Tfl seams to always have problems with chargers . If he uses apple wallet with the ea pass in the wallet no need to use the Ea app just tap on rfid spot . No one ever shows that . That way no need to look for a charger number. Kyle Connor wines about using a app and swiping And you don’t need to do that. I can use my Apple Watch too. The Denver area has more ea units than almost anyone ouside california. You should be able to. Charge. Roman goes to a charger un prepared with his card in the. App. The card readers have never been reliable. That is the last way I would activate a charger . We need someone to be smart enough to use the apple wallet and ea pass all the ev channels and you don’t see anyone do it but they say it is hard to charge. I use Ea and no problem. Same with charge point use my rfid card and boom I am charging or my watch.
Frustrating to say the least. I would have been cussing out a storm by the time I actually found a charger that worked. Then again, I have no desire to own a coal powered car.
At least 1 pump in almost ever gas station is out of service in Australia. But the good thing is that another pump gets freed up within a couple of minutes at max even if all the pumps are being used.
@@NormalXP99 Norway is also a whole lot smaller, so the distances between chargers are a whole lot shorter (I'm imagining a similar total national number of chargers, just in a smaller area).
What a wonderful experience in ev friendly Boulder. Imagine how much better it will be any where south of Denver when you only have a few chargers and most don’t work.
@@KalleSWBeck You should let California lawmakers and residents know that lol Quote is below; feel free to search it yourself. Last month, California regulators passed rules banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, a move hailed as a significant victory in the fight against climate change.
@@seanplace8192 I agree but, when you do need one, they are very unreliable still. Need to sort that out before we start forcing more people in to this life
Tommy, you have the patience of a Saint. I would have had a sense of humor failure with all those problems. Until charge points are as reliable as a fuel pump, I just can't see myself buying an EV when all the other compromises are also taken into account. The whole EV ownership experience seems to be a minefield of frustration and anxieties.
Agreed. However I bought a PHEV in 2021 and have been very happy with it so far. To me it’s like having the benefits of the EV without any of the drawbacks
I've been driving my Bolt EUV for more than a month now and I don't have home charging in Texas. I exclusively charge using public charging infrastructure. I'm not having any issues.
It only seems that way when you watch videos about the problems. Imagine a video about a typical gas car and replacing its transmission, timing belt, oil pump, and all the other things that just naturally happen to a gas car. EVs aren't zero maintenance but they're close. Now remember that if you can charge at home, which most people do, instead of having to fuss with public chargers, your actual experience is that you never have to fuss with gas stations. Even if all you have is a basic 110 volt outlet, that's enough for 50+ miles per day of charging, and if you have a 220V outlet it means that you start with a full charge every morning.
Silly me and I can just go put gas in my car and jump back in and turn the heater on in like 5 min. I get I’ll when I have to move to another gas pump when one won’t take my card or Apple Pay but you are vastly more patient moving over and over and over. I do appreciate you doing all the food work to show what a typical day could be like for new EV owners. I do enjoy all TFL content. I would only buy an EV for around town driving so I could charge at home.
@@ArrecBarrwin Those people should not be buying an EV for several years yet. Anyone without home charging should buy ICE hybrid in these early days of electric. America is many years behind the first world countries.
You need to do a show on how much money make/or loose operating these EV Stations are operating at. They must be loosing money with so many maintenance issues. It would be interesting to see their perspective on operating an EV station. They must all be operating at a loss. How long can they stay in business. From the name changes it does not appear for long.
For all the trash talk people have to say about gas stations this video makes stopping at any corner gas station seem like a absolute pleasure by comparison. Charging infrastructure has to be DRAMATICALLY improved. You have chargers all over the place and still can't reliably get good charging options. Tesla can't open up their chargers soon enough. Not that Tesla is offering full service locations with all the amenities we get at a gas station. Out of Spec reviews has been covering this and has a Rate my Charge site. Please report all this stuff on Rate my charge. Put the heat on these companies. This is completely unacceptable. You should not have to have an account, a phone, an app. You should be able to drive up to any charging station, present a payment method like you would at a gas station and charge. This is all beyond maddening. Imagine being on a road trip in an EV desert and running into these down chargers where there aren't other options. Being stranded somewhere looking for a camp ground with a 50amp service so I could spend enough time there to get enough charge to get to the next place I can charge is not my idea of a good time. Nah, I will just keep my EV local and try not to have to rely on the public charging that clearly isn't ready for prime time even after all this time.
I'm all for ev's, hell you guys got me really considering a bolt. However these videos really make me nervous about getting an ev. Imagine a video like this with gas pumps. Out of 100 you might find 2 that don't work, no way we are ready to go strictly ev anytime soon. Plus I love my ice vehicles too
You would be very unlucky to find 1 gas station out of 1000 without gas. I kind of want an EV but I would have to keep a gas vehicle too for longer trips and just use the EV for daily driving
If you want to try out an EV, but not quite ready to make the plunge to full EV, plug-in hybrids are a good transitional car to get you used to driving an EV without the range anxiety worries since they have a gas engine in it too. Otherwise get a Tesla, and not worry about long range trips since you can use the superchargers.
@Ashelm56 yeah man, if I get an ev it will be a tesla for sure. Once we get our vehicles paid off I'll get the tesla and keep the ice vehicles as well. We road trip too often to not have an ice vehicle
Worth mentioning that the Bolt fast charges pretty poorly in freezing weather. Charging speed is pretty much halved until it can get the battery pack to around 65f. Not too many EV's aside from Tesla will precondition their batteries before reaching fast charging stations.
An extra that would be super important on the bolt is a charger warmer. I’ve charged overnight in snow/ice storms and had to chip out or sweep out ice and snow that interferes with the door closing.
