For those who own Teslas, or indeed any EV, charging is a routine without which life cannot exist. Strata dwellers must trek to the nearest public outlet regularly.

After a day of trekking, depletion was imminent, so I schlepped around the local shops at Broadway, range anxiety at max. In fact, it hit max at 80%, and always does. The same thoughts rattle around my hed, regardless of how hard the app tries to reassure: Will the charger be free when I need it? Will it work when I get there?

As we are now finding, all outlets are frequently in use, and one queue. I hate lining up. To make matters worse, EV owners low on charge are more like lions at watering hole, ready to pounce on queue jumpers with lethal force.

After winding my way through the poorly signed Broadway Centre, I found only a few of the Super Chargers occupied. Hoorah!

My good cheer was short lived.

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ABOVE: Charging Tesla Model Y at Broadway- Sydney

I plugged the Model Y in, and headed jauntily for the lift, with a genuine bounce in my step. Sadly, I’d failed to check whether or not charging had begun. It hadn’t. By pure chance I glanced at the app as I got to the top floor. 5 floors away, the Model Y, secreted within the bowels of the building, heralded trouble brewing within.

I returned to the Model Y, my cheer draining faster with each step.  Indeed, charging had not started. After a dozen attempts to coax her into action, there was only one thing for it. I moved to another charger which fired up first stab. I was utterly incandescent. The app should have warned me before I was far enough away for it to be inconvenient.

It seems that Tesla branded fast charging is as hideously unreliable as Chargefox. There appeared to be no reason for the procedure to have failed. With many EV owners unable to top up at home, this situation is not only infuriating, but unacceptable. Nonetheless, my Model Y was drinking like a drag queen, so my day could move on unmolested.

I completed a short list of chores, to find the Model Y at 99% upon return. Unlike other brands, the charger and car talk to each other. You don’t need a card, or 3rd party account. Your tesla account does the lot, and will bill you at 58c p/Kwh. It also pings you when finished, telling you to move your car or be hit with an over-stay fee.

New Teslas do not have free charging, but the cheeky white Model S next to our test car was 7 years old, and still with the original owner. They’re reluctant to upgrade to a new tesla, and why would they, their Model S still has free Super Charging, unless they overstay of course.

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