Global Holiday Chaos: Long Queues as Tesla Drivers Overwhelm Charge Points

Essay by Eric Worrall

Tesla fans all over the world are learning the hard way they should have bought a hybrid or a second vehicle.

From Britain;

Tesla owners’ fury at Christmas electric car chaos: Drivers demand more charging stations after the UK’s 6,712 rapid charge points for 420,000 electric vehicles leaves people waiting for THREE HOURS

  • Motorists say more charging points are needed to cater for the electric cars 
  • Vehicles were logjammed in Hertfordshire, Cumbria, Westmorland and Telford
  • The queues came as millions took to the roads to get home for the festive period
  • Are you a Tesla driver who was stuck? Email dan.sales@mailonline.co.uk 

By DAN SALES FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 20:51 AEDT, 29 December 2022 | UPDATED: 02:40 AEDT, 30 December 2022

Electric car drivers have called for more charging points to be installed across the UK after some Tesla owners were left queuing for three hours.

Chaos engulfed the electric motoring network as demand appeared to outstrip supply in come areas.  

According to data from Zap Map there are currently 6712 rapid and ultra-rapid charging devices, across locations in the UK catering for the 420,000 plus cars.

Members of a Facebook group called ‘Tesla Owners Club UK’ expressed their frustration at the queues.

Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11581987/Drivers-demand-electric-car-charging-points-Britain-Tesla-owners-forced-queue.html

From the USA, a few weeks ago (this story is from 2019, correction below);

Photos showed Tesla Supercharger stations faced long lines during holiday travel, revealing a big hurdle for EV makers

Mary Meisenzahl  
Dec 6, 2019, 4:27 AM

  • As electric vehicles become more common, access to charging stations can increasingly result in long lines.
  • Tesla owners posted videos and photos of long lines and broken chargers at Tesla Supercharger stations on social media around Thanksgiving.
  • These complaints indicate that Tesla and other electric vehicle manufacturers will have to build more charging stations, and convince customers that they’re reliably available before the cars really take hold, Business Insider transportation reporter Mark Matousek wrote.

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times of the year, and some Tesla and other electric vehicle owners faced extra inconveniences when it came time to charge their vehicles. 

Tesla owners can typically do most of their charging at home, but at certain points demand spikes, according to Karl Brauer of Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, via Business Insider transportation reporter Mark Matousek. One of those times is around holiday travel when road trips are more common and people would need to stop to recharge.

Like other electric vehicle companies, Tesla is expanding its charging network, although apparently not fast enough to prevent long waits over the holiday.

One California charging station had a line down the block of cars waiting to charge.

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/holiday-travel-long-wait-times-for-tesla-chargers-2019-12

From Australia;

Tesla chaos strikes: Long Christmas holiday queues for charging station reveals the harsh reality of owning an electric vehicle in Australia

  • Dozen Teslas seen waiting to recharge at charging bay in Wodonga, Victoria
  • A long queue of Teslas were also seen in a carpark in Coffs Harbour, NSW
  • Many blasted the lack of infrastructure set up to meet demand of EVs in Australia
  • Do you know more? Email tips@dailymail.com 

By ELIZA MCPHEE FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

PUBLISHED: 13:33 AEDT, 29 December 2022 | UPDATED: 12:51 AEDT, 30 December 2022

Australian Tesla drivers have been forced to wait in 90-minute queues at charging stations as thousands take to the roads over the holiday period.

Queues for charging stations have been spotted nationwide, including in Victoria and NSW.

The huge queues have angered Tesla owners, with many blasting Australia’s lack of electric vehicle infrastructure.

Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11580989/Tesla-owners-waiting-large-queue-charging-station-Wodonga-Victoria-NSW-border.html

Building enough chargers to handle these surges in demand might reduce the queues, but someone would have to pay for the capital costs and upkeep of hundreds of chargers which would lay idle for most of the year.

If only there was a way to recharge a vehicle quickly, so a small number of charge points can service an unusually large number of automobiles without a serious additional delay. Say an energy containing liquid which could be transferred rapidly to the vehicle, to facilitate a fast turnaround when recharging lots of vehicles in a short period of time.

Correction (EW): The US story is from 2019. If anyone has any December 2022 charger queue stories be sure to post them.

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December 31, 2022 6:40 am

There was a similar story in the Telegraph. However the problem is that all political parties in the UK support banning of ICE cars from 2030.

EVs do not meet the purposes ICE cars are used for now, but that does not mean it will not happen.

What is more likely, given the political class consensus, is that lifestyles will have to change to accommodate EVs. And that will be really massive. You have to figure:

— More expensive
— Shorter range
— Longer refuel times

And of course, the deteriorating batteries over time. The changes will be very considerable and will impact the less well off much more, because they currently rely on the used market which has plenty of cheap serviceable vehicles. But will not after 2030.

If it remains legal to sell ICE cars we can expect a hugely older parc of them as people cannot or will not exchange them for EVs. If the government of the day is serious about moving to EVs it will have to do something to prevent this.

