LAZARU5

We drove from Philadelphia to Boston and back this weekend. Distance was just over 300 miles each way and we did about 150 miles in local travel. Average mileage for the trip was 3.1 mpkWh. I decided to try the Tesla Superchargers with Magic Dock located in Brewster, NY which is almost exactly at the midway mark for the trip. MB Navigation does not acknowledge the Tesla Supercharger and did not precondition the battery. But after 150 mile of driving in 70F to 80F temperatures the car was able to accept a charge at about 150 kW.

The Tesla Magic Dock charger requires releasing the CCS adapter using the app which I had downloaded before the trip. There were 8 chargers at the Brewster location. The cables are relatively short and 7 of the chargers are set up for backed in Tesla cars with the charge port on the rear left corner. The 8th charger (#1-A) is set up for Tesla cars pulling into the parking space. This position (1-A) allows a backed in MB EQ car to reach the charger port WITHOUT taking up two parking spots. On our first stop at this station there was a Mach E parked in the 7th spot using the 6th charger effectively blocking the 7th charger from use.

With six cars charging we added 44 kWh with a peak rate of 145 kW. With four cars at the location on the return trip we added 43 kWh with a peak rate of 151 kW. In both charging sessions the rate was still above 100 kW at the 80% SoC mark. I know it sounds crazy to pay for a charge at a Tesla Supercharger while you are eligible for a free charge at EA. But, given the choice between taking a chance that the EA chargers will be working at a decent rate and paying to use a reliable Tesla Supercharger, I will take the Tesla charger every time even though the Tesla rate is $0.52/kWh.

While in Boston we relied upon the free EV Connect chargers at the hotel to top up the battery while we slept. It was more confusing to use the EV Connect app than the Tesla app.

LAZARU5

I regret not taking some photos of the Tesla Magic Dock to share with forum members. Then I stumbled across this YouTube video that just happened to be recorded at the same Brewster, NY Tesla Supercharger location where I charged my EQS SUV.


Start watching from about the 7:00 minute mark. The video shows the challenge EV owners will have if their charging port is not located in the same corner as the Tesla port (Rear Left). The EQS charging port is closer to the rear of the car so it will reach the cable more easily than the F-150 Lightening in the video. However, the EQS will take up two charging spots if used on any charger at this location other than 1A. I charged at 1A which is the same one that the Lucid was using as shown around the 20 minute mark.

LAZARU5

Here's another YouTube video describing disappointing results at the Tesla Superchargers equipped with the Magic Dock.


This video calls attention to the issues owners of EVs with 800v (or above) architecture (Taycan, Kia, Lucid) will have to deal with at Tesla Superchargers. I never thought I would be happy that the EQS uses a 400v architecture. But I am. I hope MB implements their next generation of 800v EVs to be able to charge as two 400v battery packs to facilitate charging at Tesla Superchargers.

CaribbeanBlue

Thank you for posting your experience with the Tesla Magic Dock. I have been trying to find out what charge rate I can expect when the Tesla v3 chargers open up to non-Tesla EV's. The 150 kw rate is acceptable to me on my road trips. I miss the 250 kw rate with my previous Tesla's; however, I will never miss the DieselGate charging network!

LAZARU5

As I recall, there were two banks of four chargers at the Brewster, NY charging station. On the outbound leg of the trip there were six cars charging and on the return trip there were four cars. In both instances we were sharing the available power with other EVs. If we had been the only car on the bank of chargers we were using, perhaps we would have seen a better rate. Five years ago we were frequently the only Tesla at the charging stations. Those days are long gone unless you are traveling in the middle of the night.

icwhatudidthere

That Brewster NY location is key for me too for my trips to Connecticut. Connecticut along I84 is like a charging black hole and there's no Electrify America available until Hartford. I84 was designated a charging corridor so hopefully that means some new locations will be coming but for the next year or so I'll be dependent on the Brewster NY Supercharging location.

The one issue I run into with the Magic Dock is that you need connectivity for the app to work. And at that Brewster location, my phone reports strong 5G signal but doesn't actually connect successfully. So I'm SOL until the phone drops to LTE a few minutes later. Hopefully that will be solved with the official adapter and proper Plug & Charge support.