We left the graduation ceremony at the RAAF base, turned right, when we should have…

…turned left. This gave us an unexpected 40km half hour exploration of the back suburbs, Gobbagombalin (where our RAAF graduating son and young family are moving), the Murrumbidgee River, Gumly Gumly (our motel), plus the local EV chargers.

Charging:

On the way from Emerald to Wagga Wagga yesterday, we only charged when we stopped anyway for rest breaks. So, we arrived with only about 25% charge. We figured we’d charge up today while exploring the local area.

We stopped briefly at the ultrafast Tesla v4 superchargers. It charged us at 153kW, close to our car’s maximum of 170kW. The charger is capable of twice that speed. It’s out the back of a hotel in a car park with a locking gate. The Tesla navigation tells you the gate access code, in case you need it. It’s a short walk across the road to fast food such as Macca’s, but the area is pretty suburban, rather than a nice rest stop.

We moved on to the 50kW NRMA charger next to a park on the Murrumbidgee River. Slower than the Tesla chargers but much prettier location for a stroll.

While wandering along the river levee bank, I also discovered a nearby 22kW AC charger (limited to 11kW by our Tesla). It’s 28c per kWh, about half the price of the NRMA charger, but a quarter of the speed and you have to provide your own cable. A reasonable option if you have a lot of time to spare and can be bothered with your own cable.

Great to have options. In summary:
1. Tesla Superchargers. Up to 170kW. 68c/kWh. Suburbia. Fast food nearby.
2. NRMA charger. 50kW. 60c/kWh (-10% for NRMA/RACV members). Park, river and amenities nearby.
3. Smart Charge destination charger. BYO cable. 11/22kW. 28c/kWh. Park, river and amenities nearby.

The best option would simply be a power point at our accommodation. Charge while we sleep.