Tesla Destination Charging

[Arks]

I love Tesla because it delivered the mugs we drink our coffee from. No one has actually asked me about them yet, but I expect someone will eventually take a minute to look at the picture and name..

I love Tesla because it delivered the mugs we drink our coffee from. No one has actually asked me about them yet, but I expect someone will eventually take a minute to look at the picture and name.

.

I love Tesla because it delivered the mugs we drink our coffee from. No one has actually asked me about them yet, but I expect someone will eventually take a minute to look at the picture and name.

My coffee too! But my mug was delivered by a Prius.

 

[Ice]

I love Tesla because it delivered the mugs we drink our coffee from. No one has actually asked me about them yet, but I expect someone will eventually take a minute to look at the picture and name..

I love Tesla because it delivered the mugs we drink our coffee from. No one has actually asked me about them yet, but I expect someone will eventually take a minute to look at the picture and name.

.

I love Tesla because it delivered the mugs we drink our coffee from. No one has actually asked me about them yet, but I expect someone will eventually take a minute to look at the picture and name.

My coffee too! But my mug was delivered by a Prius.
.

I love Tesla because it delivered the mugs we drink our coffee from. No one has actually asked me about them yet, but I expect someone will eventually take a minute to look at the picture and name.

My coffee too! But my mug was delivered by a Prius.

 

[gillumhouse]

Thank you Arks for the "what is needed" list. I am going to show it to a master electrician in my area to get an estimate. It just so happens that my breaker box is on the wall near my driveway where I would have a Tesla park (street would be for my car that night).
There is a supercharger on I-70 at Wheeling (Tridelphia actually but that is part of Wheeling) and there is a charging station at The Greenbrier (just of I-64). There is nothing along the I-79 corridor except in Pittsburgh -1 but also a supercharger just north of Pittsburgh). Once I get an estimate..... I already have an outdoor plug there - we have an electric mower.
Am I reading this correctly - they can charge now using that plug I have currently for my mower (a LOT slower though) although one of the other connections discussed would be better. Is this correct? I am asking if I could list as a charging station as I am now. The wheels are already spinning on the publicity angle and mileage I could get from this.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Is there somewhere I can find out how many Tesla's are registered in my state?.

Is there somewhere I can find out how many Tesla's are registered in my state?

Not that I know of. Tesla doesn't release the information, and the state motor vehicle dept. doesn't tell.
But the locations of the superchargers gives a good hint. They invest in the chargers where there are a lot of cars to serve. Most of the cars are along the west coast (where they are made) and the east coast, and around Chicago. The rest of the superchargers are just located along the Interstate highways to create a coast-to-coast network so people can make long road trips.
Regarding my own neighborhood, the supercharger in St. Louis just opened last week. Memphis and Little Rock are due to get one later this year. My car has the range to make any of those cities, so once those chargers are all open, I can drive anywhere in the country FREE!
See the supercharger location map halfway down the page here: http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger
.

Is there somewhere I can find out how many Tesla's are registered in my state?

Not that I know of. Tesla doesn't release the information, and the state motor vehicle dept. doesn't tell.
But the locations of the superchargers gives a good hint. They invest in the chargers where there are a lot of cars to serve. Most of the cars are along the west coast (where they are made) and the east coast, and around Chicago. The rest of the superchargers are just located along the Interstate highways to create a coast-to-coast network so people can make long road trips.
Regarding my own neighborhood, the supercharger in St. Louis just opened last week. Memphis and Little Rock are due to get one later this year. My car has the range to make any of those cities, so once those chargers are all open, I can drive anywhere in the country FREE!
See the supercharger location map halfway down the page here: http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger

On the map, there is only 1 charger on my major north/south road which is definitely a tourist road. The charger is in the far north. I don't think the map is current because I know that I was at a major mall in the suburbs outside the major city in my state and I saw 3 parking slots for Tesla charging...they are not on that map.
If I convinced an eco friendly b&b in the south, and then we got one, a person could go from CA up to WA on my major road. Would there be enough users out there to make it worth it?