Imagine this amazing, novel concept: You drive up to a gas station There's ev chargers there along with gas pumps You roll up to a charger You put your credit card in You put the charger in It charges You leave Now (directed at ev charger makers and gas stations) stop trying to mess up a very functional system, and just make things simple+effective. No apps, no cell service, no back of a random parking lot...
That will evolve over time. Most of the 130K US gas stations are independently owned and they have to work out when the investment makes sense for them or if they'll be among the ones that don't survive in their area.
@@davidmccarthy6061 that's still the fault of greedy, stupid EV charging companies that instead of creating revenue sharing agreements with those gas stations and doing the above, made stupid stations with stupid apps in parking lots and made everything worse+harder it was a conscious decision; they saw the opportunity for a "new thing", so they could make subscription fees, sell user data, etc. and took it. at the expense of making the tech better
Since they are RUclips so often, all charger companies really should keep 100% of the chargers in Colorado in operation at all times. Maybe they will even learn the failure points to keep them operational nationwide.
Full ICE hybrid is a better choice in the US this decade. The PHEV's have such short range, even more so in winter, that you'll be in gasoline mode almost all the time in those compromised vehicles.
@@davidmccarthy6061 I use a PHEV in Canada, even if half your commute is on gas that's still a huge saving. And when the average American only has to commute 16 miles, most PHEVs can easily cover that distance on electric only. There's also the added benefit of having an EV that most people don't talk about You can set your PHEV to pre-heat itself using wall power every morning like an EV, no need to remote start just tell it when you want to leave and it'll have the interior toasty warm by then. You can even do this with the garage closed which isn't an option with a remote starter You also have access to parking spots with level 2 charging, a lot of them are still free The last benefit is more specific to your locality, but here PHEVs with large enough batteries qualify for green license plates the same as BEVs, which means we're allowed to drive on HOV lanes without passengers
So when everyone is in a hurry to get to point A to point B getting an EV will force you too slow down and have a longer trip. If that's the case us gas users could drive at 55mph and still make better time then an EV. In theory
It would have been interesting to see you interview the guy servicing the EA station. Maybe you could do a whole segment on interviewing EV Charger Service people and finding out what parts they have to fix and repair the most. And I'm sure that you could come up with many other informative questions.
I appreciate all the work TFL is putting into their cars and videos. Like a majority of the people here said, EVs aren’t quite ready yet. In LA or Commiefornia, yes. Everywhere else, not really. Plug in hybrids are the future, for the next 20 years. We simply don’t have the manufacturing to build the millions and millions of EVs “needed”, nor does ANY country have the infrastructure to make this work. Like I said, at least 2040+ before a majority of (at least Americans) will be able to commit to EVs. Until then, the best and smartest option is a hybrid vehicle. Other than that, I’ll continue driving my 5.7 liter Land Cruiser and 8.4 liter ACR.
Nice video. Type two and one EVSEs are just fancy extension cords that supply your cars onboard charger with ac which is converted to dc to fill the battery pack. DC chargers are outside and are effected more by the cold weather. Yes DC chargers need to work better in cold weather.
EV etiquette is going to become a major issue as more people get into EVs. People not understanding what their car is capable and hogging chargers that are way more capable than they need, leaving themselves plugged in to 100%, etc. Going to be a shit show for a while.
@@wildbill23c I never really wait for a spot at the pump though. When I do get to the pump it always works. I can also fill my tank in a minute and be on my way.
@@WTFUSERNAM44 Where I live waiting in line for gas isn't an issue....waiting for an EV charger, well seems how where I live they're 30+ years behind everywhere else, you'd be waiting a long time to get to an EV charger because there aren't any, you'd have to charge at home.
10:47 Fuel pumps break too, but it seems like it happens less often. Or maybe there’s more fuel pumps so the amount broken vs. the amount working (percentage) is smaller?
That all the currently available electric trucks are ultra luxury status symbols and nobody makes an electric pickup that's actually designed to do work.
This video reminded me why my next EV will be a Tesla. I used to have a Bolt and that brought back some aggravating memories. Doesn’t matter where you live or what the weather is, Electrify America, EVGo, ChargePoint, etc. they all suck.
That’s why it was on the ground when they don’t work most people I thought in the beginning were just pissed off or lazy but it’s more of a symbol that it’s down and a signal to the charging companies to fix it not saying it’s the nicest thing to do but neither is leaving someone stranded
This is WAY too much to ask of someone when buying an EV. If I can't activate the fast charger quick and easily, then it will not work. Do not buy electric vehicles until this issue is resolved otherwise buy a Tesla.
Mean while you cant find a charger and you run out of power while my gas truck can literally pull into any gas station and be done in 5 min not 5 hours to a full tank. I'm not completely anti EV but the tech the network of chargers and and the price for something that i would even think about seeing myself in is literally more than id make in 2 years. Not to mention im not going to have 20 apps on my phone for every charging company out there just to fill up 1 app is plenty if not too much just let me pay cash ( paper money) to the machine
@@tylergood1223 I've owned non teslas for 3 years now and put on 35k miles and have never been stranded or had major issues. Sure the station reliability isn't amazing but it hasn't been that big of an issue.
If you can charge at home or work, then owning an EV is way cheaper and easier than an ICE vehicle. In this case, public charging is only necessary when your round trip exceeds your vehicles range (Usually 200 miles). If you cannot charge at home or work, then I would definitely not recommend buying an EV. The public charging infrastructure is not reliable enough right now.
