ELECTREK: Tesla starts limiting charge to 80% at busy Superchargers to reduce wait times

[d21mike]

I'm definitely all for this and think it is about time Tesla implemented something like this at busy stations.

The time it takes to SuperCharge past 80% is inefficient compared to other cars that are waiting with a lower state of charge.

personally I doubt most of us will be negatively effected. the problem is effected means different things to different people.



this +1000

tesla will be limiting charging to 80% at stations where there is probably an alternative station pithing 20, 30, or 40 miles.

so you have the option of going there and topping up. the issue here becomes a necessary detour, or somewhat prolonged road trip b/c charging to 100% avoids a second SC stop or devotion to second SCer. so yes. even though you can still make it to your destination, there is an extra inconvenience, that some of is feel we are entitled to be exempt from.

I personally disagree with this idea of entitlement. we all need to learn to share what is in effect a limited, and as it turns out -- occasionally scarce -- resource.



yes, you need a buffer but this is probably not going to be happening in places where the nearest SCer is 150 or 200 miles away so I think you are safe. as I wrote above, it might happen in places where there are SCers 50 miles away, but the 80% restriction might be an inconvenience at best.



Wow.

What makes your driving habits any more valid or correct than mine? are you, like, the Emperor of the Tesla Super Charger highway that your driving habits can just trample on the rest of us peasants without the slightest consideration?

i'm only being faintly facetious here.

do you hear the entitlement in your statement? there are thousands of Teslas on the road. and a limited number of chargers with limited capacity. you can have unlimited free for like supercharging to abuse all you want. this is your right -- actually I personally don't believe that, but i'll play along b/c it sounds like you think you own the whole world and we are your humble servants. Thing is -- come back at 3 in the morning when your favorite SCer site is not 6 cars deep waiting for a charge and pull as many free electrons from the SCer as your callous little heart can stand.

in the meantime, I hope the rest of us will be happy to act in a more neighborly manner and realize that other drivers have similar needs to the SCer network and sitting around for 30 minutes going from 95 to 100% SOC is neither good use of your own time, nor good use of Teala's SCer network.

I too wish that we could wave our magic wands and increase SCer charge rates and capacity but the technology is just not there yet. in 50 years perhaps we will have be able to replenish 500 miles in 5 minutes so all of the cry babies who miss their ICE road trip habits can, you know, shave a few extra minutes off their 8 hour road trip while risking falling asleep at the wheel and putting themselves and god-knows-who else in danger.

I have heard amazing things about the Toyota Camry. very reliable. and you can replenish it's full full storage capacity in roughly 5 minutes from empty today!! Want something a little more Luxe? Toyota's Lexus line makes lovely vehicles. the Germans IIRC also have this technology and some American brands as well, if you would rather go the patriotic route.. and, best of all, you never have to be told to move your stinking Tesla so one of us peasants might get a charge. (the horror!!!)

Happy road tripping, your majesty...

Wow, you are sure full of yourself. Maybe try to read the full post instead to get the full context. You are probably one of those who use superchargers weekly feeling so entitled and upset you have to wait a bit to get your FREE charge.

 

[swegman]

It happened to my wife today in FL. She drove from West Palm Beach to about 40 miles beyond Tampa (east coast of FL to west coast). She said only 3 of the 6 stalls (counting her model 3) were in use at the supercharger she stopped at to charge. Yet she got the notice that the charge limit was being limited to 80%. The next supercharger was more than 130 miles away in Tampa. So it’s not the case that they only limit the charge at locations that are near to other superchargers.

Fortunately, the model 3 is more efficient than my P85 and this limit is not a serious problem for her car. But in my car it could possibly be a problem.

She did try to see if she could over-ride Tesla’s setting, and she was able to increase the limit beyond 80%. The trip route was set into the navigation. I don’t know whether you could over-ride the 80% limit if you are not using the trip navigation.

 

[jeffro01]

Saw this today on my Model X. I was able to reset the slider to 90% and get what I came to get. Seems like others had problems changing the slider? If Tesla keeps me from charging my car how "I" determine is necessary then I'll drop the damn thing back on Tesla's doorstep and sue their freaking pants off... What a completely stupid and anti-customer thing to do. It's MY CAR, I'll charge it whenever and however "I" want. This isn't entitlement, it's OWNERSHIP. The answer isn't to screw over owners, the answer is to BUILD MORE SUPERCHARGERS!!!

I'm pretty convinced, now more than ever, that Elon is actively trying to kill this company by angering it's ownership base to the point of complete abandonment...

