Silly Supercharger Grumbles

[Gaz_]

Just a silly thread about things that wind me up at the supercharger that really shouldn't and even make me roll my eyes at myself. Add more, but keep it light hearted.

• Showing up at a supercharger knowing there are 2 spare and being happy that they are A and B, you go to pull in to realise there is a Tesla driving right in front of you. You get the last charger but the slowest charge possible. *grrrrr*
• Being second on the charging pair and giving up on getting the charge you want, disconnecting right as the other driver comes back to their car and drives off. *grrrrr*
• Pulling into the supercharger with B free for all of them, you pick one and every A stand pulls away but yours *grrrrr*
• Switching stand to the vacant pair when someone pulls out, then as soon as you hook up the other person in your original pair returns and leaves *grrrrr*

and my personal biggest *grrrrr*

• Pulling in to a supercharger car park, seeing someone standing by their charge cable with phone in hand looking like they are about to disconnect. So you pull into the other bay only to watch them get back in the car and start watching Netflix on their phone :/ *grrrrr*

Any more?

 

[BZM3]

Why would they watch Netflix on their phone when they can be watching on the car's display!

 

[Gaz_]

Why would they watch Netflix on their phone when they can be watching on the car's display!

Because us lesser mortals with MCU1 didn't get that upgrade

 

[Cwmwd]

Timing arrival at a 2-stall site just right on a cold day with a nice warm battery only to spend 20 minutes waiting and cooling the battery for one of the two Xs, that apparently arrived at once, to move on...

 

[Mr Miserable]

being the only sucker paying for supercharging...

 

[Kitster]

Having to always do the longer journey from A to B to deliberately route via a supercharger...just to ensure you use all of your 5000 free supercharger miles which will expire at 6 months

 

[WannabeOwner]

just to ensure you use all of your 5000 free supercharger miles which will expire at 6 months

You could buy another Tesla ... miles on My Tesla shareable with other cars

New car would add another 1,000 miles and 6 months.

Yeah, that's it, just keep adding one new car every 6 months.

Sorted

 

[Yev000]

and 6 months

To be honest I never seen any official mention of the 6 month limit. I hardly ever use superchargers. Most likely ill use them next summer when driving on holiday, but 6 month would be gone by then.

 

[WannabeOwner]

I never seen any official mention of the 6 month limit.

Interesting. I checked and all I saw was "You and anyone using your referral link to buy a Tesla will receive 1,000 free Supercharger miles!"

Wouldn't surprise me that Tesla couldn't be bothered / found it hard to implement the Algorithm for limiting based on time.

AFAIK its 400kWh and no 1,000 miles anyway ...doesn't appear to say that though (and the algorithm for that WOULD be a mare!)

I have both free Supercharger and 1,000 mile freebie vehicles on my account. I have absolutely no idea how Referrals are handled - 1,000 miles each time? or double-the-draw-entries?

 

[nightowl]

Only had a few issues so far. One was that the connector was really difficult to remove from the charging stand unless it was pulled hard enough to make a snapping sound (I tried lifting it up several times until another driver spotted me struggling with it and suggested being forceful with it.)

One service station I visited had the superchargers right by the exit, with one-way markings on the floor at that point so you kind of need to know which specific route to take within the car park to get to them. There may have been an easier way to get to them but it took me a while to spot where they were, by which point I was at the exit.

The most recent one I used required cars to go in forwards rather than backwards! Fortunately a couple of Google Maps reviews made this apparent before I set off for the supercharger.

Free supercharger miles don't kick in on the first day. It'd be nice if they did.

I've found other drivers to be quite helpful at the superchargers. One moved some cones out of the way to help me turn around, another waved to indicate that they were about to leave so I could use the bay next to them etc. And where possible everyone's parked in alternating bays (to avoid sharing the charge).

 

[WannabeOwner]

it took me a while to spot where they were

In the main I have found that the SatNav has an accurate location - I find it helps to put the map into Satellite and zoom right in, in order to get a feel for the geography. Stalls are in weird places at some sites ... but even when they aren't, on a large site the SatNav having an accurate location is a big help.

