Can Bolts charge at Tesla superchargers yet?

[Mike Sweeney]

Thanks Mike- still a rookie at this. Seems like if it's the Tesla app and shows 250kW you should be good to charge with the NCAS adapter.

Not exactly. There are older 250kw not available for CCS. Always check the app for compatibility. For example, Quartzsite on the 10 had two sets of stalls. The older set do not support CCS but the 2nd set are newer and do support CCS

 

[Newton]

They do come in different speeds. The older ones are slower. About 70kw. The newest are V4 and they are called “magic dock” chargers because they have a built in CCS adapter but they are not consistently available (the adapter). They work very well with the various CCS adapters i have used and they have a longer cable so you can just pull in and charge. V3 charger which are 250kw work too with adapters but the cables are short which means a bolt either straddles two slots or you use one of the end stalls. The older chargers won’t work at all with CCS.
Tesla SCs are the most reliable system available by a long shot. They are designed, built, installed and maintained by Tesla unlike everyone else that buys hardware from someone then skins it to be “branded” and often times have a 3rd party support structure for repairs.
Tesla app will tell you what’s available for CCS charging. Also tell you how busy at the moment.
I use EVgo and tesla chargers pretty much 95% of the time. I have the bolt set up on EVgo for plug and charge so I rarely need to diddle with the charger other than plugging it in. Tesla doesn’t support that yet. So I use the tesla app to find, set up and pay for the supercharger.

Thanks again for more good info. It seems like long trips in any EV pretty much requires a smartphone to find public chargers now. Is a smartphone also required to pay for the charge? Does Tesla require me to set up an account with them that includes a method of payment before I can use a Tesla charger? Do some other public chargers have card readers so anybody with a credit card can recharge or do you have to establish an account with the charger company before you can recharge at their chargers?

 

[Mike Sweeney]

Thanks again for more good info. It seems like long trips in any EV pretty much requires a smartphone to find public chargers now. Is a smartphone also required to pay for the charge? Does Tesla require me to set up an account with them that includes a method of payment before I can use a Tesla charger? Do some other public chargers have card readers so anybody with a credit card can recharge or do you have to establish an account with the charger company before you can recharge at their chargers?

Required? No. But it’s really the preferred way to go. Or RFI cards. The CC generally suck and are dead/broken most of the time. You will end up collecting apps. Every idiot company with a charger has their own app. Many require a preload which sucks when you want to use it one time at a place you will never be at again. Here’s looking at you Blink. Some of this was put in place years ago and it shows.
Tesla doesn’t “require” you to use their app but it’s a long ways better than just about anyone else’s app that can use their superchargers. GMs app sucks balls. It’s so bad. I did use it once to charge and never again. The tesla app is pretty painless to set up and use. Yes you set up payment ahead of time. I use my Apple Card and get the rebate. When you start the charge it throws a temp 20’dollar charge on the card and when you finish, it clears that and only the actual amount is charged. You start and stop the charge from the app which is handy given how no user friendly the bolt charging screens are you also get a running tally of the charge in Kw and in dollars.

 

[Newton]

Required? No. But it’s really the preferred way to go. Or RFI cards. The CC generally suck and are dead/broken most of the time. You will end up collecting apps. Every idiot company with a charger has their own app. Many require a preload which sucks when you want to use it one time at a place you will never be at again. Here’s looking at you Blink. Some of this was put in place years ago and it shows.
Tesla doesn’t “require” you to use their app but it’s a long ways better than just about anyone else’s app that can use their superchargers. GMs app sucks balls. It’s so bad. I did use it once to charge and never again. The tesla app is pretty painless to set up and use. Yes you set up payment ahead of time. I use my Apple Card and get the rebate. When you start the charge it throws a temp 20’dollar charge on the card and when you finish, it clears that and only the actual amount is charged. You start and stop the charge from the app which is handy given how no user friendly the bolt charging screens are you also get a running tally of the charge in Kw and in dollars.

