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This doesn't solve fundamental problems with how America has built its charging infrastructure. We never should have placed hardwired cables on the L2 or L3 ch

This doesn't solve fundamental problems with how America has built its charging infrastructure. We never should have placed hardwired cables on the L2 or L3 chargers. The CCS plugs are broken about 50% of the time? It's a joke. Rented an EV in Europe... the cable is in the trunk! You own it. Take it out, plug it into the charger, plug it into your car. Having a bad day? Drive over the plug? Smash it with a hammer? Don't know how plugs work so you tried to kick it off your car? No problem, go buy yourself a new one. The charger still works for everyone else. The charger HW can be agnostic. Car manufacturers can make up whatever crazy plug they want for their car, just provide the cable. Tesla wants a 1" cable? No problem! You want a 300' cable? Do it!

loeg 2y ago
Somehow this largely isn't a problem for gas stations. Not sure why you'd want to carry around a bulky cable when it can just live at the charge station. > The CCS plugs are broken about 50% of the time? Anecdotal, but this has not been my experience at all.
- stahtops 2y ago
  Could be a combination of things: more robust nozzle design vs CCS, the gas station is manned and has security cameras. I would happily carry the cable on trips where I planned to stop and charge if it meant the L3 was guaranteed to work. Anecdotal for me as well. EVgo was so unreliable that I just stopped driving my EV for any trip that required charging. Almost every visit I’d have to try 2-3 chargers, hold the plug in or slightly bias it up or down to get past some comms/short/? check to start charging. Usually no issues with ChargePoint L2 or L3, (it’s not the car). But there just aren’t that many around.
ralph84 2y ago
Many DCFC chargers these days have liquid-cooled cables. Not sure how that’d work with a portable cable.
- stahtops 2y ago
  Fair point. There are benefits to having the cable on the charger for sure, I’ve just found L3 chargers to be unreliable (and when they don’t work it’s always a massive hassle - no one is going to the L3 with 50% SOC) Maybe the CCS plug is just not up to the reps they get, hopefully NACS will be better.
KurSix 2y ago
Having to carry and connect your own heavy-duty cable every time you charge would be a hassle for a lot of drivers, especially in bad weather or at busy stations

loeg 2y ago

Somehow this largely isn't a problem for gas stations. Not sure why you'd want to carry around a bulky cable when it can just live at the charge station. > The CCS plugs are broken about 50% of the time? Anecdotal, but this has not been my experience at all.

stahtops 2y ago
Could be a combination of things: more robust nozzle design vs CCS, the gas station is manned and has security cameras. I would happily carry the cable on trips where I planned to stop and charge if it meant the L3 was guaranteed to work. Anecdotal for me as well. EVgo was so unreliable that I just stopped driving my EV for any trip that required charging. Almost every visit I’d have to try 2-3 chargers, hold the plug in or slightly bias it up or down to get past some comms/short/? check to start charging. Usually no issues with ChargePoint L2 or L3, (it’s not the car). But there just aren’t that many around.

ralph84 2y ago

Many DCFC chargers these days have liquid-cooled cables. Not sure how that’d work with a portable cable.

stahtops 2y ago
Fair point. There are benefits to having the cable on the charger for sure, I’ve just found L3 chargers to be unreliable (and when they don’t work it’s always a massive hassle - no one is going to the L3 with 50% SOC) Maybe the CCS plug is just not up to the reps they get, hopefully NACS will be better.

KurSix 2y ago

Having to carry and connect your own heavy-duty cable every time you charge would be a hassle for a lot of drivers, especially in bad weather or at busy stations