@@seanplace8192 That i could see being a thing for me. get a home charger for to and from work purposes but id still keep the ICE vehicle for the long trips for the foreseeable future till the techs advanced a bit more and is more wide spread and standardized
Electrification the way of the future, when I pull into a gas station sometimes rarely I’ll find a pump out of order, but there’s usually several more available.
the conclusion i get by watching all these charging videos is.... If you plan to take road trips and/or you dont have home charging you must buy a tesla. Public charging for non teslas is a real problem
That's why those cars are all over the roads. Lots of good and bad comes with buying a Tesla (I should know M3 owner) but you can be sure that 9.5/10 times you roll up to the chargers they will work. There are few EVS that I would take over my M3 but even with some of the negatives that come with ownership the charging network and the ability to stream and watch videos keeps me from buying another EV brand.
It’s definitely a new and upcoming technology. I have run into many non charging units. I usually call the company and they can sometimes reboot the charger. But, one time, the lady on the phone couldn’t even find the serial number of it in her database! Was really weird. We had a nice conversation but no success in DCFC the car. I do find that the ones in the Walmart parking lots have always worked for me.
Man what a pain in the ass! 90+ percent of my driving is local (under 100 miles) so I could justify a home charger. But I'm definitely going to keep my ICE Tacoma.
This is why as much as I hated being another sheep among the Tesla herd, I went with a Tesla. Have done many road trips since buying in November. The Super Charging network hasn’t let me down once. Even in December where temps reached -20, the Tesla had no issues charging and I had no issues finding a working Super Charger. It’s no wonder the government cut a deal with them to open up the network to other EVs and to help them expand.
This video should have the keystone cops music playing throughout. This is why I do not want an EV yet even though I do want one. Yes you charge at home most of the time, but unless you keep a gasoline car for longer trips and leave your EV at home, you had better be prepared for a lot of frustration.
Bingo, that's the sweet spot for owning a EV. If you don't have home charging or a reliable charging network then you need to have both a gas car/hybrid and a EV so that you have no worries about any of this unreliable charging networks or range anxiety. Not saying you can't go fully electric but why limit your options for travel/commuting.
So in cold weather is the battery holding less energy or does it use more energy to make the car go? Like would you still need to charge the same amount of kWh for only let’s say 1/2 the range lowering the fuel efficiency 50%?
Range is impacted, but no where near 50%. Some brands are better than others in the cold. My Model Y has a heat pump and it helps a lot. Even combustion vehicles are impacted by cold. As long as you do the same type of preconditioning, it’s not as bad. Been a long time Subaru and Jeep Rubicon owner here in Colorado. I actually prefer driving the Tesla in the winter. As long as the snow isn’t too deep.
A little of both. The car uses more power because it has to heat the cabin and the battery, and if there's snow/slush on the road then there's more drag too. But also, cold batteries deliver less power. They still hold the same amount, it's just harder to get it in and out of the battery. You can see this if you let your phone get cold (try putting it in the refrigerator) - the level of available charge will drop and it might even shut off, but once it warms up it's fine.
When all the incentives and $ is to install them not to maintain them. Tesla works fine as they know it needs to be reliable in under for people to want to buy their cars.
One of the major factors that deter people from buying an EV is the availability of charging stations. Many folks live in apartments and such where charging at home would be difficult, and those traveling long distances would need charging on the road. But there are not that many stations and they are not that well maintained. It may be a chicken-egg problem - these stations are expensive and will only be installed if they can be profitable.
These videos might as well be ads for Tesla. I'd tell anyone to either get a gas car or a Tesla. Charging with EVGo or EA or ChargePoint is hit or miss and usually more miss than hit!
Perhaps the weight distribution is too light for FWD?? ICE vehicles typically have engine over front tires so FWD has better traction. I have seen similar videos where charging stations are not working well in Colorado. This RUclipsr has started a channel on experience at chargers for the week. Maybe you can feed him some of your experience. Thanks for the video. Hope your Bolt serves you well. EV seems to be an interesting technology. Unfortunately, there are always issues with startup technologies. I suppose their might have been similar issues when ICE vehicles were superceding horses.
re: "ICE vehicles typically have engine over front tires so FWD has better traction" and EV's have heavy battery packs with their Power Electronics (the Bolt at least) also placed over the front tires. PS: nothing particularly light about electric motor/drive units with all their copper windings either, anyone who doesn't think so just needs to pick up a typical Starter or Alternator for an ICE vehicle (with their one hand) and report back what they've discovered.
The more I watch your shows about EV infrastructure … the more convinced I am that I will NEVER get a fully EV vehicle in my lifetime. I’m 73 now and have been waiting for a new Toyota Cross Hybrid for the past year. I’m figuring to lease one for three to five years … if they ever make the dealers’ lots. Failing that I’ll keep my current 2015 Toyota for as long as it keeps running. After that … who knows, but EV’s are definitely out. Perhaps I’ll fall back on a Corolla Cross ICE to get me through to Boot Hill! 😮
@@pryme2013 The AC charger or AC to DC invertor is onboard. So if you can plug in your car your to an outlet the car will charge. If you don't drive more than your daily range you can plug in at home and charge while you sleep. DC public chargers really should only be used for long distant road trips. I know most people don't follow these rules which I believe is why chargers break so often and the people who need them can't charge. Its a supply and demand thing. People are buying EVs faster then these third party companies can build new chargers. Tesla did it right buy selling their cars to fund their charging net work. I think car manufactures and EV charger manufactures are finally working together.
What this demonstrates to me, an ICE vehicle driver, is that BEV vehicle acquisition now is a folly. Battery tech is rapidly advancing. NIO China has the right idea, swap out batteries in 5 minutes or less. No searching for chargers. No waiting around for hours on end for a charge.
I dont think Tesla should ever open up their charging network. It would be the death of the company. Its the main reason to buy a Tesla, why give up that advantage?
