Arizona’s EV Plan Provides Us A Clue About Tesla CCS Charging

January 31, 2023

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Final 12 months, I shared particulars that got here out of a web based Arizona DOT assembly about its plan for federal Infrastructure Invoice funds, often known as funding from the NEVI program. Since then, the state has narrowed down its decisions for EV charging websites to satisfy federal necessities, and it reveals one thing attention-grabbing that’s in all probability occurring behind the scenes with Tesla, confirming plans to deploy CCS-compatible charging stations within the state.

Some Background

2021’s Infrastructure Invoice offered billions of {dollars} to increase EV charging in the US. The primary spherical of funding is meant to concentrate on Interstate highways, and states have been required to submit plans for his or her state’s share of the funding. The plans for these first highways needed to meet the next standards:

Gaps of not more than 50 miles between chargers.
Chargers inside a mile of the interstate.
At the least 4 150 kW or higher-rate chargers, with CCS connectors.
Capacity to concurrently cost 4 autos at that charge or better.
Exceptions can be found for any of those on a case-by-case foundation (unavailability of electrical energy, and so forth.), however funding can be utilized to arrange a website for stations by including power-generating functionality, and so forth.

So, Arizona sought a variety of public enter, did some research, and produced a plan. Its plan was among the many first accepted by the federal authorities.

One attention-grabbing query requested final 12 months on the on-line assembly was which stations would require new building and which of them want upgrading to ensure that them to satisfy the above federal necessities. To make sure that varied plans may be applied when it comes time to acquire permits, draw up blueprints, and start constructing with contractors, ADOT stated its ultimate plan should stay open-ended sufficient in order to not restrict itself or potential third events.

However, the general public didn’t let ADOT off with that reply. One other particular person requested very particularly about Tesla’s attainable function in Arizona’s NEVI plan. ADOT stated that it had already reached out to Tesla and requested the corporate about upgrading Tesla stations to have some CCS plugs to satisfy the plan’s necessities (clearly, in trade for a few of these federal funds). In keeping with ADOT, Tesla’s consultant indicated that they have been undoubtedly open to the thought of working with ADOT to place in some CCS stations at Supercharger websites, however Tesla was nonetheless wanting into it to ensure it might work for them, each bodily and legally.

New Maps Present Us That These Talks Should’ve Gone Someplace

Wanting on the newest variations of the Arizona charging plan maps exhibits us that utilizing Tesla’s Superchargers have to be a part of the plan. Let’s check out the websites they’ve chosen and I’ll clarify how I arrived at this conclusion.

Picture by Arizona DOT.

Let’s begin by Willcox, Arizona. It’s listed as a possible website that requires upgrading as a substitute of recent building. However what occurs after we search for CCS websites that may be upgraded within the space?

In Willcox, the variety of not solely CCS websites, however even J1772 websites is, as Agent Okay in Males in Black would say, “exactly d*ck”. It’s a charging wasteland for those who’re rolling up in, say, a Nissan LEAF or Chevy Bolt with a low battery. In reality, the one method you will get a cost with a CCS or CHAdeMO automotive within the metropolis is to go to an RV park and BYOEVSE (Deliver Your Personal EVSE).

I do know this from expertise.

Charging an EV at Fort Willcox RV Park. Picture by Jennifer Sensiba.

Nonetheless, the Tesla drivers who’ve been by way of Willcox and are studying this are in all probability simply itching to leap into that remark field and inform us all about how a lot simpler it’s to drive on that stretch of I-10, and the way silly I used to be to purchase a LEAF. In any case, there’s a Tesla Supercharger proper subsequent to the TA truck cease at one of many lodges!

Yeah, the LEAF was a considerably silly buy (and it’s a automotive I now not personal), however this was earlier than the Mannequin 3 got here out, and it was what I might afford on the time, however that’s probably not the purpose. The purpose is that the one EV charging station in Willcox is a Tesla Supercharger, and if Arizona goes to improve something, that’s the one they’re going to improve.

I gained’t bore you with all the boring particulars about my charging stops at RV parks in locations like Cordes Junction and Holbrook. I stayed the evening at a lodge in Cordes simply to get charged up, and I slept in an Arizona state park in Holbrook as soon as. You possibly can examine that notably dumb journey right here.

As soon as once more, the purpose to take from that is that these locations seem on the map as locations the place they wish to add CCS ports to an current station, and there’s actually nothing else there for Arizona to improve, in order that they have to be speaking about including CCS charging to the one woman on the town: Tesla’s Supercharger station.

Should you look on PlugShare, this occurs but once more in Gila Bend and Tacna alongside I-8 for those who’re headed out to San Diego. I haven’t slept in a automotive in both of these locations, however I believe I’ll go forward and belief PlugShare on this. Plus, my Bolt EUV would make that journey, so there’s no want.

So, backside line: practically all the locations ADOT desires so as to add CCS ports are Tesla Supercharger stations. And, for those who’ve been following the Tesla CCS story, there are some very, superb causes to do that.

Tesla’s Acquired A Low-cost Method To Add CCS Charging

Should you’ve been following Tesla’s coming opening of its community to CCS automobiles, you might need seen this little bit of stories from a couple of days in the past:

It appears to be like like Magic Dock is now proven within the @Tesla app – see second picture for what has proven beforehand which displays Euro CCS2 deal with. I believe Magic Dock / open Supercharger in NA launch is imminent. pic.twitter.com/HYbUj26db9

— Branden Flasch (@brandenflasch) January 21, 2023

The Magic Dock goes to combine CCS charging into Tesla Superchargers with out eliminating the Tesla (or “NACS” for those who’re a fanboy and wish to name it that) plug like they did in Europe. Should you want the Tesla plug, you pull out the Tesla plug identical to you at all times have. Should you’ve bought a CCS automotive at considered one of these upcoming stations, you pull out the bigger a part of the Magic Dock and it provides you a CCS adapter on the tip of the cable.

This seems to be a picture that Tesla didn’t intend to launch but, nevertheless it exhibits simply how cheaply the change may very well be made. This not solely makes it attainable for Tesla to make it cheaper for states to make use of their stations to satisfy NEVI necessities (and save that cash for stations on rural highways), nevertheless it additionally means Tesla ought to flip a wholesome revenue from no matter preparations it makes with state governments to supply this.

So, my educated guess is that Tesla will roll out CCS charging spots at Supercharger websites because it will get state governments to pay one thing for them. Because of this Tesla will get a minimize of the Infrastructure Invoice funds, and hopefully fund additional rollout of the Supercharger community as states transfer onto protecting different highways with subsequent funding rounds.

Featured picture by Arizona DOT.