Thoughts on TESLA
- Thread starter frayne
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Ready
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It will be interesting to see how well the other auto manufacturers can compete if they rely on Electrify America rather than building out their own network. If the speeds are reasonably fast it may be fine. Then we will have to see if Tesla keeps building their own proprietary chargers or just leans more on the third party ones.
It’s a bid odd now that Tesla has built such a vast supercharger network for just their own fleet of cars. It would be like Ford deploying their own private gas stations for just the Ford fleet. In the long run I think having a fast charging network that anyone can use is best for successful EV adoption.
It’s a bid odd now that Tesla has built such a vast supercharger network for just their own fleet of cars. It would be like Ford deploying their own private gas stations for just the Ford fleet. In the long run I think having a fast charging network that anyone can use is best for successful EV adoption.
Chargers: When doing your trip planning and once you are enroute, can you see the status of the chargers along the way (inop, available, in-use, etc)? And is there some way to make a reservation so you'll have a charger available when you arrive? When it takes 30+ minutes to get a significant charge, it would be quite an inconvenience to pull up and be third in line. For a technology that claims to be advanced and cutting edge, it would be ironic if the best model they had for managing this is the medieval "person as placeholder" stand in a physical line or "take a number once you get here" approach. I'm sure a deposit and pre-pay arrangement would be needed to make it work.
Ready
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You can’t make a reservation but you can see how many stalls are available on the screen. Most people only charge for about 20 minutes so the lines move fairly quickly but occasionally you can hit a busy location, especially on the weekend, and have to queue up in line and wait for the next available bay.
I wonder why they don't fix this? Of course, the businesses that own the real estate where the charger is located benefit from the captive audience.
The market-based answer would be variable pricing (charging is more expensive at more popular times to encourage people to charge elsewhere and also to encourage the fielding of
more chargers, particularly at high-demand locations). A more extreme step would be on-the-job bidding at the location:. The person willing to pay the most for the electricity gets the next available port. If I'm number three in line and the charge is more important to me (ice cream melting in the grocery bag, kids super grumpy from the long trip), I'd be willing to pay a few bucks more to be next in line.
I suppose some cross words might get exchanged a few the Supercharget but, it is a small price for progress.
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Ready
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I’m not sure that there is really anything to fix. Most of the time there is no wait. Occasionally there is a wait. The longest time I’ve had to wait at a supercharger is still less time than I’ve spent waiting to buy gas at my local Costco.
Both the built-in 'Trip Planner' map and phone app show how many charging pedestals are being used. California and a few other places are busy where this is an issue. I traveled from IL to WA out on I-80 and back on I-70 and never hit a full Supercharging location. That was true on our IL to NC Thankgiving trip too even.
You can go here to see Travel (120+kW) and Urban (72kW) Superchargers being opened/permitted and how many pedestals are being added at a time (per location). https://supercharge.info/changes
Keep in mind that when there are 8-12 pedestals at a location that people are arriving at random times so there is always someone close to being done and about ready to pull out. As I said in my 30K+ miles of supercharging roadtrip I don't see issues but then that is central USA.
With all the Model 3 sales that is definitely making the superchargers busier but most of those are pay-as-you-go so less convenient charging and more for traveler charging.
In-car map
In phone app
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Mr. Tightwad
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In my 13 months of ownership I've waited once for 3 minutes for a supercharger. And I live in Southern California where Tesla's are abundant.
As Ready said, most people charge for about 20 minutes. If there are 12 chargers, a spot opens up every couple minutes even if it was full.
44 chargers are being installed in downtown Pasadena by end of summer, charging locations will continue to grow.
At your previously reported 5000 miles annually for one of your cars (less than 15 miles per day), you may be among the fortunate minority of users with the flexibility to choose off- peak refill opportunities. Just like lines at the he post office are now a distant memory for me.
Seeing used Tesla's in Houston for mid 30's give it a few and I might buy a used one , since they take no maintenance .
Question though , I see these charging stations at Walmart and I am seeing gasoline cars parked there like a parking place . Is this happening elsewhere , or is this a Tesla protest ?
Question though , I see these charging stations at Walmart and I am seeing gasoline cars parked there like a parking place . Is this happening elsewhere , or is this a Tesla protest ?
