Problems adding new 72A charger to existing order

[SomeJoe7777]

The $2000 2nd charger option is still available on the online store:

Tesla — Dual Charger with Installation

I don't see them discontinuing this. There is a fleet of ~100,000 model S's out there that could still want this add-on, why would they discontinue it?

Keep your original configuration and order the 2nd charger, and don't take no for an answer.

The only thing is that the order page currently says that it could be 4 weeks before it's available, so you probably can't get it installed prior to delivery. You'll have to have them put it in later when it finally comes in.

 

[MP3Mike]

The $2000 2nd charger option is still available on the online store:

Tesla — Dual Charger with Installation

I don't see them discontinuing this. There is a fleet of ~100,000 model S's out there that could still want this add-on, why would they discontinue it?

Keep your original configuration and order the 2nd charger, and don't take no for an answer.

The only thing is that the order page currently says that it could be 4 weeks before it's available, so you probably can't get it installed prior to delivery. You'll have to have them put it in later when it finally comes in.

Of course they will still sell the dual charger option for older cars. But from the sounds of it you can't keep your old configuration, it was automatically upgraded to the new configuration, as they modified the production line, and there probably isn't an option to get the 40 amp charger anymore. The wiring harness has probably been changed... (Did the move the charger location to be like it is in the Model X, or is it still under the back seat?)

This is probably a situation that they didn't think of/plan for. Somebody needs to tweet to Elon and let him know how stupid this is. The least that they should do is to go ahead and charge the $500 change fee + the $1,500 upgrade cost to change the configuration to the 72A charger. (Same cost as the second charger added on.) But don't allow any other changes without re-pricing the car. (It is possible their system can't handle this, in which case they need to figure something out.)

 

[Pantoot]

The least that they should do is to go ahead and charge the $500 change fee + the $1,500 upgrade cost to change the configuration to the 72A charger. (Same cost as the second charger added on.) But don't allow any other changes without re-pricing the car. (It is possible their system can't handle this, in which case they need to figure something out.)

That is precisely what I suggested. They flatly denied me and said i would be required to pay the extra $1500 as well. Bizarre.
I already have the 100 amp hpwc installed, so I would rather be able to use it.

 

[Ryan Dodson]

Yep, I already have the HPWC installed as well. I will not go down the road on the price/features changes on that one

 

[cochese]

There's an easy solution for Tesla here. Take the $2000 you paid for the dual charger upgrade and apply it to the new car as a $500 change fee plus $1500 new 72A upgrade. Sure it's not exactly what you ordered but this path would seem to make both sides happy financially.

I get the sense though, that their website/system won't allow something as logical as this so it's a non-starter. I'd keep trying. Good luck.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

From the sounds of it you can't keep your old configuration, it was automatically upgraded to the new configuration, as they modified the production line, and there probably isn't an option to get the 40 amp charger anymore. The wiring harness has probably been changed

I see, so because they changed the production line, there is no way to produce cars with a 40A charger anymore. This means that their mistake was that they had no idea who had a car in queue where the owner's intent was to upgrade to the dual charger as soon as they got the car.

I think the question that needs to be answered then is: What is the after-delivery procedure and cost to upgrade the newer charger from 48A to 72A?

The current thinking is that the newer charger hardware is the same between 48A and 72A, correct? So an upgrade should be software/config only? In that case, the after-delivery cost of the option would probably be slightly more than the factory-installed cost. We've seen that with past software/config options like supercharging and autopilot.

The factory-installed 72A charger cost is $1500, so I'd suspect that after-delivery upgrade should be $2000.

If the upgrade works like this, then the OP should keep his original configuration, take delivery of the car with the 48A charger, and then upgrade it to 72A for $2000, which is the same price that would have been paid to upgrade from 40A single charger to 80A dual chargers under the older configuration.

You end up with 8A less of charging capability, but you're also getting the newer upgrades that are coming with the production line (new nose, LED headlights) for the original price, which is a win.

Since this new charger is the same one that is in the model X, has anyone with an X done the after-delivery charger upgrade and knows the procedure and cost?

 

[newtman]

After further back and forth with the manager, Tesla agreed to wave the $500 order change fee, which means upgrading to the 72A charger would be $1500 for the charger + $1500 for the new price scheme. Is it worth it at that cost?

 

[MP3Mike]

After further back and forth with the manager, Tesla agreed to wave the $500 order change fee, which means upgrading to the 72A charger would be $1500 for the charger + $1500 for the new price scheme. Is it worth it at that cost?

So your two options are:

• Pay $1,000 more than you planned and get a 72A charger
• Pay $2,000 less than you planned and get a 48A charger

Is the high amp charger worth $3,000 to you? Are you going to install a HPWC on a 100A breaker in your home and/or plan on hitting 80A destination chargers a lot? (Even if so do you think you will need the extra charging speed?)

I still think this is stupid, but it is probably a limitation of their ordering system, that they can't edit the order without switching it to the new pricing scheme. So they would have to give you a $1,500 discount somehow to make things right. (Maybe they could bring back the $1,200 charger install referral credit for just the people that are in this situation, which would only result in a $300 difference.)

I would probably save the $3,000 and get the 48A charger. Essentially you are getting a 20% charging increase for free. (As well as all of the Model S refresh features.) And the $3,000 would only buy you another 24A instead of the 32A more that you wanted. (Assuming of course that your needs don't dictate that you need faster than 48A charging.)

 

[Pantoot]

After further back and forth with the manager, Tesla agreed to wave the $500 order change fee, which means upgrading to the 72A charger would be $1500 for the charger + $1500 for the new price scheme. Is it worth it at that cost?

