Relying on superchargers

[nr152522]

Hi,

I'm new here and close to purchasing a Tesla MS./

I live in a block of flats in London and have an allocated underground parking space. Unfortunately, after speaking to the management company, there is no possibility to install a socket for overnight charging.

Just wondering if anyone else has the same experience and whether relying on superchargers (using referral code for life) is convenient? The closest supercharger is less than a mile away from home.

Many Thanks!

 

[DJP31]

Hi,

I'm new here and close to purchasing a Tesla MS./

I live in a block of flats in London and have an allocated underground parking space. Unfortunately, after speaking to the management company, there is no possibility to install a socket for overnight charging.

Just wondering if anyone else has the same experience and whether relying on superchargers (using referral code for life) is convenient? The closest supercharger is less than a mile away from home.

Many Thanks!

I'm lucky enough to have off street parking so not an issue for me, but yes, if you have a Supercharger on your door step there's no reason why you shouldn't use it. Depending on your state of charge e.g. at 20% about 1/2 an hour would get you to 80% so not an inordinate amount of time. If it's a busy smaller site you might on occasion have to queue, which one is close to you?

Supercharging is often marketed as a means to facilitate long distance travel, and that is certainly true but using it as your source of fuel where home charging isn't possible is fine.

In case you don't have a referral code here's mine:

My Tesla Referral Code

 

[nr152522]

I'm lucky enough to have off street parking so not an issue for me, but yes, if you have a Supercharger on your door step there's no reason why you shouldn't use it. Depending on your state of charge e.g. at 20% about 1/2 an hour would get you to 80% so not an inordinate amount of time. If it's a busy smaller site you might on occasion have to queue, which one is close to you?

Supercharging is often marketed as a means to facilitate long distance travel, and that is certainly true but using it as your source of fuel where home charging isn't possible is fine.

In case you don't have a referral code here's mine:

My Tesla Referral Code

Great, thanks for sharing your experience. I have been toying between the tesla and the i8. My only concern was the practicality of charging. I'm near Tower bridge so I think I can use the Tower bridge hotel charger, even though they charge parking, it's certainly cheaper than fuel.

Thanks for providing your referral, unfortunately, I already have one.

Thanks!

 

[DJP31]

According to this UK Supercharger Guide you shouldn't have to pay. I've never used that one although I know the Dickens Inn very well!

The i8 is a superb looking car but the Tesla knocks it for 6 in so many other areas IMO.

 

[nr152522]

Great, really appreciate the help.

Indeed the i8 is absolutely gorgeous. To top it off, the quality of service I received from the BMW reps far exceeded that of Tesla. That said, when it comes to the product, I just can't escape my lust for the tech inside the Tesla. Extremely tough decision.

 

[SageBrush]

Unfortunately, after speaking to the management company, there is no possibility to install a socket for overnight charging.

Why ?
I hope you are not taking no for answer too easily just because a SC is near by. It won't take many people who do the same before you find that SC clogged.

 

[nr152522]

Why ?
I hope you are not taking no for answer too easily just because a SC is near by. It won't take many people who do the same before you find that SC clogged.

Not at all, as an owner I'm attending this months management meeting to try and gain support from other owners. However, it's going to be very difficult. The risk of superchargers getting clogged is exactly one reason I'm still considering an i8, especially with model 3's just around the corner.

 

[cezdoc]

Not at all, as an owner I'm attending this months management meeting to try and gain support from other owners. However, it's going to be very difficult. The risk of superchargers getting clogged is exactly one reason I'm still considering an i8, especially with model 3's just around the corner.

IMO there is a temptation to over-state the inconvenience of "clogged" Superchargers. Sure the stated aim is to enable long-distance travel but Tesla recognise that there are a lot of potential owners in areas like London who cannot access/install home charging. Why else would there be Superchargers at locations like Brent Cross and Westfield? They make no sense for road trips, but are perfect for city dwellers to do a weekly "fill-up". Tesla have introduced over-stay fees to encourage drivers to move their cars and free-up charging bays as soon as possible. If you want to be extra polite then you can also choose an off-peak time to charge - Superchargers all have 24 hour access. With a 200+ mile range I would imagine it would be a weekly chore - if you're going further afield you can just use one of the Superchargers on the spokes en route when heading out of London.