I like EV's but this is an example why I don't own one. The infrastructure is not reliable. In my opinion the only choice is Tesla. They have the most charging stations and they work. The Chevy Bolt is a great run around town car if you can charge it at home and it has almost 260 miles of range. That's plenty for most people. Chevy dropped the price by six grand and with the Federal Tax Credit along with the State Credit the Bolt is a down right bargain. Cheers!!!
OMG. By the time this guy actually found a charging station that worked with his vehicle, he could have been to Denver in an ICE vehicle. And it was interesting that he didn't divulge how long it took to actually recharge the battery from an already 36% charged condition. Nor what the cost was. No wonder nobody is buying EV's these days.
I know this video is just about testing things out, but you should really call the network operators when the chargers are down. My experience is that they can quite often fix things immediately and they'll send out service faster if you talk to a person.
Q: Do EV Chargers Work In Super Cold Weather? A: no, not yours unfortunately. however mimicking Kyle I did run a cold weather test on my 2 local EVGO stations across 3 different dispensers (1 Signet, 1 Delta, and 1 BTC). this was back on 2/4 at 3am with everything cold soaked down to 15 degrees F and I can report they all worked (have full documentation on everything). the caveat to this however is that both my local stations are BRAND NEW INSTALLS where one is only 6 months old and the other an original 5 year old site recently upgraded in the last 30-60 days. so not much to draw from this other than EVGO is in fact actively building out their network and simultaneously doing upgrades (at least here in population dense Northeast). a further irony is i still do most of my charging in my driveway.
Thnk you tommy, you made my life so much easier and grateful because I can just drive my gas vehicles anywhere at anytime to a place that sells gas on any road anywhere and fill up and be on my way without any regrets except for price of gas… I love technology and electronics yet a battery car that you can’t take anywhere at anytime during any weather to charge and it takes forever if At all defeats purpose of freedom and driving and traveling….
Even more evidence that the available and the process of charging a car in public is terrible. Only realistic way to charge is at a home after spending 2,500 to 5,000 to have a level 2 installed.
Tommy goes out in the cold with a cold to seek out frustrating experiences all for our entertainment. What a guy.
Truly wonderful stuff!!
Tfl seams to always have problems with chargers . If he uses apple wallet with the ea pass in the wallet no need to use the Ea app just tap on rfid spot . No one ever shows that . That way no need to look for a charger number. Kyle Connor wines about using a app and swiping And you don’t need to do that. I can use my Apple Watch too. The Denver area has more ea units than almost anyone ouside california. You should be able to. Charge. Roman goes to a charger un prepared with his card in the. App. The card readers have never been reliable. That is the last way I would activate a charger . We need someone to be smart enough to use the apple wallet and ea pass all the ev channels and you don’t see anyone do it but they say it is hard to charge. I use Ea and no problem. Same with charge point use my rfid card and boom I am charging or my watch.
Does anyone no if they take Debit cards?? Can you use Android phone ??
Frustrating to say the least. I would have been cussing out a storm by the time I actually found a charger that worked. Then again, I have no desire to own a coal powered car.
Just imagine the outcry if gas pumps/stations were down this frequently.
At least 1 pump in almost ever gas station is out of service in Australia. But the good thing is that another pump gets freed up within a couple of minutes at max even if all the pumps are being used.
Tesla superchargers are much more reliable the techcin the usa sucks compared to in norway here chargers are durable it is possible to keep them so.
@@NormalXP99 Norway is also a whole lot smaller, so the distances between chargers are a whole lot shorter (I'm imagining a similar total national number of chargers, just in a smaller area).
What a wonderful experience in ev friendly Boulder. Imagine how much better it will be any where south of Denver when you only have a few chargers and most don’t work.
Good thing CA is banning gasoline vehicles
@@shawnmartin1306 they aren’t
@@KalleSWBeck You should let California lawmakers and residents know that lol Quote is below; feel free to search it yourself.
Last month, California regulators passed rules banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, a move hailed as a significant victory in the fight against climate change.
I like that you are somewhat surprised each time a charger works. I'm never surprised when a fuel pump works. :)
Owning a EV seems so green and stress free. Where do I sign up for this delightful experience.
😂
Most EV drivers charge at home or work and don't have to deal with the unreliable public chargers.
Wait till the battery dies lol
@@seanplace8192 I agree but, when you do need one, they are very unreliable still. Need to sort that out before we start forcing more people in to this life
@@seanplace8192 I've literally never charged mine anywhere but home. Having a full charge every morning is the best benefit of having an EV.
Tommy, you have the patience of a Saint. I would have had a sense of humor failure with all those problems. Until charge points are as reliable as a fuel pump, I just can't see myself buying an EV when all the other compromises are also taken into account. The whole EV ownership experience seems to be a minefield of frustration and anxieties.
*non-Tesla EV ownership
It all comes down to home charging. If you don't have it, it'd be unbearable.
Agreed. However I bought a PHEV in 2021 and have been very happy with it so far. To me it’s like having the benefits of the EV without any of the drawbacks
I've been driving my Bolt EUV for more than a month now and I don't have home charging in Texas. I exclusively charge using public charging infrastructure. I'm not having any issues.
It only seems that way when you watch videos about the problems. Imagine a video about a typical gas car and replacing its transmission, timing belt, oil pump, and all the other things that just naturally happen to a gas car. EVs aren't zero maintenance but they're close.
Now remember that if you can charge at home, which most people do, instead of having to fuss with public chargers, your actual experience is that you never have to fuss with gas stations. Even if all you have is a basic 110 volt outlet, that's enough for 50+ miles per day of charging, and if you have a 220V outlet it means that you start with a full charge every morning.
