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Teriyaki88
Member
While common sense and being polite should be the norm, there are instances when I will charge to 100% at a SC. It depends on where I'm at and where I'm going. This is based on just my own experiences. San Diego is my home base.
@ Hawthorne: It doesn't make sense for me to go 100% at Hawthorne as there are many charging options within 100+/- miles.
@ Barstow: I will charge to 100% at Barstow on the way to LV. When I made the trip in Feb I had no choice as most people drive 75-100 MPH on that route. It's hilly, its windy and there are too many variables that could leave me and my family stranded in the middle of the desert. (This could go away if Primm and another station in San Bernardino gets built)
@ Harris Ranch: If I'm going to the Bay Area I don't need to 100% as there are multiple SC options and hundreds of other public stations. However I will charge to 100% if i'm going to Sacramento area as there are no other options along the way.
Bottom line: Before everyone gives the evil eye to those people who charge to 100%, they should realize there are times when 100% charging is needed.
Thanks!
@ Hawthorne: It doesn't make sense for me to go 100% at Hawthorne as there are many charging options within 100+/- miles.
@ Barstow: I will charge to 100% at Barstow on the way to LV. When I made the trip in Feb I had no choice as most people drive 75-100 MPH on that route. It's hilly, its windy and there are too many variables that could leave me and my family stranded in the middle of the desert. (This could go away if Primm and another station in San Bernardino gets built)
@ Harris Ranch: If I'm going to the Bay Area I don't need to 100% as there are multiple SC options and hundreds of other public stations. However I will charge to 100% if i'm going to Sacramento area as there are no other options along the way.
Bottom line: Before everyone gives the evil eye to those people who charge to 100%, they should realize there are times when 100% charging is needed.
Thanks!
The last few percent may make the difference between arriving or not to your destination at any speed.
Having said that, I still do not think I would try to eek out the last 5-10% if there are people waiting. I'd probably stop for a J1772 charge somewhere along the way. I was probably pushing to far anyway.
My two 100% SC charges were Yuma, both times I was the only car there with 8 stalls.
This is incorrect. During my Teslive 2013 adventure, I went as far south as San Diego. Why did I "stop" "only" that far south? Because there were no superchargers farther south than Hawthorne and I didn't wait for even 90% charge. I spent a few hours taking a nap behind the San Diego service center thanking Tesla for leaving a 14-50 extension cord connected to some vehicles out back.
No perhaps you don't think it's reasonable to have such adventures, but that doesn't make it "no reason".
The only supercharger I routinely charge to 100% (or very very close to it) is Fremont. With every other supercharger, I charge just what I need, plus a little buffer, to get to the next supercharger. For every subsequent long trip I shave the charge amounts down as I get more comfortable optimizing more aggressively (and saving more time).
So, why max out at Fremont? Because it's the base of operations for driving all over the Bay Area, sometimes schedules change, meeting locations change, sudden dinner invite in Napa, etc., so things are unpredictable and I wanna have as much range as the car'll take.
So, why max out at Fremont? Because it's the base of operations for driving all over the Bay Area, sometimes schedules change, meeting locations change, sudden dinner invite in Napa, etc., so things are unpredictable and I wanna have as much range as the car'll take.
This is incorrect and naive. What was someone saying earlier: "California-limited thinking"?
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Exactly. (Note that I've interjected the underlined. Going 40mph below the speed limit to validate someone's charging philosophy is quite unsafe.)
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For the record, my car is still a Trip charge virgin so I get what you're saying about planning. But these generalizations are over the top and not productive.
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apvbguy
Banned
I chose to skip the bethesda SC because it is not really on the way and the time of day I was coming through the area would be very congested. I did an almost full charge in DE and drove 60-65 mph and arrived at Glann Allen VA with almost 40 miles to spare.
Once woodbridge va is up and running this will be a non issue.
I am quite aware of the spacing of the SC on the I 95 corridor, being that I just drove it, and the biggest gap in the SCs is now from savannah GA to St Aug. Fla, about 175 miles.
In Fla the biggest issue for me is the lack of a SC in Orlando and/or Tampa which for now shuts me out of the west coast, also I'd like to see the I 10 corridor built out like I 95 is, but this is for a different thread
[Disclaimer: didn't read the whole thread...]
I've heard that the Hawthorne SC was always meant as the mock-up experimental station for Tesla to work on and not really meant to be part of the public network, however they added it because it's needed. When other locations get added around LA, this one may even get removed (or definitely less busy).
Regarding waiting/moving. To me this akin to coming up behind someone with a loaded grocery cart in cashier's line at the store and you have a box of cereal. Some people will give you a quick nod so you can cut in line, others will pretend you don't exist. Whichever, I don't go up and ask them if I can cut in. I wouldn't do that here either, unless I have kids in the car or is desperate. If I manage to engage them in a discussion, sure, and the guy wanting to go 120 miles to San Diego might have heard a few things, but other than that it's first come first served.