 

[jeffro01]

Wow.

What makes your driving habits any more valid or correct than mine? are you, like, the Emperor of the Tesla Super Charger highway that your driving habits can just trample on the rest of us peasants without the slightest consideration?

i'm only being faintly facetious here.

do you hear the entitlement in your statement? there are thousands of Teslas on the road. and a limited number of chargers with limited capacity. you can have unlimited free for like supercharging to abuse all you want. this is your right -- actually I personally don't believe that, but i'll play along b/c it sounds like you think you own the whole world and we are your humble servants. Thing is -- come back at 3 in the morning when your favorite SCer site is not 6 cars deep waiting for a charge and pull as many free electrons from the SCer as your callous little heart can stand.

in the meantime, I hope the rest of us will be happy to act in a more neighborly manner and realize that other drivers have similar needs to the SCer network and sitting around for 30 minutes going from 95 to 100% SOC is neither good use of your own time, nor good use of Teala's SCer network.

I too wish that we could wave our magic wands and increase SCer charge rates and capacity but the technology is just not there yet. in 50 years perhaps we will have be able to replenish 500 miles in 5 minutes so all of the cry babies who miss their ICE road trip habits can, you know, shave a few extra minutes off their 8 hour road trip while risking falling asleep at the wheel and putting themselves and god-knows-who else in danger.

I have heard amazing things about the Toyota Camry. very reliable. and you can replenish it's full full storage capacity in roughly 5 minutes from empty today!! Want something a little more Luxe? Toyota's Lexus line makes lovely vehicles. the Germans IIRC also have this technology and some American brands as well, if you would rather go the patriotic route.. and, best of all, you never have to be told to move your stinking Tesla so one of us peasants might get a charge. (the horror!!!)

Happy road tripping, your majesty...

Wow indeed but only because of your completely ridiculous post... It's none of your business how anyone charges their car. None whatsoever. You talk about entitlement, good grief... Your post is oozing with entitlement...

Just wow indeed....

Jeff

 

[Mediocrates]

If Tesla keeps me from charging my car how "I" determine is necessary then I'll drop the damn thing back on Tesla's doorstep and sue their freaking pants off... What a completely stupid and anti-customer thing to do. It's MY CAR, I'll charge it whenever and however "I" want.

Tesla hasn't prevented anyone from charging their vehicles to whatever extent they "determine is necessary," and a cap on maximum charge percentage at a Tesla Supercharger would never constitute as such.

 

[Zoomit]

It's MY CAR, I'll charge it whenever and however "I" want. This isn't entitlement, it's OWNERSHIP.

I call it a textbook case of Tragedy of the Commons.

 

[ucmndd]

I'll drop the damn thing back on Tesla's doorstep and sue their freaking pants off...

Thanks for the lol. Good luck with that sport.

 

[swegman]

Mainstreet press, such as Yahoo, has picked up this story. See Tesla will limit charging to 80 percent at some Supercharger stations
Reader comments are generally not favorable. Many indicate Tesla effectively reduced the range of their cars by 20% (which is not true), and thus they are not interested in buying an EV.

 

[dbldwn02]

I see the point that when Tesla sold you a car they said you can supercharge to 100%. And now you can't unless you have a long route plugged into the car. If they use this the correct way it's good for everyone. I've met people who supercharge because it's the cool thing to do. Go to the mall, go eat at a restaurant. All while others sit and wait to get on with a road trip.
With that said, I do hope they pick up the pace on SC deployment. They're going to get bad press this summer with all the waits at the superchargers.

 

[G35Rocker]

Plus you can just move the slider above 80% and charge higher. It's not a firm limit at 80%.

yes, this worked for me! Supercharger wasn't even half full.

 

[jeffro01]

Thanks for the lol. Good luck with that sport.

You're probably right but it's still complete BS that Tesla thinks it can tell me how my car should be charged...

Jeff

 

[Zoomit]

You're probably right but it's still complete BS that Tesla thinks it can tell me how my car should be charged...

Jeff

...but, it’s their charger?? I just don’t follow your logic here. Why don’t they have the right to limit how their chargers are used? They are the owner of the “meadow” and are dutifully managing it for the greater good. You have the right to charge elsewhere with your car.

 

[jeffro01]

...but, it’s their charger?? I just don’t follow your logic here. Why don’t they have the right to limit how their chargers are used? They are the owner of the “meadow” and are dutifully managing it for the greater good. You have the right to charge elsewhere with your car.

