Charging solely using the Supercharger network

[the_traveller]

Newbie here,

Thinking of taking the EV plunge however I will solely be charging using the Supercharger network. I live in a flat with no way of arranging home charging.

However I live close to 2 Supercharger stations.

1) I have a Supercharger station 4 min drive away from where I live
2) The 2nd Supercharger station is a 1 min detour on my way to work

I'm looking at either the M3 RWD 2024, or the MY RWD both on either 3 or 4yr contracts.

I've read varying statements regarding battery degradation? I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on this and anything I may not have thought of I should consider maybe? Thanks in advance

 

[Pink Duck]

What about work charging?

 

[Jwdrums]

Is the car going to be kept after the 4 years or handed back? Do you live near any slower charges (check zapmap or plugshare)?

 

[init6]

You might be better asking in the global forums. I believe a lot of folks in the US survive on only SuCs, so you may have better luck there.

 

[WllXM]

What about kerbside overnight charging (ubitricity, connectedkerb, Source) around you, as you apparently live in London?

Will definitely be better for your battery pack in the long term. Probably same average cost as a SC though. And at least you don't have to commute to charge or sit and wait every single time.

 

[dhanson865]

Newbie here,

Thinking of taking the EV plunge however I will solely be charging using the Supercharger network. I live in a flat with no way of arranging home charging.

However I live close to 2 Supercharger stations.

1) I have a Supercharger station 4 min drive away from where I live
2) The 2nd Supercharger station is a 1 min detour on my way to work

I'm looking at either the M3 RWD 2024, or the MY RWD both on either 3 or 4yr contracts.

I've read varying statements regarding battery degradation? I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on this and anything I may not have thought of I should consider maybe? Thanks in advance

If you plan on keeping the car for more than a decade don't charge over 75% SOC ever when doing daily charging. Ignore that rule on infrequent trips like a vacation or a special errand that isn't part of your weekly routine. Charge to 100% infrequently just to let the BMS figure out what full is, think once a month in the summer, or more frequently if needed in the winter.

If you don't plan on keeping it that long, just charge however you like and don't worry about battery wear.

Supercharging will slow dramatically at higher state of charge so you won't want to sit there charging to "full" on a regular basis because it will be a waste of time, not an issue for the battery.

 

[MXing]

I only utilize superchargers for charging these days and mostly rely on low usage locations outside of major cities. 90% of my current 170K Miles are from supercharging, so I really wouldn't worry about the battery life / degradation. My primary concerns would be around the extra costs for electricity and what is the actual availability of the superchargers near you. Is there a long line of cars waiting or are there always open spots?

 

[qwickshot]

If you are handing the car back after 3/4 years, don’t worry about it.

It’s not the right attitude but if the battery is buggered at 8 years old because you rapid charged it a lot for 4 years then you aren’t going to be around to worry about it.

I’d personally prefer to charge the car while it’s parked and I’m not using it but if your happy to rapid charge it weekly then go for it.

 

[yessuz]

Newbie here,

Thinking of taking the EV plunge however I will solely be charging using the Supercharger network. I live in a flat with no way of arranging home charging.

However I live close to 2 Supercharger stations.

1) I have a Supercharger station 4 min drive away from where I live
2) The 2nd Supercharger station is a 1 min detour on my way to work

I'm looking at either the M3 RWD 2024, or the MY RWD both on either 3 or 4yr contracts.

I've read varying statements regarding battery degradation? I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on this and anything I may not have thought of I should consider maybe? Thanks in advance

Ummm..

Did you check insurance cists?

 

[Ashdeman]

I've read varying statements regarding battery degradation? I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on this and anything I may not have thought of I should consider maybe? Thanks in advance

Honestly you should be fine, there was some data published last year that suggested supercharging had minimal impact on battery degradation. Report: Supercharging Doesn’t Degrade Tesla Battery Life

If only supercharging the car was really bad for the battery the manufacturer wouldn't let you do it, or would at least put a clause in the battery warranty.

 

[MrBadger]

I've read varying statements regarding battery degradation? I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on this and anything I may not have thought of I should consider maybe? Thanks in advance

Waiting whilst charging, any type, rapidly becomes a chore.

