Stay in car or Eat/shop while supercharging?

[ajdelange]

The warning message does not say it's OK to charge to over 90% as long as you drain the charge off right away. It says that charging to over 90% as a matter of course will shorten your battery life. I don't think anyone disagrees that it is not OK to charge to 100% on occasion as when one is setting out on a trip but rather that it shouldn't be done too frequently.

Another caveat is that frequent high rate charging is detrimental to the battery. The vehicle will slow charging rate if you have been hitting the SC's to frequently.

One of the most valuable posts I have seen here said, in essence, believe it if you have it from Tesla in writing. The warning came to me on the touchscreen when I accidentally set the charging limit to 93% and didn't notice it. I consider that in writing from Tesla. The fact that the car will try to protect itself against frequent high rate charging is in the manual. I'll operate based on those and continue to ignore what someone's buddy who has a brother in law that works at Panasonic told him.

 

[ajdelange]

Basically a destination charger operator can set whatever policies he wants and depending on what kind of equipment he has can implement many of them automatically. Same is true of the other charging networks. Some will simply shut off after half an hour. The solution for those is to simply start another session. Clearly you shouldn't do that if others are waiting to use the station. A destination charger with a 14-50R can't do much automatically but he can have an attendant run you off after half an hour if he wants to. Or he can instruct the attendant to let people stay longer if they can justify the need. Remember than in many cases the operator is paying for the electricity you are getting free. And, again, courtesy to other drivers should be kept in mind.

At the Super Chargers Tesla imposes an idle fee of $1/min for each minute you occupy the stall beyond the completion of charging. This had to be done in order to protect the community against the jerk that goes into a stall 80% charged and wander off to see War and Peace at a nearby cinema. You have 5 minutes grace so pay attention to the "charging almost complete" message. Also note that idle fees do not apply if more than half the stalls are free.

You will notice that the stalls will have numbers like 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B etc. 2A and 2B share a rectifier. If someone is in 2A and no one is in 2B then he (2A) gets all the juice from that rectifier. If someone pulls into 2B while 2A is still charging the recifier will split the load between the two cars. That's what you saw.

 

[HankLloydRight]

The warning message does not say it's OK to charge to over 90% as long as you drain the charge off right away. It says that charging to over 90% as a matter of course will shorten your battery life. I don't think anyone disagrees that it is not OK to charge to 100% on occasion as when one is setting out on a trip but rather that it shouldn't be done too frequently.

Another caveat is that frequent high rate charging is detrimental to the battery. The vehicle will slow charging rate if you have been hitting the SC's to frequently.

One of the most valuable posts I have seen here said, in essence, believe it if you have it from Tesla in writing. The warning came to me on the touchscreen when I accidentally set the charging limit to 93% and didn't notice it. I consider that in writing from Tesla. The fact that the car will try to protect itself against frequent high rate charging is in the manual. I'll operate based on those and continue to ignore what someone's buddy who has a brother in law that works at Panasonic told him.

You're still wrong. The warning is there to prevent you from accidentally charging to 90%-100% repeatedly and leaving the battery sit at a high SOC%. That will degrade the battery. I've received that warning plenty of times on road trips when I needed to charge to 95%-100%, and began driving immediately when done charging, and my 2014 P85D battery has degraded pretty much the average for older batteries.

What sense does it make to advertise and sell a battery with rated miles at 100% SOC, but you can only use 90% of that?

 

[HankLloydRight]

Here's some "in writing" from Tesla for you. The warning message you receive is for "Daily" charging, which is what we're saying -- don't charge daily to 100% and leave it sit there. That's what the warning message is trying to tell you.

But charging to 100%, even repeatedly, on "trips" is perfectly OK. The software sees you charging to 100% a few times in a row, and it assumes you're doing "daily" charges and letting it sit. It doesn't know you're doing in on purpose for a road trip.

See the image below:

 

[ajdelange]

The biggest misnomer in the English language is "common sense".

 

[outdoors]

Eat/Shop. I guess for some. I try to avoid consumption monetarily and food wise unless it is unique. All Panared and Starbucked out.
Although one has to hit a grocery store every now and then.

Conference calls are the best. Everyone knows they don't last long. When I am done charging. I am done talking. Think work and drive? Can't do that.

I try to bang out a few miles while charging. Walk or run. Murdo SD SC has a little loop around a local pond. Run that a couple times. Head back to the SC and towel off from the stuff I keep in the frunk. I ran a marathon on my last road trip west by the time I got there.

