GM And Ford EVs Begin To Roll In

What a difference a reliable charging network makes.

Earlier this month when I arrived at a massive Tesla Supercharger location (76 chargers) at Tejon Outlets in Southern California just off Interstate 5, the only other cars charging were a Honda Prologue EV and Ford Mustang Mach-E. So, for a moment, there wasn’t a single Tesla. Only the Prologue, Mach-E, and a GMC Sierra Denali EV (which I was driving) and a vast, empty sea of available charging spots. Teslas began showing up soon thereafter but it was odd to see only non-Tesla EVs using the chargers. And refreshing to see so many available stalls.

And it gets even better. Less than a mile away, across Interstate 5, there was another Tesla Supercharger location with 24 chargers. And in nearby Lebec – about 20 minutes from the outlets on Interstate 5 – there was a spanking-new Supercharger location with 38 new super-fast v4 Superchargers. Not to mention the multiple Supercharger locations in Santa Clarita, Calif (further south on Interstate 5) and the three locations near my home in northwest Los Angeles.

Competition isn’t even close

A night-and-day difference from competing networks such as Electrify America, which I’ve used extensively over the years. By comparison, there is no nearby Electrify America charging location in the long stretch of Interstate 5 between Santa Clarita, Calif and Bakersfield, Calif. versus the 130+ Tesla Superchargers in that same stretch of highway.

And even if you find one, the charging experience is very different: a handful of chargers (often no more than 8), lines, and long waits. Not to mention the hit-or-miss vagaries of Electrify America chargers: one day everything works, the next day multiple chargers are down.

Waiting, waiting, waiting…

I’ve been waiting for Electrify America to locate a charger near my home. But that’s never happened. Despite the very high density of EVs in the northwest Los Angeles area where I live, there are no Electrify America charging stations. Not one. The closest location is in Van Nuys, Calif with 3 fast chargers (level 3) and one slow level 2 charger. So, that’s a total of 3 Electrify America fast chargers in a vast area in northwest Los Angeles covering high-density EV hotspots such as Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, and Simi Valley (Ventura County). Yes, there are three Electrify America locations in Santa Clarita, Calif but that’s further north bordering the high desert.

GM, Ford, others need Tesla

Not everyone charges at home. At least 50 percent (and often more) of the Tesla superchargers near my home are usually being used. And lack of public charging is often cited by prospective EV buyers as a reason they hesitate to purchase an EV. GM and Ford are now offering NACS (Tesla) adapters for their EVs (see my embedded video) but they will soon offer NACS ports built in. That can’t happen soon enough.