Don Perry
Reply to  michel
December 31, 2022 8:22 am

And when ICEs are no longer in large numbers, how many gas stations will remain with no cars to refuel? Used cars will no longer be marketable if fuel can’t be found to run them or fuel so expensive that no one can afford to fuel them.

Reply to  Don Perry
December 31, 2022 3:41 pm

There are many places in third world countries with few gas stations but many cars. Adding a twenty gallon tank to the car’s fifteen gallon tank means the loss of trunk space, but that is acceptable. You need only refuel once every thousand miles or so. And gasoline engines can be modified to run on other fuels.

But there are bigger problems if you ban the use of gasoline. Do you also plan to ban jet fuel, asphalt, all types of plastics, a great number of medicines (even aspirin) and hundreds of other products, as well? They are all synthesized from oil. If you continue to produce oil and make those products you will get a huge amount waste product called…gasoline. What do you plan to do with it? Pump it underground and pollute ground water? Dump it in oceans and kill fish? Burn it? smh.

Reply to  michel
December 31, 2022 2:30 pm

Just like the subdivision of Oxford into a number of isolated enclaves with checkpoint at the intersections — ‘it will happen” regardless of the acceptance of the inhabitants.

rah
December 31, 2022 8:51 am

I just bought a 1995 Dodge Ram, 2500 Laramie SLT with the 8 liter V-10 engine and a 30 gallon tank for $3,000. Hardley a spot of rust on it above or below. 138,000 mi. It is an awesome hoss. Has the electric brake hookup for a trailer or 5th wheel. Diamond plate protectors for the top edges of the bed sides, full length running boards, and flip out “T” tie down hooks for securing loads in the bed.

I have put new Micheline snow tires on it and had it aligned. Changed the oil and gave it lube job. Put new wiper blades on it. Everything looks great mechanically except it will need a brake job in a year or less.

It has a cracked dash, which is common for those trucks but a new one only costs about $250.00 and I can install it myself. I will place rubber buffers under the screw connections because that is what Dodge didn’t do and is why it is so common for the dash to be cracked in those trucks. I will also get the foldout reflectors panels since I park it outside.

I have other plans for it, but the next thing will be a remote start which is darn nice for a vehicle parked outside in the winter. When I get done with it, it will look nearly show room new. I have no doubt it will be the last pickup truck I need.

Drake
Reply to  rah
December 31, 2022 12:10 pm

So you get GREEN bona fides, since you are recycling!!!

And we all know recycling is far better than just adding more stuff.

Just think of all the recycling that will be done once you can no longer buy an ICE.

Just think of how Cuba has survived on 50 US cars all these years.

rah
Reply to  rah
January 1, 2023 12:24 am

Oh, BTW. The frame members on that 1995 are made of steel at least 1/16″ thicker than what you will find in the new pickups that are being sold now.

Jamaica NYC
December 31, 2022 11:30 am

It’s kinda perplexing how people here in South Jamaica Queens would charge their cars at home since a lot of them don’t have off street parking. But, then, I remember that they won’t have cars to charge so that’s wonderful!

December 31, 2022 11:31 am

Why is it the Government’s responsibility to supply charging stations?

December 31, 2022 4:24 pm

The huge queues have angered Tesla owners, with many blasting Australia’s lack of electric vehicle infrastructure.

They should have though about that before they purchased. Why should everyday folks have to further subsidise their virtue signalling lifestyles?

astonerii
December 31, 2022 4:56 pm

Anyone ever calculate out how many charging stations would be required if 100% of the vehicles and 100% of the miles we currently drive were done in electric vehicles using a limited 16 hour day for charging and having at most a 15 minute wait to charge?

astonerii
Reply to  astonerii
December 31, 2022 5:24 pm

3.2 trillion miles at about 0.346 kw per mile.
1.1 trillion kwh energy.

Charge rates seem limited to between 50kw to 350kw with a very quick charge to 80% and a much slower charge rate up to 100% taking generally as long for the last 20% as the 20% to 80% time.

If we just stick to the 50KW, that equals a total charging time of 22.2 billion hours of charging per year. That drops down to, with my 16 hour a day charging period, to 3.8 million hours of charging per day.

So, I guess regardless of charging time, a minimum of 3.8 million charging stations are required to support electric vehicles.

astonerii
Reply to  astonerii
December 31, 2022 5:35 pm

The US has about 145,000 gas stations, at maybe? 6 pumps per gas station, that would equate out to 870,000 gas pumps support the USA.

The fuel stations would need to have 26 charging stations on average to cover us all. Or we would need more fuel stations.

This would require all those stations pulling 100% of their power rating for most of every single day.

That would be 190 gigawatts power draw.

hiskorr
Reply to  astonerii
December 31, 2022 9:08 pm

No hurry! Considering that the UK has about 41 million licensed motor vehicles currently, the 420 thousand BEVs represent 1% of the vehicle fleet. How long do you suppose it will take to replace the remaining 99%?

yarpos
December 31, 2022 9:15 pm

The UK grid teeters on the edge of basic supply failure and the rich and oblivious whine about wanting more superchargers. Sure, just sprinkle fairy dust along the motorway. There, fixed!

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