Also few if any stops do I need to charge to 100%. Learning to understand the taper a good thing. Most of my stops are 30-40 min. Using the slider on the app to keep from incurring and idle charge. Maybe not such a great thing. Just go move your car if people are waiting. Can only think of maybe 5 or 6 times I needed a 100% charge at a SC. Out of well over 100 SC visits.

 

[rabbit]

Set your charge level to 92 or 93% and be sure the car is plugged in every night. Observe what happens after a couple of days. You may change your mind.

Which message is this replying to? I'm really interested in getting a home charger soon so wondering if what you are saying is encouraging of that, or not. Can't tell because I don't know what you were responding to.

 

[rabbit]

I thought everyone was on the same page that you're supposed to

You lost me at "supposed to." Really? There are rules about how we are supposed to spend our own personal time at a supercharger? I don't think so.

The businesses that host them may reap some small benefits but they are also helping transition the world to sustainable energy, so there is that benefit as well.

As far as sitting in the car, I do that. Or I get out and go somewhere. As suits me at the time. I have an iPad with pre-downloaded movies and videos from Netflix. It also has a copy of the Tesla Model 3 User's Manual, which is good to read. And other books.

I would love more socializing at chargers too, but you never know if others are into it and you don't want to force interactions that might not be welcome, obviously. I'm with you on expecting more meeting people.... when it does happen, it's great. Sometimes it's "hey, want to grab coffee?" and other times just chatting next to the cars.

The absolute best use of supercharger time I've seen? A guy drove up, plugged in, and hopped on a OneWheel and zipped off into the city. Old guy, by the way, since you are so zeroed in on noticing age.

 

[HankLloydRight]

The biggest misnomer in the English language is "common sense".

Who said anything about 'common sense'?

 

[HankLloydRight]

If someone pulls into 2B while 2A is still charging the recifier will split the load between the two cars.

This is also incorrect. The charging stalls don't "split the load' between the two cars. In most cases on a fully operating SC pair, the first car to arrive will get up to 120kW of power depending on the battery SOC%. If a second car pulls up to the paired stall, they'll get what's left over, likely no more than 20kW or so. (I believe each pair of stalls gets 144kW to share). The second car pulling up to a paired stall will never effect the charging rate for the car in the first stall. As the first car starts to taper down above 50%-60% SOC, the second car will taper up, still taking the energy that left over out of the two paired SC stalls.

 

[TexasEV]

The warning message does not say it's OK to charge to over 90% as long as you drain the charge off right away. It says that charging to over 90% as a matter of course will shorten your battery life. I don't think anyone disagrees that it is not OK to charge to 100% on occasion as when one is setting out on a trip but rather that it shouldn't be done too frequently.

Another caveat is that frequent high rate charging is detrimental to the battery. The vehicle will slow charging rate if you have been hitting the SC's to frequently.

One of the most valuable posts I have seen here said, in essence, believe it if you have it from Tesla in writing. The warning came to me on the touchscreen when I accidentally set the charging limit to 93% and didn't notice it. I consider that in writing from Tesla. The fact that the car will try to protect itself against frequent high rate charging is in the manual. I'll operate based on those and continue to ignore what someone's buddy who has a brother in law that works at Panasonic told him.

You’re missing the point. There’s a reason why the warning only appears when the charge level is set at 100% for three days rather than when you first set it at 100%. It’s a reminder for people who set the charge to 100% for a trip and may have forgotten to set it back down. Charging to 100% and using it for a trip is fine, charging routinely overnight to 100% meaning it sits at that level repeatedly is not.

The early Model S firmware had two settngs corresponding to daily and trip, 92% and 100%. There wasn’t even an option to charge less than 92% and we did just fine.

 

[dhrivnak]

So I've done a few supercharging sessions in the half month of driving the Model 3. And at the dealership, they always say you can go eat / shop while you're supercharging. To make the idea of charging sound less shitty.

But when I go to superchargers, I see some people who just stay in their car. Mostly older people not really millenial looking people. I thought everyone was on the same page that you're supposed to make most of your time supercharging by eating / getting coffee / shopping at whatever was around the super charger. But seems some people just stay in their car and literally wait there doing nothing.

Seems kinda depressing to just wait in your car because charging takes like an hour. So far, I only tried supercharging because it's free (6 months) and just for the heck of it.

