Broken Superchargers “survey”

[mbp11]

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and occasionally I have pulled into a supercharger station and backed in to charge, only to find out that the charger was not working. So that is why the stall is empty! In the past I have tried to call the Tesla help and service line to report it, but sometimes I cannot get through.

I found out from Tesla support that the best way to report an issue or express concerns regarding a Supercharger station or request maintenance on a current Supercharger station, email the Supercharger specialists at:

[email protected]

I also take a picture of the charger in question with its designation, i.e., 1b, 5 b.

I also forward the photos and messages to [email protected].

I have found that they fix them very quickly. Sometimes I get a nice reply in response, but I have found that they are always repaired very quickly.

If you find that a station is not working or out of service, do your fellow Tesla owners a favor and report it in a timely fashion!

The yellow alert tape is a good idea, too. Randy, do you use the superchargers very often in the island city of Alameda? Might be going there with some family next month and might need it. Checking out the St George Distillery and the German restaurant Speisekammer!

 

[israndy]

Wow! Come ahead, happy to have you visit. I don't use the local Superchargers often, but I have used them (obviously) more than any other charger. I put solar on the roof this summer so I can charge at home. Little did I know you don't get much solar in the winter. So today I got a CHAdeMO adapter so I can charge at faster public chargers...

I am curious if you have tried your tricks recently. I used to give that exact advice, but recently with the phone tree changes I listed above and the bounced messages, it seems like that trick is no longer an option.

 

[RFernatt]

You'd think the charging screen in the app would have a "Report slow/broken stall" option. If the stall is at least connected, Tesla would know which one the car is connected to automatically. Otherwise, just enter stall # and give the ability to upload a photo if physical damage. If they get multiple reports on the same stall, it's not a car issue.

 

[cpa]

Is Tesla able to detect plugs that have broken pins, cracked casings, dirt and sand clogging the plug orifice, and other non-electrical issues?

 

[israndy]

I am sure they track usage statistically so that would show up.

 

[cpa]

I am sure they track usage statistically so that would show up.

Tracking usage statistically does not equate to sussing out the problem as to why the stall is under utilized as compared to the other stalls. There might be a correlation of course. Or it might be coincidental. And with Tesla’s historical sub par software functionality, we have no assurance that their dedication to detection, solution, and resolution of malfunctioning Supercharging stalls is anything but desultory.

In my 70 months of ownership, Tesla’s philosophy with software is simply good enough. Guess I have more pride in my work product: Good enough is not my goal. But then my name and reputation is on my work product. No one’s name or reputation is on Tesla’s.

 

[mbp11]

This is a message to Tesla owners in the Fresno, California area who use the Fresno Supercharger. I charged there last weekend and found that stall 4B would not charge and only gave a yellow warning light. Fortunately there were other stalls open and was able to move over one and chart normally. A fellow M3 owner charging there said the stall had been out of order for some time, and she has called the help line to report it but it was still not working over months.

I photographed it and sent a message in to [email protected] and [email protected] and asked them to repair it.

Can someone check this week to see if it was fixed and let me know? If it is not, then I will escalate the complaint if I can.

GRRRR!

Mike P

 

[jesselks]

I routinely have difficulty at Arlington VA (Market Common Clarendon). When it first opened I found only stall 1A worked. Over a year later and about four of the 18 are clearly taped over, with another three or four malfunctioning as I hunt for a working stall. Another model 3 owner suggested we keep reporting as this station doesn't seem to be getting better.

In my past three visits, I've run across two new drivers with a look of disillusionment. They were probably wondering if their car was broken and what the hell they were going to do with a car that couldn't charge. I point them to spots that seem more reliable and mention that I've never had this problem at any other location.

Maybe the fault is an uninterested retail property manager, or limits to local power supply. But I'm sure I'm not the only driver who depends on superchargers (until local condos accept wall connectors).

 

[ilyak]

Can someone check this week to see if it was fixed and let me know? If it is not, then I will escalate the complaint if I can.

View attachment 489370

Lol, Utica is still missing 2-4 stalls out of 8 depending on the day. Been going on since March, reported many times, nothing happens.

 

[mbp11]

Sorry to hear about the supercharger problems in Utica, have you reported it (with pictures) to the email addresses above?

Mike P

 

[ilyak]

Sorry to hear about the supercharger problems in Utica, have you reported it (with pictures) to the email addresses above?

Mike P

Yes, as both of my messages in this thread say, I have reported the problems at this charger to Tesla multiple times and received copy-pasted responses that chargers are monitored remotely and no reporting is necessary. Eventually, I gave up. I did not include pictures as I am not sure how they would help anything, the malfunctioning chargers appear normal. In any case, my response was more to illustrate that Tesla currently does not give a damn about maintaining the chargers, at least in my area.

 

[mbp11]

This very discouraging. I will try yo forward your post the the supercharger complaint sites

 

[ilyak]

This very discouraging. I will try yo forward your post the the supercharger complaint sites

If by complaint sites you mean PlugShare, I linked to the page for this charger above. There’s a clear history of issues at this charger documented there. The crappy part is that this is a key charger for West-to-East travel on I-90 as it’s the last one until Albany and it is always busy. With just 8 stalls, this means having to share if more than 3 cars are there.

Going the other way, thankfully, you have more options with Syracuse and Waterloo.