how is Supercharger wait time determined?

[LVTD]

This thread will likely have a lot of speculation and little concrete information, so it's perfect for this forum ;-).

For the short, medium, and long wait notice for Superchargers, is that based solely on the number of cars plugged in + expected charging time, or is it also based on the number of cars in close proximity?

 

[ucmndd]

Tesla knows how many cars are nearby, can’t imagine they aren’t using that info.

 

[Sophias_dad]

Not only 'nearby' teslas, which would probably be relatively constant unless there was some big event/draw going on. I assume they must also be tracking how many Tesla's have their navigation telling them "you'll be stopping at this supercharger in N minutes... preheating the battery" for that particular supercharger.

 

[LVTD]

Not only 'nearby' teslas, which would probably be relatively constant unless there was some big event/draw going on. I assume they must also be tracking how many Tesla's have their navigation telling them "you'll be stopping at this supercharger in N minutes... preheating the battery" for that particular supercharger.

I hadn't considered that they could be using nav data as well -- smart. Probably some combination of these, and if they're not using them all now, some future software version will.

Although nav data doesn't (really) impact the wait time "now". If it says "medium wait" and I'm first in line, it doesn't matter how many people are on the way.

 

[cpa]

Maybe Tesla clocks the turnover rate to determine if a wait is short, medium, or long. Maybe <5 minutes = short; 5-10 minutes = medium, and >10 minutes = long. Obviously, these are quite subjective.

Relying upon navigation seems problematic to me. Does everyone dial into Superchargers all the time? I don't. I only dial into a Supercharger when I don't know how to get there or if I am concerned with my arrival SOC. And when I am in an area with a selection of Superchargers, I keep them active on the touchscreen to see how fast they are turning over. I druther stop with 25% and have a zero wait than drive 20 more minutes to arrive with 12% and risk waiting and perhaps even sharing a V2 Supercharger.

I also find it hard to believe that Tesla is using our locations to determine potential wait times. Can Tesla read our minds? If I am approaching a location with 30% SOC, does Tesla know if I will be charging at the SC five miles away, at the one 18 miles away, or at the one 30 miles away on a different highway?

I drive by two SC four miles from my home and a third that is about a mile and a half north of those two. Which one will I stop at, if I stop at all?

I think it would be foolish to publish SC usage that relies upon assumptions about people's driving habits and behaviors.

 

[Big Earl]

I don't know for sure, but it's probably calculated based on the number of Teslas that are navigating to the Supercharger and/or waiting within a geofenced area around the charger.

 

[LVTD]

Relying upon navigation seems problematic to me. Does everyone dial into Superchargers all the time? I don't. I only dial into a Supercharger when I don't know how to get there or if I am concerned with my arrival SOC. And when I am in an area with a selection of Superchargers, I keep them active on the touchscreen to see how fast they are turning over. I druther stop with 25% and have a zero wait than drive 20 more minutes to arrive with 12% and risk waiting and perhaps even sharing a V2 Supercharger.

You raise interesting points, but at the same time, the system doesn't have to be perfect to be helpful. They don't have to assume that all cars in the area are heading for one particular charger. It could be machine learning, like lots of other parts of the system.

 

[avs007]

Tesla also knows the SoC of each Tesla plugged into the SC, the charge limit set for each Tesla, as well as how much time to reach sufficient charge for each tesla to continue each trip, so hopefully they use that data as well, in trying to determine when a stall will free up.

 

[MikeRadio]

I came here trying to figure this out as well. But I’m going to be happy just knowing that I can see wait time and not how the magic happens!

 

[JulienW]

I live next to a Supercharger and I always see the same <5 minutes wait time. Since it is 30 stalls one is always going to be finishing up so I suspect the time is based on that and not how many are in the queue.