I think one item that may help is if Tesla can arrange for expected charge time to show up when supercharging. Not sure why it does that everywhere else but at SC...?
I've heard that the Hawthorne SC was always meant as the mock-up experimental station for Tesla to work on and not really meant to be part of the public network, however they added it because it's needed. When other locations get added around LA, this one may even get removed (or definitely less busy).
Regarding waiting/moving. To me this akin to coming up behind someone with a loaded grocery cart in cashier's line at the store and you have a box of cereal. Some people will give you a quick nod so you can cut in line, others will pretend you don't exist. Whichever, I don't go up and ask them if I can cut in. I wouldn't do that here either, unless I have kids in the car or is desperate. If I manage to engage them in a discussion, sure, and the guy wanting to go 120 miles to San Diego might have heard a few things, but other than that it's first come first served.
I think one item that may help is if Tesla can arrange for expected charge time to show up when supercharging. Not sure why it does that everywhere else but at SC...?
Some might scream "OMG bribe" or somesuch, but I'm not thinking of it in that light....
If you're both waiting for 40+ minutes, maybe it's a good idea to suggest swapping spots and take the fuller charge to a cafe for a 30min chat about whatever and then swap cars when it's done.
I'm aware that not everybody looks....sociable... when on road trips but sometimes that's a better route than sitting on the grass upset you're having to wait.
roblab
Active Member
There is a level 2 charger at Harris Ranch. I have never seen anyone using it. When I saw it, it had a Roadster adapter hooked to it, as it is a Roadster charger, but usable. It is also over by the Subway sandwich shop, so I wonder if most people even know it's there.
I wonder how many people would move their cars at one hour (80% of charge) to a Level 2 charger, just to be nice. NICE? Not very many people think of anyone else wanting or needing a charge, or are aware of the fact that chargers ramp up and down and at an hour, the charger has really slowed down. Heck, most people I meet don't know the chargers are paired, and will pull into a paired spot next to the only other Tesla there.
Basically we need education. What signage might get people to understand any of these issues? How many of you put your cell number on the dash so people can call you if it's crowded and it looks like you've been there a while? Sure, you only PLANNED to be there 30 or 40 minutes, but.... Last time I was at Hawthorne, at least the guy getting a full charge was sitting in the car.
During the RAV4EV years, people were putting Charge Cards on the dash, with time charge started, estimated time of finish, telephone numbers, just about everything you would need to know. But there was always that small percentage (as I remember, it was about 80%) who never remembered to use them.
I have no suggestions. We are dealing with defective humans. And we're all defective. Thank goodness we are not relying on using 10 kWh chargers like we were then, waiting 4 or 5 hours to get enough charge to get back home. At least now it's only an hour or so.
tliving
Member
also keep in mind that some owners are new and may be taking their first long range SC trip. I know I had some range anxiety (MS60) so I charged close to max when heading to a SC that was >110 miles away. This allowed for getting lost, detours, sight seeing, and the rather fast speeds even in the "slow lane". I allowed myself a buffer in case something unexpected happened. I know better now, and hopefully people will learn once they get used to long distance driving with their MS's. Not saying you still won't get someone who will try to max charge.
The car could detect its SOC and a tesla central service could report a cluster of cars in the parking lot and display a banner in the screen reminding/nudging
"There are many cars in the lot maybe some of them need a quick charge. Please be courteous and when you have the range you need consider freeing up your station" you could continue to scroll banners about how it's faster to charge from 50 to 70 than from 80 to 100 and other educational bits we all give for granted but others may now know or want to be reminded of.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
No need to get personal. Disagree - that's cool. Insult - not so cool. You can do better.
I don't read "California-limited thinking" as an insult, but perhaps "California-centric" would be less likely to cause offense. It's just a fact when the company and largest group of owners are in California. Most trips outside of California are not from one supercharger to another. Another example which I have brought up before-- the "how far can I drive" calculator on the model S web site allows you to select a speed up to 70 mph. In other states the speed limit is 75 or 80 on highways, and there is even one near me in Texas at 85 mph. Why does the calculator only go up to 70, other than the person who created it in California isn't thinking about higher speed limits elsewhere?
and perhaps for a bit of PR too. Probably wouldn't want to show the low numbers. I agree though. There are definitely some issues that can likely be attributed to the "california factor"
Personally, I think it has way more to do with marketing than California-centricity. I wouldn't want to show how much the range decreases when you go 85 either. We all know Tesla has a history of selecting stats that make their product look best, but then so do most other companies.
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