 

[Innkeep]

Thank you Arks for the "what is needed" list. I am going to show it to a master electrician in my area to get an estimate. It just so happens that my breaker box is on the wall near my driveway where I would have a Tesla park (street would be for my car that night).
There is a supercharger on I-70 at Wheeling (Tridelphia actually but that is part of Wheeling) and there is a charging station at The Greenbrier (just of I-64). There is nothing along the I-79 corridor except in Pittsburgh -1 but also a supercharger just north of Pittsburgh). Once I get an estimate..... I already have an outdoor plug there - we have an electric mower.
Am I reading this correctly - they can charge now using that plug I have currently for my mower (a LOT slower though) although one of the other connections discussed would be better. Is this correct? I am asking if I could list as a charging station as I am now. The wheels are already spinning on the publicity angle and mileage I could get from this..

Am I reading this correctly - they can charge now using that plug I have currently for my mower (a LOT slower though) although one of the other connections discussed would be better. Is this correct? I am asking if I could list as a charging station as I am now. The wheels are already spinning on the publicity angle and mileage I could get from this.

Your electric mower plug would charge a Tesla only 4 miles for every hour plugged in. It would be much more useful for some of the hybrid plug-in cars, and you can list it on plugshare right now. Plugshare will also tell you how many other chargers are already in your area

 

[JBloggs]

I love Tesla because it delivered the mugs we drink our coffee from. No one has actually asked me about them yet, but I expect someone will eventually take a minute to look at the picture and name..

I love Tesla because it delivered the mugs we drink our coffee from. No one has actually asked me about them yet, but I expect someone will eventually take a minute to look at the picture and name.

.

I love Tesla because it delivered the mugs we drink our coffee from. No one has actually asked me about them yet, but I expect someone will eventually take a minute to look at the picture and name.

 

[gillumhouse]

Thank you Arks for the "what is needed" list. I am going to show it to a master electrician in my area to get an estimate. It just so happens that my breaker box is on the wall near my driveway where I would have a Tesla park (street would be for my car that night).
There is a supercharger on I-70 at Wheeling (Tridelphia actually but that is part of Wheeling) and there is a charging station at The Greenbrier (just of I-64). There is nothing along the I-79 corridor except in Pittsburgh -1 but also a supercharger just north of Pittsburgh). Once I get an estimate..... I already have an outdoor plug there - we have an electric mower.
Am I reading this correctly - they can charge now using that plug I have currently for my mower (a LOT slower though) although one of the other connections discussed would be better. Is this correct? I am asking if I could list as a charging station as I am now. The wheels are already spinning on the publicity angle and mileage I could get from this..

Am I reading this correctly - they can charge now using that plug I have currently for my mower (a LOT slower though) although one of the other connections discussed would be better. Is this correct? I am asking if I could list as a charging station as I am now. The wheels are already spinning on the publicity angle and mileage I could get from this.

Your electric mower plug would charge a Tesla only 4 miles for every hour plugged in. It would be much more useful for some of the hybrid plug-in cars, and you can list it on plugshare right now. Plugshare will also tell you how many other chargers are already in your area
.

Thank you, Innkeep. Plug share showed quite a few - mostly car dealerships in the area with that J whatever plug. I listed saying registered guests only. Will still get an estimate for the other. Wow - I am back to plotting and planning....

 

[Arks]

Thank you Arks for the "what is needed" list. I am going to show it to a master electrician in my area to get an estimate. It just so happens that my breaker box is on the wall near my driveway where I would have a Tesla park (street would be for my car that night).
There is a supercharger on I-70 at Wheeling (Tridelphia actually but that is part of Wheeling) and there is a charging station at The Greenbrier (just of I-64). There is nothing along the I-79 corridor except in Pittsburgh -1 but also a supercharger just north of Pittsburgh). Once I get an estimate..... I already have an outdoor plug there - we have an electric mower.
Am I reading this correctly - they can charge now using that plug I have currently for my mower (a LOT slower though) although one of the other connections discussed would be better. Is this correct? I am asking if I could list as a charging station as I am now. The wheels are already spinning on the publicity angle and mileage I could get from this..

Am I reading this correctly - they can charge now using that plug I have currently for my mower.

Teslas come with adapters to let it charge from almost any outlet, but as Innkeep said, it's VERY slow from a standard 120V outlet. Eighteen hours charging would give about 60 miles of driving range. But if they are staying a night or two, they could get enough power from you to drive around the area some in the daytime, then make it on to the next stop an hour or two away.