I thought Tesla super charging stations would be some kind of Tesla owners gathering place where you can talk to other Tesla owners. Like a hang out, but it's not really like that, just seems like a place people don't wanna be at but have to. I just find it depressing when I see people just sitting in their car doing nothing, especially if the surrounding business are still open.

Plus, I tried explaining to my mom that while supercharging, it best to do shopping / get food while charging so you're not waiting around for an hour doing nothing. But she wanted to stay in the car, which I did not understand why, but whatever.

Maybe if I have to go on a roadtrip and need to charge in a rural area with nothing around or businesses are closed, I should bring some chairs and a camp fire to pass the time. I wonder if other Tesla owners would be down for that idea or if they're gonna be lame and just sit in their cars.

We always get out to stretch our legs and get something to eat. After 4 hours in a car we want and need a break. Of course we only SuperCharge when going on long trips. Outherwise we use the convenience of home charging.

 

[Shock-On-T]

So I've done a few supercharging sessions in the half month of driving the Model 3. And at the dealership, they always say you can go eat / shop while you're supercharging. To make the idea of charging sound less shitty.

But when I go to superchargers, I see some people who just stay in their car. Mostly older people not really millenial looking people. I thought everyone was on the same page that you're supposed to make most of your time supercharging by eating / getting coffee / shopping at whatever was around the super charger. But seems some people just stay in their car and literally wait there doing nothing.

Seems kinda depressing to just wait in your car because charging takes like an hour. So far, I only tried supercharging because it's free (6 months) and just for the heck of it.

I thought Tesla super charging stations would be some kind of Tesla owners gathering place where you can talk to other Tesla owners. Like a hang out, but it's not really like that, just seems like a place people don't wanna be at but have to. I just find it depressing when I see people just sitting in their car doing nothing, especially if the surrounding business are still open.

Plus, I tried explaining to my mom that while supercharging, it best to do shopping / get food while charging so you're not waiting around for an hour doing nothing. But she wanted to stay in the car, which I did not understand why, but whatever.

Maybe if I have to go on a roadtrip and need to charge in a rural area with nothing around or businesses are closed, I should bring some chairs and a camp fire to pass the time. I wonder if other Tesla owners would be down for that idea or if they're gonna be lame and just sit in their cars.

The problem is that smartphones exist.
People would rather sit in their car using their phone than go to a Hugh Hefner party.

 

[KerryOH]

I make a 200 mile drive from NJ to Delaware and back frequently, at least once a month. My usual method is:
to charge to 90% at home,
stop at the Newark DE SC (around 20-25% on arrival),
plug in,
walk my dog a few minutes,
walk over to the Starbucks to use the restroom and buy a coffee,
back to the car, read email, answer any texts or phone calls
charge to 80-85%
leave the SC and head down Rt 1 to the shore
arrive with 25-30%
about 30-40 minutes total at SC

 

[suwaneedad]

I’ve only used a supercharger 4 times since I got my X 6 mos ago. In SoCal I see limits on the charging time. Very frustrating. I was driving on the 405 after driving friends at LAX and my battery was showing 15% which wasn’t enough to get home. I stopped in Redondo Beach at a supercharging (Hilton garden inn) and was surprised to see a sign saying I could only charge for 40 min. That wouldn’t give me enough battery to get home. Luck for me att stalls were open so I didn’t feel bad staying longer. Does anyone know if you get charged for staying longer if it’s busy. Is the time limit just a suggestion? Also I noticed at another charging when someone took the stall next to me my charging rate dropped very low. What original was shown as 70 min ended up closer to 105 min. Is this normal?

You don't get charged by Tesla for staying longer than 40 minutes. Those are just courtesy signs popping up at frequently busy SC locations.

SC stalls are paired with another stall, sharing power. So when arriving at a SC, be mindful not to begin using stall 3B for example if stall 3A is in use. These markings are on the bottom of each charger in a black circle; can be tough to see sometimes. There is no formal educating by Tesla about this, so it is up to the user community to spread the word since doing so helps improve the capacity of each SC location by getting us all back on the road ASAP.

 

[suwaneedad]

So I've done a few supercharging sessions in the half month of driving the Model 3. And at the dealership, they always say you can go eat / shop while you're supercharging. To make the idea of charging sound less shitty.