That is some progress at least, I was completely shut out.
I don't think it is worth an extra $3000 to go from 48 to 72, even though I already have the HPWC up and running (planning on selling it and getting 2 of the new ones so I can chain them and plug both cars in at the same time.)

My delivery isn't until late august, so I am hoping that there is another battery bump between now and then and then I might pay the change fee + additional to get it.

 

[whitex]

After further back and forth with the manager, Tesla agreed to wave the $500 order change fee, which means upgrading to the 72A charger would be $1500 for the charger + $1500 for the new price scheme. Is it worth it at that cost?

"worth it" is always relative, so the question should be: is it worth it TO YOU?

You can think of the $1,000 extra (more than what you were going to spend when you ordered) as getting all the refresh upgrades at a $500 discount, or you can think of this as a $1,000 increase in price for the charger upgrade that offers 8A less. You can also choose to take a chance that 72A upgrade will become available as post-delivery option at less than $3,000 at some point in the near future. Dilemma, dilemma... ;-)

 

[AB4EJ]

I will pass along what Marietta sales rep told me when I ordered: get the car and live with it for a few months, then decide if you need the dual charger. It can be retrofitted by SC. (Of course, this is not very helpful if you already shelled out for it in the order). When I ordered my MS last month, the second charger was not available as an orderable option. I'm supposed to pick up car on May 4; I expect it will be the first generation (MS) front, since I didn't get the email saying I would get the face-lift. This is fine, I have some electronics I want to mount behind the nose cone, and could not do this with the facelifted model.

 

[markb1]

After further back and forth with the manager, Tesla agreed to wave the $500 order change fee, which means upgrading to the 72A charger would be $1500 for the charger + $1500 for the new price scheme. Is it worth it at that cost?

No, Tesla is still not doing the right thing, here. I would suggest keep pushing until they do. Email Elon, and maybe he will realize that you aren't being treated right.

 

[newtman]

No, Tesla is still not doing the right thing, here. I would suggest keep pushing until they do. Email Elon, and maybe he will realize that you aren't being treated right.

I have a feeling if I emailed Elon, my order would just be mysteriously cancelled, and I get no sense from anyone at Tesla that I've spoken to that they're willing to make this right. In their minds everything is on the up and up.

Our main use case would be for destination charging, as we go some pretty out of the way places. It's possible a CHAdeMO adapter might be a sufficient substitute, but I'm doubtful.

 

[Pantoot]

I get no sense from anyone at Tesla that I've spoken to that they're willing to make this right. In their minds everything is on the up and up.

I get the same sense, and that is what baffles me so much about this situation.
In the grand scheme of things it is a minor issue, but I just cannot figure out how they are getting this so wrong.

 

[ggnykk]

After further back and forth with the manager, Tesla agreed to wave the $500 order change fee, which means upgrading to the 72A charger would be $1500 for the charger + $1500 for the new price scheme. Is it worth it at that cost?

If you don't pay the extra $3000 dollars, will your car get the new 48A charger? or you are still getting the old 40A?

It seems like a good deal if you can get the facelift (with all the new features) at no extra cost. Just use the money to get Chademo adapter and wait for more superchargers to come. Those are DC direct charging that isn't affected by your on-board charger.

 

[markb1]

I have a feeling if I emailed Elon, my order would just be mysteriously cancelled, and I get no sense from anyone at Tesla that I've spoken to that they're willing to make this right. In their minds everything is on the up and up.

I doubt it. It may or may not help, but I don't think it will hurt. You'd be happy to pay the aftermarket charger price ($2000) for the 72A factory option, right? That's a very reasonable position, and Tesla's is not.

Our main use case would be for destination charging, as we go some pretty out of the way places. It's possible a CHAdeMO adapter might be a sufficient substitute, but I'm doubtful.

Do these out of the way places have HPWCs? If you're going far out of the way, the 72A option might not do you much good. And 48A is fine for overnight charging, anyway.

 

[newtman]

I get the same sense, and that is what baffles me so much about this situation.
In the grand scheme of things it is a minor issue, but I just cannot figure out how they are getting this so wrong.

If I put myself in their shoes, I can understand their logic. Dual chargers were discontinued as a factory option in early 2015, and became an aftermarket option. Only with the facelift did they start having a larger charger as a factory option again, so technically it was a new option, on the new price sheet. I don't agree with that convoluted logic, but I understand it.

 

[newtman]

I doubt it. It may or may not help, but I don't think it will hurt. You'd be happy to pay the aftermarket charger price ($2000) for the 72A factory option, right? That's a very reasonable position, and Tesla's is not.



Do these out of the way places have HPWCs? If you're going far out of the way, the 72A option might not do you much good. And 48A is fine for overnight charging, anyway.

Yep, a lot of the places we go happen to have 80A chargers (Yosemite for example), and they're set up for shared temp usage as opposed to dedicated overnight usage.

 

[newtman]

If you don't pay the extra $3000 dollars, will your car get the new 48A charger? or you are still getting the old 40A?

It seems like a good deal if you can get the facelift (with all the new features) at no extra cost. Just use the money to get Chademo adapter and wait for more superchargers to come. Those are DC direct charging that isn't affected by your on-board charger.

If I do nothing, I get the 48A charger and the facelift, at the old price. If I want the 72A charger, I have to pay $3000.

 

[tomy]

Same issue here. I can hardly believe that it should not be possible to either have it replaced later (e.g. as spare part or even SW upgrade) or - to allow customers to pay the $500 for the change but not imposing the full increase on the new price. Which in Europe is much higher than just the 1500 dollars. I'm a customer and it's definitely not my fault that Tesla changed the way how to get to higher amperage charger in the midst my order gets processed.