Super Charging Etiquette

[Tadara]

Newbie here, just wondering what Supercharching etiquette dictates. I don’t want to offend anyone by parking beside them. I read you should leave space just wondering if I should wait when there is only one space left. How does parking beside someone affect both drivers?

Thanks.

 

[Big Earl]

Newbie here, just wondering what Supercharching etiquette dictates. I don’t want to offend anyone by parking beside them. I read you should leave space just wondering if I should wait when there is only one space left. How does parking beside someone affect both drivers?

Thanks.

V2 Superchargers share power between two stalls and are labeled 1A 1B 2A 2B 3A 3B etc. Sometimes they're labeled 1A 2A 3A 1B 2B 3B. At these sites, it would be poor etiquette to charge on 1B if someone else is already on 1A - find an unpaired number. V2 Superchargers have thicker, less flexible cables than V3 Superchargers, and show up in the nav system as either "up to 120 kW" or "up to 150 kW."

V3 Superchargers, which are all newly built locations, do not share power in this manner. They're labeled 1A 1B 1C 1D 2A 2B 2C 2D. At these sites, you can park anywhere you'd like without impacting other drivers, although leaving space makes door dings less likely. V3 Superchargers have thinner, more flexible cables than V2 Superchargers, and show up in the nav system as "up to 250 kW."

 

[LoudMusic]

There are a few different kinds of Tesla Superchargers currently in operation. The version 1 model are super rare these days, but there are a lot of version 2 and they have been building version 3 for a few years now.

Version 1 is 120kw 90kw max and is shared between multiple stalls. The podium thing is kind of boxy and all white metal I think. I doubt you'll ever see one in person.

Version 2 is 150kw max and shared between two adjacent stalls. The podium is red, white, and silver plastic. There are a lot of these. The stalls are numbered 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, etc. Try to park in a numbered pair that is not in use. If 1A is in use and all others are available don't use 1B, for example. If only shared stalls are available it's perfectly fine to use a shared stall. People will be grumpy, but that's life. The result is both vehicles get half of the available power, which should be 75kw but ends up being more like 65 to 68 kw in my experience.

Version 3 is 250kw max and the power is not shared. Park in any available stall. But I tend to spread out just for door swinging space, and because people tend to hang out in their car while charging and it's rude to get all up in their zone.

"Urban" superchargers are 72kw and I don't believe the power is shared. These are much smaller podiums and usually in parking garages in big inner city areas.

Welcome!

 

[RayK]

With the V2 Superchargers (150kW), the stations are paired; 1A and 2A. That means that one power supply goes to two stations. When a vehicle plugs into one of the pair, they get almost the full resources of that supply. If somebody else comes along and plugs into the other paired station, they will get significantly less than full power. Most of the times it's less than half power (<75kW).

With the Urban Superchargers (72kW) they will get the full 70+kW and it won't matter if somebody else plugs into the paired station.

With the V3 Superchargers (250kW), they operate the same way; full power no matter what's on the other paired stations.

So, in short, only be concerned when using 150kW stations. Be aware if you get to the stations and some of them are being used to select one that's not currently occupied by a pair station.

 

[Big Earl]

There are a few different kinds of Tesla Superchargers currently in operation. The version 1 model are super rare these days, but there are a lot of version 2 and they have been building version 3 for a few years now.

Version 1 is 120kw max and is shared between multiple stalls. The podium thing is kind of boxy and all white metal I think. I doubt you'll ever see one in person.

Version 2 is 150kw max and shared between two adjacent stalls. The podium is red, white, and silver plastic. There are a lot of these. The stalls are numbered 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, etc. Try to park in a numbered pair that is not in use. If 1A is in use and all others are available don't use 1B, for example. If only shared stalls are available it's perfectly fine to use a shared stall. People will be grumpy, but that's life. The result is both vehicles get half of the available power, which should be 75kw but ends up being more like 65 to 68 kw in my experience.

Version 3 is 250kw max and the power is not shared. Park in any available stall. But I tend to spread out just for door swinging space, and because people tend to hang out in their car while charging and it's rude to get all up in their zone.

"Urban" superchargers are 72kw and I don't believe the power is shared. These are much smaller podiums and usually in parking garages in big inner city areas.

Welcome!

V1 was actually 90 kW max. V2 comes in both 120 and 150 kW depending on which chargers are used in the cabinets - kind of V2 and V2.5. All V1s have been replaced/upgraded, at least in North America.

 

[RayK]

Note that not all installations will have paired stations right next to each other. Which is why I suggested in another thread here that it would be better for at least the V2 stations to have their identification marks at the top of the stand, instead of near the bottom where it's harder to see at a glance.

edit: But then it may not even matter if somebody comes along and plugs into the closest station to the driveway, not knowing or caring about paired stations. I had that happen in Fairfield, CA a couple of weeks ago when I was on 1B and getting near 100kW when a lady in an X pulled into 1A and I went down to <50kW. There were 4 cars charging in a 12 station lot so there were at least a couple of paired stations not being used.