Silly me and I can just go put gas in my car and jump back in and turn the heater on in like 5 min. I get I’ll when I have to move to another gas pump when one won’t take my card or Apple Pay but you are vastly more patient moving over and over and over. I do appreciate you doing all the food work to show what a typical day could be like for new EV owners. I do enjoy all TFL content. I would only buy an EV for around town driving so I could charge at home.
What a pain! Most people will not be doing this though as they should be able to top off the charge every night
Unless they rent. Or live in a house without a private garage. Or multiple cars, or any number of other charging situations
@@ArrecBarrwin Those people should not be buying an EV for several years yet. Anyone without home charging should buy ICE hybrid in these early days of electric. America is many years behind the first world countries.
It just doesn't make sense that chargers are so much trouble. Great video.
Buy a Tesla. No worries there.
Agreed. It's one area where Tesla really did their homework.
@@aussie2uGA Unless you live in California, and the state shuts the power grid down.
@@morbward8281 re: "Unless you live in California, and the state shuts the power grid down..." touche.
You need to do a show on how much money make/or loose operating these EV Stations are operating at. They must be loosing money with so many maintenance issues. It would be interesting to see their perspective on operating an EV station. They must all be operating at a loss. How long can they stay in business. From the name changes it does not appear for long.
I'm willing to bet they're not, we are. these are all paid with federal grants. i have a huge gut feeling about that.
For all the trash talk people have to say about gas stations this video makes stopping at any corner gas station seem like a absolute pleasure by comparison. Charging infrastructure has to be DRAMATICALLY improved. You have chargers all over the place and still can't reliably get good charging options.
Tesla can't open up their chargers soon enough. Not that Tesla is offering full service locations with all the amenities we get at a gas station. Out of Spec reviews has been covering this and has a Rate my Charge site. Please report all this stuff on Rate my charge. Put the heat on these companies. This is completely unacceptable.
You should not have to have an account, a phone, an app. You should be able to drive up to any charging station, present a payment method like you would at a gas station and charge. This is all beyond maddening.
Imagine being on a road trip in an EV desert and running into these down chargers where there aren't other options. Being stranded somewhere looking for a camp ground with a 50amp service so I could spend enough time there to get enough charge to get to the next place I can charge is not my idea of a good time. Nah, I will just keep my EV local and try not to have to rely on the public charging that clearly isn't ready for prime time even after all this time.
I'm all for ev's, hell you guys got me really considering a bolt. However these videos really make me nervous about getting an ev. Imagine a video like this with gas pumps. Out of 100 you might find 2 that don't work, no way we are ready to go strictly ev anytime soon. Plus I love my ice vehicles too
You would be very unlucky to find 1 gas station out of 1000 without gas. I kind of want an EV but I would have to keep a gas vehicle too for longer trips and just use the EV for daily driving
If you want to try out an EV, but not quite ready to make the plunge to full EV, plug-in hybrids are a good transitional car to get you used to driving an EV without the range anxiety worries since they have a gas engine in it too.
Otherwise get a Tesla, and not worry about long range trips since you can use the superchargers.
@Ashelm56 yeah man, if I get an ev it will be a tesla for sure. Once we get our vehicles paid off I'll get the tesla and keep the ice vehicles as well. We road trip too often to not have an ice vehicle
@@Geckogold just going to wait a bit longer. Not like I need anything new right now.
Most EV owners charge at home most the time. We don’t have these problems with our EV because we rarely need to use public DC fast chargers.
I'm living through the same weather you are about 30 miles south of Boulder, Tommy. Thanks for doing the legwork for us.
Nice commercial for Tesla 🤣
ha! i was just thinking that. IF (and it's a big if) i were to buy an EV it would only be a Tesla.. for exactly this reason
Not really, Public chargers are really only needed for road trips and for people who live were they can't plug in. That will change
Me: happy that it has warmed up to -21°C ( -35 with windchill )
Tommy: EXTREME COLD CHARGING!!!!
That vocal warmup was Good tommy. Keep it going. Good to hear you practicing lol 😂 12:27
should have plug and charge active on your bolt just plug the cord in at evgo and it starts to charge also if a charger is grey on the app it is down
Worth mentioning that the Bolt fast charges pretty poorly in freezing weather. Charging speed is pretty much halved until it can get the battery pack to around 65f. Not too many EV's aside from Tesla will precondition their batteries before reaching fast charging stations.
An extra that would be super important on the bolt is a charger warmer. I’ve charged overnight in snow/ice storms and had to chip out or sweep out ice and snow that interferes with the door closing.
20° on sunny day with no wind isn't bad
Two out of five? EV isn't ready for prime time yet. This video gave me a case of Range Anxiety, and I don't even drive an EV!
Imagine this amazing, novel concept:
You drive up to a gas station
There's ev chargers there along with gas pumps
You roll up to a charger
You put your credit card in
You put the charger in
It charges
You leave
Now (directed at ev charger makers and gas stations) stop trying to mess up a very functional system, and just make things simple+effective. No apps, no cell service, no back of a random parking lot...
That will evolve over time. Most of the 130K US gas stations are independently owned and they have to work out when the investment makes sense for them or if they'll be among the ones that don't survive in their area.
@@davidmccarthy6061 that's still the fault of greedy, stupid EV charging companies that instead of creating revenue sharing agreements with those gas stations and doing the above, made stupid stations with stupid apps in parking lots and made everything worse+harder
it was a conscious decision; they saw the opportunity for a "new thing", so they could make subscription fees, sell user data, etc. and took it. at the expense of making the tech better
@@davidmccarthy6061 Yeah, but that's a classic example of the 'Chicken and Egg' problem.
Since they are RUclips so often, all charger companies really should keep 100% of the chargers in Colorado in operation at all times. Maybe they will even learn the failure points to keep them operational nationwide.
Exactly. Youd think between out of spec and TFL the companies would be on top of it
ikr...? outside of California you would think Colorado would be "DCFC paradise" but sadly... not so much.
