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There's a nice new indoor large installation in San Francisco. I don't know about other locations.
a proposal to reduce congestion at DCFC
- Thread starter coma24
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I've been to the San Francisco (Harrison St) multiple times. Yes, it is a nice facility. It has many chargers (18, I think). There is an attendant that tries to keep traffic under control and people moving along. It also has vending machines, restrooms etc..
No, it does not have 85% (or any %) SoC limit.
Every time I went, I do a walk around and see what kinds of cars are there and whether they are charging for free or they pay. Cars range from MB, BMWs, Polestars, Kias, VW, Lucids, and yes, even a Fisker. My survey shows ~85% of the cars are charging for free.
On one occasion, ~7:30AM, there was a Ford Lightning there. There was a work crew, 4 people, sitting in the rest area drinking coffee. I talked to them about the Lightning. To make it short, they liked the comfort and the way the Lightning drives. They hated the fact they have to spend an hour every morning charging. They couldn't charge at home because they don't have a garage space for the truck to safely charge it overnight. Guess what, not all EV owners have a safe garage for charging. When they have to park in their driveway or on the street, it is not safe. And many older smaller houses in the US only has 100Amp supply. Not everyone live in mansions with 400Amp service and fast home chargers.
- Joined
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- Air GT, XC40 P8 EV
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I'm surprised someone in SF bought a Lightning. Even if they had a garage, it would likely be a century old and too small for the truck.
I'm an avid EV fan, and have owned five since 2011, but I would not buy an EV unless I could charge at home while I sleep.
According to the statistic I saw, about 40% of US homes have 100Amp or less service.
There is also a significant number of Uber drivers using EVs. Many are apartment dwellers. As such they don't have charging facilities at home. They rely on public charging.
Beyond the top 20-30% of the US population, making EV penetration more pervasive require addressing the whole charging infrastructure. In reality, there are probably two different manifestations and requirements for public EV charging, the Urban EV chargers and the roundtrip chargers.
The 100 amp supply is not the limiting factor. If charging overnight, the draw from the household, say after 10pm is very minimal.
I beg to differ.
If you live in an area that have perfect moderate climate all year round (e.g., San Diego) and live in a modest house (say less than 2,00 sq ft), you might be able to get away with it.
For a 2,000 sq ft house with HVAC or heating, it could max out the 100Amp service if you also have a 50 Amp EVSE. A 4-4.5 ton HVAC can consume 25 Amps/240V 1 phase when running, and significantly (2-3X) higher at startup. In addition, that means no clothes dryer or oven usage while EVSE is in use.
Needless to say, if you don't have HVAC or if you can dial down the EVSC's power, you buy yourself some room. Alternately, you can also schedule your HVAC not to turn on during the window of time you intend to charge your EV. In any event, it will require some compromise to make it work safely.