 

[spsheridan]

As others have stated, it is proper etiquette to not park in a V2 stall that is paired to another stall in use. However, if that isn’t possible because there are no open stalls left that are paired to unused stalls, then go ahead and charge at any of the open stalls.

 

[Tadara]

Thank you so much! I love the support!

 

[Tadara]

Note that not all installations will have paired stations right next to each other. Which is why I suggested in another thread here that it would be better for at least the V2 stations to have their identification marks at the top of the stand, instead of near the bottom where it's harder to see at a glance.

edit: But then it may not even matter if somebody comes along and plugs into the closest station to the driveway, not knowing or caring about paired stations. I had that happen in Fairfield, CA a couple of weeks ago when I was on 1B and getting near 100kW when a lady in an X pulled into 1A and I went down to <50kW. There were 4 cars charging in a 12 station lot so there were at least a couple of paired stations not being used.

This is exactly what I never want to do. I’m in Canada, so promise it wasn’t me. Lol Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt and say she was a newbie too that hasn't found this amazing support group.

 

[Tadara]

There are a few different kinds of Tesla Superchargers currently in operation. The version 1 model are super rare these days, but there are a lot of version 2 and they have been building version 3 for a few years now.

Version 1 is 120kw 90kw max and is shared between multiple stalls. The podium thing is kind of boxy and all white metal I think. I doubt you'll ever see one in person.

Version 2 is 150kw max and shared between two adjacent stalls. The podium is red, white, and silver plastic. There are a lot of these. The stalls are numbered 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, etc. Try to park in a numbered pair that is not in use. If 1A is in use and all others are available don't use 1B, for example. If only shared stalls are available it's perfectly fine to use a shared stall. People will be grumpy, but that's life. The result is both vehicles get half of the available power, which should be 75kw but ends up being more like 65 to 68 kw in my experience.

Version 3 is 250kw max and the power is not shared. Park in any available stall. But I tend to spread out just for door swinging space, and because people tend to hang out in their car while charging and it's rude to get all up in their zone.

"Urban" superchargers are 72kw and I don't believe the power is shared. These are much smaller podiums and usually in parking garages in big inner city areas.

Welcome!

Does sharing a stall determine the charging rate$? I am only using superchargers right now while I wait for my install and I’ve noticed varying $ rates. It’s like pulling into a gas station and not knowing how much you’re paying per litre.
I also read that the rate can’t change once you lock in but my bills have 3 different rates mostly.

 

[RayK]

Sharing a station with another paired one does not directly affect what you are charged. What you have is called tiered rates or charge-by-time costs. Some places have rates that are charged by how long you are connected to the station. Others cost by the amount of power you consume.

See here: Supercharger Support under Payment and Fees

 

[Tadara]

Sharing a station with another paired one does not directly affect what you are charged. What you have is called tiered rates or charge-by-time costs. Some places have rates that are charged by how long you are connected to the station. Others cost by the amount of power you consume.

See here: Supercharger Support under Payment and Fees

Thank you

 

[Rocky_H]

With the V2 Superchargers (150kW), the stations are paired; 1A and 2A.

A couple of people before you listed the pairing, but this is not it. It's the number that corresponds to the cabinet of the charging hardware. So 1 and 2 are separate units. It is A and B that share.

 

[RayK]

A couple of people before you listed the pairing, but this is not it. It's the number that corresponds to the cabinet of the charging hardware. So 1 and 2 are separate units. It is A and B that share.

Sorry. Must of have had a brain fart. I did list the correct pairing in the post about the X lady grabbing 1A when I was on 1B.

 

[RTPEV]

I also read that the rate can’t change once you lock in but my bills have 3 different rates mostly.

You may have been reading a discussion of how Electrify America does their tiers. Once your car states its max charging speed, the rate you pay doesn't change, even if your charge rate drops below the 90kW tier level. That's not how Supercharger tiers work though (as you found out).

Great question though.

I've wondered if there is an etiquette (or procedure) for what to do when you show up at a >=50% occupied V2 site and are trying to figure out what the best stall to use is, given that you're going to have to pair up with someone.

The one time this happened to me, I parked away from the stalls and got out to ask the other drivers who was getting close to done, and while I was doing that another Tesla came up and just pulled into a stall. So I figured I should just move my car into a stall and just start charging when another driver informed me that they were getting ready to leave, so I parked in that paired stall and got full power for my whole session, while the other driver wound up being stuck paired with someone for theirs. Karma!

 

[Tadara]

I love Karma

 

[RayK]

Sharing a station with another paired one does not directly affect what you are charged. What you have is called tiered rates or charge-by-time costs. Some places have rates that are charged by how long you are connected to the station. Others cost by the amount of power you consume.

