Local Supercharging: Proper use for Superchargers or Waste of a Scarce Resource

[F14Scott]

Maybe I'm just in the mood to scrap, this weekend... Game on!

Superchargers are, indeed, a scarce resource, primarily intended for and absolutely needed by Tesla owners to take road trips. With the profound increase in number of Teslas being sold, the resource will be overtaxed to the point of being unusable, soon. Already, Superchargers in California's big cities experience lines and waits, rendering them excruciating for cross-country travel and inconvenient for backup use.

EV owners should charge primarily at home or work at L1 or L2. Secondary preference should be public L2 chargers. Tertiary preference would be using SCs for day-to-day use. Live in a condo without the hope of an outlet or charger? Well, I hate to say it, but if you can't charge at work, then maybe an EV isn't for you, just yet.

Here's a simple "Freakonomics" solution, one that would drive Supercharger behavior through economic incentive.

• First, immediately end all new "lifetime free Supercharging" incentives. Current free users continue with no change, but the program dies when the cars die. "Free" anything introduces ridiculous distortions in any economic fabric, as anyone who has watched all the crab legs immediately disappear at the buffet knows.
• If you use a Supercharger outside 100 miles from home*, then you pay "1x" the local rate for Supercharging.
• If you use a Supercharger inside 100 miles from home*, then you pay "3x" the local rate for Supercharging.
• The "local penalty" would evaporate during "off peak" hours, established by algorithm when the chargers have plenty of availability.

This system would disincentivize locals from using SCs during peak periods, while still allowing their use by all and allowing travelers full use of SCs without worry of penalty. Locals who are unwilling or unable to establish L1 or L2 charging would pay more for SCs in the day and on weekends, but they would also likely have shorter lines then, too.

Finally, Tesla should establish a more robust Supercharger queuing system, with arrival at or near the SC triggering a virtual spot in line or, perhaps, a reservation at an individual stall. Using GPS, such a system would allow parking nearby or even conducting nearby business while still keeping charging fair and orderly, and would maximize charging rates . Friendly Tesla owner goodwill will wane as Teslas become common, so there must be a better system than "I think I was here first."

* "Home" is where the car spends the greatest amount of time, on a rolling 60-day basis, determined by random, daily GPS pings by the mothership. So, if I live in Houston, that is home. I can take a four-week vacation to another city and still call Houston home. I can take three, two-week vacations in a row, elsewhere, and still call Houston home. But, if I spend the summer in Anchorage, Alaska, on day 31, Anchorage becomes my home, until I move back. In other words, move around all you want, but if you drop anchor for a month, set up your own charging or expect to pay the penalty rates.

 

[davewill]

Honestly, I think the current fees are sufficient to discourage frivolous Supercharging. I don't think you need graduated pricing levels. Having some sort of electronic queuing is interesting, however.

In the end, the only thing that solves overcrowding is more plugs.

 

[Snow Drift]

I used to charge weekly bc we couldn't at home or work, now we have access to a 120V and haven't been to a SC since December. Unless you are in a bind, and live local, you shouldn't use them. Or if you do, leave when there's a line of cars waiting.

 

[Rice&Curry]

Maybe I'm just in the mood to scrap, this weekend... Game on!

Superchargers are, indeed, a scarce resource, primarily intended for and absolutely needed by Tesla owners to take road trips. With the profound increase in number of Teslas being sold, the resource will be overtaxed to the point of being unusable, soon. Already, Superchargers in California's big cities experience lines and waits, rendering them excruciating for cross-country travel and inconvenient for backup use.

EV owners should charge primarily at home or work at L1 or L2. Secondary preference should be public L2 chargers. Tertiary preference would be using SCs for day-to-day use. Live in a condo without the hope of an outlet or charger? Well, I hate to say it, but if you can't charge at work, then maybe an EV isn't for you, just yet.

Here's a simple "Freakonomics" solution, one that would drive Supercharger behavior through economic incentive.

• First, immediately end all new "lifetime free Supercharging" incentives. Current free users continue with no change, but the program dies when the cars die. "Free" anything introduces ridiculous distortions in any economic fabric, as anyone who has watched all the crab legs immediately disappear at the buffet knows.
• If you use a Supercharger outside 100 miles from home*, then you pay "1x" the local rate for Supercharging.
• If you use a Supercharger inside 100 miles from home*, then you pay "3x" the local rate for Supercharging.
• The "local penalty" would evaporate during "off peak" hours, established by algorithm when the chargers have plenty of availability.