I could go with a Plug In Hybrid, for now.
Full ICE hybrid is a better choice in the US this decade. The PHEV's have such short range, even more so in winter, that you'll be in gasoline mode almost all the time in those compromised vehicles.
@@davidmccarthy6061 I use a PHEV in Canada, even if half your commute is on gas that's still a huge saving. And when the average American only has to commute 16 miles, most PHEVs can easily cover that distance on electric only.
There's also the added benefit of having an EV that most people don't talk about
You can set your PHEV to pre-heat itself using wall power every morning like an EV, no need to remote start just tell it when you want to leave and it'll have the interior toasty warm by then. You can even do this with the garage closed which isn't an option with a remote starter
You also have access to parking spots with level 2 charging, a lot of them are still free
The last benefit is more specific to your locality, but here PHEVs with large enough batteries qualify for green license plates the same as BEVs, which means we're allowed to drive on HOV lanes without passengers
So when everyone is in a hurry to get to point A to point B getting an EV will force you too slow down and have a longer trip. If that's the case us gas users could drive at 55mph and still make better time then an EV. In theory
Awesome video! So jealous. I ordered my Bolt in December and I'm still waiting for it to get built! 😭 🚙 🇺🇸 🔌
Tesla model 3 standard be here already. Better charging network also
Tommy, if 1°F/-17°C is extremely cold what do you call -40° F/C or -50°C?
I drove to 5 gas stations and guess what? They all worked! 🙏☘️
It would have been interesting to see you interview the guy servicing the EA station. Maybe you could do a whole segment on interviewing EV Charger Service people and finding out what parts they have to fix and repair the most. And I'm sure that you could come up with many other informative questions.
I appreciate all the work TFL is putting into their cars and videos. Like a majority of the people here said, EVs aren’t quite ready yet. In LA or Commiefornia, yes. Everywhere else, not really. Plug in hybrids are the future, for the next 20 years. We simply don’t have the manufacturing to build the millions and millions of EVs “needed”, nor does ANY country have the infrastructure to make this work. Like I said, at least 2040+ before a majority of (at least Americans) will be able to commit to EVs. Until then, the best and smartest option is a hybrid vehicle.
Other than that, I’ll continue driving my 5.7 liter Land Cruiser and 8.4 liter ACR.
Nice video. Type two and one EVSEs are just fancy extension cords that supply your cars onboard charger with ac which is converted to dc to fill the battery pack. DC chargers are outside and are effected more by the cold weather. Yes DC chargers need to work better in cold weather.
Just listen to Chris...He knows everything
These charging companies really need to get it together 🙄
EV etiquette is going to become a major issue as more people get into EVs. People not understanding what their car is capable and hogging chargers that are way more capable than they need, leaving themselves plugged in to 100%, etc. Going to be a shit show for a while.
People do that at gas stations too....park at a pump then go inside and buy food and drinks blocking a pump the whole time.
@@wildbill23c I never really wait for a spot at the pump though. When I do get to the pump it always works. I can also fill my tank in a minute and be on my way.
@@WTFUSERNAM44 Where I live waiting in line for gas isn't an issue....waiting for an EV charger, well seems how where I live they're 30+ years behind everywhere else, you'd be waiting a long time to get to an EV charger because there aren't any, you'd have to charge at home.
EV etiquette is already a problem even at Tesla Superchargers because people leave behind their trash in the parking lots by the chargers.
10:47 Fuel pumps break too, but it seems like it happens less often. Or maybe there’s more fuel pumps so the amount broken vs. the amount working (percentage) is smaller?
I can’t believe how much trouble you had getting it to charge!
I love how the EV charger service truck is an ICE vehicle 😂 What’s that tell you?
That all the currently available electric trucks are ultra luxury status symbols and nobody makes an electric pickup that's actually designed to do work.
EV drivers consume a lot of energy just trying to find power stations. Very green.
Multiple leafs are a compound.
Glad I don't have to drive from gas station to gas station hoping one of the pumps work.
This video reminded me why my next EV will be a Tesla. I used to have a Bolt and that brought back some aggravating memories. Doesn’t matter where you live or what the weather is, Electrify America, EVGo, ChargePoint, etc. they all suck.
That’s why it was on the ground when they don’t work most people I thought in the beginning were just pissed off or lazy but it’s more of a symbol that it’s down and a signal to the charging companies to fix it not saying it’s the nicest thing to do but neither is leaving someone stranded
This is WAY too much to ask of someone when buying an EV. If I can't activate the fast charger quick and easily, then it will not work. Do not buy electric vehicles until this issue is resolved otherwise buy a Tesla.
Mean while you cant find a charger and you run out of power while my gas truck can literally pull into any gas station and be done in 5 min not 5 hours to a full tank. I'm not completely anti EV but the tech the network of chargers and and the price for something that i would even think about seeing myself in is literally more than id make in 2 years. Not to mention im not going to have 20 apps on my phone for every charging company out there just to fill up 1 app is plenty if not too much just let me pay cash ( paper money) to the machine
well any ev from the last year charges in under an hour.... And the nicer ones in 30 minutes
Tesla is the only thing that works in the real world. Just plug in and it starts charging. No fiddling with endless apps that don't work
@@tylergood1223 I've owned non teslas for 3 years now and put on 35k miles and have never been stranded or had major issues. Sure the station reliability isn't amazing but it hasn't been that big of an issue.
If you can charge at home or work, then owning an EV is way cheaper and easier than an ICE vehicle. In this case, public charging is only necessary when your round trip exceeds your vehicles range (Usually 200 miles).
If you cannot charge at home or work, then I would definitely not recommend buying an EV. The public charging infrastructure is not reliable enough right now.