See here: Supercharger Support under Payment and Fees

@Tadara With a closer look at the tiered price structure, I may have to retract my previous statement about not being affected by charging with another vehicle at a paired station. The tiered rates are set by the amount of power being delivered to your car at any moment. That is also affected by your own state of charge (SoC). Assume for a moment that you are at a 150kW installation. You started your charge at a low SoC without anybody at your paired station. You should be getting almost the maximum power (~150kW), or in other words, the highest cost/kW. As your SoC raises, the power lowers since it's good for the battery to do so. The amount you get charged per kW will also go lower (you go from Tier 3 to Tier 2). Now assume that somebody pulls into the station that's paired with yours and they have a low SoC. They will get the most power and you may drop from Tier 2 to Tier 1. So your cost per kW gets lower but it also means that you'll be connected to the station longer in order to get to your programmed limit.

Being charged by time (tiered rates) is more complicated than being charged by the amount of kWh delivered. Here in California we are charged per kWh so I'm not that familiar with being charged by the minute. Most stations here compensate by having a lower cost/kWh for Level 2 charging (240VAC), than compared to DC Fast charging; what CCS, CHAdeMO and Superchargers are.

 

[Tadara]

@Tadara With a closer look at the tiered price structure, I may have to retract my previous statement about not being affected by charging with another vehicle at a paired station. The tiered rates are set by the amount of power being delivered to your car at any moment. That is also affected by your own state of charge (SoC). Assume for a moment that you are at a 150kW installation. You started your charge at a low SoC without anybody at your paired station. You should be getting almost the maximum power (~150kW), or in other words, the highest cost/kW. As your SoC raises, the power lowers since it's good for the battery to do so. The amount you get charged per kW will also go lower (you go from Tier 3 to Tier 2). Now assume that somebody pulls into the station that's paired with yours and they have a low SoC. They will get the most power and you may drop from Tier 2 to Tier 1. So your cost per kW gets lower but it also means that you'll be connected to the station longer in order to get to your programmed limit.

Being charged by time (tiered rates) is more complicated than being charged by the amount of kWh delivered. Here in California we are charged per kWh so I'm not that familiar with being charged by the minute. Most stations here compensate by having a lower cost/kWh for Level 2 charging (240VAC), than compared to DC Fast charging; what CCS, CHAdeMO and Superchargers are.

Thanks for that. Looking at these pics does it look normal for the start and finish of a Supercharger session. It was Canada Day so lots of people pulling in and out while I was there and the 15 min ended up being half an hour.

 

[RayK]

From with I see, it looks like you have a Standard Range RWD vehicle. The battery size is about 60kWh in order to conform to your ~20% to 95% charge. In other words, 75% (95-20) of 60kWh is 45kWh, the amount your car is showing you added during that Supercharger session (second photo).

That you were getting 141kW at the start (first photo), and then you tapered off to 27kW, is normal. The car will charge fastest (higher kW number) when your SoC is low and will slow down (lower kW number) as the battery is nearing "full".

Yes, some of that change in power can be attributed to having somebody plug into a paired stall but without knowing which station you were at, I can't say. It may have been you were at a 250kW installation which means no sharing, or you may have been at a 150kW site which does share power between paired stations.

 

[Tadara]

@Tadara With a closer look at the tiered price structure, I may have to retract my previous statement about not being affected by charging with another vehicle at a paired station. The tiered rates are set by the amount of power being delivered to your car at any moment. That is also affected by your own state of charge (SoC). Assume for a moment that you are at a 150kW installation. You started your charge at a low SoC without anybody at your paired station. You should be getting almost the maximum power (~150kW), or in other words, the highest cost/kW. As your SoC raises, the power lowers since it's good for the battery to do so. The amount you get charged per kW will also go lower (you go from Tier 3 to Tier 2). Now assume that somebody pulls into the station that's paired with yours and they have a low SoC. They will get the most power and you may drop from Tier 2 to Tier 1. So your cost per kW gets lower but it also means that you'll be connected to the station longer in order to get to your programmed limit.

Being charged by time (tiered rates) is more complicated than being charged by the amount of kWh delivered. Here in California we are charged per kWh so I'm not that familiar with being charged by the minute. Most stations here compensate by having a lower cost/kWh for Level 2 charging (240VAC), than compared to DC Fast charging; what CCS, CHAdeMO and Superchargers are.

Thanks for that. Looking at these pics does it look normal for the start and finish of a Supercharger session. It was Canada Day so lots of people pulling in and out while I was there nd the 15 min ended up being half an hour.

From with I see, it looks like you have a Standard Range RWD vehicle. The battery size is about 60kWh in order to conform to your ~20% to 95% charge. In other words, 75% (95-20) of 60kWh is 45kWh, the amount your car is showing you added during that Supercharger session (second photo).

That you were getting 141kW at the start (first photo), and then you tapered off to 27kW, is normal. The car will charge fastest (higher kW number) when your SoC is low and will slow down (lower kW number) as the battery is nearing "full".

Yes, some of that change in power can be attributed to having somebody plug into a paired stall but without knowing which station you were at, I can't say. It may have been you were at a 250kW installation which means no sharing, or you may have been at a 150kW site which does share power between paired stations.

You had me until SoC? So I googled it and Wikipedia says system on a chip. Is that correct? Just learning and want to make sure I understand cmoketely. Thanks for all your info!