8 of the level 3 fast chargers will be located in the back of lot 51. Will be the first time these chargers are on a college campus.

http://cbe.tamu.edu/2021-1.aspx

Are those functionally different than the charges out at George Bush Library?

If I understand correctly non-Tesla cars can't use Tesla chargers. Teslas can use the other cars' rapid charging systems with an adapter.

techno-ag said:

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If I understand correctly non-Tesla cars can't use Tesla chargers. Teslas can use the other cars' rapid charging systems with an adapter.

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Oh good, vendor lock in....

From what I read Tesla was first with rapid charging and the other companies refused to make their cars adaptable. So buy a Tesla and plug in anywhere. Buy something else and you can't use Tesla rapid recharging stations.

But I'm only going by one article. One of our resident Tesla owners may know more.

I'm no expert on this either, but I have a friend that charges his Chevy Bolt on a Tesla charger. They have adapters, and they aren't cheap.

https://ev-lectron.com/collections/ev-adapters

techno-ag said:

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other companies refused to make their cars adaptable

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AKA refused to pay royalties for on the design of a power plug.

Best thing about all this is that Tesla and Donors are paying for this thing and it might help out a few Tesla owners. I'm all for having a good relationship with Tesla especially with the factory going in 1.5 hours away

So Teslas can use any EV chargers?
But other EVs can't use Tesla chargers unless you purchase a third party adapter?

TommyBrady said:

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Best thing about all this is that Tesla and Donors are paying for this thing and it might help out a few Tesla owners. I'm all for having a good relationship with Tesla especially with the factory going in 1.5 hours away

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who's paying for electricity, it looks like donors and Tesla are paying for the installation

BrazosWifi said:

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Are those functionally different than the charges out at George Bush Library?

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Disclosure: I drive a Tesla model 3 (and it's the best car I've ever owned).

If I had to guess, the George Bush library probably has level 2 chargers. That would be like me plugging my car in my garage (NEMA 14-50, like a washing machine might use). On a level 2 charger, I can charge my car from let's say 20% to 80% in a few hours. A level 3 charger (Tesla Supercharger) is the next level up. I can charge my car from around 20% to 80% in about 20-30 minutes. Level 3 chargers are generally intended for long-distance travel if you're on the road.

The closest Tesla superchargers to us are Huntsville, Houston, and Austin (actually as I type this, it looks like there's a new one in Giddings). Superchargers are generally placed in areas where there is nearby food or shopping. So I do find it a bit odd that they would be placed in the middle of campus - maybe there's some sort of partnership with the Engineering school I'm not aware of?

Quote:

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So Teslas can use any EV chargers?

But other EVs can't use Tesla chargers unless you purchase a third party adapter?

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My understanding is that Tesla was first to the market with level 3 charging. And I THINK they actually opened up their patents so that other cars could adapt to their superchargers without royalties (somebody please correct me if I'm mistaken). However, other car manufacturers haven't done that to this point. So only a Tesla can charge at a Tesla supercharger (level 3) with default equipment but anybody can charge at a level 2 because they're generally universal. My car came with an adapter for level 2 charging. There are a number of different companies (e.g., EVGo, ChargePoint) that put their own level 2 chargers around - and frankly, it can be a bit of a pain to do this because you need the right app to use them.

I suspect that as electric vehicles start to become more prominent, other companies will adapt to use Tesla superchargers because a large network already exists (https://www.tesla.com/findus), the cost of entry to creating a new network is extremely high, and a universal solution (like gas stations) will be critical.


EDIT: Did a little research. It appears that EVGo and ChargePoint both make level 3 chargers but they are not near as common as level 2. The closest ChargePoint level 3 is in Navasota, while the closest EVGo is in Katy.
NOTE: Level 1 charging is like plugging it into a regular outlet. It would take me about 20 hours in a regular outlet to charge appropriately.

The person charging their car pays. It recognizes the vehicle and charges the owners account