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> The supercharger network was a publicity stunt. While it is possible to drive a Tesla across the US, it isn't exactly practical for real world trips where once you get there you want to spend some time there.

Speaking as an actual Tesla owner, I could not disagree more.

I just did a 2000 mile road trip in my Model 3, and had absolutely zero instances of range anxiety or problems with the super chargers. I stopped to charge approximately every 3.5 hours (the car lasts longer between stops than two passengers and a dog), and on average, I'd add about 200 miles back in the 30 minutes it takes to walk the dogs, go to the bathroom, and get a snack. I'd argue that the supercharger system is more practical than a normal gas stop, since you can't do anything else while filling up your tank. With the supercharger, if I take a couple extra minutes waiting in line for a coffee, I'm getting more miles. It took a lot of the stress out of the drive, and I absolutely would not want to go back to doing an ICE-based road trip.

At least in Europe, I think it will be more likely that the electricity companies will put them out all over the place (think parking meters, but that are actually chargers), with a unified system that identifies you and charges the cost of the electricity in your home bill. This is how it works in Barcelona already.

I think it's more than a publicity stunt, it's successful FUD.

First off, Tesla's charging network is better and faster than anyone else's. That said, I think the difference might be overstated, but with a Tesla I know all charging will be easy to locate, functional, and fast.

With another EV I might worry about DC Fast charging standards, who owns it, how much it will cost, whether I am a member of their network, etc. I think it's probably less bad than I assume, but the mere fact that I have doubts helps Tesla.

That is to say, the marketing benefits are likely greater even than the actual functionality benefits, even though the functionality is by far the best.

As a Spark EV owner, I'll say the charging network situation is exactly as bad as you describe. I'm a member of three (or is it four) charging networks (Chargepoint, EVGO, Greenlots etc) and planning trips I have to find multiple locations near where I'll need them because:

- there is usually only one or two plugs, so it may be busy - or it may be broken because they are not well maintained - or, last trip a location list as open 24hrs was in a locked gated parking lot. - pricing is not transparent (is $5 per use better or worse than $0.35/kWh + $2/hr?) - Some areas are not served well, by anybody including Tesla. I live in East Oakland and there is no nearby fast charging.

Tesla's network is incomparably better.

Fortunately I mainly charge at home so I don't have to deal with the charging network horror very often.

Last winter, I was scraping the snow off my SUV in a lodge parking lot in Sequioa National Park. A model S pulled in next to me without any tire chains and I stopped to chat with the elderly driver as he was unloading luggage. He told me the all wheel drive and all season tires worked great coming up the mountain, just like on my SUV.

This is a park with no gas stations in winter (there is one open seasonally within a nearby national forest). So, I have to think about my tank capacity and when I might need to take a trip back down out of the mountains to refuel if I am on a long stay. I asked him about range anxiety and he said he used the superchargers in the Central Valley during his approximately 500 mile trip to the base of the mountain. He spent one night in the last little town before the park entrance gate, and used their 110V outlet in the parking lot to top off his car over night.

Up at about 8k foot elevation, he had a good charge remaining, and would have plenty for local driving during his stay and the descent back to town would actually restore much of his charge due to regenerative braking.

Yeah, I haven't seen any great reports from people who've tried to use the supercharger network for long road trips. I think they should focus on building chargers where people already want to stop, like shopping malls or restaurants. I wouldn't mind enjoying a nice meal while I wait for my car to charge instead of being stuck at some gas station in the middle of nowhere.

See my reply above, but my experience as an owner has been so diametrically opposite to this, I can't imagine you've talked to many people that have done long Tesla road trips.

The supercharger network is one of Tesla's greatest strengths. The majority that I've been to are already at rest stops, malls, shopping centers, etc. that are close to the highway, so I can fill my battery while doing other stuff and stretching my legs. Plus, the range of the Model 3 is such that I need more stops during a long drive than the car does.

They are already plenty of public chargers. Also most people can charge at home during the night so you don't need to charge during the day – unless you're driving long distance, in which case, you want to supercharge half your battery in 15 minutes.

Do you drive an EV?

That only works for people with private garages wired for high capacity circuits. So it's a minority of the population, mainly affluent suburbanites. Other solutions will have to be find to get broader EV adoption.

Today. However as EVs become more common other solutions will emerge. Slumlords will put in charging stations if the tenets demand it (which is to say the poor decide having a charging station is worth paying additional rent). Any parking spot can be upgraded for charging - at a price.

Remember, the poor are not buying new cars. Even if suddenly all new cars were electric it would still be years before the poor get to these cars.