VW's 'Electrify America'
 

The December,2018 MOTORTREND Magazine,page 24,NEWS/OPINION/GOSSIP/STUFF, 'Your Say',mentioned that:
Volkswagen's Electrify America subsidiary,as part of it's Diesel-Gate scandal penance,is rolling out almost 1,000 universal charging stations across America,paid for by Volkswagen.
The chargers are rated at 350kW,good for 20-miles range/minute,providing near gasoline-levels of recharge speed.:)

I hope to never need to use one, though I'll probably plan 1 extended EV trip just for the adventure... now to purchase that EV.

It will probably cost more than gasoline to use that charger on a road trip.
I still plan on using gasoline to go on longer trips for the foreseeable future.

My Prius is fantastic at long distance trips.

I'm not willing to subject my occupants to lengthy charging stops at undesirable and inconveniently located spots for 45 minutes every 90 minutes of driving. I'll do my DCFC trip solo so it's just my time I'm wasting.

cost
 

That could very well be.Not too long ago,either CAR and DRIVER,or ROAD and TRACK did an article about EV charging,and the price per kWh was all over the map.Literally!
I have spoken to some Tesla owners,and some packages include,free,lifetime of ownership charging at their Supercharger network,each 134-miles,across the country.
No telling what Electrify America will be like.

That must be nice.
The nearest chademo besides the one I own is well beyond the range of my leaf.

Electrify America charges $1 initial fee and then $0.30 - $0.35 per minute while charging. After the charge is complete they start charging $0.40 per minute.

The best thing about their network is that they just use regular credit card payment instead of a stupid app. (I have money on 3 different charging apps)

I'm good with my own charging network that I have built so far.

Looking at the Supercharger map tells a different story. Yes you can cross the country using the network - if you are happy to only travel roads that Tesla has installed chargers. If you want to get off the beaten path you are out of luck.

In Oregon you can travel I-5, I-85, and 101. The other 2/3rds of the state is off limits. I know a couple that both own a Model X and they choose their travel based on access to chargers.

For rapid charging travel that is correct. You CAN charge a tesla on 110, it just takes many many hours. And if there are 3 wires comming in, you CAN rig a 220 adapter.

access
 

When I was in Kansas City test-driving the Model S,the Tesla folks there said they were installing 13-Supercharger stations a day,and that,ultimately,there'd be a station every 134-miles.
Rome wasn't built in a day.And when gasoline automobiles first came out,there were neither paved roads,nor gas stations available.
It will take time,and the scientists say we've got a little,so maybe it will turn out okay.I probably won't live long enough to know.

Well don't forget highway 22/20. The other 2/3 of the state sucks anyhow, and not many people visit those areas. I've been to one of the "inaccessible" places, Burns, once in my lifetime. Looks like Burns is scheduled to get a Supercharger.

Montana looks particularly sparse.

True, the charging network is getting better day by day. The biggest issue is the fractional nature of it. CCS is the adopted standard plug in the USA but Tesla and Nissan continue to make cars with different plugs. That means the charging network is a hodgepodge of 4 different plug types.

Then there is the fact that most charging networks don't accept credit cards. Instead you have to download an app, join their network, put a minimum amount on the account (usually $20). That is all before you can charge your car.

None of this helps the adoption of EVs.

The chargers in Detroit are new since a last looked. So now my friends can finally go to Bend.

The other 2/3rds of the state is AWESOME. Great hiking, fishing, rafting, riding. Yes, you can do those things around the Portland metro but you will be doing it with 10 of your best buddies you have never seen before.

Too many people in PDX like to get outdoors. It is near impossible to find a campsite within 2 hours of PDX on a Friday evening unless you skip out of work early.

The 6 chargers have been in the town of 900 since 2013. Back then I just chuckled wondering what Tesla was thinking. The Model S had been out for just a year. I'm sure they are getting more use now.

Agreed about outdoors being crowded in the Portland area, though there's still some less traveled stuff... I grew up in Salem, so most of my outdoor areas are infrequently visited. Dozens of logging roads up highway 22. I had never paid to camp until a few years ago when I visited Yellowstone. I didn't even realize that was much of a thing and was pretty upset to pay $20 for a concrete pad in a crowded desert campsite. The camp administrator yelled at me for grabbing a broken twig that was hanging by a thread from a tree to use as a roasting stick. He threatened to send me to federal prison. Good thing he didn't see the dead tree I pushed over and hacked into firewood.

You sure about that? Those friends I mentioned didn't know they existed and they own Teslas. We've talked about going to Bend but they said they would have to drive down to Eugene and over or over to the Dalles and down.

Detroit is 3-4 hours on a Friday afternoon. It is at least an extra hour to get across Portland.

I'm talking about dispersed camping. Head towards the ocean on a Friday and you will find every little clearing off a forest road taken for miles away from 26, 6, or 53. I've only been here 4 years but the couple we camp with has been here for decades and he knows every little place to fish in NW Oregon / SW Washington.

I haven't been camping much around the PDX area, but when I do it's usually on Hood. There's free camping to be found around there.

My goto in the Detroit area is up Breitenbush road.

I'm certain about the Superchargers. Actually thought they had been there longer than 6 years since it seems so long ago that I was regularly visiting the area.

I have had 5 EV's for over 5 years, and have charged in public maybe 2 dozen times. My extended family has had 12 EV's for over 8 years, and that would probably put the number of public charging sessions up to about 50.

Public charging does need expanding and improving - mostly we need accurate real-time status information, and if we could see all the charging stations history of reliability and availability, no matter what network they are on - that would be great.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breitenbush_Hot_Springs This reminds me I don't get out much anymore. :(
I remember that as well, but Google site search doesn't. :confused:

Were I in an electric tadpole, I could make it to my brother's house and recharge overnight. Then day trip to Willamina.

I found myself thinking about this last week as I crossed Pennsylvania on the turnpike, seeing exactly one Model 3 in nearly 200 miles and no Superchargers at the travel plazas. The map shows two Superchargers along that route, and you have to get off the interstate (and go through a toll plaza) to get to either of them.

Most of the charging stations accessible on a 24/7 basis that I have seen here in Brazil are located in Ipiranga gas stations and use the BMW charger, but I'm not sure about their availability on a nationwide basis.