But when I go to superchargers, I see some people who just stay in their car. Mostly older people not really millenial looking people. I thought everyone was on the same page that you're supposed to make most of your time supercharging by eating / getting coffee / shopping at whatever was around the super charger. But seems some people just stay in their car and literally wait there doing nothing.

Seems kinda depressing to just wait in your car because charging takes like an hour. So far, I only tried supercharging because it's free (6 months) and just for the heck of it.

I thought Tesla super charging stations would be some kind of Tesla owners gathering place where you can talk to other Tesla owners. Like a hang out, but it's not really like that, just seems like a place people don't wanna be at but have to. I just find it depressing when I see people just sitting in their car doing nothing, especially if the surrounding business are still open.

Plus, I tried explaining to my mom that while supercharging, it best to do shopping / get food while charging so you're not waiting around for an hour doing nothing. But she wanted to stay in the car, which I did not understand why, but whatever.

Maybe if I have to go on a roadtrip and need to charge in a rural area with nothing around or businesses are closed, I should bring some chairs and a camp fire to pass the time. I wonder if other Tesla owners would be down for that idea or if they're gonna be lame and just sit in their cars.

I've been to a few SC locations that turn into impromptu gatherings of owners, but fewer than 1 in 20 visits qualifies. And I'm in the Southeast where Teslas are still somewhat of a novelty. In essence, these tend to be 4-5 brown or white guys standing around comparing nonsense about their Teslas. What matters to me, though, is using the time at the SC to get out of the sitting position. Stand, walk, or go take a jog if the weather is cooperative. Anything to get out of the sitting position for the ~20 minutes at a SC location to get from 10% SOC back to ~50% SOC and back on the road.

 

[ajdelange]

This is also incorrect. The charging stalls don't "split the load' ....

The second car pulling up to a paired stall will never effect the charging rate for the car in the first stall.

Also I noticed at another charging when someone took the stall next to me my charging rate dropped very low. What original was shown as 70 min ended up closer to 105 min. Is this normal?

Common sense.

 

[Uncle Paul]

No reason to obsess over what other people are doing at a Supercharger. Everyone has their own agenda. Maybe catch up on some emails, listen to some music, chat up a fellow charger, watch the built in fireplace, or walk around to stretch your legs.

It will be different for long distance travelers than someone who Supercharges frequently to save money or has no charger access where they visit the same location all the time.

When I am traveling, I take a little fold up electric scooter that fits in the Frunk, and use it to explore the area. Sometimes I will shop, stretch my legs, and speak to other chargers who may be more familiar with the area. Every stop is different, depending on what is on my agenda.

Sometimes I just check out my map to route out my next leg of the journey.

In other words, don't worry so much about what other people may or may not be doing. Figure out what will be your own plan as you wander throughout your new EV experiences.

The closest Supercharger station to me is in an outlet mall. Always something new to see there and bargains to be had. My favorite stop is at their Dairy Queen, where in the Summer they have a special with ice cream cones for only $1.00. Just enough time to walk there, use the restroom and grab a cone. They have comfy lounge chairs and sofas so I can do some people watching and check my phone with their wi-fi. Really could care less what other people are doing.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Common sense.

Sorry, but I don't understand your cryptic posts. What 'common sense'?

I’ve only used a supercharger 4 times

Also I noticed at another charging when someone took the stall next to me my charging rate dropped very low. What original was shown as 70 min ended up closer to 105 min. Is this normal?

That was likely his battery was reaching a higher state of charge and starting to taper down. That's how it works. It was likely just a coincidence that someone pulled in next to him/her near the same time. He also indicated that he's only used a SC four times, so I can understand not knowing how they actually work or a car pulling in appeared to lower the charge rate. The charge rate is NOT constant, and goes down significantly the longer you charge. Also, the time estimated to finish charging is never accurate if you are charging to 100%. 105 minutes to charge to 100% is normal, and the charge rate would drop extremely low during the last 5% of charging. This is all normal and expected.

There are dozens of posts and documentation on how the paired stalls work. They don't "split" the power between two cars. If you don't understand how they work, please take the time to do your own research before spreading misinformation. Thank you.

 

[Silicon Desert]

Please have these battery engineers get in contact with Tesla and inform them of this so that Tesla can remove the caution that appears on the touch screen if you charge to over 90% for more than a couple of nights. It says that continuing to do so will degrade battery life.

A good point that it probably needs to be better worded like some other things.