Thanks; your response has been very helpful. What I meant by "requires a smartphone" is that, if I am in an unfamiliar place, I expect it will be hard to find a public charger without one. Driving an ICE car long distances is stress-free because gas stations are so plentiful (although, I have had some close calls driving in west Texas). I don't need an app for that because there are roadside signs for gas stations (some put up by government agencies). As more public chargers are built, recharging will get easier. It looks like the path of least resistance is to get a smartphone and the Tesla app and a Tesla adapter. But, I am concerned that the Tesla Supercharger division was eliminated six months ago. I searched for news stories to see if it has been rebuilt but I only found a couple of stories behind paywalls. So, are Superchargers being maintained? Will there ever be more Superchargers? I figure all those brilliant engineers who designed the superior Tesla public chargers have gone to work for other charger companies by now and they will be motivated to retaliate against Elon for summarily firing them by designing even better chargers for their new employers (or just starting new charger companies). So, the future looks bright for EV owners who want to travel.

 

[odioc]

I use the Tesla app to charge and pay. I also use the Supercharger app because it shows the Tesla + No Tesla Superchargers - these are
compatible with the NACS adapter.

I am trying to learn about public charging because I may need it someday. I am confused by "Tesla + No Tesla Superchargers" in this sentence. Is it supposed to be "Tesla + Non-Tesla Superchargers"? My online searches seem to indicate that Tesla has a lock on (maybe copyrighted) "Supercharger" but there probably are other brands of very powerful chargers. But a Bolt can't take advantage of a very powerful charger, can it?

I have a 2017 Bolt and use a NACS adapter to plug into a Tesla Supercharger. It took me 1 hour to go from 80 min miles to 180 miles and it cost me about $14. I did it all on the MyCheverlot app. I also prepared an instruction sheet on the process. If you need it let me know.

 

[Mike Sweeney]

The price can depend on time of day and supercharger. Most but not all SCs very the price during day and night. Peak times tend to be expensive. They also adjust prices without warning so it may change from one day to the next. Or they change the hours of adjustment. It also depends if you join the membership which gives a sizable discount but costs 12 USD a month. If you use the SC heavily, it pays for itself or if you have a large pack like the Rivian for example. It’s harder to justify with the bolt.
The smartphone with PlugShare will be you go to app for finding chargers regardless of brand.

 

[conanbolt]

I have a 2017 Bolt and use a NACS adapter to plug into a Tesla Supercharger. It took me 1 hour to go from 80 min miles to 180 miles and it cost me about $14. I did it all on the MyCheverlot app. I also prepared an instruction sheet on the process. If you need it let me know.

I have a 2017 Bolt and use a NACS adapter to plug into a Tesla Supercharger. It took me 1 hour to go from 80 min miles to 180 miles and it cost me about $14. I did it all on the MyCheverlot app. I also prepared an instruction sheet on the process. If you need it let me know.

I could use your instruction sheet.

 

[Rob Anthony]

I could use your instruction sheet.

Does this require an onstar subscription?

 

[Newton]

The price can depend on time of day and supercharger. Most but not all SCs very the price during day and night. Peak times tend to be expensive. They also adjust prices without warning so it may change from one day to the next. Or they change the hours of adjustment. It also depends if you join the membership which gives a sizable discount but costs 12 USD a month. If you use the SC heavily, it pays for itself or if you have a large pack like the Rivian for example. It’s harder to justify with the bolt.
The smartphone with PlugShare will be you go to app for finding chargers regardless of brand.

I looked at

 

[Newton]

I looked at the PlugShare website today and I hope the app is better. I looked at the map of my part of town where I know there is a Tesla charging station (are all Tesla chargers called Superchargers?) I have seen cars charging there before but it does not show up on the PlugShare map. It does not look new, either. I discovered it on Google Maps recently. I clicked on some of the chargers on the PlugShare map and it does not tell me the power level of the chargers. I would prefer to use a charger that is not too powerful since the Bolt can only use 50kW. One charging station is labeled "2 of 4 available". Does that mean 2 work and 2 need repairs or does that mean 2 are being used at the moment and all 4 work or does it mean something else?