How long does it take to charge an electric car at a public charging station

Marques Brownlee, otherwise known as MKBHD, put this video together with a story to tell, and it’s a story that will likely hit home for anyone who has had some experience charging an electric car. The bottom line is that the EV charging experience is really as important as the EV itself, and the public EV charging infrastructure in the US needs a lot of help, because it is ”ruining EVs How long does it take to charge an electric car at a public charging station.”

Brownlee drives a Tesla, but he has had the opportunity to drive and charge many other electric cars. Additionally, while he likely does most of his charging outside of the home at a Tesla Supercharger, he has also charged a Tesla at a non-Tesla charging station, and one of those experiences was the inspiration for the video above. However, it wasn’t his Tesla or his charging session How long does it take to charge an electric car at a public charging station.

How long does it take to charge an electric car at a public charging station

As the story goes, Brownlee stopped at a local mall to run in and get some takeout. Before he entered, a woman flagged him down and asked for help. She could see he was pulling up in a Tesla, and she was trying to figure out how to charge. She had parked her son’s Tesla Model 3 at one of the mall’s few charging stations and had no idea how to get it to plug in. At least she wasn’t at a gas station…

First of all, it was a ChargePoint station, and she knew nothing about CCS or the fact that you have to use an adapter. Marques lifted the tailgate of the Tesla, familiarized her with the adapter and got the electric car plugged in. Of course, she didn’t have a ChargePoint account, but she didn’t end up needing one to pay and get the ball rolling. Marques helped her plug in and start the session before she entered the mall How long does it take to charge an electric car at a public charging station.

When he came back out with his food, she was about to flag him down again. Despite everything being done correctly, the loading session never started. Marques noted that this was probably one of those situations where the session would never start, and he would probably never figure out why. He also notes that such situations are becoming increasingly common for electric car owners.

How long does it take to charge an electric car at a public charging station

Brownlee observed that the car right next to the Tesla was charging properly, but it looked like the EV’s owner had deliberately crossed the charging cable from another device, possibly realizing in advance or quickly learning that one charging station wasn’t working for some reason.

Finally, he told the lady to go to a nearby Tesla Supercharger station, where she could easily plug in and charge without such problems.

Brownlee goes on to talk about the state of charging stations in the US in general. He uses some examples of broken and unreliable stations right in front of his own property. one of which starts and stops charging depending on how the wind blows. We’ve seen countless examples on social media, and you don’t have to look very hard to find them How long does it take to charge an electric car at a public charging station.

He also underlines that it is not only broken or unreliable charging stations that are the problem, but also the fact that there is so much that some people do not know or understand. It’s not as simple as just filling a car with gas. The whole adapter situation, having accounts with different charging networks, the payments, just everything can be a bit much, especially in the beginning.

Our friend and colleague Kyle Conner of Outside Spec Studios started ”Rate Your Charge”, so EV owners can share their experiences, good and bad, and get the word out. As EV owners and advocates, if we want charging infrastructure to improve, we need to get involved and speak up.

After you’ve watched the videos, let us know what you think about the EV charging situation in the US. Do you own a Tesla or a non-Tesla EV? How has your experience been? Share your stories in the comments section below.