@@seanplace8192 That i could see being a thing for me. get a home charger for to and from work purposes but id still keep the ICE vehicle for the long trips for the foreseeable future till the techs advanced a bit more and is more wide spread and standardized
I’m glad they want us to all go to this… and none of the chargers work
Electrification the way of the future, when I pull into a gas station sometimes rarely I’ll find a pump out of order, but there’s usually several more available.
Yes even in what us Canadians call cold. Ironically i charge at flo chargers. 1F is really warm. -14F today -35F the other day.
the conclusion i get by watching all these charging videos is.... If you plan to take road trips and/or you dont have home charging you must buy a tesla. Public charging for non teslas is a real problem
That's why those cars are all over the roads. Lots of good and bad comes with buying a Tesla (I should know M3 owner) but you can be sure that 9.5/10 times you roll up to the chargers they will work. There are few EVS that I would take over my M3 but even with some of the negatives that come with ownership the charging network and the ability to stream and watch videos keeps me from buying another EV brand.
It’s definitely a new and upcoming technology. I have run into many non charging units. I usually call the company and they can sometimes reboot the charger. But, one time, the lady on the phone couldn’t even find the serial number of it in her database! Was really weird. We had a nice conversation but no success in DCFC the car. I do find that the ones in the Walmart parking lots have always worked for me.
It’s sad and pathetic that it takes like 4-infinite stops to charge a car.
Roman doing this video would have been way more hilarious. 😂
heh-heh yes. He probably would have blown his top.
I like the up beat 80s electronic music but can you change out the music for charging woes to: Frolic - Luciano Michelini
Zip ahead or 13:00 to actually see the charging.
Man what a pain in the ass! 90+ percent of my driving is local (under 100 miles) so I could justify a home charger. But I'm definitely going to keep my ICE Tacoma.
I bought Blizzak snow tires and they are very good in snow. This was a great video showing how pathetic the infrastructure is for non-Tesla EV's.
This is why as much as I hated being another sheep among the Tesla herd, I went with a Tesla. Have done many road trips since buying in November. The Super Charging network hasn’t let me down once. Even in December where temps reached -20, the Tesla had no issues charging and I had no issues finding a working Super Charger. It’s no wonder the government cut a deal with them to open up the network to other EVs and to help them expand.
This video should have the keystone cops music playing throughout. This is why I do not want an EV yet even though I do want one. Yes you charge at home most of the time, but unless you keep a gasoline car for longer trips and leave your EV at home, you had better be prepared for a lot of frustration.
Bingo, that's the sweet spot for owning a EV. If you don't have home charging or a reliable charging network then you need to have both a gas car/hybrid and a EV so that you have no worries about any of this unreliable charging networks or range anxiety. Not saying you can't go fully electric but why limit your options for travel/commuting.
Maybe Bolt's never had a battery fire issue?! Maybe it was just frustrated owners...
So in cold weather is the battery holding less energy or does it use more energy to make the car go? Like would you still need to charge the same amount of kWh for only let’s say 1/2 the range lowering the fuel efficiency 50%?
Range is impacted, but no where near 50%. Some brands are better than others in the cold. My Model Y has a heat pump and it helps a lot. Even combustion vehicles are impacted by cold. As long as you do the same type of preconditioning, it’s not as bad. Been a long time Subaru and Jeep Rubicon owner here in Colorado. I actually prefer driving the Tesla in the winter. As long as the snow isn’t too deep.
@@thomyi I understand the range is impacted. I am wonder if the battery is holding less power or using more power to go same distance.
A little of both.
The car uses more power because it has to heat the cabin and the battery, and if there's snow/slush on the road then there's more drag too. But also, cold batteries deliver less power. They still hold the same amount, it's just harder to get it in and out of the battery. You can see this if you let your phone get cold (try putting it in the refrigerator) - the level of available charge will drop and it might even shut off, but once it warms up it's fine.
When all the incentives and $ is to install them not to maintain them.
Tesla works fine as they know it needs to be reliable in under for people to want to buy their cars.
The Charging infrastructure is not ready for primetime, not even close
One of the major factors that deter people from buying an EV is the availability of charging stations. Many folks live in apartments and such where charging at home would be difficult, and those traveling long distances would need charging on the road. But there are not that many stations and they are not that well maintained. It may be a chicken-egg problem - these stations are expensive and will only be installed if they can be profitable.
A lens with a polarizing filter will eliminate the glare. Just FYI 😊
These videos might as well be ads for Tesla. I'd tell anyone to either get a gas car or a Tesla. Charging with EVGo or EA or ChargePoint is hit or miss and usually more miss than hit!
Could've titled this video "Do EV Chargers Work?" A more accurate description of the situation
Love the vids bro
yes I really need all that trouble (sarc)
This my friends is why you buy a Tesla. Supercharging network is years ahead of all competition.
Perhaps the weight distribution is too light for FWD?? ICE vehicles typically have engine over front tires so FWD has better traction. I have seen similar videos where charging stations are not working well in Colorado. This RUclipsr has started a channel on experience at chargers for the week. Maybe you can feed him some of your experience. Thanks for the video. Hope your Bolt serves you well. EV seems to be an interesting technology. Unfortunately, there are always issues with startup technologies. I suppose their might have been similar issues when ICE vehicles were superceding horses.
re: "ICE vehicles typically have engine over front tires so FWD has better traction" and EV's have heavy battery packs with their Power Electronics (the Bolt at least) also placed over the front tires. PS: nothing particularly light about electric motor/drive units with all their copper windings either, anyone who doesn't think so just needs to pick up a typical Starter or Alternator for an ICE vehicle (with their one hand) and report back what they've discovered.
