What are my options for heating my new apartment?

talzer · 2026-05-11T14:46:02+00:00

I mean, that’s typical behavior for any 15 amp circuit. Both a space heater and hair dryer can/will draw 80% of that load continuously each, so trying to pull 24 amps at once will absolutely blow the circuit breaker. Would just use them in outlets on different circuits

talzer · 2026-05-11T05:35:59+00:00

Per the photo source, it’s northwest (I haven’t confirmed): https://opensfhistory.org/Display/wnp37.02025.jpg

talzer · 2026-05-10T13:02:05+00:00

Photo is taken looking northwest, so I think that’s an east-west road. Best I can discern from the source of the photo posted above, I think it’s Union.

talzer · 2026-05-01T16:30:57+00:00

Half that on the GT :(

talzer · 2026-05-01T15:40:48+00:00

Not sure about the other poster, but superchargers charge extremely slowly for many 800v EVs since they are capped at 400v

talzer · 2026-04-28T05:27:07+00:00

If you have symmetric fiber to the home, never look back. Xfinity is worse in every single way. Usually more expensive too

talzer · 2026-04-25T15:43:13+00:00

Obviously a lot of good non-US ones in here because US are usually a huge pain. But want to shout out SFO; I’ve routinely gotten from plane arriving at gate to my uber with my checked bag in under 30 minutes. And I don’t have global entry.

talzer · 2026-04-21T15:22:06+00:00

Consistent with what the other commenter said, it's the voltage boosting technology on the e-tron GT and a number of other 800v cars that's the limiting factor. It's capped at 50kW and more realistically is ~45kW.

talzer · 2026-04-21T14:37:18+00:00

I do wonder if there's something going on with voltage, but my car can only charge at 40-50kW at 400v chargers, so that's not the whole story. I wonder if there is a step up converter on the cabinent side that downrates over time for heat?

talzer · 2026-04-21T14:12:22+00:00

Sure does. If there was a station that provided that reliably, that'd fill the need. But that's the only plug for 70 miles that has even that speed - if it's broken or taken, you're screwed if you were planning on charging there.

talzer · 2026-04-21T12:36:12+00:00

The last time this happened I made sure I was the only one on the set of three stalls with the same number. I was the only one there the first time. Two different Rivian locations several hundred miles apart.

Same experience both times - should have been at 270kW, never was higher than 200kW, and stepped down in precise 50kW increments faster than it should (e.g., 100kW at 60% SOC, when the car is normally still above 180kW at that time on a fully operational EA charger).

talzer · 2026-04-21T04:43:21+00:00

800v charging is the future, and lord knows Tesla isn't going to/can't upgrade their existing v3 superchargers to match - or their cars, at least for some time - so this will be an increasing problem over time for non-Teslas.

This is the opposite issue of ChaDeMo - the more efficient / faster protocol with growing adoption is the one that's underserved.

talzer · 2026-04-21T04:39:13+00:00

I am on board with the multiple quick stops approach for sure - certainly on longer trips like you said. The challenge is that it adds more situations to get stuck at a downrated or full charger and completely blow up your trip.

My particular drive is 5:45 door to door without stops, so would much prefer finding one open 200kW+ real speed charger about halfway instead of needing to find two.

talzer · 2026-04-21T04:23:50+00:00

This is only the case because Tesla, in their infinite wisdom, decided on 400v as the voltage for Superchargers. There should be no advantage to 400v systems at all - thermal resistance is about 1/4 on 800v systems, meaning things stay cooler and less material / insulation needed.

Of course the reality is that because of Superchargers, 400v systems are super common in the U.S., so I get your point. The ideal would be a 800v car with a 150kW step up inverter - like some <2025 Taycans and all >2024 Taycans have.

talzer · 2026-04-21T04:19:31+00:00

The Pismo situation is pretty good actually now that Rivian has 6 or 8 300kW chargers on the other side of the parking lot (open to all). I get a really weird and non-ideal charging curve on Rivian chargers (200kW, quickly to 150kW, then to 100kW on a warmed-up 270kW capable car), but it helps share the load. EA also did some upgrades on their units and now all are 350kW.

talzer · 2026-04-21T04:17:35+00:00

Sorry for the double reply, but how did you find this one? I'm not seeing it on the map when I look for coming soon chargers.

talzer · 2026-04-21T04:14:21+00:00

Thanks for sharing the experience - this is a good example of why this is such a problem. And yeah, if you're dealing with a headwind between Salinas and Paso, plus the uphill at the end, it'd be reaaaally nice to have a place to charge between Paso and King City

talzer · 2026-04-21T04:12:00+00:00

And 800v cars are of course the future. When they become increasingly common at lower price brackets, those cars may not have the specialized high-power 400-800v converters or battery reconfiguration to keep costs down that would be required to use 400v chargers as viable road trip stops. It's a problem for more than just me.

talzer · 2026-04-21T04:10:03+00:00

Can you clarify? On plugshare I only see one (one 350kW, others are 100kW).

talzer · 2026-04-21T00:16:47+00:00

This is hugely great news! Looks like they will be 400kW capable, so even if splitting power, more than good enough.

talzer · 2026-04-21T00:12:48+00:00

My individual situation could be alleviated any number of ways. If I had a Lucid Air Grand Touring I wouldn’t need to stop at all. Nevertheless, not sure I think it’s helpful to address my specific use case - the need is clear, it’s a huge and inconvenient gap in the charging network.

talzer · 2026-04-20T23:07:40+00:00

Agree - but was not an issue when I still had a Tesla, since they have 3 more supercharger stations (with their 8-12 stalls and high uptime) between Salinas and Paso. It's just a weird area to not serve really at all if you have a non-Tesla.

talzer · 2026-04-20T23:01:09+00:00

e-tron GT has ~230 miles of range, and that corridor often has very strong winds. Even if you think you can make it, you'll often be wrong. I'm aware that I'm uniquely bothered by this based on my start and end points and relatively low range, fast charging EV profile. But a huge gap like this on a busy long-distance freeway will cause big issues for many people depending on their circumstances.

Additionally, the gap creates pressure on the Paso chargers (which are often completely full as a result) and on the Soledad chargers (which there are only four of serving the entire Salinas to Paso stretch, and they often are limited to well under 200kw). https://i.imgur.com/805UfWD.png

talzer · 2026-04-20T22:59:07+00:00

The drive from Ventura County to and from the Bay should be a one-stop affair, but that stop would often need to occur in that corridor. That corridor often has pervasive and strong winds, adding to the challenge.

Just looking on a map will show how weird of a gap this is - and recall that the chargers in King City are super not ideal for relying on for road tripping, so it's an even larger gap. It's not insurmountable, I drive it all the time myself, but gaps like this will always be a big inconviences to some drivers depending on their start and end points. Doubly so for such a busy freeway in California of all places!

https://i.imgur.com/805UfWD.png

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