Not all Superchargers are created equal...

[Boatguy]

From my brief experiences with my new MS it's clear that not all Superchargers are created equal. Some put out 70kW, others maybe 120kW. EVTripplaner assumes they are all 120kW which is just not true.

Is there any resource that identifies the actual power available from each Supercharger?

Would it make sense to start a thread for each and let people post the actual power they received in an unshared stall. We could each post volts, amps and then volts X amps.

 

[Sogorman]

D

From my brief experiences with my new MS it's clear that not all Superchargers are created equal. Some put out 70kW, others maybe 120kW. EVTripplaner assumes they are all 120kW which is just not true.

Is there any resource that identifies the actual power available from each Supercharger?

Would it make sense to start a thread for each and let people post the actual power they received in an unshared stall. We could each post volts, amps and then volts X amps.

Do some reading on Supercharger A/B pairings. With the Supercharger network there are two stalls (A/B) that share a 120kW charger. If you are sharing the charger with it's sister stall the current is split between cars.

 

[mikeash]

The original Supercharger equipment topped out at 90kW, so that's all the first sites could put out. I believe all of those sites have since been upgraded, and the second generation was 120kW, with a further upgrade to 135kW (but the car can only take 120kW, the extra just helps when paired).

If you're seeing less, then it's something other than an inherent limitation of the site. Could be related to your state of charge, pack temperature, pairing as Sogorman mentioned, temporary equipment trouble with the Supercharger, or trouble with the local electrical supply.

Have you looked at PlugShare? People often discuss charging speeds in the comments there, for Superchargers and other stations.

 

[Right_Said_Fred]

It's a pity Tesla does not communicate to owners that they should try not to share the same supercharger. Often during my travels through Germany I get to a supercharger where 8 spots are free. I take charger 1A, go to a restaurant, only to return to the charger and see another car charging at 1B, with the other six spots still open. That owner takes my and his own charging rate down, without knowing.

So if - for instance - there is someone at 2A and someone at 4B, choose a charger with number 1 (A or B) or 3 (A or B), and avoid a charger with number 2 and 4. Ofcourse that is not always possible when more stations are taken. But if the are free spots, it's the smart thing to do.

I am looking forward to the day that the car starts telling us which spot to choose for optimal charging!

 

[mikeash]

I thought that the first car to plug in to a pair had priority. So it doesn't matter to you if somebody else plugs in, and ignorance about pairing just hurts the ignorant guy.

 

[Saghost]

I thought that the first car to plug in to a pair had priority. So it doesn't matter to you if somebody else plugs in, and ignorance about pairing just hurts the ignorant guy.

This is basically true - unless they hit the button on your cord, which apparently done folks have been doing.

However, if you are in the fattest part of the charging curve when they plug in, it will reduce your rate a little bit, to give them something to charge with.

 

[TexasEV]

It's a pity Tesla does not communicate to owners that they should try not to share the same supercharger. Often during my travels through Germany I get to a supercharger where 8 spots are free. I take charger 1A, go to a restaurant, only to return to the charger and see another car charging at 1B, with the other six spots still open. That owner takes my and his own charging rate down, without knowing.

So if - for instance - there is someone at 2A and someone at 4B, choose a charger with number 1 (A or B) or 3 (A or B), and avoid a charger with number 2 and 4. Ofcourse that is not always possible when more stations are taken. But if the are free spots, it's the smart thing to do.

I am looking forward to the day that the car starts telling us which spot to choose for optimal charging!

He doesn't take your charging rate down. It only affects his charging rate, which ramos up as yours tapers down.

 

[swesson]

I'm sure it is true that that 1b can take charge from 1a, but I am really disappointed that Tesla cannot load balance electricity better than this. We are plugging in the most advanced car in the history of mankind into a system that apparently has early 1990's load balancing capabilities.

 

[TexasEV]

I'm sure it is true that that 1b can take charge from 1a, but I am really disappointed that Tesla cannot load balance electricity better than this. We are plugging in the most advanced car in the history of mankind into a system that apparently has early 1990's load balancing capabilities.

Why are you sure this is true? Do you have a reference, or experimental data? I ask this because it is contrary to what Tesla has said. (Not that Tesla hasn't given out incorrect or misleading info before, such as with the upgradability of the 48A charger).

 

[Boatguy]

I understand the A/B pairing issue, or thought I did as I now see a debate about that taking place here. Perhaps my experiences were related to state of charge. I'll check back again after a longer trip.

Thank you.

 

[bxr140]

Even a max charge rate at a low SOC will usually only last for dozens of seconds.

I'd like to see cross-strapping of cabinets in the future--its one way [of many] to reduce supercharger congestion.

 

[swesson]

Why are you sure this is true? Do you have a reference, or experimental data? I ask this because it is contrary to what Tesla has said. (Not that Tesla hasn't given out incorrect or misleading info before, such as with the upgradability of the 48A charger).

I DON'T know that it is true. I am basing it off of what people on this forum have reported seeing in their charging times over the last year. There have been a number of threads on this issue, but I haven't seen any hard data.

 

[mikeash]

From what I've seen, state of charge seems to be the common reason people ask about low Supercharger speeds. I think a lot of people take a quick trip to their local Supercharger to try it out, arrive with 60-70% on the battery, see that they don't get very high speeds, and wonder if something is wrong. Nothing's wrong, you just don't get top speed unless you're under 40%.

 

[Boatguy]

From what I've seen, state of charge seems to be the common reason people ask about low Supercharger speeds. I think a lot of people take a quick trip to their local Supercharger to try it out, arrive with 60-70% on the battery, see that they don't get very high speeds, and wonder if something is wrong. Nothing's wrong, you just don't get top speed unless you're under 40%.

Mea culpa.

 

[AndreSF]

Which SC did you use BTW?

 

[Boatguy]

Which SC did you use BTW?

Petaluma.

 

[AndreSF]

I've been there a few times, did not notice it to be slower then other SCs in the area tbh... Not as crowded as mountain view for sure

 

[Blu Zap]

Ya Petaluma is not as crowded, although it was full last Saturday morning. I charge at both Moutain View and San Mateo regularly. They often have a cue. MV SC are liquid cooled. Not that makes a difference in charge times, but the equipment is easier to work with.

 

[GKwey]

This morning I charged up at Westfield. The first charger I used only gave me around 100 mi/hr. After 15 min seeing the rate not going up, suspecting bad connection I unplug and replug 3 times without any increase. So I switch to different charger. Thank god I did that as it give me over 300 mi/hr rate at the next charger, or it would take forever. By the way, either charger was not sharing power as there was't another Tesla getting charged per A/B setup.

 

[Rocky_H]

I see that there is some confusion on this about whether the 2nd car can take power from the primary car. YES, it can, BUT most of the time it will not be noticeable. Here is why:


The 2nd car is always allocated 30kW MINIMUM. If 1st car is almost empty, it is probably pulling over 110kW, so when 2nd car plugs in, it will get 30kW and will lower 1st car to 90kW (out of 120kW total). But, a 1st car is charging so fast when it is empty, that its state of charge will make it taper below 90kW within the first 5-10 minutes anyway. Most of the time, you would never notice if it dropped your charging rate a little bit for 5 minutes or so.