Sorry, I retract my earlier post. Didn't read the thread carefully enough before posting. Yeah, waiting for a slot usually isn't much of a problem.
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How long is your wait at a supercharger?
- Thread starter Darren Donovan
- Start date
Sorry, I retract my earlier post. Didn't read the thread carefully enough before posting. Yeah, waiting for a slot usually isn't much of a problem.
I have probably been to 25 different superchargers and only once have I had to wait. It was the 2nd one closest to my house in Highland Park IL. I had about 20 miles of range left and had 26 miles to go. Showed up there about 4:30 last friday and let me just say I was not happy at all. Some guy decided to buy 6 MS about two weeks ago and use them as limos and charge them all at the same time even tho there is only 4 supercharger stalls at Highland Park. So luckily the service center was still open and let me charge on a HPWC "at 40amps" signal charger problems. Stayed for about 30min and all the tesla Limos were still charging. Imagine That. Rant Over. Made It home.
Typical wait is "0". In a year of supercharging at least weekly, I have waited twice, both times less than 5 min.
I've never waited for a supercharger.
Don't forget, Tesla owners generally charge at home (and sometimes at work). Most use superchargers on longer trips. Since you're waiting for a Model III, you may be still be thinking in terms of the ICE model where everyone gets their fuel at gas station, even for commuting and going to the grocery store. With electric vehicles with decent range, the paradigm has changed. You charge at home and only stop by superchargers when you travel longer distances.
While the Model III may be more affordable, it's still going to appeal mostly to people who have the ability to install or have access to home/workplace charging. Yeah, some people may try to charge exclusively at superchargers. But it seems to me that will get old fast.
So no, I don't see this as a big problem, especially as the charging network gets bigger.
Don't forget, Tesla owners generally charge at home (and sometimes at work). Most use superchargers on longer trips. Since you're waiting for a Model III, you may be still be thinking in terms of the ICE model where everyone gets their fuel at gas station, even for commuting and going to the grocery store. With electric vehicles with decent range, the paradigm has changed. You charge at home and only stop by superchargers when you travel longer distances.
While the Model III may be more affordable, it's still going to appeal mostly to people who have the ability to install or have access to home/workplace charging. Yeah, some people may try to charge exclusively at superchargers. But it seems to me that will get old fast.
So no, I don't see this as a big problem, especially as the charging network gets bigger.
This was pretty early on, in March of last year. I can't remember how many bays were functional on that day, but I believe it was only 3 or 4. There were roughly ten cars in front of us and they did seem to be focused on charging to 90-100%. Etiquette has definitely improved and the number of bays open in any given location has grown significantly. There was only one at Harris Ranch when we made that trip! It really does seem to be a non-issue these days.
Bardlebee
Member
For me, in Texas at least, there has been no wait and the stalls tend to have maybe one or two filled out of like 8.... so yeah no wait. If they proceed with the rate of charger releases, I can't imagine a Model 3 owner would ever experience a wait, honestly.
R²B
All Star
Chargers are labeled 1A and 1B in a pair. If someone is on one pair you should pick another pair if possible 2A and 2B. Chargers A and B run off the same cabinet and therefore split the power. If two driver are on the same pair the second one to arrive gets whatever power is left over from the first person not the full amount.
Adjacent pairs of Supercharger lanes share a stack of twelve charger modules and a total of 135 kW in the current configuration.
The first car to plug in gets whatever it asks for, the car that plugs into the other lane afterwards gets what's left (unless that's more than it asks for.)
Since a newer car can take 120 kW in the lower middle charge range, if you plug into a car that's already running in the fastest portion of the range, you might initially only get 15 kW or so (but it would soon ramp up as the other car had to taper off.)
Walter
Tesla monitors Supercharger utilization and has added additional charging stalls to stations that are most frequently used. Because of this, even when the Tesla Factory is producing at full capacity Supercharging won't be an issue.
Tesla will continue to add Supercharging stations as well which means "busy" stations can be skipped for the next, less busy, station (that's already the case in some parts of the world).
Tesla will continue to add Supercharging stations as well which means "busy" stations can be skipped for the next, less busy, station (that's already the case in some parts of the world).
Are you certain about that? I thought if two cars were charging at a at paired unit the first car maxes at 90 kW and the second gets the remainder, whether it's a 120kW or 135 kW charger.
dhanson865
Well-Known Member
depends on what battery the first car has
Some can charge at 90 KW (85 KWh A battery pack, near 1.06C charge rate)
some can charge at 105 KW (60 KWh with older battery pack, 1.75C charge rate)
some can charge at 111 KW (60 KWh with newer battery pack, 1.85C charge rate)
some can charge at 120 KW (85 KWh B or D battery pack, near 1.41C charge rate)
but if you want to read 150+ pages about it you can check out Older Teslas limited to 90kW Supercharging
I fully expect that list will be expanded when Model X, Model D, and Model 3 come into play with differing battery packs and firmware.
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I'm familiar with that, but what I tried to say was I thought those maximums were when the car was the only one charging. I thought if two cars were charging from the same unit the max any car got was 90 kW. Or is that not correct?
Owner
Active Member
If the first car was say charging at the tail end, say at 10kW the other could be at 110kW..
dhanson865
Well-Known Member
I thought any explanation that mentioned 90KW was based on the limit of the original battery + supercharger combo (both limited to 90KW way back when)
edit:
I found this quote that suggests you are right and I was wrong.
Now that begs the question what happens on a 135KW charger when car A can charge at 105, 111, or 120KW? Does A drop to 90 and B start at 45 or does A drop to 105 and B start at 30?
Is that split preference based on temperature, or number of charging stalls in use at the location or is it a fixed ratio that always applies?
How will that split work if they upgrade the cabinet to 150KW?
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How long is my wait at a supercharger?
It depends on how far it is to the next supercharger. If the next supercharger is only 150 miles, I may only charge for 25 minutes.
Actually, I consider "Wait" time to begin, after I use the restroom and purchase a beverage or snack. So, quite often, the actual "Time Waiting" is only 10 or 15 minutes.
It depends on how far it is to the next supercharger. If the next supercharger is only 150 miles, I may only charge for 25 minutes.
Actually, I consider "Wait" time to begin, after I use the restroom and purchase a beverage or snack. So, quite often, the actual "Time Waiting" is only 10 or 15 minutes.
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