This system would disincentivize locals from using SCs during peak periods, while still allowing their use by all and allowing travelers full use of SCs without worry of penalty. Locals who are unwilling or unable to establish L1 or L2 charging would pay more for SCs in the day and on weekends, but they would also likely have shorter lines then, too.

Finally, Tesla should establish a more robust Supercharger queuing system, with arrival at or near the SC triggering a virtual spot in line or, perhaps, a reservation at an individual stall. Using GPS, such a system would allow parking nearby or even conducting nearby business while still keeping charging fair and orderly, and would maximize charging rates . Friendly Tesla owner goodwill will wane as Teslas become common, so there must be a better system than "I think I was here first."

* "Home" is where the car spends the greatest amount of time, on a rolling 60-day basis, determined by random, daily GPS pings by the mothership. So, if I live in Houston, that is home. I can take a four-week vacation to another city and still call Houston home. I can take three, two-week vacations in a row, elsewhere, and still call Houston home. But, if I spend the summer in Anchorage, Alaska, on day 31, Anchorage becomes my home, until I move back. In other words, move around all you want, but if you drop anchor for a month, set up your own charging or expect to pay the penalty rates.

 

[Rice&Curry]

I think the penalty if any should be if it is being charged < 50 miles from home as you may have to use a SC closer to home if you are returning from a long trip.

 

[Daniel in SD]

Practical idea:
Limit charging to 80% on all but one pair. Have one 100% charging spot for people who really need it paired with a 60% spot for those who want to be on their way. Only when the supercharger is crowded of course.

Super unpopular troll idea :
Hope Tesla files Chapter 11 bankruptcy so they can get rid of free supercharging. Charge by the minute everywhere instead of by the kWh and have demand based pricing.

 

[bxr140]

The growth of EVs far outweighs capitulating to owners who think they’re more entitled to a supercharger plug than someone else.

Let there be local superchargers!

 

[cbaaz]

OP: Just curious, what drove the idea of this post ? Do you encounter issue with Superchargers availability or cost ?
Or just to stimulate an interesting discussion?

I am only 3 weeks into ownership but so far, I am strictly a home charger. Closest Supercharger to me is about 20 miles.

 

[P85_DA]

Live in a condo without the hope of an outlet or charger? Well, I hate to say it, but if you can't charge at work, then maybe an EV isn't for you, just yet.

 

[Daniel in SD]

It is sacrilege but I agree with OP. No charging at work or home = don’t buy an EV.

 

[bxr140]

It is sacrilege but I agree with OP. No charging at work or home = don’t buy an EV.

Chill.

Increasing the global EV fleet is way more important than you.

 

[darth_vad3r]

I want more options, or a write-in ... I chose multiples anyways.

re:

It is sacrilege but I agree with OP. No charging at work or home = don’t buy an EV.

If there was no hope of ever having work or home charging, maybe ... but if you think you can work on either of these 2 situations then go ahead and get the EV. I wouldn't want to commit to a permanent scenario though ... like max 6-12 months of 'hardship' inconvenience until you convince work to install chargers, change jobs to a different employer, convince landlord to install charging, or move.

 

[TaoJones]

Since Day 1, Tesla has welcomed those without home or office charging to use SCs.

Period.

Livery and ride-sharers have been dis-incented for about 2 years now.

The only change is that now those Teslas delivered after 2017.04.15 don’t transfer included supercharging to the next owner, and that most since that time pay at the pump, so to speak.

There is nothing free about owning a Tesla. And SCs at least in CA, are not any better, fuel cost-wise, than a decent hybrid. Do the math, and don’t just read numbers off your screen. Charge to 90%, drive til 20%, take the number of miles driven and divide by 0.7. And there you’ll have your actual full charge equivalent range in miles. If you paid $28 for a full charge and gas is $4/gallon, that’s 7 gallons of gas to drive 160 miles (in my case with a 90D). That’s 23mpg and hardly compelling. On the highway, the math changes (276 miles) to ~40mpg, but still not compelling compared to a decent hybrid.

Ergo, charging at home with a decent TOU plan for, say, $0.11 per, is far more compelling so anyone who does have home charging and doesn’t use it on purpose is not only a bad human but is also an eeeeeeediot.

 

[Daniel in SD]

Chill.

