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They are mostly standardized, but the UX still sucks. Tesla takes care of all the billing on their backend, based on vehicle VIN transmitted through the cable.

They are mostly standardized, but the UX still sucks. Tesla takes care of all the billing on their backend, based on vehicle VIN transmitted through the cable. All the other vendors have to collect a credit card or identify the user somehow, which is not as simple as it could be.

not2b 6y ago
I'm confused. When I gas up my Prius I pay with a credit card. It isn't hard. What's the problem with needing a credit card to pay at a charging station? Requiring an app is stupid, but inserting the card takes a few seconds. The other problems (limited locations and hours, broken charging stations) are real ones, but I don't think this is.
- aidenn0 6y ago
  It's a "real problem" in the sense that it exists. GP forgot "you need to be a member of our petrol club to fill up" as an added issue. Some of this is due to the slow speed. If it took 45 minutes to fill-up your car, then you might want to get a notification of some sort if the pump shut off only 5 minutes into filling. Really that could be solved by punching in a phone number and getting an SMS though.
- secabeen 6y ago
  None of the alternate charging solutions I've seen are just swipe a credit card. They all want some way to notify you back when your charge session is nearing completion, or if you get unplugged unexpectedly. They also want the data on your usage individually identified, so they can sell/mine it. They do that with an app, or a fob or whatever, but it's all way more involved than just swiping a card.
- jsight 6y ago
  The stations are unstaffed and card reader issues are common.
- toast0 6y ago
  I've never seen a charging station with a place to swipe or dip a card. Maybe they can tap to pay, but I've never tried. (I drive a PHEV, so if it's hard or costs a lot of money to charge, I'll just use gas)
rootusrootus 6y ago
> based on vehicle VIN transmitted through the cable I thought Tesla used the car's wireless connection to handle authorization and billing?

not2b 6y ago

I'm confused. When I gas up my Prius I pay with a credit card. It isn't hard. What's the problem with needing a credit card to pay at a charging station? Requiring an app is stupid, but inserting the card takes a few seconds. The other problems (limited locations and hours, broken charging stations) are real ones, but I don't think this is.

aidenn0 6y ago
It's a "real problem" in the sense that it exists. GP forgot "you need to be a member of our petrol club to fill up" as an added issue. Some of this is due to the slow speed. If it took 45 minutes to fill-up your car, then you might want to get a notification of some sort if the pump shut off only 5 minutes into filling. Really that could be solved by punching in a phone number and getting an SMS though.
secabeen 6y ago
None of the alternate charging solutions I've seen are just swipe a credit card. They all want some way to notify you back when your charge session is nearing completion, or if you get unplugged unexpectedly. They also want the data on your usage individually identified, so they can sell/mine it. They do that with an app, or a fob or whatever, but it's all way more involved than just swiping a card.
jsight 6y ago
The stations are unstaffed and card reader issues are common.
toast0 6y ago
I've never seen a charging station with a place to swipe or dip a card. Maybe they can tap to pay, but I've never tried. (I drive a PHEV, so if it's hard or costs a lot of money to charge, I'll just use gas)

rootusrootus 6y ago

> based on vehicle VIN transmitted through the cable I thought Tesla used the car's wireless connection to handle authorization and billing?