Charging spot availability and autopilot

[brianman]

Has anybody seen the topic of (super)charging married with the topic of autopilot yet by any manufacturer?

For example, picture a Tesla Station with 50 parking spots where the charging spots are surrounded by gates and the only way to get a charge is to let the automated system move your car into position when it's your turn and then move it back out when the charging is complete.

Result: No more campers at the charging spots. Predictable wait times. Etc.

 

[hans]

Has anybody seen the topic of (super)charging married with the topic of autopilot yet by any manufacturer?

For example, picture a Tesla Station with 50 parking spots where the charging spots are surrounded by gates and the only way to get a charge is to let the automated system move your car into position when it's your turn and then move it back out when the charging is complete.

Result: No more campers at the charging spots. Predictable wait times. Etc.

Audi has a YouTube video of something similar for parking in a general purpose parking lot. Should be even easier to do for a super charger location.

 

[deonb]

Has anybody seen the topic of (super)charging married with the topic of autopilot yet by any manufacturer?

For example, picture a Tesla Station with 50 parking spots where the charging spots are surrounded by gates and the only way to get a charge is to let the automated system move your car into position when it's your turn and then move it back out when the charging is complete.

Result: No more campers at the charging spots. Predictable wait times. Etc.

Or just run additional shared connectors from the chargers to each of the 50 parking spots. Much cheaper and simpler to implement.

And hey, look, that's what Tesla is already going to do at the Tesla Stations...

 

[bollar]

Has anybody seen the topic of (super)charging married with the topic of autopilot yet by any manufacturer?

For example, picture a Tesla Station with 50 parking spots where the charging spots are surrounded by gates and the only way to get a charge is to let the automated system move your car into position when it's your turn and then move it back out when the charging is complete.

Result: No more campers at the charging spots. Predictable wait times. Etc.

IMO, it would be less complex and less expensive to just have more parking spaces. The system could just assign you to a numbered spot and start charging your car when resources are available. This might require six or eight spaces per SC, but that should be less expensive and more reliable than an auto-park system.

 

[hans]

IMO, it would be less complex and less expensive to just have more parking spaces. The system could just assign you to a numbered spot and start charging your car when resources are available. This might require six or eight spaces per SC, but that should be less expensive and more reliable than an auto-park system.

Sure but it would less cool. With all the supercharger stations showing up at malls it would be awesome to pull up next to the curb and then dispatch the car to find its own charge spot. When you are done shopping you summon the Tesla to your curbside locale as everyone else secretly wishes they were you!

Here is the video:

 

[brianman]

Yah, I've seen the Audi video. My point is the linkage.

I'm thinking a much higher scale. Like 100 spots per station. I doubt they want to run cable for 100 spots.

Think Enterprise parking lot near airport.

 

[twinklejet]

BYD did come up with their video for this concept in 2012 (earlier than the Audi video...) and actually went ON SALE IN AUG 2012. You can BUY the car with the remote feature. Audi (sadly) leaves it in "concept" / developer stage at this point and you can't yet buy a car with the feature...

 

[hans]

Yah, I've seen the Audi video. My point is the linkage.

I'm thinking a much higher scale. Like 100 spots per station. I doubt they want to run cable for 100 spots.

Think Enterprise parking lot near airport.

I think we need to wait for the wireless charging option or a fully automated swap station to make this idea a reality without humans involved.

BYD did come up with their video for this concept in 2012 (earlier than the Audi video...) and actually went ON SALE IN AUG 2012. You can BUY the car with the remote feature. Audi (sadly) leaves it in "concept" / developer stage at this point and you can't yet buy a car with the feature...

If Google can retrofit a Prius and a Lexus 450h to be entirely self-driving then it probably can be done. Just a matter of cost and time.

 

[brianman]

Too inefficient.

 

[hans]

Too inefficient.

Then we need to get one of those Honda Azimo robots to plug and unplug the self driving Tesla ;-)