Longer term Tesla have mentioned an aspiration to have urban charging hubs - a lower rate of charge than Supercharging more akin to the destination charger scheme. Whether/when this comes to fruition is anybody's guess. There are pilot schemes for lamp-post charging, and a far-sighted government could change planning regulations to prioritise requests for EV charging points but that won't help in the immediate future. Keep pressing your management though, home charging is so much better than having to head out for a charge on a wet winter weekend! Are there any 3 pin plug sockets available in the parking area? You could still get a useful overnight charge using one of those (about 60 miles in 10 hours) - I've done this many times when visiting family/on holiday (my very handy 20 m heavy duty extension cable has allowed me to reach all sorts of sockets!).

Disclaimer: I live in Aberdeen where there are no Superchargers and most public charge points are free to use. Public points are single units so there is a good chance that they will be in use during peak hours, whether by freeloaders or EV drivers needing a charge to get home who can say? but even with this situation it is still relatively easy to find a free public charger once you know when the busy periods are. I use destination charging as a perk but these days I charge at home where I'm lucky enough to have a driveway and an EV charge point.

 

[TC56]

With the front page news that Volvo are switching to electric (BEV and hybrid), the issue of charging will start to come up more and more as other manufactures follow suit. Worth bringing up at the management meeting.

 

[nr152522]

Not at all, as an owner I'm attending this months management meeting to try and gain support from other owners. However, it's going to be very difficult. The risk of superchargers getting clogged is exactly one reason I'm still considering an i8, especially with model 3's just around the corner.

With the front page news that Volvo are switching to electric (BEV and hybrid), the issue of charging will start to come up more and more as other manufactures follow suit. Worth bringing up at the management meeting.

Thanks, I'll certainly do my best, the management company are pretty stubborn so it'll be a challenge to say the least. In terms of car choice, I've got the Tesla approved and ready to sign in the next couple of hours. However, BMW are trying hard to convince me with a significant offer.

One way or the other, nearly there!

 

[nr152522]

So, I just ordered my 2017 Tesla 90D new inventory. Wish me luck!

Thanks for all your feedback and help.

 

[DJP31]

So, I just ordered my 2017 Tesla 90D new inventory. Wish me luck!

Thanks for all your feedback and help.

Congratulations, I'm sure you won't be disappointed! This forum is quite quiet, but the closed Facebook group for members can be very useful. I hate FB and only use it for this purpose and am glad I have. If you are interested here's a link to start the joining process.

Official Tesla Owners Group Sign Up Form

 

[nr152522]

Congratulations, I'm sure you won't be disappointed! This forum is quite quiet, but the closed Facebook group for members can be very useful. I hate FB and only use it for this purpose and am glad I have. If you are interested here's a link to start the joining process.

Official Tesla Owners Group Sign Up Form

Great, thanks! I've just signed up, really looking forward to receiving my Model S now!

 

[WannabeOwner]

the quality of service I received from the BMW reps far exceeded that of Tesla

Yup, that would be the case.

Doesn't the i8 have a lawn mower engine and some fake Broom Broom through the speakers?

Its taken me a while to get used to absolutely hating the ICE refuelling experience. I have to do it very very rarely now - our ICE cars do negligible miles, and the only other occurrence is a Jerry-can for the mower. I didn't even expect that to become an annoyance, but the smell and the time wasted standing there pumping, and then queuing to pay, I now find really off-putting. Surprising how that has crept up on me, I'm a patient and generally not-fussed sort of guy normally.

The driving of the Tesla is just so smooth. Drove 400 miles in ICE the last couple of days (people carrier, had to pick something up en route) and I was much more tired (just like the old days in fact ... except back then that was what I considered to be "normal") compared to the same journey on AP1 where I arrive as fresh as I left. Maybe I'm losing my touch, but having to use a clutch and getting a smooth pull-away on all those blasted roundabouts in Milton Keynes .... one-pedal driving is so much nicer. Nope. If I could be 100% electric from tomorrow I would make the choice in a shot now that I have been spoiled to be a Tesla driver for a year / 25,000 miles.

whether relying on superchargers is convenient

So long as you can sit and do Email (or something), which you would otherwise sit and do for 20 minutes when you got home, I can't see any real downside at all.

 

[cezdoc]

So, I just ordered my 2017 Tesla 90D new inventory. Wish me luck!

Thanks for all your feedback and help.

Congratulations and hope you enjoy the car! (I hope you don't have too long to wait). As DJP31 says the owner's Facebook group is a mine of information (although sometimes it's hard to search for specific information). Judging from the posts there are plenty of Londoners without home charging on there who will be able to share experiences. I think they are working on a parallel website to collect all the need-to-know information in one place (at the moment the same questions are regularly recycled).

I've also found SpeakEV is a useful UK-based public forum with a helpful Tesla-specific section that is a bit more active than this one for "local" news.