Increasing the global EV fleet is way more important than you.

Haha. I’m talking about what I recommend to friends. It’s not about me. I just tell them *I* wouldn’t do it.
If I’m giving recommendations on the Internet I should just tell everyone to ride a bike which is way better for the planet than buying a 4000lb hunk of plastic and metal.

 

[jjrandorin]

Chill.

Increasing the global EV fleet is way more important than you.

EVs have to grow past people who are "into the mission" or who "want to save the planet" for them to actually hit what you want. I didnt buy this car "for the planet" or "for the mission". I bought it because it was the best car I could get for the money I wanted to spend, from a cost and performance perspective.

For me, the "save the planet" thing was a nice bonus, not the main point. I know for some it is, but it aint that for enough people to carry out the "increasing the global EV fleet" mission you are talking about.

 

[F14Scott]

OP: Just curious, what drove the idea of this post ? Do you encounter issue with Superchargers availability or cost ?
Or just to stimulate an interesting discussion?

I am only 3 weeks into ownership but so far, I am strictly a home charger. Closest Supercharger to me is about 20 miles.

Mostly a thought exercise, although my personal beliefs are what I wrote. I did see some holiday congestion at SCs over the Memorial Day weekend, and I can't imagine, with 5,000 Teslas rolling off the line each week, that the SC lines will improve.

Also, I needed a different thread to watch than "Is a 14-50 right for me?"

 

[F14Scott]

I think the penalty if any should be if it is being charged < 50 miles from home as you may have to use a SC closer to home if you are returning from a long trip.

If one occasionally returns from a long trip and has to pay 3x, it means a single $20 fill up (assuming one arrives home totally empty and during peak time), not that big a deal. But, 3x pricing would sting if one had to do it all the time. 50 or 100, either would probably work.

 

[F14Scott]

Since Day 1, Tesla has welcomed those without home or office charging to use SCs.

Period.

Livery and ride-sharers have been dis-incented for about 2 years now.

The only change is that now those Teslas delivered after 2017.04.15 don’t transfer included supercharging to the next owner, and that most since that time pay at the pump, so to speak.

There is nothing free about owning a Tesla. And SCs at least in CA, are not any better, fuel cost-wise, than a decent hybrid. Do the math, and don’t just read numbers off your screen. Charge to 90%, drive til 20%, take the number of miles driven and divide by 0.7. And there you’ll have your actual full charge equivalent range in miles. If you paid $28 for a full charge and gas is $4/gallon, that’s 7 gallons of gas to drive 160 miles (in my case with a 90D). That’s 23mpg and hardly compelling. On the highway, the math changes (276 miles) to ~40mpg, but still not compelling compared to a decent hybrid.

Ergo, charging at home with a decent TOU plan for, say, $0.11 per, is far more compelling so anyone who does have home charging and doesn’t use it on purpose is not only a bad human but is also an eeeeeeediot.

Good points.

I'll rebut by saying that while Tesla may have always welcomed everyone at the Supercharger trough, their deliveries are now an order of magnitude more than when they began, and the proportion of cars produced greatly outpaces Supercharging bays installed. Business models are not static. "Variables don't; constants aren't..."

 

[Daniel in SD]

Since Day 1, Tesla has welcomed those without home or office charging to use SCs.

This is absolutely false. Elon Musk at the 2015 annual meeting:

“There are a few people who are quite aggressively using it for local supercharging,” he said at the time. “We’ll sort of send them just a reminder note that it’s cool to do this occasionally, but it’s meant to be a long-distance thing.”

Anyway, I know Tesla is now encouraging people to use superchargers as their primary charging but it most certainly was not that way from day 1.

 

[bxr140]

EVs have to grow past people who are "into the mission" or who "want to save the planet" for them to actually hit what you want.

That’s exactly right. And a big part of that is removing roadblocks to entry, regardless if real or perceived. If that means new owners have to go to the local supercharger because that’s in their comfort zone of how to ‘fuel’ their car, so be it, even if it hurts some people’s feelings that their local supercharger is clogged up.

I didnt buy this car "for the planet" or "for the mission". I bought it because it was the best car I could get for the money I wanted to spend, from a cost and performance perspective.

Great, so you’re on the front lines of encouraging mass EV adoption, because that’s going to lead to future vehicles that are cheaper, better, and faster.

So what’s the downside to encouraging EV adoption again?