Electrify America 😂 the charging sessions are super frustrating. The fix… let’s add some stickers! Somebody give that person a promotion!!
The more I watch your shows about EV infrastructure … the more convinced I am that I will NEVER get a fully EV vehicle in my lifetime. I’m 73 now and have been waiting for a new Toyota Cross Hybrid for the past year. I’m figuring to lease one for three to five years … if they ever make the dealers’ lots. Failing that I’ll keep my current 2015 Toyota for as long as it keeps running. After that … who knows, but EV’s are definitely out. Perhaps I’ll fall back on a Corolla Cross ICE to get me through to Boot Hill! 😮
NORMAL PEOPLE HAVE MORE TO DO THAN WAIST SO MUCH TIME TRYING TO CHARGE THEIR VEHICLE . GAS VEHICLES WILL BE AROUND FOR A LONG TIME !!!!!
Will TFL get snow tires and do some tests before winter is over?
All seems like to much trouble. With a gas s station its quick and easy.
Lol, as a bolt owner this reads as a tesla advert. :P
So the trick is to be at the charger at the same time as the repair person and it's still hit or miss.
Luckily the repair guy has a gasoline powered vehicle or he too might be driving all over town looking for a charge.
@@pryme2013 As long as you can find an outlet your car will charge.
@@chrishansel9324 that’s deep. I hate having to drive all around town finding a working gas station.
@@pryme2013 The AC charger or AC to DC invertor is onboard. So if you can plug in your car your to an outlet the car will charge. If you don't drive more than your daily range you can plug in at home and charge while you sleep. DC public chargers really should only be used for long distant road trips. I know most people don't follow these rules which I believe is why chargers break so often and the people who need them can't charge. Its a supply and demand thing. People are buying EVs faster then these third party companies can build new chargers. Tesla did it right buy selling their cars to fund their charging net work. I think car manufactures and EV charger manufactures are finally working together.
@@chrishansel9324 As long as you have 6 hours to spare.
Yet more proof that no matter the state of the car tech itself, the charging network is still in incredible need. What a nightmare!
Chris Hansel knows everything
Any reason that the TVLEV chanel isn't confirmed as a genuine RUclips chanel with a TICK next to Chanel Name?
This is a huge problem for people who are unable to charge overnight at home... chargers just not working.
What this demonstrates to me, an ICE vehicle driver, is that BEV vehicle acquisition now is a folly. Battery tech is rapidly advancing. NIO China has the right idea, swap out batteries in 5 minutes or less. No searching for chargers. No waiting around for hours on end for a charge.
So the take away here is that most of these charges have issues . . .. . . things that make you go hmmmm.
Funny thing is, is that aside from the battery electricity get more efficient the colder it is.
That is a pretty big aside for an EV though.
I dont think Tesla should ever open up their charging network. It would be the death of the company. Its the main reason to buy a Tesla, why give up that advantage?
I like EV's but this is an example why I don't own one. The infrastructure is not reliable. In my opinion the only choice is Tesla. They have the most charging stations and they work. The Chevy Bolt is a great run around town car if you can charge it at home and it has almost 260 miles of range. That's plenty for most people. Chevy dropped the price by six grand and with the Federal Tax Credit along with the State Credit the Bolt is a down right bargain. Cheers!!!
Check how the gas stations work in the cold
What was the service guy driving?
It's weird plugshare doesn't let you report issues
Thank you for helping me make the decision to NOT GET an Ev now I’ll check back in 6-8 years from
Now.
Thanks great content!!!
Camera Ninja ALEX 👏👏👏
OMG. By the time this guy actually found a charging station that worked with his vehicle, he could have been to Denver in an ICE vehicle. And it was interesting that he didn't divulge how long it took to actually recharge the battery from an already 36% charged condition. Nor what the cost was. No wonder nobody is buying EV's these days.
It's so great in Colorado that it is easier to get marijuana than a charge for your EV.
did you tell repair guy that credit card payment didnt work?
I know this video is just about testing things out, but you should really call the network operators when the chargers are down. My experience is that they can quite often fix things immediately and they'll send out service faster if you talk to a person.
Haven't you heard? There's a labor shortage, not enough ppl to answer the phones. Maybe ChatGPT could reboot all these downed power stations.
EVs still have 10+ years before you are going to get mass adoption. They'll have to pretty much force people to own them.
Q: Do EV Chargers Work In Super Cold Weather? A: no, not yours unfortunately. however mimicking Kyle I did run a cold weather test on my 2 local EVGO stations across 3 different dispensers (1 Signet, 1 Delta, and 1 BTC). this was back on 2/4 at 3am with everything cold soaked down to 15 degrees F and I can report they all worked (have full documentation on everything). the caveat to this however is that both my local stations are BRAND NEW INSTALLS where one is only 6 months old and the other an original 5 year old site recently upgraded in the last 30-60 days. so not much to draw from this other than EVGO is in fact actively building out their network and simultaneously doing upgrades (at least here in population dense Northeast). a further irony is i still do most of my charging in my driveway.
Thnk you tommy, you made my life so much easier and grateful because I can just drive my gas vehicles anywhere at anytime to a place that sells gas on any road anywhere and fill up and be on my way without any regrets except for price of gas… I love technology and electronics yet a battery car that you can’t take anywhere at anytime during any weather to charge and it takes forever if At all defeats purpose of freedom and driving and traveling….
Till my workplace installs chargers I can plug into all day I’m not buying one. When I can get free charging at work everyday ev’s become a no brainer
Haven't you heard ABB = Always Be Broken as Bjorn has said. ;)
Interesting to see a gas vehicle used to service the EV stations......
Even more evidence that the available and the process of charging a car in public is terrible. Only realistic way to charge is at a home after spending 2,500 to 5,000 to have a level 2 installed.