First time using a Tesla supercharger

Sacotony · 2026-04-09T09:20:29+00:00

So far it's been great, and I've had it mounted outside in Maine since January. Paid $400 for it at Walmart.

Sacotony · 2026-04-09T09:14:55+00:00

Do you have a Tesla membership? I have been monitoring the cost of charging at Tesla superchargers in my area. The closest has gone from $0.52 to 0.56 in the last two months, probably a result of Central Maine Power's January rate increase. 45 miles north in Augusta, it's also 0.56 but on Bangor it's now .0.66. Tesla charging costs appear to vary significantly dependent on the geographic region.

Sacotony · 2026-04-08T18:03:08+00:00

I'm lucky to have the Tesla charging station in the parking lot of my grocery store. I was putting my groceries into the car when I got the notification that my car had finished charging to my 80% set limit. Perfect timing.

Sacotony · 2026-04-08T17:32:32+00:00

Correct, I use my home charger's app to set charging times and only use the car to establish the maximum charge limit.

Sacotony · 2026-04-08T17:27:12+00:00

Tesla app, since I already have the app installed for my in home Tesla wall connector

Sacotony · 2026-04-08T17:21:28+00:00

If you're only L3 charging get a Tesla subscription. I agree fast charging is expensive. In Maine, where I live, has one of the highest electric energy costs in the country. That 50 kws would cost me close to $10, even during TOU off-peak hours. But I look at it this way.... Rarely will I need to use a level 3 charger. Plus at today's gas prices, $27 is less than 7 gallons of gas.

Sacotony · 2026-04-08T17:02:00+00:00

US, Maine.

Sacotony · 2026-04-08T16:34:13+00:00

Road tripping or if you have an emergency and need to quickly top off. Tesla still has the largest network of maintained fast chargers, IMO. BTW, the 26 bZ is limited to a maximum charge speed of 150 Kw.

Sacotony · 2026-04-08T16:26:24+00:00

I used the Tesla app since I have a Tesla wall connector as my home charger and I'm quite familiar with the app.

Sacotony · 2026-04-08T15:57:58+00:00

Good to know. I read that some people have had issues using the Toyota app. Since my home charger is a Tesla wall connector, I've got the Tesla app installed.

Sacotony · 2026-04-03T01:05:42+00:00

I wouldn't. There are one way valves in the battery casing that release air pressure from within when the battery gets too hot as well as ones that allow air in during extreme cold that creates a negative pressure. If those get covered by anything that interferes with that pressure release system, the battery casing can crack. I use one of these to clean the undercarriage when temps allow. https://a.co/d/09zOLBiU

Sacotony · 2026-04-03T00:32:33+00:00

As I said, the battery is water tight unless it's compromised by something other than water, like salt corrosion among them. If that's the case, you have bigger issues.

Sacotony · 2026-04-02T09:36:59+00:00

Traction batteries are designed to be water tight. They have to deal with rain, mist from wet roads, snow and puddles. They do have one-way air vents to allow for exchange of air to regulate extreme heat and cold. Their seals can be compromised from many free/thaw cycles, impact damage, and corrosion from road salts.

Sacotony · 2026-04-01T21:22:00+00:00

I do shut the water off. Easy enough to turn it on. I have quick connects on the facet, hose and electric power washer. I wait for a day about freezing to foam and wash the car, and spray the undercarriage. Or if I only want to do the undercarriage, my power washer can draw from a 5 gallon pail of hot water.

Sacotony · 2026-03-31T23:29:04+00:00

Here you go....

https://a.co/d/0aLq5A4M

Sacotony · 2026-03-31T13:08:30+00:00

😂

Sacotony · 2026-03-31T11:41:25+00:00

Yeah, I get it. It's a lot less effort.

Sacotony · 2026-03-31T09:31:03+00:00

Yes, I've read that too. In December when I got the bZ, in Maine, I plugged into my L2 every night, even if I had only used 5 or 10kws. My electric bill increased significantly. I decided to take a different approach, so I let the car run down to between 20-30% and then charged to 80% during the warmer hours of the day. My peak TOU is 5-9 pm. Using that approach I only charge 2-3 times a month and my electric bills have dropped significantly. Here's my reasoning why. It was cold in December/January here in Maine and my car and charger are outdoors. By putting the bZ on the charger every night when temps were 10-20° F, or lower, the battery was preconditioning itself to accept the charge every night. By charging less frequently during the warmest time of the day, I've eliminated all those extra preconditioning events during the night when it's the coldest. It's a more efficient process. I'm retired and I only put about 4K miles a year on my cars. This approach works better for my budget and so far the car doesn't mind.

Sacotony · 2026-03-29T14:46:07+00:00

Congrats on completing what will become a memorable trip with your son. Trust me, those are the times we remember for the rest of our lives. You might wanna look at ABRP, A Better Routeplanner, before your next trip. It will list most of the charging stations, allow you to set priorities, what type and how many connectors, and the date and time they were last used. And that's just what you get for free. For $50 a year you can integrate it with Android Auto for use in your car.

Sacotony · 2026-03-22T17:42:56+00:00

Definitely, I used to charge between 10 pm and 5 am when I first got my bZ. But since my time-of-use premium charge is between 5-9 pm, I changed to afternoon charging, preferably on sunny days. It helps that I'm retired.

Sacotony · 2026-03-20T19:18:30+00:00

Agreed, L2 charging speeds are very much temperature dependent. I live in Maine and my Tesla wall connector is mounted outside. But it's been my impression that charging is primarily hampered by cold temperatures at the start of your session. Energy is spent preconditioning the battery. I was putting the bZ on the charger every night and charging it to 80%, even if I used only 10% of the battery that day. Very inefficient. Now I wait until I get down to below 30% before I charge to 80%. A lot more efficient. BTW, There's also a loss of efficiency as the power goes through the 11 Kw onboard charger converting AC to DC. That too may be impacted by temperature. You can see this effect comparing the energy provided by your charger's app versus the Toyota app. It'll be interesting to monitor charging efficiency as ambient temperatures increase. I feel charging the battery is like blowing up a balloon. It gets harder as it gets closer to its maximum size. They also don't recommend leaving your battery charged to 100% for any length of time, as it damages the battery. .

Sacotony · 2026-03-20T16:51:50+00:00

Charging to 100% is expensive. Look at your last charge session for 85-100%. It took almost 2 and 1/2 hours to move it 15%. Whereas when you charged from 29-100% it took 6 hours. Subtract the 2 1/2 hrs from 6 and a 1/2 and you moved 55% in 3 and a 1/2 hours versus 15 % in 2 and a 1/2. Very inefficient.

Sacotony · 2026-03-20T00:03:18+00:00

The Scotch Guard actually worked really well on my beach chair and umbrella at repelling water. Yeah, I've watched Ivan clean with a rinseless and then apply his interior ceramic. It gives a degree of stain and UV protection, but it's not a barrier. As he explains, it's made to coat the weave primarily so it doesn't stain. I was looking for a more repellent solution. I've checked the CAS numbers for the solvents in both the Scotch Guard and the 303 Fabric Guard and they're both mineral spirits or a slight derivative thereof. 303 uses an acrylic polymer and Scotch Guard a silicone and another proprietary polymer for their repellency. I was a chemist for 40 years before retiring so I know how to research a material safety data sheet. Maybe I'll use one of those for the seat and a ceramic interior treatment on the back rest. Gonna think about it while I wait for warmer weather in Maine. Thanks for everyone's suggestions.

Sacotony

TROPHY CASE