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Mr. Tightwad
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They are open 24/7.
No, I have never been to a supercharger unless it's been the middle of the day.
There has always been at least one spot available, except the one time. Sometimes there's only 1-3 cars there, other times I have taken the last available spot.
Somebody may have trouble finding a spot but in my experience I get there and plug in.
Mr. Tightwad
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Could be they don't know its EV parking.
Could be they are showing their anti-EV outlook.
I've been on the lookout for this where I live, and have never observed it yet.
Running_Man
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Sheryl Crow's Tesla won't reboot or start wants to know what you do with your Tesla when it doesn't work, return it? Guessing she could get her guitar out and dance in the road
Sheryl Crow's Tesla won't reboot or start wants to know what you do with your Tesla when it doesn't work, return it? Guessing she could get her guitar out and dance in the road
Good question. I've never had a problem with a gas engine vehicle starting that I couldn't easily solve. I once even had a car I could start with a screwdriver shorting the starter if I crawled under and shorted it. Had cars I could neutral drop into starting...drop the clutch and vroom vroom car starts on a roll down the hill. Can a TSLA do that?
Area they prime spots close to the store? It could be that others just resent having to walk farther so some drivers can get special treatment.
Mr. Tightwad
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I've been to superchargers at Burbank, Buena Park, and Downey. None fit that description.
Breedlove mentioned Walmart being where he saw that. That would mean it was one of VW's Electrify America's chargers. I have never encountered one of those. Don't know where they are situated in the parking lot.
Texas Proud
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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IF the EV market is going to be as big as some make it out here... then they do not need to do so... other companies will want to get in on the profits that will happen when there are 10s of millions of cars needing a recharge...
And this is one of the things that people like me who think the transition will be much slower than some claim here (like no gas stations in 10 years) is that there will need to be a significant amount invested in infrastructure before the EV becomes mainstream...
It is right now a niche market and I see it as one for at least 5 more years...
Mr. Tightwad
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Mr. Tightwad
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Let's say it takes 20 years to reach 50% EV sales in the US. The other 50% ICE and hybrids (if they are not banned). That still means there will be some gas stations.
I just don't want to have to go to them.
The supercharger locations relative to the store(s) they are near can vary quite a bit. There are some big chain stores in the midwest getting behinds Tesla and they rightfully put the chargers off to the side and back. I'm 100% fine with walking to their store x feet and supporting them. Sometimes this is also done because there are *separate* transformers to support the superchargers so the location doesn't need to be near the store.
By contrast some slower Level 2 chargers (J1772 fitting several cars) are sometimes put *near* the store front because they ran the wire *from* the store ... thus it was cheaper.
HyVee's
Meijer's
Gigafactory 3
This is the new China factory for Tesla Model 3 and Y. Expected to be up and running by year's end:
https://insideevs.com/tesla-gigafactory-3-new-video/
This is the new China factory for Tesla Model 3 and Y. Expected to be up and running by year's end:
https://insideevs.com/tesla-gigafactory-3-new-video/
Most of the electric charging stations out here are actually closest to the entrance, next to the handicap spots. Includes hotel chains, IKEAs, office buildings and universities.
A bit silly tbh seeing all those empty spaces (handicap + chargers).
A bit silly tbh seeing all those empty spaces (handicap + chargers).
No doubt that charging and range need to improve (and they are).
However, I believe there are close to 100 million single family homes in the U.S., alone. So, that means there is still a huge untapped market for those with the ability to charge overnight in their carport/garage.
I would also bet that most of those homes have at least two cars. This means that at least one ICE car will remain after the first EV purchase. Long trips could still be made with that car if charging breaks are too much to bear for the traveler.
The larger point is that, regardless of how many Tesla charging stations exist, there is no shortage of potential buyers who will rarely need them. And, Tesla seems to be the only serious supplier of affordable EVs over next couple of years. Tesla is in a very good position if you believe that that the EV market is taking off (and how could you not?).
That situation, the (general) failure to pay for road maintenance, the tax subsidies... it all adds up. Warranted or not, EV drivers should not be surprised if resentment grows.
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