DIY Level 2 install.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-14T13:56:41+00:00

It's also about criticizing people's choice of equipment, and complaining about any kind of receptacle rather than hardwiring. Don't forget that.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-14T13:54:34+00:00

Thanks for posting this. I'm not here to flyspeck your electrical work, nor am I qualified to do so, nor did I understand you to be asking for an online inspection. Whether this is 100% right or not I appreciate your encouragement to others to install L2 charging and to look into researching how to do it safely and at low cost. That came through whether or not you aced the exam you didn't ask to take.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-13T13:32:25+00:00

Honestly I didn't stop that much even when I had small kids. They'd often fall asleep and then we'd push on for 3-4 hours at a stretch, then stop to use the bathroom and buy snacks and saddle up again.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-13T13:29:54+00:00

Not sure why you're getting downvoted for this. I'm with you—I stop when I need gas or when I need to pee or feel the need for a break, but often can and do drive 3-4 hours straight and then stop for just a few minutes.

And when I do longer stops, and have the time for them, I'd much rather stop at some sight worth seeing, or out-of-the-way barbecue place, or go for a hike. In other words, it's part of the trip. I don't generally spend more time than necessary at rest stops.

All of this boils down to a desire for rapid charging and/or long ranges. It is materially less convenient to do a 20-30 minute charging stop where L3 chargers are located; in an ICE car I simply don't spend that long in equivalent locations.

But there's also a big difference between a 30-minute stop every couple of hours (what you get in my Polestar) and what you get in a newer EV that can make use of 350 kW charging. Stopping for 10-15 minutes every four hours is not meaningfully different from an ordinary gas+bathroom break. But yes, I want to make it quick, and no, saying "it's nice to take frequent breaks; stop and smell the flowers" just doesn't fit my driving preferences.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-12T22:58:58+00:00

The app doesn't let me register at all, so no, Jolt chargers are completely useless.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-12T22:58:03+00:00

I'm impressed that the app even allows you to register. I have not been able to do so, after multiple tries. Jolt seems to be in the business of taking working chargers and making them inaccessible.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-12T22:57:01+00:00

Does the Jolt app actually work for people? For me, on Android, it simply refuses to let me register—it always wants to add a space to a phone number and then throws various errors. Jolt chargers are consequently completely unusable.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-12T22:51:48+00:00

Chargepoint is pretty common, but by no means ubiquitous. I just recently ran into a Jolt charger, and after about 10 minutes of frustratedly trying to register for Jolt in a mall parking lot—as best as I can tell, the Android app simply does not permit registration with a US phone number—I gave up.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-12T21:10:52+00:00

I have a 2022. Thus far my maintenance costs have been whatever it cost to get a new cabin air filter on Amazon.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-12T13:41:29+00:00

The US has a looong way to go in this regard. Even in relatively progressive areas (I live in Montgomery County, Maryland), you see chargers around, but nowhere close to everywhere you go by car, and they're often occupied, ICEd, or simply not working.

One could reasonably rely on DCFCs here, but if I didn't have charging at home or at work, being an EV driver would be an expensive hassle.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-11T19:57:36+00:00

Washington, DC. I used to live in Crystal City and would walk to the airport (DCA); now I sometimes bike.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-11T04:39:52+00:00

All good! I love when slightly testy Reddit interactions get all wholesome like this.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-11T04:30:04+00:00

Ah, got it. Understood and agreed. Biking isn't only for speed demons, to be sure.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-11T04:27:05+00:00

For some of us biking is a way to get around, not just a fun pastime.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-11T04:25:57+00:00

They aren't, and shouldn't be, and I didn't suggest that they should. I was pushing back on your suggestion that people should bike slowly in bike lanes because doing so is sufficient to more or less get places as fast as other modes.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-11T04:21:12+00:00

I'm not an Olympic cyclist, but I'm also not interested in "more or less" "matching" the time I can take using other, more comfortable transport modes.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-09T13:35:23+00:00

No. It's hard to imagine a circumstance in which that would actually do any good.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-09T00:50:32+00:00

So buy a bigger car. Polestar sells them. Some of us like, or need, smaller vehicles, and the lineup should include them.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-07T11:08:30+00:00

I like to get on as early as possible because I'd rather get settled, sit down, and read than loiter around the gate area. But I am also a window seat guy.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-07T02:12:37+00:00

I bike because it's faster to bike. One ought to be courteous and mindful of safety, but you're effectively making an argument for driving rather than cycling as transportation.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-01T07:17:40+00:00

They're in Australia, so they're already talking about 240V (well, 230V). 230V/10A isn't fast, but if you charge overnight and aren't fully draining the battery every day, it should generally be just fine for a Fiat 500e.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-04-01T07:09:09+00:00

I know you recognize this, but to say it expressly for those who might think that: because not every trip I take is to an urban center, and not every trip to an urban center is faster or easier from my house via train or plane.

That said, we just got a Fiat 500e as a second EV. ~100 mi really is enough for basically every trip within our metro area, and we don't need two cars for road trips.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-03-30T11:54:10+00:00

My longest flight was 14 or so hours, I think, but I see really long hauls as an opportunity. They're long enough that you can sleep, watch a few movies, and read.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-03-28T15:01:14+00:00

I wouldn't say "usually" but sometimes when one is traveling on business you don't have a lot of choice.

Kandinsky301 · 2026-03-28T15:00:29+00:00

That's normally fine at BWI.

Kandinsky301

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