I did it for a couple of months and was glad when I could eventually just plug it in and leave it without having to monitor and unplug/move when charge completed. And that was in the days when having to queue was pretty much unheard of.

 

[MadScientist]

I wouldn’t worry about battery degradation. I would do my sums regarding my weekly mileage and assess how often I would likely have to charge. Especially, using a real world, cold weather range estimate. Cost may also be an issue. If you decide you can put up with the charging frquency and cost, go for it.

 

[boombap]

You’ll be fine.

I’ve done exactly this for the last 4 years and haven’t had any noticeable degradation, when comparing with a colleagues identical vehicle of the same age who charges exclusively at home there’s literally no difference.

I also ignore best practice and often charge to ~95% at the supercharger so I get back home with 90% to maximise time between visits.

I also use the superchargers near malls and supermarkets so most of the time I’m not waiting around for it to charge.

 

[Jason71]

Newbie here,

Thinking of taking the EV plunge however I will solely be charging using the Supercharger network. I live in a flat with no way of arranging home charging.

However I live close to 2 Supercharger stations.

1) I have a Supercharger station 4 min drive away from where I live
2) The 2nd Supercharger station is a 1 min detour on my way to work

I'm looking at either the M3 RWD 2024, or the MY RWD both on either 3 or 4yr contracts.

I've read varying statements regarding battery degradation? I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on this and anything I may not have thought of I should consider maybe? Thanks in advance

Just so you are aware you will probably consume at least 25% more electricity than the Wh/m while driving so on an M3RWD you will be looking at about 250wh/m *125% = 312wh/m. taking . Then you are looking at about 40p/kwh if you stick exclusively to Tesla superchargers during cheap rate ( double that most other places) which gives you a total cost per mile of 12.5p.
Not bad but not a huge cost saving compared to ICE (equivalent of a petrol car that does 50mpg)
So you aren't going to save a lot on fuel and in London will probably be ripped off for insurance.
Not trying to put you off but if you think you will save any money compared to ICE you almost certainly won't without home charging, unless its a company car where you will save big on Bik but you will only get 9p per mile for the fuel so every company mile will cost you 3.5p

 

[WllXM]

Just so you are aware you will probably consume at least 25% more electricity than the Wh/m while driving so on an M3RWD you will be looking at about 250wh/m *125% = 312wh/m. taking . Then you are looking at about 40p/kwh if you stick exclusively to Tesla superchargers during cheap rate ( double that most other places) which gives you a total cost per mile of 12.5p.
Not bad but not a huge cost saving compared to ICE (equivalent of a petrol car that does 50mpg)
So you aren't going to save a lot on fuel and in London will probably be ripped off for insurance.
Not trying to put you off but if you think you will save any money compared to ICE you almost certainly won't without home charging, unless its a company car where you will save big on Bik but you will only get 9p per mile for the fuel so every company mile will cost you 3.5p

Still saving 18 months of Congestion Charge if daily commuting to the centre though…

 

[Big Earl]

Expect slower charging on a RWD vs dual motor model. The RWD cars have less powerful battery heating and the LFP packs are more sensitive to cold. London isn't exactly a warm place, so you won't get great charging speeds without a significant amount of battery conditioning, which uses energy and costs money. If you have a longer commute, charging time can be mitigated by navigating to the Supercharger on the longer segment of your trip.

It's doable - I have friends who live in Washington, DC with no home charging. You just have to plan accordingly, combine charging stops with other activities like grocery shopping or a meal, and be prepared for the amount of time you'll need to commit to it.

 

[Jason71]

Still saving 18 months of Congestion Charge if daily commuting to the centre though…

fair point. Not really a factor where I live

 

[ACarneiro]

fair point. Not really a factor where I live

... yet.

 

[Jason71]

... yet.

Maybe they will give us a discount on the big planned parking rate hikes in your neck of the woods?.....not

 

[ACarneiro]

Maybe they will give us a discount on the big planned parking rate hikes in your neck of the woods?.....not

Yeah, they need to get money from somewhere.

Come to think of it, there are very few perks to driving an EV in the UK. Even in Portugal we often get either free parking or reduced rates in many cities...