AMIRZA786

The A Class is the 4 banger, correct?

SW17LS

Oh yes, and FWD. Honestly a Civic is a way better car.

AMIRZA786

Ugh. The worst of both worlds

SW17LS

I actually brought one back one time to trade it for a different loaner.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

your wife's co-worker can't do charging at home?
if he always wants to charge to 100% i guess he likes wasting time.
frankly he sounds like an idiot.

BayeauxLex

He said his next vehicle is between the Mercedes G wagon EV or a gas S class.

He travels often for work. He said he just needed something to take him on his business trips. Wanted a Mercedes, he said he got the last A class the dealer had left on the lot.

I’ve been telling you guys there are no chargers (outside of 8 Tesla chargers) around me within 50+ miles. He said he received 2yrs of free charging with EA. Well the closest one is 2hrs away in a small town with a population of just over 16k and no one travels that direction unless you know someone that lives there. There’s another EA charger little over 3hrs away but instead he goes to Mercedes dealership and charge (prior to the A class). Sits for a hour to get back to 100%.

He received a quote for $3k to install a charger at his home. He was charging at the Mercedes dealer for free every week. Changed ownership now he said the dealer charges him $26 to charge to 100% every week. I mentioned he should get another quote on a charger install for his home. He ordered his adapter to be able to charge at 1 of the 8 Tesla chargers we have. I explained he doesn’t have to always charge to 100% but he prefers to. He’s a Mercedes owner with plenty of money and time. 😁

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

Mercedes hasn’t been given access to superchargers yet so he won’t be charging at the Tesla stations unless they’re the slow level 2 destination chargers found at hotels. That’s a different adapter than the SC adapter though

UltraLux22

Although not reaching the degree of atrocity portrayed in the aforementioned situation, I've recently shared an encounter that shares an experience with a long-distance journey.

***

Road Trip Charging Highs & Woes: My Exploits with Electrify America's Charging Network

As a proud owner of a 23 EQS 450, my recent vacation to a beach town in Florida was an electrifying adventure. Covering over 1,400 miles to and fro, finding the proper charging stations is a daunting task. But with careful planning and some luck, I found the perfect EA stations and kept my electric baby charged throughout the journey.

To my surprise, the trip was smoother than I anticipated. Using EA stations for 98% of my journey, I made only three stops on the way down and the same on the way home. The charging process was seamless, except for the charging drama that ensued on the way home. But before I get to that, let me tell you how my journey went.

Everything went relatively flawlessly, and I only needed to initiate Plug and Charge. Initiating via the MBUX interface or App was unnecessary. However, I didn't have the best positive first impression when I tested the closest EA station to my home when I first acquired my EQS. The actual charge level achieved was only 64 kW on a Hyperfast charger, far from the expected rate of 150. So, I was worried about the timing of each stop. However, my anxiety was alleviated after three simple and high-speed charging experiences at selected EA locations.

Now, let's return to the "fun stuff" that transpired on the trip home. The temperatures were in the low 90s, and it was humid as hell, with plenty of downpours along the way. The first stop was a nightmare, and I had to deal with a nearly 90-minute waste of oxygen conversation with EA support. I was contending with the inclement weather and a frustrated passenger, and my patience was being tested beyond measure.

After trying over six stations and nearly 12 connections, I attempted to initiate the charge through the MBUX interface with no luck. Since I only charge at home on my level 2, this was my first long-distance traveling experience with charging. Since each previous stop had been smooth and seamless, I was at a loss for why this occurred. But the real problem was that each station had the same issue—Plug and Charge, and the vehicle interface would not initiate.

After attempts at the first location, I initiated a charge via the Mercedes Me Connect app, but I wasn't sure how I got it to work. The next stop had the same problem, and I realized that the App was the only way to initiate charging, but it needed to be smoother and seamless.

The combination of traveling fatigue, incredibly muggy, wet, and hot weather conditions, pissed-off pets and passengers, and the potential reality of not being able to get home promptly were nearly enough to cause me to question why in the hell would I ever get this F****g EV. But I still managed to stay rational and kept my cool.

Although I still do not know the issue, at least by the 3rd stop, I realized the App was the only way to go, so tensions were relieved. However, it caused a nearly 4-hour delay on a 14-hour trip, which wasn't fun. I'll still look for answers, but it all boils down to something with the Plug and Charge not initiating, and I am trying to figure out why.

I am incredibly impressed with the EQS's range and performance. Now that I have gained more experience with the process, future trips should be less stressful, and I will be able to navigate any potential issues easily. Despite any drama with EA, this is an amazing way for those who enjoy it to travel.

Side Notes***

1. As per the instructions on the EQS PSI Tire guidelines and considering the heavy cargo load during my journey, I decided to increase the rear tires to 47 PSI, as indicated by the inside door jamb tag. However, this resulted in an uncomfortably rough ride, and I had to revert to the original 41 PSI for both front and rear tires. While I understand the purpose of this directive, including the potential for compromised handling, suspension issues, tire strain, and wear and tear, the negative impact on ride quality was not worth the benefits. Although not inflating the rear tires to the recommended extra load PSI rating may have caused more wear, it was a fair trade-off for a comfortable driving experience.


