Can this be the new way we identify a malfunctioning supercharger stall??
It is painful watching so many drivers continue to try to use the one that’s not working, and sometimes losing their place in line....
Malfunctioning Supercharger Stalls
- Thread starter Pbaker
- Start date
Can this be the new way we identify a malfunctioning supercharger stall??
It is painful watching so many drivers continue to try to use the one that’s not working, and sometimes losing their place in line....
AEdennis
Active Member
- Jul 23, 2013
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That's clean, elegant and keeps the cable off the ground and avoid damage... I'm Tweeting this and cross-posting on M3Owners and other EV fora... I'm game to make this happen! (linking back to this post).
Make sure to FIRST call Tesla to let them know that the stall is misbehaving and reporting it in trouble. When they CONFIRM that the stall is bad, then do it.
AEdennis
Active Member
- Jul 23, 2013
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Others had pointed out that hold times on the line can be long...
So, note location, stall and email... [email protected]...
As for when to put it up, I would say when the charger is really bad, if it's lower than expected, that can be heat, or splitting.
So, note location, stall and email... [email protected]...
As for when to put it up, I would say when the charger is really bad, if it's lower than expected, that can be heat, or splitting.
ai4px
Wes
It’s a good idea.... one of the local SC stalls was out of service and the red backlit TESLA logo on top was no illunimated. Difficult to see in daytime, so hanging the cord over the top of the unit certainly is better.
Perhaps with the new supercharger hardware Tesla is working on they can include a way to remotely control the light on the individual chargers. If a person calls in about a malfunctioning charger and Tesla can confirm the issue then they could just turn off the light as a heads up. The light can be turned back on by the tech who repairs the charger.
Basically like a reverse tally light. No light = don't use this one.
Basically like a reverse tally light. No light = don't use this one.
I still wouldn't trust that. 90% of the time for me ppl that tell me it doesn't work it has for me. Reason they say it doesn't work..... They push button on Supercharger end and they're car's plug door doesn't open. I drive in, "manually" open mine, and plug in. No charge rate issue.
AEdennis
Active Member
- Jul 23, 2013
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If it's the last choice out there, and no line behind me... I would still try it out...
If there are other choices, I'd use those first...
BluestarE3
Active Member
Being somewhat of a cynic, once this signification method becomes generally accepted and well-known, I can see some malicious individuals going to remote Supercharger locations and coiling up the cables at every stall just to confuse and inconvenience Tesla drivers because, you know, they own Teslas.
ai4px
Wes
I really am surprised we don't see more vandalism. I think part of the saving grace is fear.... they know there's electricity there and with the size of that "hose", it must be a lot, so don't eff with it. The worst I've seen was a 4x4 truck pulling in to a spot and backing over the pedestal making it tilt backwards.
David99
Active Member
I was there yesterday. 7 cars waiting in line. I saw this stall and talking to all the other drivers waiting everyone said it's broken. Finally I asked 'has anyone actually tried it?'. ...silence... So I tried it and guess what, it worked just fine!
It was frustrating as the line had built up and could have been shorter had people been using that stall earlier.
It was frustrating as the line had built up and could have been shorter had people been using that stall earlier.
David99
Active Member
Yes I was #7 in line at 3 pm. When I was finally done charging (almost 2 hours later) there was only one waiting.
I have been through there many times over the last 5 years. Never a wait. But I guess the avalanche of Model 3s is showing it's effects.
Man, to me, that is the most surprising supercharger backup from the holiday weekend. I guess unlike the superchargers in SoCal and the Phoenix area, Quartzsite is a must stop for the I-10 route so that explains it to some extent.
Just a few months ago, I remember being surprised that Kingman was full (6/6 with no one waiting).
Just a few months ago, I remember being surprised that Kingman was full (6/6 with no one waiting).
David99
Active Member
Yes Quartzsite is a must stop. If that ever goes down, the route between LA and Phoenix is not doable in with most Teslas. I hope they will add one more site on the i10. Blyth would be good!
Blythe is basically right next to Quartzsite though.
There is very little in the way of civilization on that stretch of highway. Maybe they can cut a deal with the people who own the Chevron at the top of Chiriaco Summit. But who knows if the electrical supply is good enough for a supercharger up there and even that location is not that far from Indio.
David99
Active Member
Yes that would be another good spot. I don't know if you remember, there was an 80 Amp HPWC at the old vintage gas station back in 2013/14. I stopped there a few times. When Indio and Cabazon got the superchargers, they took it down. But in general, yes there is very little along that route.
Ulmo
Active Member
Yes, but systemically it wouldn't become an issue: drivers not finding chargers indicated as working would end up trying the chargers indicated as not-working and find them working. The effectiveness would be so low, that the idea wouldn't spread, and not enough vandals would know of this to make it stick.
This idea of placing the wand and cable up over the pedestal is misguided. IMO Here's why:
In speaking with Tesla, I've been told that they depend upon an automated system that monitors and logs Supercharger use to identify chargers/sites that require maintenance scheduling. The 'stall marking behavior' pretty much renders this method useless. Worse than that though, it makes certain to delay identifying inoperative stalls, since once placed thus, no arriving owner will go anywhere near that stall (i.e., no use). So, any collected information will cease, except for an extended disuse - but this serves to make certain that someone at Tesla would need to manually intercede for any hope of quickly identifying the problem. Suboptimal to say the least.
