Some of these things are the same in the US, others not.
> 1. Slow chargers typically involve using an app or website, so you need to find that, figure out how to tell it which charger you're at, enter your payment details. Hopefully you've got internet access in the underground car park that you've selected.
Yes, this can be somewhere from mildly to extremely annoying. I have also seen chargers that accept tap to pay credit cards though, no account needed.
> 2. Each provider has a different app or website - they're typically difficult to use and buggy, but each in its own unique way.
Similar in the US, though I wouldnt describe any of the apps as difficult to use or buggy. Usually the most annoying part is creating an account.
> 3. Slow chargers don't don't come with their own cables, so you need to get your one out of the boot, and put it away again.
Never seen this in the US. I dont even know what the cable would be.
> 4. Stopping charging typically involves navigating the website/app again, hopefully you haven't closed the tab, otherwise it's going to be a pain getting back there.
Stopping charging is usually doable from the app, but usually I dont want to stop charging until I am ready to physically disconnect which also stops charging.
> 5. There's no indication on how much it's going to cost until after you've gone through all the trouble. Even then it can be unclear - for example do I need to pay for parking while I'm charging or not?
I dont think I've run into a charger that doesnt display pricing info yet.
> 6. It often costs as much or more than the supercharger - although all the prices I saw were cheaper than the UK.
Wow, that is awful. In general slow (AC) charging in the US is half the price or less of fast (DC) charging. In fact, usually public AC chargers are even cheaper than charging at home (for me, very expensive kwh at home).
> 7. There are typically idle fees, so you might find yourself having to disconnect your car and move it in the middle of the night (assuming you put it on charge in the evening)[^1], or you might find yourself having to rush back to the car in the middle of your sightseeing.
This is annoying but necessary. If chargers let you idle for free, it would be impossible to find an empty space many places. I think the idle fees (usually $1-3/hour in the US) are a reasonable compromise.
Then the chargers (and the car) just have a socket - but the sockets have locking pins on both ends. Thanks to your response I now realise that the stopping charging issue is related - the cables are locked in place until you stop. If the charging station provided their own cables all we'd have to do is disconnect from the car to stop charging.
> Wow, that is awful. In general slow (AC) charging in the US is half the price or less of fast (DC) charging. In fact, usually public AC chargers are even cheaper than charging at home (for me, very expensive kwh at home).
That sounds lovely. The cheapest slow charger in France that I used was €0.30/kWh ($0.33/kWh). A typical Tesla supercharger on the autoroute was a comparable ~€0.35/kWh ($0.39/kWh). Still, beats the socks off the £0.56/kWh ($0.75/kWh) I pay at the slow charger near my house.
> This is annoying but necessary. If chargers let you idle for free, it would be impossible to find an empty space many places. I think the idle fees (usually $1-3/hour in the US) are a reasonable compromise.
At home it's £3/hr ($4/hr), so if I charge overnight and don't play games with my charging rate I can easily spend more on idle fees than electricity.
> 1. Slow chargers typically involve using an app or website, so you need to find that, figure out how to tell it which charger you're at, enter your payment details. Hopefully you've got internet access in the underground car park that you've selected.
Yes, this can be somewhere from mildly to extremely annoying. I have also seen chargers that accept tap to pay credit cards though, no account needed.
> 2. Each provider has a different app or website - they're typically difficult to use and buggy, but each in its own unique way.
Similar in the US, though I wouldnt describe any of the apps as difficult to use or buggy. Usually the most annoying part is creating an account.
> 3. Slow chargers don't don't come with their own cables, so you need to get your one out of the boot, and put it away again.
Never seen this in the US. I dont even know what the cable would be.
> 4. Stopping charging typically involves navigating the website/app again, hopefully you haven't closed the tab, otherwise it's going to be a pain getting back there.
Stopping charging is usually doable from the app, but usually I dont want to stop charging until I am ready to physically disconnect which also stops charging.
> 5. There's no indication on how much it's going to cost until after you've gone through all the trouble. Even then it can be unclear - for example do I need to pay for parking while I'm charging or not?
I dont think I've run into a charger that doesnt display pricing info yet.
> 6. It often costs as much or more than the supercharger - although all the prices I saw were cheaper than the UK.
Wow, that is awful. In general slow (AC) charging in the US is half the price or less of fast (DC) charging. In fact, usually public AC chargers are even cheaper than charging at home (for me, very expensive kwh at home).
> 7. There are typically idle fees, so you might find yourself having to disconnect your car and move it in the middle of the night (assuming you put it on charge in the evening)[^1], or you might find yourself having to rush back to the car in the middle of your sightseeing.
This is annoying but necessary. If chargers let you idle for free, it would be impossible to find an empty space many places. I think the idle fees (usually $1-3/hour in the US) are a reasonable compromise.