But just being willing to share a plug, even a low voltage plug, is enough to let you list your availability on plugshare.com and perhaps help out a few travelers who might spend the night with you.

 

[Innkeep]

Is there somewhere I can find out how many Tesla's are registered in my state?.

Is there somewhere I can find out how many Tesla's are registered in my state?

Not that I know of. Tesla doesn't release the information, and the state motor vehicle dept. doesn't tell.
But the locations of the superchargers gives a good hint. They invest in the chargers where there are a lot of cars to serve. Most of the cars are along the west coast (where they are made) and the east coast, and around Chicago. The rest of the superchargers are just located along the Interstate highways to create a coast-to-coast network so people can make long road trips.
Regarding my own neighborhood, the supercharger in St. Louis just opened last week. Memphis and Little Rock are due to get one later this year. My car has the range to make any of those cities, so once those chargers are all open, I can drive anywhere in the country FREE!
See the supercharger location map halfway down the page here: http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger
.

Is there somewhere I can find out how many Tesla's are registered in my state?

Not that I know of. Tesla doesn't release the information, and the state motor vehicle dept. doesn't tell.
But the locations of the superchargers gives a good hint. They invest in the chargers where there are a lot of cars to serve. Most of the cars are along the west coast (where they are made) and the east coast, and around Chicago. The rest of the superchargers are just located along the Interstate highways to create a coast-to-coast network so people can make long road trips.
Regarding my own neighborhood, the supercharger in St. Louis just opened last week. Memphis and Little Rock are due to get one later this year. My car has the range to make any of those cities, so once those chargers are all open, I can drive anywhere in the country FREE!
See the supercharger location map halfway down the page here: http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger

On the map, there is only 1 charger on my major north/south road which is definitely a tourist road. The charger is in the far north. I don't think the map is current because I know that I was at a major mall in the suburbs outside the major city in my state and I saw 3 parking slots for Tesla charging...they are not on that map.
If I convinced an eco friendly b&b in the south, and then we got one, a person could go from CA up to WA on my major road. Would there be enough users out there to make it worth it?
.

Is there somewhere I can find out how many Tesla's are registered in my state?

Not that I know of. Tesla doesn't release the information, and the state motor vehicle dept. doesn't tell.
But the locations of the superchargers gives a good hint. They invest in the chargers where there are a lot of cars to serve. Most of the cars are along the west coast (where they are made) and the east coast, and around Chicago. The rest of the superchargers are just located along the Interstate highways to create a coast-to-coast network so people can make long road trips.
Regarding my own neighborhood, the supercharger in St. Louis just opened last week. Memphis and Little Rock are due to get one later this year. My car has the range to make any of those cities, so once those chargers are all open, I can drive anywhere in the country FREE!
See the supercharger location map halfway down the page here: http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger

On the map, there is only 1 charger on my major north/south road which is definitely a tourist road. The charger is in the far north. I don't think the map is current because I know that I was at a major mall in the suburbs outside the major city in my state and I saw 3 parking slots for Tesla charging...they are not on that map.
If I convinced an eco friendly b&b in the south, and then we got one, a person could go from CA up to WA on my major road. Would there be enough users out there to make it worth it?

Destination charging is a relatively new program. Before it was offered I had already installed a 50 amp RV plug in my parking lot and am adding a J1772 plug that doesn't require any new wiring. In addition, there are 5 Superchargers within 100 miles of my house, so for me, it's not worth it. On the other hand, you're already a wonderful destination, and I can see it being another plus for you to have this amenity and I suspect that the listing on Tesla's website would bring in guests that you might otherwise lose to the property up north.
Do you want to promote 1 night visits to 3 b&b's along the coast, or 3 nights at your place?
Anecdotally I can say that 2 of the nights on my road trip were spent at properties because they offered Tesla charging.

 

[user 26]

new to the world of electric cars and tesla -- please don't laugh -- can any charger work with any car so if tesla provides a free charger can it work for other cars?

 

[gillumhouse]

The Tesla charger comes with a 25 foot cable. So it can reach a car at quite a distance from where you mount the charger. This is handy if somebody else is parked in the spot closest to the charger.
Many of the J1772 charger cables will only reach 14 to 18 feet..

