The first part is a non issue with Tesla. I have yet to come across a supercharger that was not working. Electrify America on the other hand, they have issues with broken chargers currently. Hopefully they can fix/iron out their issues soon. As another plus to Tesla EVs, EVGo has announced a partnership with Tesla and is installing Tesla connectors on all of their chargers. For me that means I get a fast charger locally finally...
I like the idea of swapping batteries. I do it all the time for many of the hand and yard tools. Super easy and unless I forget to charge the extra battery, it is never a problem. The problem with EV batteries is that they are very heavy not to mention the human side. Most people don't want to wash their car let alone need to get out and swap a battery. If you have "techs" doing the swap, now the cost to charge up is getting closer to gasoline costs. They barely can make usable batteries today in a timely fashion, making them modular and swap-able will set them back 10 years and add more cost. This is not what is needed. What is needed is the ability to make EV purchases cheaper. If you can get a 300-400 mile range EV for 25k and at least on par with 25k cars today quality wise, you will automatically create demand. The problem is they do cost more to make and the raw materials for the batteries is fairly limited. That is why the majority of EV's today are 45k plus (not including govt handouts.) Any that are less are usually around 200 mile range or less and are pretty cheaply made. EV's are a nice dream, but it is just a dream right now. Also, something else may come along and make them obsolete.
I have seen and heard of Tesla chargers not working or working very slowly, but you are probably correct that they are better than the 3rd party ones.
That requires some form of standardization.... We barely can get companies to agree on what charging plug to use! But that would solve alot of issues yes... You can have battery swap stations instead of charging stations. It would solve the charge time issue as well as eliminate the degradation concerns.
Usually anything around 50kw and above is considered a DC fast charger or Level 3 Charger. The 7.2 and 8.8kw chargers are AC chargers or Level 2 and use the cars internal charge controller to convert AC to DC. DC fast chargers send DC power directly into the battery, bypassing the internal charge controller thus allowing for much higher charge rates.
I saw this the other day. https://www.pocket-lint.com/gadgets...in-seconds-last-months-and-power-over-the-air
Ok. the vast majority are pretty slow. I did look at Plugshare also and it seems to be pretty close if not the same as what you find in Google Maps although I only looked in a fairly short 30 mile radius. Also the places where they put the chargers seem odd. Some are somewhat smart locations, but a lot of them just seem to be :"wherever". They need to do a better job getting them closer to major highway exits. Only one in a spot like that was the Tesla station.
I agree EVs are more of a dream right now. They are for people who can afford multiple cars - not for replacing ICE vehicles at this time. I also agree swapping batteries is unlikely to happen. Since batteries wear out, nobody would want to swap their new battery for a crappy, nearly dead one. It's not like filling with gas.
Google “Better Place” to get the lowdown on battery swapping and why it will not work. Add to that the fact that most (if not all) new EV programs have the battery pack as a structural chassis element, making the likelihood of standardization pretty slim.
Yeah, I guess I'm stuck on the "perfect world" scenario. When we test drove a model S, my wife plugged her parents address in the Tesla iPad (tPad?) thing and it mapped our route from Washington state to Florida with recommended hotels to charge over night. I forget the time it gave for the trip but I'm sure if there were any issues with charging stations being broken or otherwise slowed down, that would make for a terrible journey. If a planned station was closed and you didn't know till you got there, it could leave you stranded. At least with an ICE vehicle, you can walk to get a gallon or 5 to get you to a station. In an EV you would have to ask a random business or homeowner to let you plug in your car for hours...although I bet you can make a ton of different movies based off that scenario.
It's hard to believe that anyone would want to plan a trip around charging their car. Maybe I don't want to veer off the road 10 miles at a place I don't necessarily want to go to or hotel I want to sleep at. You are correct that it is a lifestyle change in the form of being told where to go, how to spend your time and do it without question. As for a DD, a Prius is a much better value. You can get one for about 25k go about 600 miles on a tank of gas and never every have to waste time charging. You can also feel good that you are "saving" the planet. Hybrids are only going to get better and are the real alternative to ICE only vehicles right now. Full EV's just seem to be too far ahead of their time. People and the infrastructure to support them is just not there yet.