Only "I" paid for unlimited usage when I bought my Model X. Say what you want about whatever but Tesla sold me unlimited supercharger usage as part of my purchase. Furthermore, they're applying the limit by changing my car's slider which is completely and totally not their place to do. It's my car, not theirs.

Jeff

 

[Galve2000]

Only "I" paid for unlimited usage when I bought my Model X. Say what you want about whatever but Tesla sold me unlimited supercharger usage as part of my purchase. Furthermore, they're applying the limit by changing my car's slider which is completely and totally not their place to do. It's my car, not theirs.

yes but it is their SuperCharger network, not yours.

even if we agree that they owe you an unlimited amount of supercharger usage -- which I personally don't, as I see a "fair use" issue already coming into play.. but lets assume unlimited supercharging is really the order of the day...

lets say you are entitled to as much free supercharging as you can possibly handle... you are a true road warrior who will spend the rest of his life driving 240 miles back and froth from theoretical supercharger A to supercharger B, non stop.. ad infinitum until the wheels on your Tesla fall off... Tesla promised you this.. they must deliver.. or the knives come out.. not to mention the lawyers. (personally I think this is a very weak argument.. but these are interesting times... who knows how this argument might hold up in court)

you OWN the car.. how you charge it your your business.. ok... i'll play along.

here's the thing you are forgetting:

Tesla never once said they are giving up ownership of WHEN you can supercharge.

so even if they promised you that you can gorge yourself on supercharging electrons to your hearts content... charging to 265 miles on your S85D -- after all you need a buffer for your 240 mile commute drive between SuperChargers A and B.. it's not unreasonable...

but Tesla can tell you WHEN to charge. and in this way, when they need to, and for the good of the entire Tesla community, they are now saying.. "sorry.. it takes to long to give you those extra 25 miles at the top end of your battery.. and if there are too many people waiting you cannot help yourself to that last 20% of the battery capacity AT THAT TIME. come back later.

the amazing thing.. they are COMPLETELY in their legal right to do so. they have promised you an unlimited amount sure. assuming you are a reasonable human being that wouldn't mind sharing when necessary.. but since we we see you all up in arms about this.. we can say.. grab as much supercharging as you need.. you just can't do it right this second.

it's brilliant. and what's more.. its fair. and it helps everybody.

don't destroy the common pasture b/c you cannot see past the needs of your own cow.

 

[jeffro01]

yes but it is their SuperCharger network, not yours.

even if we agree that they owe you an unlimited amount of supercharger usage -- which I personally don't, as I see a "fair use" issue already coming into play.. but lets assume unlimited supercharging is really the order of the day...

lets say you are entitled to as much free supercharging as you can possibly handle... you are a true road warrior who will spend the rest of his life driving 240 miles back and froth from theoretical supercharger A to supercharger B, non stop.. ad infinitum until the wheels on your Tesla fall off... Tesla promised you this.. they must deliver.. or the knives come out.. not to mention the lawyers. (personally I think this is a very weak argument.. but these are interesting times... who knows how this argument might hold up in court)

you OWN the car.. how you charge it your your business.. ok... i'll play along.

here's the thing you are forgetting:

Tesla never once said they are giving up ownership of WHEN you can supercharge.

so even if they promised you that you can gorge yourself on supercharging electrons to your hearts content... charging to 265 miles on your S85D -- after all you need a buffer for your 240 mile commute drive between SuperChargers A and B.. it's not unreasonable...

but Tesla can tell you WHEN to charge. and in this way, when they need to, and for the good of the entire Tesla community, they are now saying.. "sorry.. it takes to long to give you those extra 25 miles at the top end of your battery.. and if there are too many people waiting you cannot help yourself to that last 20% of the battery capacity AT THAT TIME. come back later.

the amazing thing.. they are COMPLETELY in their legal right to do so. they have promised you an unlimited amount sure. assuming you are a reasonable human being that wouldn't mind sharing when necessary.. but since we we see you all up in arms about this.. we can say.. grab as much supercharging as you need.. you just can't do it right this second.

it's brilliant. and what's more.. its fair. and it helps everybody.

don't destroy the common pasture b/c you cannot see past the needs of your own cow.

Good lord... You clearly refuse to see the damage this insanely stupid policy is going to cause to the brand. Tesla is basically telling people that their battery capacity has been reduced by 20%. For a product that already has inherent issues with range anxiety, why would you do this?

