers in the 50kW range but the island is small and this did the job. I could find DC chargers scattered throughout the island on the populated areas as well as in the north shore. There were also plenty of J1772 L2 chargers just about everywhere. Last month I rented a Model 3 and had the opposite experience. There is only one SC site east of Honolulu and without a CCS1 to NACS adapter I was screwed having to either deal with a J1772 charger on the north end of the island or drive over the hill and onto the opposite corner (1-hour drive+) to the only SC site. Some hotels in Waikiki had NACS destination chargers but they were generally full with T*. Next time I'm back in HI I'm renting a CCS car until there are more SC locations unless the NACS car has a CCS1 to NACS adapter.
Upstate NY (finger lakes region): The only game in town a few years ago were the SC and a few L2 chargers. The SC sites were generally full but you could at least wait 5 minutes to get an available SC. As of May, there are CCS1 DCFC distributed enough where you can plan a trip pretty easily. The SC sites seem to have queues and the L2 situation is still horrible. Today I would opt for a CCS1 car when driving to the finger lakes region although they still need more L2 chargers in areas where those chargers would be convenient.
Seattle east side: I live in this area so I don't normally use the public charging network unless it's an opportunistic charge. I know where all the SC sites are as well as most all CC1 sites. Most SC locations are pretty large in comparison to the CCS sites. The CCS sites range from the single 150kW dispenser (BP Pulse using Freewire) or 6 350kW dispensers and everything in between. Yesterday I tried to help someone who clearly didn't know what they were doing with their new Model 3 at an EVgo site so I stopped to help the "new to EV" driver. They were at 20% SoC and freaking out that they were about to run out of electricity and didn't understand why they couldn't charge their car on a CCS or CHAdeMO cable. They lived in an apartment and didn't have access to a L2 charger but lived within a mile. Within about a mile drive I could point them to 4 different CCS1 locations. There was a single EVgo charger that had a NACS plug about 3 miles away but PlugShare showed the dispenser was having problems. But within 3 miles there were about a dozen different CCS1 locations with multiple working dispensers. It was then that I realized that all the SC stations were about 8 miles in every direction but there was nothing available to them other than the T* dealer around the corner. I gave them a few suggestions and assured them that 20% SoC on their 3 would be enough to make it to any of the surrounding SC sites if they didn't want to go to the dealer.
Bottom line, I know it's good to have options but I don't think the SC network is going to solve many of the problems with public charging. Many of the SC sites in areas where more charging is needed are also inundated with traffic so opening them to CCS cars won't solve problems. In many rural areas, CCS charging seems to be picking up even if they're singleton sites. We need more charging but I also need many more L2 charging at hotels or places where people spend lots of time in. Having one or two L2 chargers at a hotel is a joke but it lets hoteliers check the box that they offer the amenity. Hotels need at minimum a 5% ratio of rooms to L2 chargers and in some other areas that number needs to be at least 10% to meet today's needs. In reality that number needs to be higher if they're planning for the next couple of years.