thecloud
As rhythm raced inside, the ship came alive
The current charges are positively shocking! I'm trying not to be negative, but it's hard to be neutral about this issue.
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Improving Supercharger Availability $0.40 idle fee
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- Tesla Inc.
I'm a little confused...
Doesn't the Tesla app show the state of charge and the time remaining?
I've Supercharged on twenty or twenty five trips and never been late back past full charge. Plan bathrooms, coffee, and meals around charging times.
The time I charged at Mt Shasta and stayed at the Treehouse Inn Hotel, I charged for about 30 minutes while checking in (at about 9 PM) going to the room and unpacking. Went back to the car and moved it from the charger (mostly charged) and finished charging in the morning before leaving.
I was the only car there when I arrived but there were three cars there in the morning. I think that more may have passed thru during the night. Never considered leaving it plugged in longer.
I'm not sure that we're worried a lot about a non-problem here. I'm happy to pay the fee (which i never intend to need to do) if it helps congestion at Superchargers.
Alan
Doesn't the Tesla app show the state of charge and the time remaining?
I've Supercharged on twenty or twenty five trips and never been late back past full charge. Plan bathrooms, coffee, and meals around charging times.
The time I charged at Mt Shasta and stayed at the Treehouse Inn Hotel, I charged for about 30 minutes while checking in (at about 9 PM) going to the room and unpacking. Went back to the car and moved it from the charger (mostly charged) and finished charging in the morning before leaving.
I was the only car there when I arrived but there were three cars there in the morning. I think that more may have passed thru during the night. Never considered leaving it plugged in longer.
I'm not sure that we're worried a lot about a non-problem here. I'm happy to pay the fee (which i never intend to need to do) if it helps congestion at Superchargers.
Alan
I am happy to help with your confusion.
One of the reasons this thread drags on and the same arguments are repeated is that new people join in without reading the past conversation. That is perfectly understandable of course, but I'm just pointing this out to those concerned of repetition.
Unlike @aja2460 here suggests, I see very few people advocating for overnight stays at Supercharger. There are some corner cases at hotels that have been discussed (amounting to I guess two, three messages of this thread), but mostly this is not at all about that.
Argument 1: "Doesn't the Tesla app show the state of charge and the time remaining?"
Not in a reliable manner, because it can not be predicted to 5 min accuracy (that is the grace). Stall sharing events, Supercharger condition and other issues affect the predictability and ease of predicting. Also the app notifications have been known to not be very reliable.
And even if it did, the requirement that a mobile app needs to be monitored to know when to return, can be viewed as an obstacle to mainstream adoption. Arguably, your average person can not understand how the charging time is formed and the expectation to keep watching an app is still today arguably a high one.
If app is not used (which until now was not mandatory for Tesla usage), I wonder how many people are in for a rude awakening when they are charged a year's worth of idle charges at a service visit. This has the potential to be a customer satisfaction issue.
If you don't have an iPhone or compatible Android, now is the time to buy one.
Argument 2: "Plan bathrooms, coffee, and meals around charging times."
That is impossible, because you can not know the charging time beforehand - ergo you can't plan. What you can do is be overly defensive, which means increased app watching, staying closer/more nearby than you otherwise would or more often stay in the car for more of the charge.
Now, whether or not this turns out to be a problem is of course speculation - as is the opposite notion that it won't be. It is certainly possible this will not be a problem, but IMO it is not hard to see how it could be a problem...
It is also speculation whether or not the 5 minute grace helps much at all with congestion. It does curb abuse of course, but a 30 min grace - even a one hour grace - would curb abuse...
As for having to pay the fee, unless Tesla changes to policy, I expect almost everyone will have to pay one time or another, unless playing really defensively. It has simply been made so difficult to avoid, because you can not plan for a return time but have to rely on unpredictable info. This is one reason the 5 minute grace is arguably an unreasonable policy.
p.s. I am not trying to argue your position that you don't think this will be a problem. Opinions vary, of course. Just explaining the concern more accurately, because you didn't address it.
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As I was reading the last handful of posts going over the same points (yet again) I was planning on saying the exact same thing, but you did it in a much nicer way than I had intended.
I'd like to know how Tesla will charge these folks 40 cents per min while I waited to charge my car at the Tinton Falls NJ Outlet Mall Supercharger today December 23, 2016 at 3pm...
Security did nothing!
Security did nothing!
The signs all say no parking except for EV charging. So no.
But I doubt the mall is going to be adamant about that...
This is the third time I have posted about this issue at this supercharger location. This is the only charger between Edison and Atlantic City Nj off the Garden State Parkway.
I found a spot but last time it was ICEd I could not...