Next Question - what would be required to make my existing outlet into a J1772 plug

 

[Innkeep]

new to the world of electric cars and tesla -- please don't laugh -- can any charger work with any car so if tesla provides a free charger can it work for other cars?.

new to the world of electric cars and tesla -- please don't laugh -- can any charger work with any car so if tesla provides a free charger can it work for other cars?

Tesla superchargers and the destination chargers under discussion only work for Teslas. Main reason is that Tesla has a much higher capacity battery and needs more juice than the others. On the other hand, most all electric cars (including Teslas) can charge off J1772 plugs. Disadvantage to Tesla is that J-plugs are much slower than the Tesla specific plugs.

 

[Innkeep]

The Tesla charger comes with a 25 foot cable. So it can reach a car at quite a distance from where you mount the charger. This is handy if somebody else is parked in the spot closest to the charger.
Many of the J1772 charger cables will only reach 14 to 18 feet..

Next Question - what would be required to make my existing outlet into a J1772 plug
.

Next Question - what would be required to make my existing outlet into a J1772 plug

Complex. The J1772 plug is actually a box that has to be hard-wired into your breaker box and then has a long cable that plugs into the car. There are a number of sources where you can purchase the box, on Amazon for instance. Some of the J plugs are designed to deliver 30 amps, some 40 amps, some even more. In my very specific case, I installed a 50 amp RV type plug, which is one of the Tesla options for charging, then I decided to purchase a J1772 box that plugs in to that 50 amp outlet I already have.

 

[Samster]

Have stayed at B&Bs on the West Coast that not only have charging stations for FREE for all electric vehicles, but will give guests with electric vehicles a discount.
Even our city now has a public (for a fee) charging station just a few blocks from here.
Seems like these different charging stations are like the connectors for Android vs. Apple devices. ;-)

 

[Tom]

newbie question: Why does an EV need the J1772 equipment (at > $500) that it can't get by plugging into a high capacity 30A or 50A outlet as you find in RV parks everywhere? Why can't I offer a 120/240V 50 A outlet like used for an electric stove?

 

[Arks]

newbie question: Why does an EV need the J1772 equipment (at > $500) that it can't get by plugging into a high capacity 30A or 50A outlet as you find in RV parks everywhere? Why can't I offer a 120/240V 50 A outlet like used for an electric stove?.

newbie question: Why does an EV need the J1772 equipment (at > $500) that it can't get by plugging into a high capacity 30A or 50A outlet as you find in RV parks everywhere? Why can't I offer a 120/240V 50 A outlet like used for an electric stove?

Electric cars don't come with a cord. They come with a socket.
You don't plug the electric car into an outlet. You plug a power cable into the electric car.
All electric cars (except the Tesla) have a standardized socket. The male plug at the end of the J1772 box's cord fits the female sockets built into the cars. I have no idea what goes on inside that J1772 box, or why it costs so much. It guess it's safety equipment so regular folks can safely deal with 240V power cords.
The Tesla comes with an adapter you can put on the end of the standard J1772 plug (below) so you can charge a Tesla at a J1772 box. But the Tesla's dedicated charger (that only fits Tesla cars) it much higher power and changes faster. It's made different because other brands of car can't handle the high power.

 

[MtnKeeper]

I'm sorry if I sound like a grinch here, but I'm already charging over 40 cell phones, iPads, Kindles, Nooks and laptops a night at no additional charge (even with LED bulbs throughout the building, can't get electric bill down with all of these devices every night) and I'm not interested in charging cars for free too! I had one call 3 years ago about a charging station and that's it. I can't see recovering the cost of the $1500 to install the charger and then letting people charge for free.
Last month, however, I did run a cord out to a guest with a diesel truck so it would start in the morning since it was well below zero. He was fine the first morning, but someone drove over the cord in the driveway the second night and it came unplugged. So they stayed and enjoyed some coffee and scrabble for four hours until it would start.