Furthermore, people made major purchase decisions based on their own usage and availability of supercharger sites. If I need to charge to 100% or 81% or whatever then that's MY decision to make, not Tesla's. If Tesla is going to go with this then it'll only continue to damage the brand and once loyal advocates, such as myself, are given yet another reason to tell people why they should buy anything else but a Tesla.

I'm so tired of these BS policy mind games Tesla is trying to play and judging by recent delivery numbers, I'm not alone. No matter how you want to cut this, Tesla's current approach is anti-customer. Anti-customer is no way to do business, ever.

It's not brilliant, it's not remotely fair, and no, it most certainly does NOT help everybody... The moment Tesla has actual, serious, competition they are going to evaporate like a fart in the wind. From the Canadian Model 3s who's paint is literally coming off the car, to the other well known quality issues, to the constant lies about AP/EAP/FSD, to the constant price shenanigans, Tesla is going to have a really hard time selling cars if they don't change their ways, fast.

Jeff

 

[ucmndd]

Only "I" paid for unlimited usage when I bought my Model X. Say what you want about whatever but Tesla sold me unlimited supercharger usage as part of my purchase.

Yep, I pay Verizon for “unlimited data” too. Except
They throttle me after ~20 gigs because it’s the right thing to do to keep the network a useful resource for everyone.

You seem to be confusing “unlimited” with “on exclusively your terms”. They’re not the same.

 

[ucmndd]

If I need to charge to 100% or 81% or whatever then that's MY decision to make, not Tesla's.

Absolutely. Unless you happen to be using Tesla’s charging network, in which case they obviously get a say.

 

[swegman]

Tesla is shooting themselves in the foot. The mainstream press has picked up on this (see post 48, above). Reader comments is generally negative, with statements to the effect that Tesla has just reduced the range of their cars by 20%. Even though you and I may understand that the limit can be changed to above 80%, the average person does not understand that. To them, they are already concerned about range anxiety, and this action just makes them more nervous about buying a Tesla.

To add insult to injury, there are now stories that Tesla is asserting that the yellow border on the model S and X touchscreen is “cosmetic” and that the touchscreens will not be replaced, that the paint on the model 3 is not holding up in Canada and parts of Europe, and that Tesla is delivering cars (model 3) with paint defects that they refuse to correct. All these stories (whether true or not) will have an adverse effect on sales and by extension, the survivability of the company. As a shareholder that concerns me. The solution is not to limit the charging limit (which they seem to have done this holiday weekend everywhere, even when a supercharger location has less than 50% utilization), but to add additional superchargers. Their action may save some money at the moment but will cost them (in lost sales) in the future. People buy Teslas because they are fun to drive, they had a perceived 250+ mile range (prior to the charge limit being implemented) and the supercharger network. People are not buying them because they are as luxurious as a comparatively priced MB or BMW (because they are not).

Keep in mind that Tesla has been deficient in building chargers since the beginning. There were supposed to be 1000 US supercharger locations by the end of 2017. Then it became a doubling of the network (eg, more than 1000) by the end of 2018. At their current rate of construction there will still not be 1000 US supercharger locations by the end of 2019. Further, some routes are still not complete. For example, it still is not possible to travel between Memphis TN and Oklahoma City in any Tesla vehicle. I understand it costs money to build a supercharger site, but it is the supercharger network that drives sales. Don’t skimp on it for short term savings as it only gives people more reasons NOT to buy s Tesla.

 

[tschmidty]

Furthermore, people made major purchase decisions based on their own usage and availability of supercharger sites. If I need to charge to 100% or 81% or whatever then that's MY decision to make, not Tesla's. If Tesla is going to go with this then it'll only continue to damage the brand and once loyal advocates, such as myself, are given yet another reason to tell people why they should buy anything else but a Tesla.

They aren't telling you how to charge your car, they are setting a policy on use of *their* charging network.

Going to add you to ignore since you seem more than a bit cranky over something that more than likely will never affect you or the vast majority of Tesla users.

FWIW, I agree that this policy was poorly thought out and could have been handled and formulated *MUCH* better. The idea that you would be limited when there are no other users at the supercharger is ridiculous. But this is nothing to do with them saving money, those users with unlimited SC are the vast minority now, so they make money off people using their network.

 

[Galve2000]

The idea that you would be limited when there are no other users at the supercharger is ridiculous.

I agree with this and don't know why it was instituted this way.. if the site is not congested there is no reason for a limitation. it does seem a it heavy-handed. I wonder what the rationale was.