I called Tesla Supercharger support and they said they would get these folks towed.... but alas, nothing happened to them. In fact the people that came back for their cars smirked at me while I was in the car charging... Like, see... nothing happened to me.
I found a spot but last time it was ICEd I could not...
I called Tesla Supercharger support and they said they would get these folks towed.... but alas, nothing happened to them. In fact the people that came back for their cars smirked at me while I was in the car charging... Like, see... nothing happened to me.
I continue to disagree that a reasonable solution to "smirking" ICErs would be fining the Tesla drivers that park 6 minutes over actual charge. Somehow I have come to believe in addressing the real problem and punishing the actual culprit...
Not being able to as easily does not make punishing someone else fair. Actually it can make it morally worse, as the real offender gets off the hook while a lesser offender is punished for the sins of others.
If the problem is ICErs, address that. If the problem is capacity, address that. If the problem is overnight parkers, address that.
Whatever is the biggest problem, address that first. A guy charging 6 minutes late at a Supercharger is not really the problem.
Not being able to as easily does not make punishing someone else fair. Actually it can make it morally worse, as the real offender gets off the hook while a lesser offender is punished for the sins of others.
If the problem is ICErs, address that. If the problem is capacity, address that. If the problem is overnight parkers, address that.
Whatever is the biggest problem, address that first. A guy charging 6 minutes late at a Supercharger is not really the problem.
Krugerrand
Meow
Stop it. You know quite well that there are in fact Tesla owners who are parking their cars in Supercharger spots and NOT charging and causing problems for others. YOU KNOW IT because people have told you it's happening. So stop talking as if it doesn't happen.
ONE PROBLEM AT A TIME. In this case, Tesla is taking the first necessary step to curb Supercharger abuses by Tesla owners. Get over it, already.
In due time Tesla will address other problems as they can. You're not helping by arguing ad nauseum how unfair it is to people. This is life where inconsiderate people ruin it for others. Suck it up and deal. Move your car when it's done charging. It's really just that simple.
I want to be clear, I did not post this to say anything against what Tesla is doing with chargers who stay longer then needed. There are areas where this is clearly issue and their solution seems reasonable to me.
I wanted to highlight an issue I have seen at this location over and over again. The Tinton Falls outlet mall in NJ does NOTHING to stop ICEing these spots.
There is in fact one individual who I believe works at the Auntie Ann's Pretzel shop at that mall who drivers her red Model S and leaves it charging 8 hours a day!!!!
I never said anything because there is usually plenty of empty spots, but Please! You work here. Charge and move your car!
I wanted to highlight an issue I have seen at this location over and over again. The Tinton Falls outlet mall in NJ does NOTHING to stop ICEing these spots.
There is in fact one individual who I believe works at the Auntie Ann's Pretzel shop at that mall who drivers her red Model S and leaves it charging 8 hours a day!!!!
I never said anything because there is usually plenty of empty spots, but Please! You work here. Charge and move your car!
Maybe after the Christmas shopping rush is over and the spaces are empty, you could gather up a few of your Tesla friends and all go charge up there. That would trigger idle fees for the pretzel lady (more than 50% of stalls occupied) and maybe she'll get the message. Or you could all go to the pretzel stand and harass her.
I've been concocting this idea for a while. We call ourselves the "Hell's Idlers," and yes, there are jackets. PM me for details.
(Joking!)
In this case, the superchargers are in a premium spot. In fact, just as convenient as the handicap parking is. But you won't find these fools parking in a handicap spot because the police will fine or tow them. There is currently no real penalty to ICE a supercharger....
In the menlo park mall Edison NJ supercharger, the chargers are way in left field... so ICEing is not a problem, but to move a car after charging is complete, is difficult... It's a long walk to the mall from those chargers.
You just can't win.
In the menlo park mall Edison NJ supercharger, the chargers are way in left field... so ICEing is not a problem, but to move a car after charging is complete, is difficult... It's a long walk to the mall from those chargers.
You just can't win.
You know full well I am not opposed to the idle charge itself.
If the problem is people parking at Superchargers, address that. Fine.
I simply argue the guy who isn't back in 6 minutes after a long and unpredictable length of EV charging is not parking there. Some agree, some disagree of course and post accordingly.
A 30 min grace, even a 1 hour grace, would address the abuse issues people highlight while addressing the reasonable return time issue I highlight.
None of them address ICEing. So where that is a problem, punishing the guy whose charge ended 6 min ago (when his car may well have predicted it will take another 30 min) does not address any abuse issues.
Such big brave men and EV adoption increasers you would be.
Let me suggest a more daring mission for your funny club: go address the ICEing issue instead of worrying about issues at deserted Superchargers that have no issues.
Maybe those leather jackets and some posturing would actually help with a real issue there?
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