Recently my Mercedes E500 4matic was in the MB dealershop and they gave me the only loaner vehicle that was avaiable. A brand new EQB 250+ SUV. it had 800 miles on the meter. Drives good not as great as my gas powered E500 4 matic. The big discentive I found when I had to recharge the car. MB dealer gave me a contraption to plug into my garage 120V socket. It was level 1 charger. Whole night and it gave me 25 miles. Next day I must have a hunted public chargers in SF. At least 3 of them had broken charges, some were only TESLA compatible. Finally I found a charging station with super fast charger and there were 3 cars ahead of me. That would be 1.5 hour wait given minimum of 30 mins for a 75% charge. Finally after 2 days found a supercharger and it tooke me 34 mins for a 80% charge but costed me only $28. Cheaper than gas for a 3/4 tank in SF where gas is $4.60. But the hunt for charging put me off the desire to own an EV atleast fora while. Whats the point in owning one and not getting it fueled. I feel this is an immature market even in a city like SF with 60% new registration of EV.
Is the Mercedes dealer more than 25 miles away? They may not have a charging station for public use, but they should be willing to charge their loan vehicles. I drive less than 25 miles each day so this would not be a problem for me.
Ev owners need level 2 chargers. You don’t have 230v in your garage? Why not?
The house I live in right now is the only one I have ever lived in with a 220V outlet. I had gas heat in the others with no need of a 220 outlet in the garage. This is not unique.
And the OPs EV was a loaner. Kinda silly to install a 220v outlet for a loaner.
Many houses have service panel in garage. Many cheap houses have elec water heaters in garage.
Yeah, that’s why many don’t buy one again. People should be able to buy what they want is all, but lots to see behind the curtain.
I have 220 in my garage for my welder. Also have a couple 30 amp for my mig, but I added them myself. In Minnesota though, not many would have a water heater in their garage.
Recently I made the switch to an EV. I love it.
Having said that… I would also say if you don’t have a 220v outlet at your house to charge with, don’t go EV. I do have one, and I can charge in just a few hours overnight. I have a backup/travel 110v charger, and it’s embarrassingly slow.
So yeah, if you can fast charge at home, an EV is fantastic. But I realize not everyone has that option.
I drive about 4500 miles per year in my BEV and overnight charging is satisfactory. If I wait until it gets to 75% charge remaining, I can recharge overnight in 13 hours, even in a cold garage (about 45F). That’s about 65 miles. If I used my car for commuting, that wouldn’t work but there are a few Superchargers within 20 minutes of my home.
Getting a charger installed at your house doesn’t necessarily have to cost an arm and a leg
Only the house I live in now has a water heater and the electrical panel in the garage. And I do not live in a cheap house. Nearly all the homes in my part of Florida have panels and heater in the garage because we do not have basements.
Holes in the ground here are called swimming pools, not basements. It is not a good idea to install electrical panels, 220v outlets nor water heaters in them.
This is such old news. There was also a time when there wasn’t a gas station on every corner.
If I needed a rental or loaner, I would refuse a pure EV. Since I don’t have one, I don’t know where my local charging stations are, or even how they work. And my garage is detached with only a 100A sub-panel that is already loaded. No room or capacity for a 220V charger.
But, rest assured, when I decide it’s time to go EV, I’ll figure all of that out.
Frankly, this post - given that it is rooted in such an old trope - sounds political to me. I have no idea how EVs became political. But they did. Yes, @ramikumi, everyone has known for a long time that charging up an EV can be more difficult than keeping gas in the tank.
But, hey. Thanks for the “warning.”
Some electric utilities provide a hefty subsidy for running a 220 line & installing a fast charger. I was considering taking advantage of this, but I decided that the 110 line in my garage is sufficient. Charging my PHEV overnight gives me 50+ miles during the warmer months, and 42+ miles during the winter.
It depends on where your circuit breaker box is in relation to the charger and how difficult it is to install the wire. In my house the circuit breaker panel is on the opposite side of the house from the garage and it’s in the finished side of the basement. I got estimates for a 220V line and the lowest was $2000.
The OP sounds to me like a “I hate EV’s and am never going to buy one” type rant. OK, OP good for you. I really don’t think anyone cares. I know I don’t.
+1
The dealer should have provided a full battery charge before handing the vehicle over to the OP, and–yes–it is true that using a 110/120 volt outlet to recharge an EV is extremely slow, but those realities don’t negate the fact that most EV owners really seem to like their vehicles.
EV ownershhip requires a complete change in mindset for refueling. This is a big ask of the driver of a loaner or rental EV.
I have no idea where chargers are located near me because I don’t need one. If I owned an EV that would change.
+1
I think it’s actually somewhat irresponsible for non-EV dealerships to use EVs as loaners. The dealership where I go for service uses hybrids exclusively, and no special knowledge/equipment is necessary to drive or refuel them.
Two friends each bought a Tesla Y a couple of years ago. Neither has a 220v charger. One charges at work, the other is retired, plugs in every night, and when needed knows where chargers are to top off. Me, I’d want a 220v charger.
The EV charging definitely depends on your individual circumstances, as well as anxiety level about “running out of juice.” If I didn’t have a house with a dedicated charger, having an EV would be problematic, to say the least. It’s not for everyone, I admit.
There are also some people that seem to base their daily activities about finding an EV charger to keep the battery “topped off”. Again, it depends on your circumstances…but it’s been my experience that my daily commute and other activities don’t even use 1/2 of my EV’s battery. So no worries at all about running out of power before I get back home. Other “But What If…” scenarios about sudden snowstorms or and being stuck on the side of the highway are awfully remote.
But again, both literally and figuratively, your mileage may vary.
We have a few EV chargers at work which are approved to use for charging personal vehicles
However . . .
There are several jerks who claim they are only for THEM to use and there are violent confrontations when someone else pulls up, sees no vehicle hooked up and rightfully plugs their personal vehicle in🙄