Why EV charging is still such a pain | CNN Business:
Powering your car should always be easy, whether you fill it with electrons or gasoline. If it’s an electric car, you should be able to swipe a credit card, plug in the cable and your vehicle will just… charge. And it actually does work that way a decent amount of the time.
I’ve owned a Tesla Model 3 for over 5 years now. For Teslas, you don’t even swipe a credit card to charge at a SuperCharger (assuming you’re not just charging at home). You just park and plug-in. The car starts charging and your credit card on file is automatically billed. It’s both easier and cheaper than filling up with gas (though admittedly it takes longer to “fill up”).
Unfortunately, not always. There are incompatible charger designs, different charging speeds and acronym overload. (Is that a CCS or NACS? Why can’t I find CHAdeMO when I need it and why is it spelled that way?) There are fast chargers that aren’t always very fast – but it’s not always the charger’s fault. Also, how do I pay for this? Where is a charger, anyway?
Almost every major car manufacturer has now adopted Tesla’s standard for charging, meaning not only is incompatible charging systems no longer an issue, the cars also have access to Tesla’s excellent SuperCharger network.
This non-story story is another example of the terror that exists in the traditional automotive industry as they death-rattle their way to oblivion. Over 50% of car buyers now express interest in EVs (up from 38% last year). Change is coming whether they like it or not, and stories like this won’t be sufficient to stop it.