GregH said:
...As for the QC network, the model S needs 90-120kW because the car isn't very efficient. If Nissan can keep the V2 Leaf more or less as efficient as V1 then 50kW (or Kia 100kW?) Chademo wouldn't be all that much different than a 120kW supercharged model S given only a portion of the charge is at full power anyway...
As
Rebel44 pointed out upthread, a major problem with Chademo is the lack of redundancy. So far as I am aware, the minimum Supercharger station has 4 chargers and many/most have more, sometimes double or triple that number.
Chademo chargers have also turned out to be unreliable in many areas, according to numerous reports here at MNL: broken, limited access, or expensive to use.
In my view there is simply no comparison between Tesla's Supercharger network and the Chademo model. Yes, the Tesla will likely cost more than a similar range Chademo-port-equipped Nissan. For local or regional travel the Nissan might well be a better buy. But if one is interested in a one BEV household with the ability to do interstate travel — as I am — paying extra for the Tesla Model III might well be worth it. We shall see.
As for your comment about the Supercharger not being able to charge at full speed to full charge, while true, it overlooks how the Supercharger network is best used. Those doing interstate travel charge only enough to get to the next station plus a modest reserve. That means that the vast majority of charging is done in the bottom half of the battery at full speed. This only works because one can rely on a Supercharger spot being open at the next station, 80-130 miles away
*, thanks to the number of chargers at each location. It is a completely different paradigm from the Chademo model (as currently implemented).
* Some Supercharger station distances here on my home turf:
Code:
Station 1 Station 2 Miles Terrain
Denver Silverthorne 79.8 major elevation change (Eisenhower tunnel)
Silverthorne Glenwood Springs 92.5 major elevation change (Vail Pass)
Glenwood Springs Grand Junction 90.4 little elevation change
Grand Junction Green River 97.1 little elevation change
Green River Richfield 123 significant elevation change (Wasatch Pass)
Grand Junction Moab 113 little elevation change
Moab Blanding 74.4 significant elevation change
Blanding Farmington 133 little elevation change
Farmington Gallup 121 little elevation change