2. The Electronic Navigation Intelligence feature of the EQS may sometimes be challenging to navigate. The system sometimes suggests charging stops based on the range monitor that may not align with your intended route or specific charging location requirements, such as Electrify America for those who still have free charging for two years. In such scenarios, you may need to manually select specific locations to make the system follow your intended stops. The system will route you based on its perceived needs, which may not be Electrify America but other charging platforms. Pre-planning your stops to force EV locations may require creative maneuvering, which can be complicated to explain. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not always accept the default choices provided by the system and instead try to force the right charging locations. With practice, you can efficiently navigate the system. I used the App and MBUX interface to override the navigation system's suggestions with my preferred routes.

3. Recently, I came across https://www.plugshare.com/, a tool of exceptional caliber for managing trips and charging stations, specifically designed for EV owners. This tool boasts advanced features and technical capabilities that surpass those of comparable tools currently available. It was highly instrumental in helping me find the optimal route and charging options, making it a must-have for anyone who wants to enhance their EV travel experience. To ensure that I follow the optimal charging routes, I combined this tool with the Electronic Intelligence navigation feature of my EQS. I strongly recommend this comprehensive tool to anyone seeking to optimize their EV travel experience.

*** In rereading my post from another site, I realized a typo may have given an inaccurate explanation of my charging experience, so I figured I clarified there; I'll do the same here. My typo was that I mistakenly wrote 64 kWh, but I intended to indicate 64 kW.

To further elaborate for those of us who aren't always in the know.

One kilowatt (kW) is a power unit representing the rate at which an electrical device uses energy. On the other hand, one kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy that measures the total amount of electricity consumed or produced over time. While kW denotes the instantaneous power demand, kWh represents the amount of energy consumed over an hour at a constant power demand of 1 kW.

To elaborate even further... EVs rely on a battery to power themselves, and it's essential to understand the difference between kilowatts (kW) and kilowatt-hours (kWh) when it comes to charging them up. The size of an EV battery is measured in kWh, and each model has a different battery capacity. On the other hand, the power needed to charge an EV battery is measured in kW. Generally, the higher the kW of an EV charger, the faster it can charge the battery. However, several factors affect the charging time, such as the EV charging level, the EV charge acceptance rate, the battery size, and any number of mysterious factors. However, it's important to remember that what is advertised may not always be the reality. For example, during my recent experience, I was only able to achieve a maximum of 64 kW on a Hyper-Fast charger, despite the label stating that it offers up to 350 kW for a CCS-compatible EV.

To sum it up, in the EV world, kWh refers to the battery's size, while kW refers to the power used to charge it. The EV chargers are rated in kW, and their duration will determine the energy consumed by the charger and the amount of energy delivered to the EV battery in kWh.

SW17LS

Youre right, the guys sounds like an idiot. He’s deliberately making his experience terrible.

So an EV with range far worse than the EQS or a gas S Class. Like bit said, the guy is an idiot lol

He doesn’t want to be comfortable on his business trips?

[quote]I’ve been telling you guys there are no chargers (outside of 8 Tesla chargers) around me within 50+ miles. He said he received 2yrs of free charging with EA. Well the closest one is 2hrs away in a small town with a population of just over 16k and no one travels that direction unless you know someone that lives there. There’s another EA charger little over 3hrs away but instead he goes to Mercedes dealership and charge (prior to the A class). Sits for a hour to get back to 100%.[/quote-]

Or he could just put a charger in his house lol

Clearly he doesn’t have plenty of money if he’s balking at spending $3k for a home charger and would rather drive and sit for an hour.

I say let the guy suffer in his own stupidity lol.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

he reminds me of a famous quote...

...

so he spent $40-50k on an a-class but won't spend 3k on a home charger.

if he's only sitting 'for an hour' to get to 100% then he's probably starting at 70-80%.

did he inherit his money?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

great post.

UltraLux22

While I perish the thought now, in my youth, A-B transportation comfort would have barely registered in my brain. Now, and at the risk of sounding pretentious, I also couldn't imagine that significant downgrade, especially on an endurance-laden road trip."

UltraLux22

During a recent road trip, I encountered a restaurant with two Tesla destination chargers. I attempted to connect to one of them using an adapter but only managed to achieve a charging speed of 4.6 kW. This is significantly lower than the maximum 9.6 kW charging speed that my level 2 charger at home can offer.

Adapter I used:

SW17LS

Oh I agree, why somebody would spend all that money on an EQS and then ANOTHER $45k on a terrible A Class to drive on trips. Makes no sense lol.

AMIRZA786

I read through your previous post, and yeah, EA charging can be a nightmare if they are not working. With Tesla superchargers, it takes no brain power or thought at all. Back in, plug in (using one hand) and go to the bathroom, stretch your legs, or just sit back in the car. Hopefully you guys with non Tesla's get to experience travelling using Tesla superchargers