Tesla has suggested to me that this 'marking behavior' they essentially regard as vandalism. I told them that I believed the owners who do this are acting in good faith, believing that they're being helpful. But, I also agreed that this behavior is a big problem. They suggested that this should be reported to the property owner as vandalism. I told them that such action would be counterproductive.
I've been monitoring the San Clemente Supercharger for about six months, since I've taken to the property for my daily walks. When I have the time, I identify stalls marked by either traffic cone (much preferred) or the wand and cable over the pedestal method. :-( This has been rather daunting at times since, over this winter, there have been as many as 4-6 stalls (of 21) marked at any one time. When tested, I've found that 90% (+) of the time, the charger operates. A pittance of the tests have actually identified a fully inoperative charger... I believe the problem here is not broken chargers, but ones that newbie owners believe not to be performing to their satisfaction (I believe, made up mostly of the rapidly expanding Model 3 population). This is an easily predictable situation, given the poor knowledge of how Superchargers work, and the pre-version 3 pairing design... Every single owner I've witnessed marking a stall like this has admitted that they did not attempt to notify Tesla. Nor did many of them even understand that most Supercharger stalls are paired, and dispense current based upon order of commencing charge and advancing state of (pack) charge (SOC) and temperature... It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize the potential for a real mess...
Last, others have identified above and, I agree...that there's ample room here for outsiders with malicious intent to create mayhem. Once known, this behavior can be easily capitalized upon. And given the behavior I've observed of nearly all owners, they won't give the marked stalls a passing thought... When very busy, and lines form waiting for an open charger, usually 8-12 cars. I've tried to get owners to try testing chargers marked as inop, but they're understandably gun-shy, since once they make a beeline for a marked stall, they have given up their place in line. And as far as they know, the marked stall is in-fact inoperative... It's downright frustrating.
My recommendation is to NEVER mark a stall as inoperative unless it fails to begin charging, or results in a hard charging error after multiple attempts. Once you conclude that the charger is truly busted, notify Tesla... Probably best via email to [email protected] ... Placing a call to Tesla support can result in lengthy hold times (as we all know) and they really don't want you to call them about Superchargers anyway (as anyone who's listened to the prompt message already knows). Then, and only then, place a traffic cone to block the stall. Do not throw the wand and cable over top of the pedestal *please*, as this adversely wears the cable over time. It's just not a positioning that the cable was designed for.
In speaking with Tesla, I've been told that they depend upon an automated system that monitors and logs Supercharger use to identify chargers/sites that require maintenance scheduling. The 'stall marking behavior' pretty much renders this method useless. Worse than that though, it makes certain to delay identifying inoperative stalls, since once placed thus, no arriving owner will go anywhere near that stall (i.e., no use). So, any collected information will cease, except for an extended disuse - but this serves to make certain that someone at Tesla would need to manually intercede for any hope of quickly identifying the problem. Suboptimal to say the least.
Tesla has suggested to me that this 'marking behavior' they essentially regard as vandalism. I told them that I believed the owners who do this are acting in good faith, believing that they're being helpful. But, I also agreed that this behavior is a big problem. They suggested that this should be reported to the property owner as vandalism. I told them that such action would be counterproductive.
I've been monitoring the San Clemente Supercharger for about six months, since I've taken to the property for my daily walks. When I have the time, I identify stalls marked by either traffic cone (much preferred) or the wand and cable over the pedestal method. :-( This has been rather daunting at times since, over this winter, there have been as many as 4-6 stalls (of 21) marked at any one time. When tested, I've found that 90% (+) of the time, the charger operates. A pittance of the tests have actually identified a fully inoperative charger... I believe the problem here is not broken chargers, but ones that newbie owners believe not to be performing to their satisfaction (I believe, made up mostly of the rapidly expanding Model 3 population). This is an easily predictable situation, given the poor knowledge of how Superchargers work, and the pre-version 3 pairing design... Every single owner I've witnessed marking a stall like this has admitted that they did not attempt to notify Tesla. Nor did many of them even understand that most Supercharger stalls are paired, and dispense current based upon order of commencing charge and advancing state of (pack) charge (SOC) and temperature... It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize the potential for a real mess...
Last, others have identified above and, I agree...that there's ample room here for outsiders with malicious intent to create mayhem. Once known, this behavior can be easily capitalized upon. And given the behavior I've observed of nearly all owners, they won't give the marked stalls a passing thought... When very busy, and lines form waiting for an open charger, usually 8-12 cars. I've tried to get owners to try testing chargers marked as inop, but they're understandably gun-shy, since once they make a beeline for a marked stall, they have given up their place in line. And as far as they know, the marked stall is in-fact inoperative... It's downright frustrating.
My recommendation is to NEVER mark a stall as inoperative unless it fails to begin charging, or results in a hard charging error after multiple attempts. Once you conclude that the charger is truly busted, notify Tesla... Probably best via email to [email protected] ... Placing a call to Tesla support can result in lengthy hold times (as we all know) and they really don't want you to call them about Superchargers anyway (as anyone who's listened to the prompt message already knows). Then, and only then, place a traffic cone to block the stall. Do not throw the wand and cable over top of the pedestal *please*, as this adversely wears the cable over time. It's just not a positioning that the cable was designed for.
Silicon Desert
Active Member
Oh no, you are going to let all of the electrons leak out onto the ground
I like this idea. I think I will start doing it.
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