I feel that after 1000 miles (1,609.34 km) with the Tesla Model 3 Long Range I have a much more realistic view of Tesla and the rose colored glasses have been reduced much less. It’s not that I don’t think it’s a comfortable or enjoyable experience to drive a Tesla, but I just have a much more realistic view of the car and what it can and can’t do.
V3 Supercharging
Tesla’s website states ‘Recharge up to 172 mi in 15 minutes at Supercharger locations’ actually requires V3 Supercharger, though much of California is up to 72-120kW and Wisconsin, in my results, is usually up to 120-150kW, which is fast but not what Tesla advertises on its website.
The first V3 Supercharger is technically located in Fremont, CA, but is reserved for special “early access program,” Tesla owners, not the general public.
The only public V3 250kW Superchargers I could find were Linq High Roller Las Vegas, NV, with a total of 24 Supercharger stations.
Techcrunch mentioned a couple other locations with V3 chargers but don’t appear to be public because Tesla’s website still lists these locations with lower kW power, although Hy-Vee in Madison, Wisconsin is listed at 120kW however is capable of up to 150kW.
Per Techcrunch, “There are caveats to the capabilities of this Supercharger station. Only one Tesla vehicle — the Model 3 Long Range iteration — can charge at the peak rate of 250 kW. The 250 kW results in up to 180 miles of range added to the battery in 15 minutes on a Model 3 Long Range.”
I really hope that this will be the case in other locations over the next 12- months, as it would mean very little downtime to travel around the country.
“We’ll focus on long-distance routes, so if you’re in a hurry to get from one city to another, you can go as fast as possible. Then also, we’re replacing some of the Version 1 Superchargers – some of the old Superchargers will take priority,” Per Elon Musk. “There are some out there that still charge at 75 kW, so we’ll replace those first on long-distance routes.”
I recently learned that some Tesla Model 3 Long Range and other model owners have seen reduction to their charging capacity by up to 6%. I find it very troubling when you upgrade your car and find that its range is reduced without any warning or disclaimer of liability. My Model 3 still charges up to about 279-280 miles if I let the car recharge to the default for regular charging, but it only seems to be time if I lose range with a future software update.
Owners of the Model S / X have already experienced a range reduction after the upgrade, but it was not so blatant, much more hidden, with the range indicating the right high amount and reducing it to the new reduced amount minus 10 miles after a 10-mile drive. How embarrassing?
Charging at Home
I was at work one afternoon and returned with 54 miles in the battery. A message appeared on the screen recommending that I plug the car in immediately and noted the outside temperature would be lower. I plugged the car in around 7 p.m. and at 9 a.m. the car now reads a range of 225 miles (+ 171 miles)! Don’t underestimate plugging in a 240V outlet for 12-13 miles an hour. It has something to do with waking up a recharged battery that feels really refreshing.
1/2 Priced Charging in Madison
MG&E (Madison Gas & Electric) in Madison, Wisconsin has Level 1 and Level 2 stations for $2 $1 an hour while the DC fast-charging station costs $5 $2.5 an hour. By signing up for their Electric Vehicle Owners Group you can have these lower hourly rates at their ChargePoint chargers.
DC Fast Charging
DC Fast Charging is not a viable option for many of us, as of October 2019, or even an option at all, and is much slower than Tesla Supercharging for our cars when it is available to you. You would need a CHAdeMO adapter, which is currently sold out and limited to 50 kW, which I have researched on this topic.
Electrify America – Pricing
Walmart 2335 – Madison, WI
4198 Nakoosa Trail Madison, WI 53714
(3x) CCS (1x) CCS-CHAdeMO
1-350kW @ $0.89/min
1-125kW @ $0.58/min
1-75kW @ $0.21/min
+$1.00 session fee
Note: $0.40 / min. idle fee applied after a 10 minute grace period.
Bjørn Nyland saw 120kW at an IONITY 350kW station in his YouTube video. At 50% SOC, he had 40 minutes left to charge the battery to 90%. I think we will see a similar speed of about 120kW when / if Tesla develops a CCS adapter for the North American market.
Grumpy Young Guy Reviews saw with his Tesla Model S 60 from 2014 a speed of about 100kW at an IONITY 350kW station. He wondered if he could have pre-conditioned the battery before arriving at this station if his charge would have been faster.
Free Charging Downtown Madison
I did not know, but we have many places in the Madison area that have free charging with 6.6 kW. It is important to pay attention to whether the station is shared or not, otherwise the power of 6.6 kW will be shared between you and your electric neighbor.
UW Station Lot 7
975 University Ave – Madison, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
UW Station Lot 17
1525 Engineering Dr – Madison, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
UW Station Lot 20
1390 University Ave – Madison, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
UW Station Lot 29
21 University of Wisconsin-Madison N Park St
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
UW Station Lot 36
1645 Observatory Dr = Madison, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
UW Station Lot 75
610 Highland Ave – Madison, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
UW Station Lot 75A
610 Highland Ave – Madison, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
UW Station Lot 94
750 Highland Ave – Madison, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
UW Station Lot 95
750 Highland Ave – Madison, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Free Charging Madison North
Dane County Regional Airport Parking Ramp
4000 International Ln – Madison, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
Note: $10/day ramp
Free Charging Madison West
Woodman’s Store 20 North
725 S Gammon Rd – Madison, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Woodman’s Store 20 South
725 S Gammon Rd – Madison, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Free Charging Waunakee
RenewAire Green
201 Raemisch Rd – Waunakee, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Free Charging Sun Prairie
Woodman’s Store 31
1099 S Grand Ave – Sun Prairie, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW Shared
Sun Prairie Utilities
125 W Main St – Sun Prairie, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Free Charging Fitchburg
Hy-Vee #1
2920 Fitchrona Rd – Fitchburg, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Hy-Vee #2
2920 Fitchrona Rd – Fitchburg, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Free Charging Verona
Liberty Park #1
Liberty Dr – Verona, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Liberty Park #2
957 Liberty Dr – Verona, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Free Charging Lake Mills
Lake Mills Market
375 W Tyranena Park Rd – Lake Mills, WI
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
I spent some time looking at a few different Tesla blogs and saw that many owners want a CCS adapter for their cars. Prices are quite expensive. Would you consider one of these stations? I would love to have the option if it were a must for a particular trip, but I would still consider going out of my way for a Tesla Supercharger!
If you could use my referral link to buy a Tesla Model 3, S or X. I will use my extra Supercharging miles to photograph our beautiful country. See below:
⚡⚡⚡Use my referral link to receive 1,000 free Supercharger miles (1609.34 km) with the purchase and delivery of a new Tesla car, or earn a $100 award after system is activated by purchasing or subscribing to solar panels: Model S, Model 3, Model X [tesla.com] or Solar Panel [tesla.com].