 

[Morticia]

I'm sorry if I sound like a grinch here, but I'm already charging over 40 cell phones, iPads, Kindles, Nooks and laptops a night at no additional charge (even with LED bulbs throughout the building, can't get electric bill down with all of these devices every night) and I'm not interested in charging cars for free too! I had one call 3 years ago about a charging station and that's it. I can't see recovering the cost of the $1500 to install the charger and then letting people charge for free.
Last month, however, I did run a cord out to a guest with a diesel truck so it would start in the morning since it was well below zero. He was fine the first morning, but someone drove over the cord in the driveway the second night and it came unplugged. So they stayed and enjoyed some coffee and scrabble for four hours until it would start..

All of this is COB. It's why we charge higher rates. The people driving these cars are your market. The cars START at over $90k. Give it another thought as to the market you want to attract. Really. Don't you think that's why SR has an in with them? It's a high end market.
Charge an extra $5/night to cover the charging of the pocket devices and don't think any more about it. Charge for using the charging station. If you have it installed on a separate meter you'll know exactly how much is being used. Flip the breaker so it can't be used without you knowing. OR, raise rates by $5 across the board.
We're also running CPAP machines. And TV's on all night. And fireplaces left running when no one is around. And heat left on for hours on end with windows open. Or A/C turned on when it's 50 degrees outside. Sure we fret about these things, but it's why the rates are higher than guests think they should be for off season. (I've heard that twice this week so far - "Isn't this OFF season?" Yeah, you should come back with $50 more in July...)
Just playing devil's advocate. The outgo gets to me, too. Especially when it seems senseless. But I don't see the charging station as a senseless use of money. Senseless is replacing carpet because some yahoo spilled Proactive all over.

 

[gillumhouse]

I'm sorry if I sound like a grinch here, but I'm already charging over 40 cell phones, iPads, Kindles, Nooks and laptops a night at no additional charge (even with LED bulbs throughout the building, can't get electric bill down with all of these devices every night) and I'm not interested in charging cars for free too! I had one call 3 years ago about a charging station and that's it. I can't see recovering the cost of the $1500 to install the charger and then letting people charge for free.
Last month, however, I did run a cord out to a guest with a diesel truck so it would start in the morning since it was well below zero. He was fine the first morning, but someone drove over the cord in the driveway the second night and it came unplugged. So they stayed and enjoyed some coffee and scrabble for four hours until it would start..

All of this is COB. It's why we charge higher rates. The people driving these cars are your market. The cars START at over $90k. Give it another thought as to the market you want to attract. Really. Don't you think that's why SR has an in with them? It's a high end market.
Charge an extra $5/night to cover the charging of the pocket devices and don't think any more about it. Charge for using the charging station. If you have it installed on a separate meter you'll know exactly how much is being used. Flip the breaker so it can't be used without you knowing. OR, raise rates by $5 across the board.
We're also running CPAP machines. And TV's on all night. And fireplaces left running when no one is around. And heat left on for hours on end with windows open. Or A/C turned on when it's 50 degrees outside. Sure we fret about these things, but it's why the rates are higher than guests think they should be for off season. (I've heard that twice this week so far - "Isn't this OFF season?" Yeah, you should come back with $50 more in July...)
Just playing devil's advocate. The outgo gets to me, too. Especially when it seems senseless. But I don't see the charging station as a senseless use of money. Senseless is replacing carpet because some yahoo spilled Proactive all over.
.

I agree. I am already running the mileage I can get in just the publicity factor on this. Everyone knows I am Jack Benny's twin - but I am going to put my pro photos on hold to do this. My electric bill was stratosphere last month - and so was the gas but I can thank Ma Nature getting revenge on some silly notions for that. The electric bill is cob for me. If I never get someone using it, I will USE it for publicity. And considering there IS no supercharger in WV along I-79 (there are quite a few J1772 but mostly at car dealers) in WV, I think it will bring in some of that lovely stuff in my favorite color - GREEN.

 

[OnTheShore]

For us, one issue is our electricity supply down here at the end of the peninsula. With demand growing (particularly air conditioning loads during peak season), the utility company was looking at spending $18M to build additional transmission capacity. Instead, they've spent only $6M installing solar panels (e.g. local generation capacity), "Ice" batteries, LED lightbulbs (we got a bunch, for free), etc..., in order to reduce the demand and stay within the capacity of the existing transmission lines.
In any case, not sure how much of an attractant an electric car charging station would be for us. For one, we are not after the luxury market....