Free supercharger miles don't kick in on the first day

I've read lots of conflicting things about this ... many seem to point to a charge being raised, but then never being charged, and that Day One charging has been free for many, regardless of whether they have the "free 1,000 miles" or not. So even if your account was billed you may not be charged ...

 

[Kitster]

In the main I have found that the SatNav has an accurate location - I find it helps to put the map into Satellite and zoom right in, in order to get a feel for the geography. Stalls are in weird places at some sites ... but even when they aren't, on a large site the SatNav having an accurate location is a big help.



I've read lots of conflicting things about this ... many seem to point to a charge being raised, but then never being charged, and that Day One charging has been free for many, regardless of whether they have the "free 1,000 miles" or not. So even if your account was billed you may not be charged ...

I charged the same evening I picked up at a supercharger and the miles were deducted from my free 5000 within a couple of mins of finishing the the charge .

 

[nightowl]

In the main I have found that the SatNav has an accurate location - I find it helps to put the map into Satellite and zoom right in, in order to get a feel for the geography. Stalls are in weird places at some sites ... but even when they aren't, on a large site the SatNav having an accurate location is a big help.

Good point about satellite view. I'll try that next time. The one I went to with bays you had to go forwards into was near some farm shop which was closed on Sunday evening and I'd at least previously looked on Google Maps on a computer and seen that the charging bays were actually tucked away in one far corner of the car park, which involved going into a specific entrance and following a zig-zagging one way system. I'm glad I looked it up beforehand but even doing so I went in the wrong entrance at first as I didn't realise there was more than one.

The first couple of superchargers I visited were really easy to spot (I arrived in the dark and just looked for the red across the car park)

 

[WannabeOwner]

I'm glad I looked it up beforehand but even doing so I went in the wrong entrance at first as I didn't realise there was more than one.

I charged at CYC CHAdeMO in York. The CYC map had the chargers over a mile away from the correct location ... in fact their three different charging stall types scattered to the winds on their APP map. That made finding them a challenge, to say the least! (at least the CHAdeMO location was at a "cornfield" so I knew it was wrong, rather than wasting time hunting as I would have done if it had been an industrial estate), and when i eventually did find it all three stalls were side by side with no ID marks at all so starting the charge, for my stall, via the CYC APP was hit and miss ...

Supercharger is Night-and-Day better in so many ways ...

Also worth looking at Plugshare (I prefer that, but some folk prefer Zap-Map). That usually has very accurate charger location (I should have used that in York ...) but also user comments, and photos of cars at charging stalls, which can also help at unfamiliar locations.

 

[Cwmwd]

When it's time to unplug do you...
A. open the door, get out, close the door, walk 'round the front (into traffic) and unplug
B. open the door, get out, walk 'round the back and step over the cable (try not to trip) and unplug
C. open the door, get out, walk 'round the back of the stall (risking getting mud and god knows what on your shoes) and unplug
D. ask the person the in passanger seat to do it
E. ask the person in the stall on the right to do it

 

[pgkevet]

When it's time to unplug do you...
A. open the door, get out, close the door, walk 'round the front (into traffic) and unplug
B. open the door, get out, walk 'round the back and step over the cable (try not to trip) and unplug
C. open the door, get out, walk 'round the back of the stall (risking getting mud and god knows what on your shoes) and unplug
D. ask the person the in passanger seat to do it
E. ask the person in the stall on the right to do it

 

[LukeT]

Got to be this. Also ref the thread about black/boring colours, we need Dukes of Hazzard Orange...

 

[Jason71]

Got to be this. Also ref the thread about black/boring colours, we need Dukes of Hazzard Orange...

Close enough for you?

Orange Model 3

 

[LukeT]

Close enough for you?

Orange Model 3

Heavens, no!

We need this:

Google Image Result for https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Di5vLHPW4AEVoRB.jpg

P.S. Searching for "orange tesla" brings up some unexpected results.